I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who prayed & expressed your concern for me last night & today. Looks like I’m going to be fine after a little scare last night. I’ve been pretty worn down all day & have tons to catch up on but hope to be back on track in the next day or so.
So, I decided last week to register for FreeCycle to see if I could find something Susan was looking for, of course not really knowing how it worked. I’m sure you can turn off the emails you receive, but I’m just going to say WOW! The emails I receive, the requests people make… Really has me thinking. To me it’s one thing to take someone up on an offer to give something they have, away, but to post something asking people to provide you with luxury items for your upcoming expensive vacation, is quite another. This has been an eye opening experience.
I started feeling really sick a few minutes ago so I layed down on the couch. MJ came over, felt my head and said, “You’re sick but I’m the caradactor, I can fix you.” After pumping on my stomach & putting my feet together to ‘check them’ she demanded, “Now turn on your back! Turn on your back so I can fix you!” (Somebody has been paying close attention to Dr. Hess.)
Sometimes we look at others & make all kinds of assumptions about them. Sadly, I’ve learned we REALLY don’t know anything. When we say things like “I wish I had it like they do.” What you’re likely inviting is not at all what you want; their stress, their pain, their hurt. While we should lean in & love the people around us, having an “I want that” attitude is the worst thing because you don’t really know. This last year has taught me a TON & I’m pretty sure no one “wants” what I’ve had, though I remain thankful, & in that I’m blessed because of what I’ve learned, how I’ve been treated (though poorly at times) & the lessons through the last year. I hope your 2012 is different than mine, but a good and even better different. The one that God himself has in mind not based on someone else’s idea of good or better.
I’m so over Microsoft. Isn’t it a bit ridiculous that I can’t open an excel spreadsheet properly in excel on my Mac? I think so.
The way of Jesus is so counter cultural to anything we might think or assume. The apostle Paul illustrates this perfectly when he points out some things in the bible; in Romans 13:
// Submit to authority.
// Pay your bills.
// Pay your taxes.
And then he says, don’t owe anyone, but know that you owe love to everyone.
Wha…?
Yep.
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. (Romans 13:8 NLT)
That’s pretty straightforward:
How should I treat someone I don’t know?
You owe them love.
How about the person I don’t like?
You owe them love.
How about that dude that owes me money?
You owe him love.
Fine, whatever, but they really hurt me, and I can’t ever forget that.
Don’t forget it, but you still owe them love.
This is serious business Paul is talking about, not something to consider but something to flesh out, wrestle with and live.
For me, this places more tension in my heart because it causes me to wrestle constantly with how I treat EVERY person in my life (& not in my life for that matter.)
I’m not there yet, but I needed to be reminded.
What about you?
Tonight, I’m reminded of saying I heard my wife say for the very first time shortly after she became my girlfriend about 13 years ago…
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
The quote has been credited to everyone from Ben Franklin to Abraham Lincoln. I’m not sure who the quote really belongs to and for the record I didn’t hear this quote from my wife because she was referencing me, but something else.
Regardless, I was reminded of the quote after reading tonight and seeing some comments about certain cultural issues on Facebook.
At any rate, these are wise words I’m trying hard to remember.