Being Noticed

Things stay too hectic....and my brain is fried from attending a conference on special ed for 3 days....but I learned a lot of good info....now, what to do with it?  ;)

I have had this thought for awhile now. Finally taking time to jot it down. It's something I noticed at the high school when I have been there for lunch. I've noticed it in grocery stores. I even noticed it at the conference.

You know the saying about feeling lonely even when you are surrounded by people? What I've noticed is that we have a tendancy to avoid eye contact when walking past people. I'm guilty of it too. I'll put my head down, look off into the distance or play around with something in my hands to avoid looking around.

What I have noticed though (when I pay more attention) is the power of a smile. Even just glancing quickly and smiling while hurrying past someone, a smile let's them know he/she has been noticed. They matter. Let's face it when in a huge group of people do you feel "noticed"? Do you feel like you stick out? Do you feel invisible?

We talk so much in school about bullies, victims and bystanders. Oh My! (Wiz of Oz reference) If we as parents, teachers, students, administrators, bosses, employees, ANYBODY and EVERYBODY, started to pay more attention and NOTICING what is going on around us, what a better world it would be. Be noticable. Be noticed. Start with a smile. It might be the only smile someone sees all day. People need to know they are not invisible. They are here for a reason. They are noticed.

Psalm 144: 3-4 (NIV) O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them? For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 51:16-17 (Message) Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

Oops, Sorry! days

We still have them occasionally. We had one this morning. They usually happen in the mornings. Times when stuff gets a little edgy, we're grumpy, meds haven't kicked in yet and we say things we don't mean....but can't take back. I was bringing her to school. We were nitpicking back and forth. I should have stopped it, but I got sucked into the argument dance. I could have stopped talking....and prayed. We used to do that on the way to school. When did we stop? Why did we stop?

Instead our morning exchange as she gets out of the car has been: Her: ugh! I'm going to have a bad day. Me: Be positive! (somewhat cheerily) Her: OK, I'm positive I'm going to have a bad day.  We each give a half-hearted smile and go about our day.

We're joking. Kind of.

Oops, sorry! really doesn't cover it. However, it became the way my daughter and I would refer to the days when things don't go quite as planned. When we're not as nice to each other as we could be. There are longer spans in between them now. For awhile when she was younger? It was pretty much a daily occurrence.

I have them with other people too. Those days don't necessarily get "named" anything, but you know when they happen. Days when you or others around you feel out of sorts....and we take it out on those unlucky enough to be around us at the time.

So what do we do? Ideally, we head them off before they start. Good theory. We learned sometimes we just need to walk away for a bit.....before we say more things we'll need to say sorry for....and talk later.

The main thing is that we say we're sorry and know that we really do love each other....even on oops, sorry days.....especially on oops, sorry days.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

The Beauty or the Beast (a fable)

The Beauty or the Beast (a fable)

Once upon a time in a far off land, there was a story that floated around a kingdom. A story of a magical item that would show the owner his or her best friend and his or her worst enemy.

Many people searched far and wide over the kingdom for this magical item. It should be worth a great price when it was found. 

One day, a young girl was cleaning up in her grandma’s castle attic. This girl was truly beautiful inside and out. However, she never realized it about herself. There were kids at the local school that were cruel not just to her, but to many others as well. She always wished that someone would stand up to them. She wished it could be her. Unfortunately, she knew that fairy godmothers weren’t real and wishes don’t always come true.

While she was cleaning, she almost knocked a very dusty box off a shelf. As she went to catch it, she noticed some very nicely lettered words:

“The contents of this box will show the owner his or her best friend and his or her worst enemy.  Open at your own risk.”

THIS box must contain the item from the long told story. The girl’s curiosity got the best of her. She eagerly and carefully lowered the box to the floor and proceeded to open it.

Inside she found…… a mirror. “That’s it?” she angrily exclaimed, “There are mirrors all over the kingdom. Why is this one any different?”

She lifted the mirror and as she truly saw herself a small piece of paper floated to the floor. It said:

While an ordinary mirror this may appear,

Let it show you very clear.

The person you know you are and others see

Or believe what the beast tries to tell you to be.

YOU can be your best friend….or your worst enemy.

Moral of the story: We can be so hard on ourselves and so caught up in what others opinions are of us that we fail to see how truly wonderful we are.  The “beast” in your life may be at your school, in your house….or worst of all in your own head. Let your beauty shine. It is SO much more than what appears in a mirror.

Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

RE: Solution 2013

I know I have seen the word resolution often. Since I am not very good at keeping them, I often do not make many, if any. Every "New Year" seems to bring the desire to make things different/better this year than the last. Well, by this age then EVERYTHING should be just grand! However, should be is not reality. For some reason, shoulda, coulda, woulda comes to mind.

Every year, I think I'll stop doing things last minute. Most days find me doing just that. I have coupons that will expire on a certain date. IF I find them in time, I am usually using them the day they expire OR kicking myself for not finding them in time and/or misplacing them in a place I KNEW I would not forget....but did.

Today, New Years Day 2013, I looked at the word resolution and saw RE solution. Kind of like a memo format....and the following came to mind:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: You
From: God
Date: 1/1/2013 (and every other day)
RE: Solution

Stop trying so hard. I've got this. Surrender. My solution to your problem may not look the way you want or think it should be. Trust me. I never said life would be easy. I promise it will be worth it. YOU are worth it. Open your eyes, your ears and your heart to creation and the people around you. Seek me and you will find me. I will be your resolution and solution for today and all the days to come.
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No matter what your past years have brought, what your new year holds.....even what your next few minutes hold, trust that you are where you need to be for now and that you will not be there alone. I have to admit, I do not always like where I am.....sometimes I don't even like (love, yes, like? sometimes not so much) the people around me. Yikes, that was slightly more honest than I intended.

The world does more than a fair share of kicking when we already feel down. Don't kick yourself if your resolution doesn't last more than a day. The next day is another chance to try again.  

I looked up "solution" on www.biblegateway.com and didn't find it until I checked the Message version. I post the following as a reminder to myself as well because I have had a hard time explaining why "the law" (Old Testament) and "Jesus" (New Testament) were two different solutions to the same problem.

 

Hebrews 10 (MSG)

The Sacrifice of Jesus

10 ^1-10 The old plan was only a hint of the good things in the new plan. Since that old “law plan” wasn’t complete in itself, it couldn’t complete those who followed it. No matter how many sacrifices were offered year after year, they never added up to a complete solution. If they had, the worshipers would have gone merrily on their way, no longer dragged down by their sins. But instead of removing awareness of sin, when those animal sacrifices were repeated over and over they actually heightened awareness and guilt. The plain fact is that bull and goat blood can’t get rid of sin. That is what is meant by this prophecy, put in the mouth of Christ:

You don’t want sacrifices and offerings year after year;
    you’ve prepared a body for me for a sacrifice.
It’s not fragrance and smoke from the altar
    that whet your appetite.
So I said, “I’m here to do it your way, O God,
    the way it’s described in your Book.”

When he said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings,” he was referring to practices according to the old plan. When he added, “I’m here to do it your way,” he set aside the first in order to enact the new plan—God’s way—by which we are made fit for God by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.

Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Yikes. I knew it had been awhile since I wrote last. I didn't realize it had been as long as it has! I have lots of ideas, but lack motivation. ;(

Things at our house remain more hectic than I'd like. We seem to be fighting more battles than I'd like. Honestly, I'd rather not have battles to fight....but they certainly keep life interesting.

There were SO many political ads with the recent elections: written, phone calls and TV.  It seems the elections brought out a little of the best and some of the worst in all of us. Talking about politics, especially with someone that doesn't have the same view can be uncomfortable. Now we hopefully heal the rifts and move in the direction we need to move. So many people got involved with elections, conventions, etc. May we not get so comfortable that we get apathetic.

Matthew 5:11-12 (The Message)“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

We seem to live in an age where we expect to be comfortable. Feel some pain? There's a pill for that. Need to have a conversation that may not go as you like? Avoid it. We even call some of our blankies comforters. We might think this is a somewhat recent phenomenon.

However, in Exodus, we read about Moses. Moses was born a Hebrew. The Pharaoh had ordered baby Hebrew boys to be killed. Moses was placed into a basket by his mother and set afloat in a river. The Pharaoh's daughter found Moses, took him home and raised him as her own. Moses had a pretty comfortable life as Pharaoh's grandson. Moses still connected with "his" people though. His people became slaves in Egypt. They didn't like it. They wanted out.

(Sometimes we are offered the opportunity to leave our comfort zone)

God provided opportunities for them to leave. When they finally left, life wasn't exactly what they thought it would be. They wanted to go back....even if it meant remaining as slaves.

(Seeking comfort can give us unrealistic expectations and we want to go back to what we know because it is familiar. That doesn't mean it's better)

After wandering in the dessert for 40 years, they finally got to their promised land.

(Sometimes a period of being uncomfortable leads to comfortable)

Where's your promised land? Are you on your way there? What's standing in your way? Is it worth the effort? Enough ?s?  ;)

It seems we're living in a world that is becoming pretty comfortable with the status quo. It seems we're living in a world that even the current status quo is sliding in the wrong direction. It seems rather gradual until you look back and notice how far we've slipped. TV, music, movies, books.

As time and the world march on, being a Christian is going to continue becoming more uncomfortable. There will be people that will not agree with the way we try to live our lives. That does not mean we should give up. It means we need to try and fight even harder. We may never reach the point of being comfortable with this. We are not promised comfortable, but we are promised comfort.

 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT) ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. ⁵ For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. ⁷ We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

In the world we live in, I don't know how we live without that comfort.