I am fascinated by the idea that thoughts become things and a couple of months ago God decided to give me a little lesson in the concept. Several lessons actually. And all within a couple of weeks. Here's how that few days went.
It started on a Tuesday evening as I was out in my yard raking leaves. As I raked, the thought went through my head that I want to be one of those people who is so comfortable in their own skin that they can just suddenly dance in public without worrying about people watching. I just kept raking. That Friday, while I was at an incredible workshop with about 50 other people I was tapped on the shoulder by the presenter and had to go up on stage and dance by myself in front of all of those people as they followed me. Hmmm...that response from the Universe came quick!
Wednesday evening I ran to the grocery store to grab a few things. Money is extremely tight right now and I only had a little cash on me but it was enough to get the few items I was needing. It started to rain as I neared the store – a rain/snow mix since it was the last day of November. I noticed a homeless man crouched behind a strip mall rubbing his hands together trying to stay warm. My heart sunk. I could only imagine how miserable he must be. I ran in to the store and decided to cut back on what I was getting so I could buy this man a little bit of food. I couldn't do much but I had to do something. So after I bought my groceries I stopped in at the McDonald's and grabbed the man some food and a cup of coffee. I got in the car, hoping he would still be there. As I drove along the back of the strip mall he was gone. As I started to get on the road to head home I had the thought that I should go back and drive around the strip mall just in case. And there he was. I got out and handed him the food and coffee and he started to cry. Then I started to cry. I gave him a hug. He was so old, his skin was like leather and I felt how cold his hands were. I knew I had to do one more thing. I still had $7 in my wallet so I ran back to the store and bought a pair of gloves. I went back to the man and put the gloves in his pocket as he stood in the rain eating his food. I cried all the way home and I thanked God for a roof over my head. The next day a huge windstorm hit Utah and the large curly willow tree in our backyard was uprooted from the ground and landed on the roof above my bedroom damaging the roof but not putting a hole in it. Again, I thanked God for a roof over my head.
The next Tuesday as I drove home late at night after playing soccer, right in front of me was the biggest shooting star I have ever seen. The tail glittered behind it. I smiled as I thought about how incredible life is.
A few days later a quote went through my head: "The woods would be very silent if only those birds sang who sing the best." Odd little quote to go through my head. Little did I know that a couple of days later I would get a church calling to lead music for the little kids in Primary. Anyone who knows me knows I can't sing. At all. I laughed.
Yep, I better watch my thoughts! Thanks for listening to me Universe. And while I have your attention, there are a few more things I'd like to talk to you about!
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
You Call That Honesty?
Our lesson in church last Sunday was on honesty. And honestly, some of the discussion really bothered me and has continued to fester in my head. So now I can't sleep until I throw it out there to the Universe and release it.
Most of us believe we have a good handle on what's honest but I want to question that a bit. As the discussion turned to being honest in our words and thoughts I feel the lesson took a horrible turn. You see, people wanted to justify not being totally honest because it can hurt feelings. It's commonly called being brutally honest. But is it really honesty at all? Some talked about not really telling people what you thought of their clothes or how fat they looked. One woman even mentioned that you wouldn't tell a woman that her baby was ugly. Do you really consider that honesty to even be thinking that in the first place? I would consider it more judgmental than honest.
Think of it this way. To God that baby is absolutely beautiful. To that mother who has waited so long to have that child, that baby is absolutely beautiful. I have an amazing, and very handsome son. I would have LOVED to have more children, but my husband didn't want to as much as I did. Any child that I would be blessed to have would be absolutely beautiful to me. So are they really being honest in thinking that way or are they looking at that child through worldly eyes?
And the person in the not-so-flattering clothing? We all have our own opinions of what looks good and who are we to say what is right for someone else. Honest or judgmental? Personally, I could stand to lose 30 pounds (again), my nose is pretty big, my ears are even bigger, I color my hair interesting colors at times. Speaking of hair, I used to have a lot more of it so it was easy back then to do pretty things with it. Through a series of stressful events over the last few years I'm now down to a third of what I used to have. I don't have money to spend on clothes so everything I own comes off the clearance rack. So by some people's standards, I'm not that pretty, or fashionable, or thin. But I know that to God I am still beautiful.
A few years back I saw a man walking across the street in Salt Lake. His thin body was deformed so he was bent over to one side and had difficulty walking. But there he was, crossing the street dressed in a nice dress shirt and pants, walking with his head held high and looking very confident. Down a couple more blocks I then saw a man with a large muscular body crossing the street. As he crossed the street he smoked his cigarette. Now by the world's standards the first man would not be considered an attractive man. Is that an honest opinion of the man? I saw two men who had both been blessed with a body. The first one was proud of the body he had been given and was taking care of it to the best of his ability. The second man, not so much. Where's the real honesty?
So there's my soap box. Don't get me wrong, this is not something I am perfect in. This is a lesson as much for me as anyone else who chooses to look at it. Sometimes we hide behind our own judgmental opinions by calling it brutal honesty. But if we choose not to look at the world and the people in it through human eyes but by the light of Christ instead, we just might see things differently and find real honesty. Excuse me for being brutally honest ;)
Most of us believe we have a good handle on what's honest but I want to question that a bit. As the discussion turned to being honest in our words and thoughts I feel the lesson took a horrible turn. You see, people wanted to justify not being totally honest because it can hurt feelings. It's commonly called being brutally honest. But is it really honesty at all? Some talked about not really telling people what you thought of their clothes or how fat they looked. One woman even mentioned that you wouldn't tell a woman that her baby was ugly. Do you really consider that honesty to even be thinking that in the first place? I would consider it more judgmental than honest.
Think of it this way. To God that baby is absolutely beautiful. To that mother who has waited so long to have that child, that baby is absolutely beautiful. I have an amazing, and very handsome son. I would have LOVED to have more children, but my husband didn't want to as much as I did. Any child that I would be blessed to have would be absolutely beautiful to me. So are they really being honest in thinking that way or are they looking at that child through worldly eyes?
And the person in the not-so-flattering clothing? We all have our own opinions of what looks good and who are we to say what is right for someone else. Honest or judgmental? Personally, I could stand to lose 30 pounds (again), my nose is pretty big, my ears are even bigger, I color my hair interesting colors at times. Speaking of hair, I used to have a lot more of it so it was easy back then to do pretty things with it. Through a series of stressful events over the last few years I'm now down to a third of what I used to have. I don't have money to spend on clothes so everything I own comes off the clearance rack. So by some people's standards, I'm not that pretty, or fashionable, or thin. But I know that to God I am still beautiful.
A few years back I saw a man walking across the street in Salt Lake. His thin body was deformed so he was bent over to one side and had difficulty walking. But there he was, crossing the street dressed in a nice dress shirt and pants, walking with his head held high and looking very confident. Down a couple more blocks I then saw a man with a large muscular body crossing the street. As he crossed the street he smoked his cigarette. Now by the world's standards the first man would not be considered an attractive man. Is that an honest opinion of the man? I saw two men who had both been blessed with a body. The first one was proud of the body he had been given and was taking care of it to the best of his ability. The second man, not so much. Where's the real honesty?
So there's my soap box. Don't get me wrong, this is not something I am perfect in. This is a lesson as much for me as anyone else who chooses to look at it. Sometimes we hide behind our own judgmental opinions by calling it brutal honesty. But if we choose not to look at the world and the people in it through human eyes but by the light of Christ instead, we just might see things differently and find real honesty. Excuse me for being brutally honest ;)
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