It read: "Humanity is flawed. I am flawed. Remind myself to be patient and kind. Always use kind authority. Help me not to listen to the lies of the enemy of my soul that would tell me to retreat, hide, stop laughing, stop sharing. Help me to be present in a real, life-giving way."
And as a reference, I noted 1st Corinthians 13. Aha! The love chapter. There we find the true definition of love. You know, that word that is usually used as a verb and is loosely thrown around without much depth of meaning. No worries. This post is not about that since I've already laid out most of my anxious thoughts about love, in a previous post. This post is about that little voice (that occasionally becomes big), who stands guard in the deepest recesses of my mind, ready to shout, "RETREAT!"
I don't know why I felt it necessary to place this note on my phone, on that particular day. Evidently, something had stirred my anxiety levels to a high and there was a need to hold myself accountable. It's pretty amazing that as we look back, we can see God was orchestrating our life while in the middle of a potential demise. Even though we thought it was coming from our brilliance, our own wisdom, it was by design.
Aristotle once said, "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing." And Charles Swindoll, "Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it."
Why do we need constant reminders to live life to it's fullest? Why? Are we seriously so distracted, so self-centered, that all we can see is 2 feet in front of our face? While we are asking, why do we feel attacked, so easily? Does it come from those years between the ages of birth to 5 years, when data comes at us like the speed of light and we absorb it all, so we might pull it all up from the archives of our mind when we become adults? Goodness, I hope not! Maybe it's just that we feel inferior, or less than, whoever is speaking to us. Is that it? Goodness, I hope not!
What time is it, anyway? How much longer do we have on this planet?
What is important enough to consume our days, weeks, months, & years? Is it even possible to always be kind? Is it even possible to love someone more than yourself? Where is that crazy invisible line we don't want to ever step over? Why aren't there flags that pop up in front of us when we are getting close to that line? Why?
Could it be that life is actually a training ground? Is it possible that someday we will realize we cannot control others, but only ourselves? And, seriously, how long should it take to grow up? I'm well beyond the "young adult" season. Some have said it takes at least 30 years for the brain to mature. My question, then, is why don't we see more mature 30 somethings? What is defined as maturity, anyway?
I think I'm going with Charles Swindoll's statement that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I respond. But that still doesn't answer the question of how long does it take to become mature, does it?
Here's a thought:
1. Don't be a bully
2. Avoid gossip, rumors, and talking about others behind their backs
3. Be the bigger person if someone is unkind to you
4. Keep an open mind. Your ideas are not the only ones available.
5. Have confidence in yourself
6. Be genuine
7. Accept personal responsibility
Watching the clock a little too much, here in Mary's World. That's where you'll find me...
