Truth or Consequences

Last Saturday, I had a 7 year old client tell me, "You're not that good." As one can imagine, I stopped what I was doing and looked him square in the eye. It's as if I'd just walked into an unseen wall. "What?! Don't you like the cut I just gave you?" "I've seen better," he replied. He's SEVEN YEARS OLD, and he's "seen better." He now had my full attention. This little guy has always been very engaging and somewhat fun to talk with. I do love little ones. Well....most of them. The respectful ones, to be specific. But truth has always been my ally, my solid place, my grounding. And up to a certain age, kids are always transparent. Truthful. I soothed myself with the fact he hasn't seen ALL my work. So, being the adult I am, I pointed it out to him. Showed him some of my work. He wasn't impressed.

Truth be told, I have been keenly aware (of late), to everything that crosses my path. So this moment in time was no different. I'm on a mission to see my way forward from where I find myself to be. To not be caught off guard when the inevitable happens. To actually walk with wisdom and yes, a bit of pride, as this season of life unfolds. To be clear, a 7 year old is only a small piece of this tapestry me and God are creating. An important piece, however small. Every piece matters. Right?

In the 47+ years I have been working in this industry (minus a couple of sabbaticals), I have never heard these words. Not to my face, at least. Now I am wondering if they have truly been spoken, just without my knowledge. And so I must examine my expertise and see where I want to go with this new found knowledge. Do I just tuck it away in my toolbox of unimportant things? Or do I hang it on my wall so it's the first thing I see every morning? To what purpose will that guide me? "Never stop learning" has always been a motto for my life. Yet, are there unmistakable signs we can ignore?

It was only a few days ago (maybe last week) that I was talking with one of our daughters, saying, "Why can't God just make it evident what He is trying to say to us? Instead of making us 'read' all the signs and try figuring out if this is Him getting our attention about something we have been asking for, or just me reaching too far for something. For anything." I'm not sure He could get any clearer than having a truth led 7 year old, speak the words out loud. Now my dilemma is, what am I going to do with it? Will I say, "But I'm not ready for this." Or, "Okay, I have a couple of choices here."

My attention has been gotten. 

As always, here you'll find me...in Mary's World