As Mark Buchanan puts it, “Our speaking comes out of our listening. What we say comes out of what we hear.” So I haven’t been writing much “from my own pen” this last week, and I’m not going to start today. Obviously, I don’t think I’ve ever wrote about anything of my own, it was always because I read something in the Word of God or in a book or had a conversation with some people about some topic. I guess I build my opinion of things through listening to God and people and circumstances. Random Realization. 

I’m done reading “The Rest of God” and I just started “Against the Wind” by, yeah I know, K.P. Yohannan. So I was sitting on my dad’s front porch, my eyes looking “book-ward” when suddenly … the neighbors cranked up their music and it was loud, well, not as loud as last night. And surprisingly I started to think and understand. Two or three years ago, if I would have found myself in the same circumstances, my first thought would have been “Man they are so loud, what’s wrong with them? Can’t they even think about the people around them a littlebit? Can’t they respect us?” That would have been my legalistic attitude. But this time (and it’s been like this for a while now) I started analysing what was happening. It’s Friday. Around supper time. It’s nice out. Weekend’s starting. Obviously there was joy around in that house. No more work for two days! It is a time to celebrate, to rest their minds from all worries, it’s time for Sabbath. I know these people probably aren’t Christians and they probably don’t care about observing the Sabbath, but Sabbath isn’t only for the Jews or Christians, but for all mankind, all creation. We all need rest every week, that’s healthy. These people were simply enjoying their evening, lifting their spirits from the workload and taking it easy with some music they liked. Looking at it this way, I actually found myself almost smiling. My spirit was light. “Good for them” you could have heard my heart shouting. 

It’s easy to just be hurt at people that are not like us and do things differently or people that don’t seem to be very mindful of what’s around them. It’s easy to complain about people stepping on our big toe. First responses tell a lot about a person. I’m learning that I need to step back, to stop and look around, under and behind what seems to be bothering me. Before I start grumbling in my heart and out loud I need to analyse and understand, taking nothing for granted. Instead of troubling my mind and sinning in my heart when I don’t agree with some people’s way of doing things, why can’t I simply rejoice with them. They’re having a good time and it’s not wrong. My views of right and wrong are sometimes mixed up because of my legalistic attitude, that’s wrong, that’s sin.  

So it’s neat. Instead of being quick to be “inflamed” with anger and the like, I find myself light in spirit. Stepping back and trying to understand is really important and smart! Sometimes what’s happening to me isn’t cool at all. People have been harsh on me when I was in no fault. Instead of taking it all on me, I decided to look behind and around that person’s wrong attitude and found someone under pressure, on a hurry, people having high expectations on her. “Oh that’s why she was harsh… I shouldn’t start crying and take it personal. I’ll try to help her gently and lift her up.” That sounds a bit nerdy, but sometimes that the way I think and I believe it’s good. It’s a humiliating attitude, I know, but man it feels great!

 

Bank for Native Missionaries: 7$ as of August 11 2006. Please Care!