I’m Baaaacccckkkkkk…..!
I know I said I would be better at this, I know I promised I
wouldn’t be gone so long between posts. I’m sorry. As it turns out I only get
the desire to write when I get fired up about something. Whether it is something positive or negative it causes me to share. Problem is sometimes
those thoughts are a little too heated to share with the entire world, so then I start writing and never post it.
Over the past few months I have been busy! Not the pull your
hair out, cry from stress, no time to breathe busy but the good kind of busy.
Busy having fun and enjoying life with good friends again.
Part of my busy schedule this spring was Tuesday night Bible Study. We separated from the guys in our class to do a women's study on the Fruit of the Spirit by Beth Moore. Now let me start by telling you
if you had asked me in January if I was excited for Bible Study I would have
had something negative to say. I had previously heard recordings of Beth Moore and thought they were boring and didn't like when she yelled. I signed up to host week 2 so that if I hated
it, I could stop going. I actually planned to dislike something I had never
experienced before! Imagine my surprise when halfway through I was angry I had
to miss a week for my vacation.
The Bible Study was great; Beth Moore is hilarious,
especially in 90’s hair and clothing! My favorite part however was how much I learned from
each of the girls after the Bible Study. We would discuss what Beth had shared
with us and it took a week or two to get warmed up, but it really was amazing.
We all shared things, things I wouldn’t normally talk about, things others
probably wouldn’t throw in a conversation, we built relationships. And then we
prayed, we prayed for each other, with each other, and we grew together. It may not
seem like much but it has allowed me to have conversations I may have never
had. It allows you to gain a piece of each person, a piece that takes intimacy
to build. I have more respect for these women, I have more of an understanding
of why they are the way they are and it has totally changed how I view them
and talk to them.
Imagine what life would be like if you had that kind of
intimacy with every person you knew. If you knew what was on their hearts and
were able to care and show them love every time you spoke to them. I imagine
that we would show everyone more grace, we would be more humble, and we would
simply give people a break. I think about the people I work with, how the
conversations I hold are somewhat superficial and sarcastic, would that change? How much less
frustrated would I get with everyone I interact with if I knew their hearts and
was able to understand why they acted the way they did? How would people see me differently if they knew what was on my heart?
If I had a super power I would want it to be the ability to see
people’s hearts. How wonderful would that be? I would be able to know exactly what each person was going through and would probably be more gracious in how I spoke to them. I would be able to hug anyone who might need a hug. Wouldn't that just be wonderful? It would be, but it would just make things way too easy and nothing in life is that easy.
Really the key is building relationships. I have heard my
dad talk about it for years, but I truly never knew how important it was, I
never saw the power it could have, until this year. Relationships and attitude were Dad's two favorite topics, ask anyone who went through the youth group at Echo Meadows with him. Building relationships allows you to have real conversations, be a real friend, it means striving to be more like Christ. I am thankful to have seen the changes in our class that was brought on from our Bible Study. I am thankful to know these women on a deeper level. I feel as though it has changed my heart and my daily mood, I miss our Tuesday nights together!
I hope to be more then just an acquaintance to the people I see everyday. I hope that I can be more graceful in how I deal with each and every one of them. I hope one day I get my super power...but until then...
Keep smiling:)
Alli
