Have you noticed how people become like each other when they spend a lot of time together? Do you see how the expressions, words, phrases and tendencies mesh into one. It’s fascinating to see people become more like each other. Unfortunately, that’s not always a positive.
I can pinpoint personal changes that exist because of the culture that I’m surrounded by. Some of these changes are good and some are bad. Most, if not all, of the changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary.
What if the pressures to conform cause revolutionary changes? Is this a positive or a negative event? You would have to ask more questions to determine the answer, but I wonder how often we go out of our way to become like everyone else so we can seem “normal.” It seems the no one wants to stick out, and perhaps these changes only indicate our need for groups to associate with.
Is it indeed inevitable that our group will change who we are, so I ask, “Is the group you are a part of the group you want to be like?” If the answer is yes…great; if not, well, you should question whether conformity is a valid option.
Monthly Archives: January 2007
Betraying Your Thoughts: The Visceral and Impulsive Response
I love our visceral responses in life. It is the impulse behind that response that truly describes who you are.
Ever wonder who someone really is? Watch them when they’re upset. Watch them as they deal with something they don’t expect. Watch them as they live their lives.
Do you want to know who you are? Watch your reactions. See how you respond under duress. See what you say and do when you’re frustrated and upset. And see what you’re like when you experience the unexpected.
I think you will learn more in those instances than ever before…
Sleeping on the Edge of the Bed or Missing Life Because of Habits
I made the jump from a twin sized bed to a queen sized bed a few weeks ago. The first few nights, I sprawled out diagonally on the bed in order to use every square inch of available real estate. It was amazing because I had all of this room for the first time in my life.
After the first few nights, I started to revert to my old habit: sleeping on the edge of the bed. You see, with a twin bed, you are always sleeping on the edge of the bed. The only question is which edge is closer. And so I turned the light off and began to roll over when I realized that rolling over in that direction would leave me on the floor. This was not an exciting idea, so I repositioned myself toward the center of the bed.
I started considering this odd behavior: why was I sleeping so close to the edge? I had so much space to use, but I was still hovering along the side. I began to realize my habits for sleeping next to the edge had superseded my new reality. The new state of my life was a big bed, but my tendencies caused me to revert to how things had always been done.
I wonder how often we miss out on the new and better things of life because we are so comfortable or habitually inclined toward the past. I think I miss out on so much because of these bad habits…
Epoch, Stories in Six Words
Inequity pains even a forgiving mind.
Silence is said to be golden.
Speaking can be an arduous endeavor.
One moment ruins eons of good.
Community is built night after night.
Good is often forgotten for bad.
Disoriented, following behind a blind man.
Yes, the easiest and hardest word.
Lost, refusing to use good directions.
Problems, so small but so big.
Solutions, visible but obscured by refusal.
Nine of ten is rarely satisfying.
Rewarding is a quest for joy.
Perception, seeing things as you want.
Reality, understanding things as they are.
Respite, a recovery from arduous times.
Being an Expert
All I am really an expert at is being stupid and learning from it….I have become an expert at not making the same mistake twice, and learning from every stupid thing I have ever done.
-Larry Winget
Loading the Dishwasher or Doing Things Differently
After making dinner with some friends, we started to clean up the kitchen. Someone started cleaning the dishes in the sink and placing them in the dishwasher. My first response was, “Wow, this is awesome. They’re doing my dishes for me.” However, my second response wasn’t quite as receptive: “Dang, they’re putting everything in the wrong place!”
I started to exclaim, “That’s the wrong way,” but I stopped myself and considered my thoughts.
I was getting ready to tell someone that they were doing something wrong because it wasn’t how I would have done it.
I wonder how often I let my preferences interfere with my perceptions and ability to compliment people for the job they did. Maybe my way isn’t always the only way…
Ice Days or Rekindling a Little Lost Passion
Do you remember the days when you would stay up at night and anxiously await the weatherman’s report. Those glorious days of childhood when your most sincere and heartfelt prayers were directed toward convincing God that snow would be the best possible thing for the world. You would go to bed hoping so hard that you wouldn’t have to go to school in the morning.
Most of the time you woke up to the sound of your parents saying something like, “It didn’t snow. Get up now, you have to go to school.”
But occasionally, you heard the sweet sound of, “You can go back to sleep. It snowed last night and school was canceled this morning.” I remember grabbing my blinds and looking outside to a blanket of white, completely and totally content with the world, loving the white beautiful luminous landscape.
I had forgotten the feeling of a snow day. Or at least the feeling of hoping for a snow day. It’s been 7 years since my last one, and it certainly seems like time for another one. As I anxiously watched the weather reports tonight, the same hope and excitement budded within my mind: wouldn’t it be great to have an ice day.
There’s something exciting and enjoyable about unannounced days off. It’s not that you hate what you do or are even looking to weasel your way out of work, but within most of us, a childlike passion for the joys of icy and snowy weather lives on. We see the beauty of the forms and are naturally excited; we’re even excited by a slim and seemingly unrealistic hope.
It makes me consider the passion and excitement of children. It seems as though we grow older and forget how to enjoy the little things, like watching the weathercast in hopes of a little snow. We talk of the cold and the rain while worrying of driving through it, but secretly we enjoy it.
And so I hope I remember this childlike excitement, enjoying these little things that bring passion and joy in my life… And not just hoping for an ice day…
Mortality
From time to time, I am confronted with my own mortality. Like most people, I believe that I have a long and healthy life ahead of me. I would never expect to die anytime before 80. Of course, this is nonsense because I don’t know what the future holds for me. What I do know is this:
I fear dying more than I fear death.
I look around the world and see suffering and pain as death comes near, and it brings scores of questions to my mind. But mainly it makes me think about sin… And the reality that our reality here on earth is defined by sin and death.
I read the last chapter in the book, and I know there’s more after death. And I suppose that’s the only way you can have hope in life.
Desires
Why do we desire certain things? Is out of self-seeking passion? Is it out of greed? Or is it a genuine longing that is beneficial?
How do you determine where your desires fit? How do you separate yourself from your wishes and discern what is good, honest, and helpful? And likewise, how do you know when your desires are wrongly motivated?
What do you think?
2007 – Goals
1. Love People.
I want to show who Jesus is and what he is done in my life by how I treat others. May the cross be the only offense in my life.
2. Be Passionate.
I want have passion about the things that matter. And I want to passionately avoid the things that don’t.
3. Never miss a celebration.
I want to celebrate the good things that happen in people’s lives. I no longer want to focus on the negative aspects of life.
4. Tell Better Stories.
I want to clearly explain God’s story to man. I want to do this through websites, promos, Bible studies, and my life.
5. Savor silence.
I want to enjoy the quiet times in life. I don’t want to fill every moment with meaningless conversation and activities.