"...an open conversation...about life..."
I think we need more of this. We need to be open and honest about life. Not rude or ugly but motivated by love. We can do it if we are willing to do some things.
We cannot have an open conversation about life if we are distracted. We need to put the electronics down and turn them off. I heard a report on the radio today that there are buses in our area installing loud speakers outside the bus to alert people who may be distracted by electronic devices to let them know the bus is coming. Apparently people are getting hit by buses for this reason. Otherwise they wouldn't be putting in speakers to tell people a huge bus is headed towards them. Maybe I need a loud speaker to tell people I want their undivided attention.
If you're married and trying to fix your marriage then checking updates online will not help you connect to your spouse who is sitting in the same room with you. If you are working on the job you will not win points with your boss by posting selfies and hash tags about work. Get to work. Listen to your boss. Offer ideas.
We also need to be ready to see ourselves. I have found that I don't always have the right perspective on how I am perceived. I think people see me one way and often they see me another way. Good or bad.
I recently had someone tell me how they viewed me in a moment of crisis. They were saying how I took charge and lead with clear direction and authority. My presence gave them comfort and strength to follow and do what needed to be done. They saw me as firing off decisions and taking action. You want open and honest? I told them how I viewed myself. I felt like I was part of the crowd and was just following and doing what needed to be done. Thankfully they caught something else!
I have had the opposite happen to me as well. There have been times I have thought I was calm, collected, clear and my wife or my employees have come to me and told me quite the opposite. I was shouting, disturbed, frustrated and all over the place.
When you have an open conversation and get honest and real then you see what others see. You see you. Sometimes you has to change. I know...I've had to change. But I am better for it.
Don't be missing when it comes to your life. Your spouse, friends, children and co-workers need you. Get rid of the distractions and take some time to focus and talk about life. Have an open and honest conversation. Be ready for change as you see yourself through others eyes. As you do life will get better.
Have you had any open conversations like this lately. Are there other factors that hinder us from talking?
I have had the same said to me, sometimes I am right on it and know how to handle a situation. Sometimes I am all over the place as well. I think we are all like that in some form. It is easy to judge people for their faults, but often times, not so easy to judge ourselves with that same measure. I remember listening to a sermon by the late Chuck Smith. He told about when King David was told about a man who had everything and about another who had only one lamb who he treated like a pet. One day that man who had it all took the man's lamb and cooked it for himself and his friends. King David was irate and demanded the man be punished. He quickly changed his tune when he found out that man was "him". David realized his sin and wept. He was sorry for what he had done, but of course the punishment that he was about to carry out, had it been someone else, wasn't carried out on himself. I see this of course at the work place, when someone makes a mistake, the coworkers want a quick resolution and the harshest punishment. When that same mistake is made by the coworkers, of course they demand time to fix it and proclaim its not a big deal. Factors that hinder us from being treated fairly is of course pride and forgiveness. Those who look at a man with a criminal record, although he is reformed and it had been more than 15 years ago, and refuse to hire him is forgiveness. One day that same person will require forgiveness and not receive it. I hope at that point, they will remember a time when they did not forgive.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very appropriate story from scripture to illustrate this point. We need people in our life and the Word of God to show us what we look like.
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