Went to Jackie's graduation party... which was extravagant and gorgeous (of course).... sunset over the water, No Hit Wonders (aah!), open bar (clearly)... a lot of fun.
Frustrating part of the evening, though, was hearing (yet again) about my life through the grapevine. It absolutely amazes me how twisted stories can get.. and when you ask someone where they heard something, they mention some random person who knows no more than they do.
After thinking about it for awhile, though, I realized that my frustration has a much deeper root than that. And it's hard to explain. But I had a great conversation with a friend from school.. and I think we figured a lot of it out. Rather than delve into the specifics of how I got there, I'll just share what I've learned.
A big part of the mission behind Spearhead is looking at people's abilities rather than their disabilities. You can look at people for what they can't do -- but how will that benefit us? If we look at peoples' disabilities, we fuel our own pride. If we look at people's abilities, though... we humble ourselves enough to be inspired.
It's the same way with personalities and lifestyles and the things that make us who we are -- we can look at the things people do wrong, but that will only turn to judgement. Rather, if we look at the good in them -- if we allow everyone to inspire us, even a prostitute can bring us to God.
That's something I've realized a lot this term -- my friends are nuts. I bounce from crew to crew, and each one tends to be crazier than the last. But here's the thing -- they are the most amazing, genuine, compassionate, and real people I've ever met. Everyone has their flaws, but I would love nothing more than for God to make me blind to those. When I see them, I just get proud. It's time to celebrate the abilities of our friends.
The amazing part is looking at all of this in relation to ministry and sharing our lives with others. If friendships are formed on celebrating each others' strengths, the inspiration will be mutual.. and we wouldn't have to be preachy and condescending when we disagree. Simply being ourselves -- being genuine -- will speak more than a thousand words.
Preach the Gospel at all times. When necesary, use words.
-St Francis of Assisi
Appreciate others, and they just may appreciate you. Better yet -- they may appreciate God through you. God blesses us with each other for a reason -- that's the beauty of the Christian community. No one's faults should ever keep them from being worthy of a conversation, of a friendship, of a prayer. Their strengths -- we all have them -- are meant to be shared. Why do we let pride get in the way?
So celebrate we will
For life is short but sweet for certain...
- DMB
No comments:
Post a Comment