ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
I hate small talk. Even though I’m an extrovert, those first-time conversations with people I don’t know well or don’t know at all often feel flat, shallow and, frankly, difficult. I don’t hate meeting new people – I actually really like it, but I hate the getting-to-know-you stage.
Too bad we can’t skip all that stuff, right?
How great is it that God the Father is God our Father? I’ve taken great encouragement lately from this truth, that “Our Father who art in Heaven” is always available to us for anything from the mundane to the eternally significant. One of my greatest privileges is having an earthly father whose lessons and leadership remain practical in my day-to-day life and show me glimpses of how good our heavenly father is. Even as a 40-year-old who long ago left home and has been married for over eight years, I continue to be grateful for the intentional ways my dad guides me.
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When we walked through the door at Willowdale Chapel 20 years ago, we were desperately needing a church home. We had just experienced a difficult six months. We had moved to Pennsylvania excited for this new chapter in our lives, but many of our expectations came crashing down.
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It seems every time we turn around there is an “awareness” day or month. It is difficult to keep up and many of us don’t try. We can’t acknowledge everything so we just give up any effort. I think many of us fear that if we are aware of something we will be required to do something about it, so we just turn a blind eye. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I encourage you to take this month’s call to awareness seriously because it affects millions of our friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members.
This week I was called to task about an admittedly thoughtless comment I made about a year ago. It was not difficult for me to see how insensitive my comment was. I completely owned my offensive words and made no excuses. The person rejected my apology and chose to hold onto the hurt. Of course, I was disappointed by their response and wanted to beat myself up over it -- after all, I had been wrong!
Confrontation is something I think we all try to avoid. Sometimes it’s over petty stuff: a snotty cashier, a customer service rep who just won’t refund that extra charge, etc. But sometimes it’s over the big stuff: an unfair criticism from a boss, a cruel comment from a spouse... We get hurt, so we hide that feeling inside. We get snippy and don’t deal with the fact that we feel unnoticed. This happens because we are busy, tired, and let’s face it-- simply human.
After hearing me speak at the Christmas Tea this last year, a woman walked up to me and asked, “Will you be my new best friend?” While others might have recoiled at this bold question, the woman had totally endeared herself to me, and I wanted to reply, “Sure I will!” I am a serial friender, an instant connector. Now, you may not be wired like me, but the truth still stands: friends are essential, even if you’re intimidated by the thought of having to make new ones.
I have always loved Easter. I mean, what's not to love? It's a holiday that heralds flowers and spring. When I was little, my sisters and I would anxiously wake up early Easter morning. We would compete to see who could find the most eggs and which one of us would discover our treat-filled baskets first. It was also a day to show off our new dresses or outfits; we loved the fashionable 70s clothes my mom made us each year. I even enjoyed going to church and hearing the Easter story.
