Putting your heart out there for everyone to scrutinize is very humbling. God tells us to be humble, accepting who we are and accepting responsibility for our behavior. Not only does this include the bad behavior but also just the vulnerability of who we are.
Our preacher taught a lesson not long ago about not thinking we are alone nor that we are the only ones on this earth to experience life in both tragedies and happiness. My points to the previous Stories I posted was not to make anyone feel sorry for me, but it was a way to share in my experiences so there could find coping methods after surgeries.
One thing I have always struggled with was the worrying I did and do about what others think of me. Lately, I have been hit in the gut with opinions close to me about the way my brain waves work. I am telling everyone out there, it doesn’t matter what other’s think of you, but it does matter what God thinks and how you yourself are living according to His ways.
People can be cruel and judgmental, not knowing your train of thoughts or heart. Some tend to think others should live according to their standards and brain smarts. Nah, that’s not what God wants us to believe. I’d like to share with you a scenario so you understand what I am getting at.
There is family I know who has the sweetest Down’s Syndrome daughter. She lights up the room and smiles when she sees you. She is quite loud and boisterous, but pure love fills her eyes! Her siblings see and feel the personal struggles of mental capacity and hear their mom cry at night being so tired of the unknown and every day struggles.
Kids by nature are cruel. The siblings hear the laughter behind their sister’s back and as a struggling teenage group, it is easy to be sucked into worldly whims of meanness. They tend to shy away from their sister in public and feel embarrassed when others are around. Everything was good until just one person’s ugliness called them retarded like their sister.
Just one person’s words to another and the life within them was crushed; raw feelings had to be healed so they could get back into their true hearts! Everyone is patterned to have a heart, to have it broken, and to have it healed. No one on this earth is exempt from growing and our preacher was right when he said that we are not alone.
I struggled a few days with what someone told me of their perception of me. Like these kids, I wanted to pine away and feel sorry for myself! Sometimes people ignorantly allow their voices to be heard, but unless they are you, they have no clue just who your heart is.
Peer pressure is so hard on teens, but us adults should have enough experience to recognize that we have to put on our big shoes and just walk on. We are ALL different and to think we all should act, feel, think, or be the same is ludicrous.
To hold others in higher or lower standard as yourself is not God’s way. He tells us to look at others in higher regard as ourselves. When we tear down someone’s spirit and crush them, we are actually tearing down our connection with God.
We are told to build each other up. What does this mean to you and how can you live up to this concept? Becoming a good example to others is a must. Those before us have not gone without any mistakes or troubles and we have each other to lean on.
If you are pining away or hurt because someone said something to tear you down, well I am here to tell you to let it go! Yes, it is hard to do because your heart is crushed, but you have to realize that God’s love is going to lift you. He will handle those who can’t tame their tongues in His way.
What I would like for you to do is look in the mirror and see the beauty staring back at you. God made you and needs you. He doesn’t want to see the sadness and tears puffing up your eyes. He wants your heart to shine and smile!
You will never be at the same standard others think you should be because we are not created to be at that standard. We are all in our own perfect standard already! It can’t be the same anyhow. Can you imagine everyone being the exact same? Whew! That’s scary!
When you expose your true heart and feelings, you are opening yourself to a lot of scrutiny, but you are also opening up to be there for those who need you. If you are living your life according to His wishes, you cannot be wrong. Other’s experiences before us are the same today and the same tomorrow. It is what we do for others that counts. Build each other up!
