We were recently travelling quite a bit, zigzagging around the country. I am sort of a people-watcher. My Uncle Pete always said, “Idiots come in swarms!” I believe it. Some people are a delight, and others are a fright.
We meet a lot of different people in our various ministry endeavors. Some people crack me up with their forwardness. And then, there are people who are comical to watch as they interact with others. So many people seem to be lost in spirit with no purpose in life. We have met people who are so loud and obnoxious in public places that it makes me cringe to think of how they interact with their families at home. Some cannot have a conversation without spewing four-letter words. You know the type – they have no filter and say whatever pops into their pea brain. Yikes.
Occasionally I see people who seem to be on vacation but look as though they could have never found their way without help. I often glance at Jody and ask, “Where are their keepers?”
Recently, I glanced at Jody and gave him the “where is his keeper?” look while we were walking behind an elderly man at an airport as the man stumbled and bumbled. We soon met Bill when he fell as he exited the airport. Bill ended up staying in the same hotel and also went on the same tours as us. Bill was 89 years old and his wife had died not long before this trip. He wanted to take the trip that the two of them had planned. Apparently, his children don’t live near him but spoke to him on the phone. He seemed to be doing fine as far as they could tell, and so they encouraged him to go on the trip rather than just sit home and mope. Oh, my stars, Bill had no business travelling alone. Bill is a precious, grieving man whose picture in the dictionary is next to the words “lost as a goose” and “needs a keeper.”
So that brings us to the question. Which word or phrase is near your picture? When people think of you, what pops into their mind?
When I think about which word or phrase pops into people’s minds when they think of me, I’m challenged to do better! My goal is for words like caring, dependable, honest, forgiving, patient, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and humble to come to mind, but I’m afraid that there are times when selfish, unforgiving, judgmental, impatient, inconsiderate, and gripey are the words that others think first about me because of things I’ve done or said. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I am trying to live a mindful life now, as Christ intended. He is transforming me into the person he created me to be…sometimes with little help on my part.
Join me in examining your life, your words, your actions. No, it’s not so much about what other people think–it’s about what God thinks. But, sometimes, when we closely examine and consider what others think, like me, it might challenge you to draw closer to the Lord so that he can continue that transforming work. Let him continue to shape your life.
Lord, thank you for giving me a separate, distinct, and unique personality. I am special because you say so. It’s not because of anything I have done, but because of who you are and how you are working in my life to make me into the person you created me to be. Lord, help me when I resist you. Fill me with your love so that I can reflect it to others. Help me lean in to the changes you are making in me. Sharpen in me the qualities that honor you and guide me to move away from those that don’t.