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 there are people who are comical to watch as they interact with others. So many people seem to be lost in spirit without any 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. On those occasions, I glance at Jody and ask, “Where are their keepers?”
Recently, I keeper-glanced at Jody while we were walking behind an elderly man at an airport as he stumbled and bumbled. We 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. Bill is 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, in her memory. Apparently, his children don’t live near him but stayed connected to him by telephone. 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 would be near your picture in a dictionary? 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, joyful, honest, forgiving, patient, kind, humble to come to mind, but I’m afraid that there are times when selfish, unforgiving, judgmental, impatient, 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.
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 examine closely and consider what others think, like me, you might be challenged to draw closer to the Lord so that he can continue that transforming work.
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. Help me to lean in to the changes you are making. Give me the qualities that honor you and help me move away from those that don’t.
— We need your help! —
The book “Keep Your Hands in the Air When You’re on a Roller Coaster” is available on Amazon. It is available in print but also now as an e-book. If you find that this book is recommendable, please help us by telling your friends and by posting it on your social media. We don’t use social media ourselves for reasons that go back to our time living overseas. So, those of you that do use it can help by posting information about the book. Also, please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews help with where the book falls in the list of books available.
