Negative Nancys

Moms have the best advice, don't they? Here's a little advice my mom shared with me a while back to help me deal with negative people:

When dealing with negative people, imagine a bull being in a china cabinet. Scary, isn't it? The negative person is the angry bull and you are a piece of china sitting daintily on the shelf. When released from the gate, that bull is going to do whatever it takes in hopes of bucking you off and breaking you. NEVER LET THEM BREAK YOU!

Here's the deal:

In Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren refers to these individuals as "EGR" people - "Extra Grace Required." Sound familiar? It should, because "EGR" people are EVERYWHERE! You will encounter them at every school, in every workplace, in every family, and in every church! "EGR" people are those individuals who drain your bucket, start drama, add fuel to the fire and ultimately bring out the worst in you. Simply put, they are bulls in a china cabinet and no matter where you go, there will ALWAYS be bulls! It may be IMPOSSIBLE to get away from them, but it's POSSIBLE to manage them...if we do so with grace! When dealing with these individuals, Warren reminds us: "God put these people in our midst for both their benefit and ours. They are an opportunity for growth and a test of fellowship: Will we love them as brothers and sisters and treat them with dignity?" Will we "kill them with kindness" and allow Christ's light to shine through us, or will we allow our anger to get the best of us? Just as happiness is a choice, we get to choose how we respond to situations! We choose every single day (or at least five days a week...depending on how often we see them) how we will respond to the negative, "Extra Grace Required" people! We should do our best to view the situation as an opportunity to better ourselves and become more like Christ, as mentioned by Viktor Frankl in his quote, “When we can no longer change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Instead of allowing our sinful nature to win, ask yourself, "What Would Jesus Do?"

Before you respond, be quick to recognize their intentions! Know that you are dealing with an "EGR" person who is trying to knock you off your shelf. There's nothing they would love more than to see you hurt because that's what bulls do - they charge. Pray about the situation, specifically for that person, and then ask God for the right words to say to ensure you respond out of love rather than anger or self-defense! If that doesn't work, remember Thumper on Bambi who wisely noted, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" *begins tapping foot on ground*

 

"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:43-45

God's Signs

I listened to George Strait's song I Saw God Today as I made the trek to town:

I've been to church,

I've read the book
I know He's there,

but I don't look near as often as I should.
His fingerprints are everywhere,
I just look down and stop and stare,
open my eyes and then I swear,
I saw God today.
 

I thought I'd elaborate a little bit on God's existence in our lives! I remember reading a quote that said: "Faith is recognizing the subtle signs of God's presence." I believe God constantly reveals Himself to us, but it's our responsibility to uncover the "clues" and be aware of His presence in our everyday lives!

With that being said, one of the places I see God is on street signs. Yes, you read that correctly. I see God when a rainbow is refracted (No, I didn't know that word on my own...I had to look it up and ask a few people) off of the white, aluminum street signs! I see them weekly, sometimes DAILY! Here's a little background information on rainbows: In the Old Testament, after God flooded the Earth, He set His rainbow in the clouds as a covenant between Him and all of mankind, promising never to flood the Earth again. Therefore, it's safe to say rainbows represent God's promises! When I see "ROY G. BIV" gently resting on a street sign, I don't think about Noah and the ark or animals traveling two-by-two. Instead, I think about everything God promises us (victory over death, He loves us, His grace is sufficient, He is good, etc.) and I am at peace. I know, without a doubt, God is reaching out to me and reminding me that "His fingerprints are everywhere." They may not be as blatant as the rainbows I see on street signs, but they're there! We simply have to scope the premises and be willing to dust our surroundings for them! 

If you look hard enough, you'll find that God's presence is all around you, for he is with us everywhere we go! It may be through the hug of a dear friend, the smile of a stranger, the budding of a flower in the springtime, or on an aluminum street sign! All you have to do is look and have faith that he's softly whispering, "I am with you."

I would like to challenge you, no matter where you are, to simply stop and smell the roses, having faith that God is present at that very moment...because he is!

Love ALSO Does...

As promised, here is a continuation of my Love Does book review. However, as I was reading and re-reading what I highlighted, I stopped myself. There's no way I could cover everything I want to cover in 1-2 blog posts, plus I want you to read the book for yourself! I want to see how God will use this book to change YOUR life, just as He used it to change mine! Odds are, you won't highlight the same things I highlighted because God will speak to you through the book differently than how he spoke to me through it, simply because that's just how God works! He knows what we need and when we need it! With that being said, I have only covered three more chapters:

9. A Word Not to Use

In this chapter, Bob talks about the advice he received from a friend who encouraged Bob to stop using the word that in his writing. His friend didn't go into detail or further explain himself, he simply said Bob "should treat the word that like it's a cuss word." His friend was a great author and Bob trusted him, so Bob began avoiding the use of the word that. As the chapter continues, Bob makes it clear that "faith can be kind of the same because Jesus didn't always explain everything in great detail." Instead, Jesus "just asked people to join the adventure." Simply put, we should "trust God because He's the best author." Bob "[thinks] God doesn't spell out everything for us in life, but He does tell us how we can write our lives better; and trusting Him implicitly is always the right place to start." Bob's friend wanted him "to stretch for a better, clearer way to express [himself] than [he had] done in the past. [Bob thinks] God maybe feels the same way."

Action: I need to remind myself that "a relationship with [Jesus] isn't supposed to make complete sense or provide security." I simply need to know that Jesus has my best interest in mind and a relationship with Him is all I need.

10. Corner Store Economics

When Bob was a child, he went to the corner store to buy a piece of candy he had been saving up for. Unfortunately, he was a penny short. However, instead of sending candy-less Bob on his way, the old man at the cash register "grabbed one of the pennies" along with some vinegar and salt and gently began shining it. When he finished, he laid the coin on the table and told Bob, "In my store, shiny pennies are worth double." He refused to let one penny keep him from showing Bob the love that God shows us every day. He taught Bob "that we have more power than we think to make our own rules about life to live out the economy that Jesus put in place." Bob concludes the chapter with this: "We each get to be the storekeeper, at least figuratively, and we decide who gets what and what things are worth. We get to decide that people, including ourselves, are worth more than others might figure and that following Jesus means doing math differently sometimes. Because actually we're all on the same side of the counter when it comes to needing a little help and grace and a shiny penny now and then. We're the kid and we're the storekeeper."

Action: I need to be mindful of others and be willing to "do the math differently" by showing them a LOT of grace and a LOT of love because even when the numbers don't add up, Jesus will ALWAYS be enough!

11. Ten-Year-Old Adventures

When asked what my plan is after graduation, a lot of times I answer, "I'm just trying to get to where I'm going...wherever that may be!" I don't know what God has in store for my life. I know the dreams and desires on my heart, as well as the things that fire me up, but I don't know when or how things will happen. All I know is wherever it is that I'm headed, I'll be traveling hand-in-hand with my loving Savior. You see, "Jesus doesn't invite us on a business trip. He says let's go after those things that inspire and challenge you and let's experience them together. You don't need a lot of details or luggage or equipment, just a willingness to go into a storm with a Father who's kicking footholds into the steep sides of our problems while we kick a couple in ourselves too."

Action: God is my travel guide and I will take the path He sees best fit. I will seek to trust Him at all times and, as my "About Me" section reads, go through life with BIG dreams and my BIG God!

Conclusion: In the rollercoaster of life, Jesus promises to make the ride worth it in the end if we're willing to hop into the seat next to Him! It will be bumpy. It will make our stomachs drop. We'll experience twists, turns, and loopdeloops...and if you've ever been to Six Flags/ridden Runaway Mountain, you know what I'm talking about when I say we will experience the thrill of a lifetime in PITCH-BLACKNESS without knowing where we're going or what lies ahead of us. However, when we step out of the car at the end of the ride (Heaven), we'll see an aerial view of the rollercoaster (life) and we will be able to see how those 540 degree spirals were necessary in the making process for all passengers (followers of Jesus) if they wanted the ride (Heaven) to be worth the wait! God will continue working in and through us until one day, His work will be completed! We don't have to have a map of the park. We don't need to know the physics behind every rollercoaster ride (although Physics Day at Six Flags is quite the adventure). All we need is a relationship with Jesus and a heart that's willing to jump for Him with our hands in the air as we make like The Three Little Pigs and wail "WEEEEEEEE" all the way home!

I could go on FOR-EH-VER (say it like Squints does on The Sandlot) but as I mentioned before, I want you to read this book on your own! God has specific things he wants to reveal to you that He can only do if you've got the book in YOUR hands! It's an easy read - the chapters are short, funny, and they are all personal stories/accounts that Bob Goff has experienced. Feel free to borrow mine if you'd like! In the meantime, let's show grace, love and mercy to all who cross our paths!

 

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6