I met a kind, gentle lady recently. We met ‘standing in line’ at a lengthy cashier’s counter. Target ® if I must confess. (Said with a grin, you may not know that Target is MY store)
Within short manner, she told me that it was her birthday and that she had made a complete mess of her 45 years on earth. {Her words, not mine}. She said she hoped to be thin, enjoying a happy marriage with two grown kids by now, but none of it had come to fruition and her aspirations for a career in healthcare were short-lived as well. She didn’t PLAN to live the life she was living, she said.
She said she hated her job, didn’t respect her bosses, and basically stuck it out for the paycheck. Between car payments and house payments, it was all she could do to stay afloat. It had been a long 9 years at her current job location. She had given up on marriage two husbands ago, and her newly adopted kitten was sick and she was hoping to take it to the veterinarian in a few days if she could conjure up the money.
Boy! You can LEARN a lot about someone just by listening! My heart went out to this nice stranger. She was practically in the valley of “the shadow of death” in my opinion! Problems can be like that…they snowball. They grow. They exacerbate in our minds. The next thing you know, you’re overwhelmed and asking, “How did this happen? What did I do wrong?”
If you’ve read this blog before, then you may recall that I think all birthdays are occasions to celebrate. Time is a gift from God. So, I offered to buy her a quick cup of birthday coffee on my way back to work. She politely declined, but I told her no, I was buying it anyway.
I had no idea what to order (I’m not a coffee drinker) but the new pumpkin latte sounded good to me – so I went back with my small bounty of lattes in hand. (She was finished checking out her purchases by now). She smiled really big – and thanked me profusely. I wished her a happy birthday and ended our conversation with a brief hug. Or, so I thought.
Before departing she asked me a brilliant question. It’s a question that I’ve been thinking about on and off ever since I met this woman. She said, “You seem like you have your act together. What do you suggest I do to get unstuck from this hole I’m in?”
Yowza! My eyes were probably golf ball size. “That’s a great question. I’m not a life coach. I’m just a simple girl. A Christian. I do have my share of adversity and ridiculousness to contend with. But, off the cuff I’d suggest you apply the ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ principle that our grandparents used to use.”
Getting UNSTUCK…
· Try to avoid surrounding yourself with constant negativity. It makes your ‘hole’ feel deeper and larger.
· Figure out WHAT and WHO you’re in the rabbit hole with. We often gravitate to like mannered and like-minded people. Use caution!
· Look UP to get out!
· Find a good Bible teaching and preaching church. Not everything that walks and quacks like a duck is really a duck. Attend faithfully.
· It’s not easy, but stand up for yourself in the work place - don’t persecute others but be assertive when necessary.
· Make changes little by little – you don’t have to leap buildings in a single bound like Super Man.
· Surround yourself with GOOD things and BETTER people. Something is wrong if you feel like you’re dodging bullets all day, every day.
· Try to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Little things add up when you’re trying to be a blessing to someone else.
· The sticks and stones of heartbreak do not belong in the heart of a Christian. Not long term.
· Understand that in the middle of darkness, the darkness is not forever. LIGHT can invade the darkest crevices.
I gave her a second little hug, an invitation to church, told her about this blog, and final “Happy birthday” wishes. We departed. I hope she wound up having a good day, in spite of her sadness.
Reader – I encourage you…do NOT fall into the enemy’s hole of defeat. The Christian is not stuck! Look out. Look Up. Look Around. His Hand is there to pull you out.
Look UP my friends!
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