Eyes

When is the last time you were talking to someone and you took the time to stop whatever it was that you were doing and to look at them in the eyes?

I was challenged by a friend several weeks ago by something she had learned.  She was at a personal development event where the guest speaker shared a statistic of how most children have only 2 minutes of parents undivided attention a day.  2 MINUTES!?  I'm not sure about you, but that statistic just blew me away.  However, as we sat discussing this, my ultra superior ego began to diminish.  Of course MY children have more than 2 minutes of ME!  I'm with them ALL.OF.THE.TIME.  (Is what I was thinking.)  But as I sat there and listened to my friend I began to ask myself, "Do they have MY attention?"  And when I say do they have my attention....am I down at their level looking at them and listening without ANYTHING else going on.  OUCH!  That one got me. 

So I have been trying to be more intentional while communicating with people.  I am trying to stop what I am doing and look directly at people when I am speaking.  What am I finding?

First off, I am finding that my children have more they want to share with me, than I ever realized.  Second of all, I am finding that in my every day life we are surrounded by a culture of people who do not know how to look people in the eyes.

Today for example, I was at the dentist.  Now, I LOVE my dentist.  They are some of the nicest individuals you can come across.  They always try to make each experience a pleasant one and have always been more sociable than most.  However, as I was talking with my dentist (again who I really respect & am glad that I go to.) I realized, that while I was looking at him, he was speaking to me and in my general direction I am not sure if we made eye contact more than maybe 1 time.  I'm not faulting him or anything, but I am realizing that our generation is losing a true art of communicating with one another.

My challenge for you is to try and be more intentional when talking with others to look at them and see if it makes a difference for you.  Please come back and share what you experience when you start making a concentrated effort to focus and be in the moment with each and every person that you encounter.

After sitting here typing I was reminded of the following Brandon Heath song.
Give Me Your Eyes

What if we were to take the challenge of stopping and looking into the eyes of others one step further.  What if we were to not stop what we are doing and focus on others, but to look at them through the eyes of our Dear Heavenly Father and see them the way He sees us.



Have a great day!

Misti

Ski Trip 2012

Where to begin? 

My Lord is incredible. Just when life starts to upset me, He blesses me (again) undeserving. 

I went on a Ski Trip this past weekend. In all honesty, I wasn't terrible at skiing. I was actually fairly good at it, considering it was only my second time going. My problem was every time I would crash...I would burn as well. I won the "Best Wipeouts Award". I also had the ski medic man come to my rescue. He asked me how many fingers he was holding up after my body had tumbled down the side of this mountain. The bad part was I couldn't stop laughing, and even though the guy was trying to help me I couldn't get myself straightened up to tell him if I was okay or not. Haha. 

I get frustrated at times. With myself, and with others around me. In the past few weeks there have been things that certain others have said or done that were very hurtful towards me. While I did pray about them, I didn't fully give them up to God. It was like I was holding onto all this anger. What good does that do me? None. 


As I was struggling with forgiving these people, God spoke to me this weekend. He reminded me that holding onto these negative hurts was getting me no where. It wasn't Christ like either. Jesus didn't do that! He died for all of us! He died for a sinner and a disgusting person like me, who has denied & betrayed him so many times. He has forgiven us. I'm forgiven. I should show that grace to others around me. 

Our weekend was kind of centered around the idea of "We are losers." And at the beginning of the trip I was thinking to myself "Wow, this is a really uplifting topic!" But I realized it's true. We don't deserve anything. I know I surely don't. 

I don't deserve his compassion & mercy. God has called me though, and I plan to serve & let Him mold me into the woman I am supposed to be. 


Read Acts 9. 


To shift gears a little bit, I also was encouraged by the fact that God made Himself very clear on what He wanted me to do. He gave me answers to things I was confused about. He really set my feelings straight. 

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ~John 15:3

All in all, I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about Christ. I grew closer to Him and I can't wait to see what He has in store for my life. 

The only thing people can say about me is that I'm forgiven. 

That' all that matters. God has everything in control.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~John 15:4-5