Like I've mentioned before, I see A LOT of roadkill on my way into work in the mornings. From deer to possum to rabbit, either on the side of the road or in the middle of it - the carnage strewn over the highway lanes. I've never, however, seen roadkill that was STILL ALIVE until yesterday morning.
While on my way to work I noticed some movement out on the left side of the road. I passed the area of the movement and saw a raccoon on its side, right leg & arm in a constant twitching motion. I was creeped out and a bit horrified by the sight. Obviously the raccoon was the victim of a vehicle collision and the twitching was an involuntary muscle spasm. I got to work and all I could really do was think of that raccoon for the first 1/2 hour or so of the day. Sure it was a gruesome way to start the day but I think some good came of it.
How many times have we gone through life with some of our own 'involuntary' responses to things that happen around or to us? How often have we taken the negative road when something bad happens to us instead of trusting and looking for a positive? How often do we automatically ignore those that are different from us or defensive when someone criticizes us? How often have we decided to stay within our "comfort zone" and it's involuntary responses rather than step out and try something new or different?
I think of that song by Matthew West, "The Motions":
"I don't wanna go through the motions I don't wanna go one more day..."
The whole song talks about living day in and day out in a "comfort zone" of sorts where everything is predictable, where things happen in an almost-automatic fashion. And yet the singer wishes to break free from that, understanding the risk & pain involved with stepping out of that "comfort zone" & really living life.
When I think of someone that stepped out of his own "comfort zone" and into the world of the unknown, I think of my namesake Matthew from the bible. I've noted about Matthew before and how I can really relate to him. Matthew (or his prior name, Levi) was a tax collector - a MUCH-HATED person among the Jews. All that changed in an instant when Jesus told him to become his disciple. It said that Levi got up, left everything, & followed Jesus.
I can imagine that Matthew was wealthy, often tax collectors of his day charged exorbitant taxes & fees - far above that which was required of the Roman Empire - in order to line their own pockets. I'm sure he had friends within the Roman Empire & among the weathier Jews as well. Time filled with wine, women, song, & wealth. But Matthew decided to make a change, to step away from what was familiar to him - what was comfortable - and stepped into the unknown. To go from involuntary living to a life of adventure & discovery.
Is your life a series of involuntary movements? Come with me, step away from your "comfort zone" and step into an adventure! Just like Matthew, you WON'T be sorry...
"Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him." Luke 5:27-28, NLT
MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Just Being Human...
I've started reading a new book today, well I should say that I've started listening to a new book today while out on my noon walk. The book is entitled "Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality & Spirituality" by Rob Bell (pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church & creator/host of the NOOMA DVD series). I "read" his first book, "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith", which I thought was interesting as well. Although I have just begun the book, there was one story that moved me.
He relays a story from the diary of a Lt. Col. that was sent into the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after its liberation at the end of WWII. His diary recounts the atrocities he and his fellow soldiers witnessed while there, piles of dead bodies, women choking on their own vomit because they were too weak to roll over, just horrible things that make you wonder how human beings could allow such a place to exist. But Rob had earlier made a point that the concentration camps were designed to remove the "humanity" from the prisoners, reducing them to just numbers and not individuals.
Later in the diary, the Lt. Col. writes this passage after the British Red Cross arrive with supplies that included for some reason a large container filled with red lipstick:"I don’t know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity."
Looking at it from a customer service point-of-view, how many times have we just looked at customers as a 'nuisance' or just an account number, becoming so jaded from the abuse resulting from their frustrations or problems. How often do we really step back and try to look at the situation through their eyes, giving them that 'humanity', trying to understand where they are coming from?
"I'd love my job if it weren't for the customers..." Randall, "Clerks"
Hell, I've been abused more times than I care to count in all the years I have worked in the customer service sector. I've been verbally & physically assaulted because of people's anxiety or frustration & their previous contact with uncaring persons. Even I have been stripped of my 'humanity' in these situations, not known as a caring or feeling person but rather a part of 'the company' that's trying to rip them off or screw them around.
Like it or not, we ALL were created in the image of God whether you choose to believe it or not. Being kind to your fellow man (or woman) shows your love for your creator. Think about that the next time you come across someone having a bad time of things and lashing out at those around them. Love them, help them (if you can), give them some 'humanity' as you deal with them...
"So God created human beings in his own image.In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them." Gen 1:27, NLT
MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
He relays a story from the diary of a Lt. Col. that was sent into the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after its liberation at the end of WWII. His diary recounts the atrocities he and his fellow soldiers witnessed while there, piles of dead bodies, women choking on their own vomit because they were too weak to roll over, just horrible things that make you wonder how human beings could allow such a place to exist. But Rob had earlier made a point that the concentration camps were designed to remove the "humanity" from the prisoners, reducing them to just numbers and not individuals.
Later in the diary, the Lt. Col. writes this passage after the British Red Cross arrive with supplies that included for some reason a large container filled with red lipstick:"I don’t know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity."
Looking at it from a customer service point-of-view, how many times have we just looked at customers as a 'nuisance' or just an account number, becoming so jaded from the abuse resulting from their frustrations or problems. How often do we really step back and try to look at the situation through their eyes, giving them that 'humanity', trying to understand where they are coming from?
"I'd love my job if it weren't for the customers..." Randall, "Clerks"
Hell, I've been abused more times than I care to count in all the years I have worked in the customer service sector. I've been verbally & physically assaulted because of people's anxiety or frustration & their previous contact with uncaring persons. Even I have been stripped of my 'humanity' in these situations, not known as a caring or feeling person but rather a part of 'the company' that's trying to rip them off or screw them around.
Like it or not, we ALL were created in the image of God whether you choose to believe it or not. Being kind to your fellow man (or woman) shows your love for your creator. Think about that the next time you come across someone having a bad time of things and lashing out at those around them. Love them, help them (if you can), give them some 'humanity' as you deal with them...
"So God created human beings in his own image.In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them." Gen 1:27, NLT
MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
Friday, September 04, 2009
Deceiving Looks
Bren had a bit of a harrowing experience yesterday with a vehicle we were considering purchasing. From the Craigslist ad to the actual visual inspection of the outside of the vehicle, it looked to fit the bill for everything we were hoping for. It wasn't until we had an expert look at the vehicle more in-depth that the real dangers were revealed.The vehicle seemed perfect with no rust, a great sound system, even a sunroof option. We as humans often look at the outside and make our judgments based on that rather than looking to more important things that would give us a better indicator as to our judgment of people or things.
The report from the mechanic was not favorable at all. Even though the outside of the vehicle looked great, it was the inside of the vehicle (the inner workings) that was filled with trouble. Here's a list of some of the things:
- Both upper & lower ball joints needed replacing- The ENTIRE exhaust system needed replacing
- The battery was loose inside the engine compartment (not tied down - very dangerous)
- The rear brakes were almost gone (literally)
- Many other things that the mechanic found but didn't list out
He didn't really feel comfortable letting such an unsafe vehicle leave the lot & Bren white-knuckled it back to the owner's house praying all the way.
On the other hand, looking at the vehicle we have currently, it looks like a tired POS with random stains on the seats & carpet, missing material from the roof, 3 missing hubcaps, peeling paint & other cosmetic issues that make it seem that's it's not worth or safe to drive. BUT, it has a new exhaust system, new tires, new engine (with only 50,000 miles on it), the outside looks like crap but the inner workings are top-notch.
People walk around all the time looking like everything's going their way or presenting themselves as being "with it" or "having it all" when on the inside they are a complete wreck either emotionally or physically. Teetering on the edge of collapse or worse, the world judges them as being successful and an example for others to lust after. I recall an old miner's saying, "All that glitters is not gold..."
Whether it's a car, a job, or meeting a new person, be sure to "look under the hood" before you make any rash judgments... You may be surprised at what you find...
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”" 1 Sam 16:7, NLT
MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
The report from the mechanic was not favorable at all. Even though the outside of the vehicle looked great, it was the inside of the vehicle (the inner workings) that was filled with trouble. Here's a list of some of the things:
- Both upper & lower ball joints needed replacing- The ENTIRE exhaust system needed replacing
- The battery was loose inside the engine compartment (not tied down - very dangerous)
- The rear brakes were almost gone (literally)
- Many other things that the mechanic found but didn't list out
He didn't really feel comfortable letting such an unsafe vehicle leave the lot & Bren white-knuckled it back to the owner's house praying all the way.
On the other hand, looking at the vehicle we have currently, it looks like a tired POS with random stains on the seats & carpet, missing material from the roof, 3 missing hubcaps, peeling paint & other cosmetic issues that make it seem that's it's not worth or safe to drive. BUT, it has a new exhaust system, new tires, new engine (with only 50,000 miles on it), the outside looks like crap but the inner workings are top-notch.
People walk around all the time looking like everything's going their way or presenting themselves as being "with it" or "having it all" when on the inside they are a complete wreck either emotionally or physically. Teetering on the edge of collapse or worse, the world judges them as being successful and an example for others to lust after. I recall an old miner's saying, "All that glitters is not gold..."
Whether it's a car, a job, or meeting a new person, be sure to "look under the hood" before you make any rash judgments... You may be surprised at what you find...
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”" 1 Sam 16:7, NLT
MattyV
www.iweighedmorethanjared.com
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