Christian Living

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In the interest of transparency, I’ll share that whenever I write or speak about a principle or situation, God arranges for me to have an experience that helps me understand it on a deeper level. It makes me careful about what I say. It also keeps me aware that whatever I think I know has more depth and dimensions that I can personally grasp.

I pray for my lessons to come gently. Through His Grace I am prepared to receive lessons in the way that I will understand them. That’s how I know that the lesson was for me. Yvonne 101, Remedial Dr. LaMar, Intro to Sisterly Love, or Romantic Relationships for the Beginner.

Then, every once in a while, I get a life lesson that I did not know I needed. Honestly, sometimes I don’t want to get the bottom of the issue. I can accept that I will always have shortcomings. Everyone has issues. Who wants to be in the middle of a lesson that they didn’t ask for? Then reality sets in and I realize that until the lesson is learned it will only repeat itself.

My most recent revelation has been that our issues are reflected in the company we keep. Have you ever left a conversation or gathering wondering why you feel a certain way? Those life lessons that catch me off guard are usually the result of interacting with other people. There two ways to look at the way these issues surface.

First, there are some things you would never know about yourself unless you are around other people. Yes, interpersonal issues! Yankees have no idea how fast we talk or what accent we have until Texans inform us. The entire social food chain is built on one’s ability to interact with certain types of other people. “Get in where you fit in” is an old expression that my mother used. If an issue is persistent, you might be spending time in the wrong crowd.

If not fitting in were more noticeable, it would be easy to remedy. The hard part about this issue is that you can look like everyone, sound like them, share lots of experiences, and still manage to have problems relating. It is hard to avoid blaming yourself when everybody else seems happy about the way things are going.

Second, some attitudes are contagious. It’s easy to think it’s your problem when it really is not. This life lesson is especially painful because you waste a great deal of time working on yourself only to have the issues resurface again and again. People are so important, both socially and on a personal level. Its amazing how much these simple interactions can affect our days and sometimes our whole lives.

The worst thing about bad attitudes is that the people who possess them refuse to keep it to themselves. I think they need proof that their terrible outlook really exists and they bring you down so they can get a verbal confirmation. Just a theory! OK, a theory from someone who has fallen for this trick too many times.

No matter what life lesson is brought to my attention, I know that it always comes down to faith. God supplies for all of our needs, so why are other people so important? It’s a Sunday kind of question that finds me all through the week. I blame my profession. I do research. I rely on statistics. Observations of every day events are what mold my views. Wanting to know why is a gift and a burden. I’ll leave certainty to the Bible.

It is not good for man to be alone. Dealing with people can be complicated. If you are the self-reflecting type, just make sure that you are working on the right person.

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