Some days you start your day praying that the Lord will give you wisdom in recognizing ways to help those around you. If I were to have a "New Years Resolution" that is what it would be, to pray for the eyes to see those in need and then have the courage to offer the help needed.
That is how I started my day and granted, the day is not over, but what I realized today is that sometimes the very best service you can offer some folks is to not react to their negativity.
Had a customer who really wanted to be mad and fight today. I did everything in my power to show patience and be kind. She still was mad at "Companies taking advantage of people!" I do admit that a week ago I would have handed her her money back cancelled her payment and invited her to never visit my store again. I chose not to react that way.
Bottom line, after it was all said and done, I didn't have that anxiety stressed out feeling I get when I let someone pull me into their negativity. So maybe today my effort towards kindness did more for me than for the person I extended it to. I will keep trying.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
to lose ones self in the Lords work.
When the Savior was asked which of the commandments were the greatest he instructed them that the first was to love the Lord thy god with all of thy heart, might, mind, and soul. And the second was like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. He then said that all of the Law and the Prophets hang upon these principles. Let's think about what was said and what context it was given. Of course those asking were trying to trip the Savior up and condemn Him. His answer was not understood by them because their entire focus was on the minute details of the law. Remember the strict Law of Moses? The people were limited on how many miles they could travel on the Sabbath, what they could wear, what they could eat,etc.
Watch a little boy that really loves his father. He will try to duplicate his every action, This is a very simple analogy but it is true. If we really love Christ or our Heavenly Father we will try to duplicate what they do. But that is the problem. How do we act like them? That is what stops most of us from being like Christ. We are so overwhelmed by the fast and competitive pace of the world that we don't stop to see the millions of small details that fall under our control. We are rushing to pick up some last minute items in the grocery store and are so stressed out that we don't even see an elderly person trying to reach an item on a high shelf. We are so rushed to get wherever we are going that we won't pause to let someone into traffic from a side street. We wait for a bus or in a line at the store and never start a conversation with others around us. Why are we like that? Because we have let ourselves become part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. Years ago an instruction was sent out for members to learn how to spread the Gospel. One of the key items was how to develop a relationship of trust. All you have to do is make a new friend by speaking to them and say something cheery or give them a simple, sincere, compliment. You will be amazed how people will respond. I remember one clerk in the store that had a most unusual first name ( a name with a melodic sound) I complimented her on her pretty first name and asked her from whence it came. She was thrilled that I asked and explained that it was a combination of her father's first name and her mother's first name. Since that time I have called her by her first name. and she has responded by remembering my name and calling me by name as she waits on me. I have made a friend and established a relationship of trust. Our experiences now are always pleasant and full of nice conversation. You may ask, How does that have anything to do with the love of the Lord? Lets step back and picture a world where everyone had that kind of relationship. Would there be shouting matches, arguments, grumbling, and mistrust. I think it would be a world where there would be peace and harmony. With that kind of world righteousness would abound. From that world would come millions seeking the source of true happiness which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we try to teach about God and how He loves us and we are cold and our countenance is dark and without joy we are wasting our time. I vividly remember the time we were picking blackberries up at Sandpoint with Dan's parents. Dan's father is a sweet man but can be intimidating, when he put his hands on my backside and held me up the mountainside so we could reach the better berries he became a man I will always love. Why, just because he was not hesitant to show an act of simple kindness and show a love that I did not expect. I will always count him as friend. I hope these comments have painted a picture of my perspective on how to become more like the Savior and show His true love. DAD
Watch a little boy that really loves his father. He will try to duplicate his every action, This is a very simple analogy but it is true. If we really love Christ or our Heavenly Father we will try to duplicate what they do. But that is the problem. How do we act like them? That is what stops most of us from being like Christ. We are so overwhelmed by the fast and competitive pace of the world that we don't stop to see the millions of small details that fall under our control. We are rushing to pick up some last minute items in the grocery store and are so stressed out that we don't even see an elderly person trying to reach an item on a high shelf. We are so rushed to get wherever we are going that we won't pause to let someone into traffic from a side street. We wait for a bus or in a line at the store and never start a conversation with others around us. Why are we like that? Because we have let ourselves become part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. Years ago an instruction was sent out for members to learn how to spread the Gospel. One of the key items was how to develop a relationship of trust. All you have to do is make a new friend by speaking to them and say something cheery or give them a simple, sincere, compliment. You will be amazed how people will respond. I remember one clerk in the store that had a most unusual first name ( a name with a melodic sound) I complimented her on her pretty first name and asked her from whence it came. She was thrilled that I asked and explained that it was a combination of her father's first name and her mother's first name. Since that time I have called her by her first name. and she has responded by remembering my name and calling me by name as she waits on me. I have made a friend and established a relationship of trust. Our experiences now are always pleasant and full of nice conversation. You may ask, How does that have anything to do with the love of the Lord? Lets step back and picture a world where everyone had that kind of relationship. Would there be shouting matches, arguments, grumbling, and mistrust. I think it would be a world where there would be peace and harmony. With that kind of world righteousness would abound. From that world would come millions seeking the source of true happiness which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we try to teach about God and how He loves us and we are cold and our countenance is dark and without joy we are wasting our time. I vividly remember the time we were picking blackberries up at Sandpoint with Dan's parents. Dan's father is a sweet man but can be intimidating, when he put his hands on my backside and held me up the mountainside so we could reach the better berries he became a man I will always love. Why, just because he was not hesitant to show an act of simple kindness and show a love that I did not expect. I will always count him as friend. I hope these comments have painted a picture of my perspective on how to become more like the Savior and show His true love. DAD
Neighbors
This summer I was struggling with some issues surrounding the rules imposed by the Homeowners Association in our neighborhood. I was feeling as though they were being very unreasonable and felt that on principle I was right and they were wrong. It had gotten to the point that I had developed a great deal of anger and was ready to just ignore all my neighbors and climb in a hole. Needless to say, I was over reacting and definately not living in the spirit.
One day in the midst of this struggle I was out mowing the lawn. My husband was out of town and I had a day off and it was super hot and I just needed to get the lawn mowed. I had made it through about half and all the sudden I look over and here comes my neighbor on his huge riding mower and he just waved at me and started mowing. He mowed my entire back yard (the majority of my yard) and then left and came back with his blower and blew the grass out of all my beds so I had no clippings in the rocks around my bedded plants.
I can't tell you how humbled I was by his act of kindness! It totally melted away all the anger and angst that I had been holding in my heart. He renewed my hope in being a good neighbor and was a true blessing. I am sure he had no idea what a blessing he had given.
One day in the midst of this struggle I was out mowing the lawn. My husband was out of town and I had a day off and it was super hot and I just needed to get the lawn mowed. I had made it through about half and all the sudden I look over and here comes my neighbor on his huge riding mower and he just waved at me and started mowing. He mowed my entire back yard (the majority of my yard) and then left and came back with his blower and blew the grass out of all my beds so I had no clippings in the rocks around my bedded plants.
I can't tell you how humbled I was by his act of kindness! It totally melted away all the anger and angst that I had been holding in my heart. He renewed my hope in being a good neighbor and was a true blessing. I am sure he had no idea what a blessing he had given.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Just to get started....
Okay I am adding this first post just to get the conversation started. I have been thinking about a lesson I get to teach at my church, pondering what I can say to share the message in the spirit it was meant to be shared. At the same time have come across a couple of books that have deeply inspired me.
I have a life that I believe is truly blessed, yet this time of year I find myself fighting to pull myself up from the boot straps just to get by. What I am discovering however is this wonderful secret, if I make an effort to do just one small act of kindness for someone each day,I end up spending a lot more time looking for the opportunity to do that one thing rather than being grumpy or tired or depressed. That happens to be the message that the books I have come across are saying so the timing is perfect.
I know we all want to make the world a better place but more often than not feel like it is just too big a job and any little thing we do would not make a difference. So this is my challenge... Let's do the things we can, small things, and then share how it changes us. I believe we will find hope and inspiration and before we are finished we may just create that blessed change we are looking for.
So join in and share and lets see where it takes us.
I have a life that I believe is truly blessed, yet this time of year I find myself fighting to pull myself up from the boot straps just to get by. What I am discovering however is this wonderful secret, if I make an effort to do just one small act of kindness for someone each day,I end up spending a lot more time looking for the opportunity to do that one thing rather than being grumpy or tired or depressed. That happens to be the message that the books I have come across are saying so the timing is perfect.
I know we all want to make the world a better place but more often than not feel like it is just too big a job and any little thing we do would not make a difference. So this is my challenge... Let's do the things we can, small things, and then share how it changes us. I believe we will find hope and inspiration and before we are finished we may just create that blessed change we are looking for.
So join in and share and lets see where it takes us.
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