“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the
garbage man or the president of the university.” –Albert Einstein
A year has closed and the chapter finally ended. A new
chapter begins as we write in the first pages of day 5 of 2015. Reflection can
help or can hinder our growth going into this year or any start of a new year.
I watched the movie called New Year’s Eve. It is a movie
based upon individual lives and how they handled their specific problems. One of the characters, Ingrid, has a bucket
list to do before completing before the New Year begins. A man in the final
stages of cancer, (Robert De Niro) in the hospital refused chemotherapy, but
wishes to see the ball drop one last time. A man who has a Scrooge like
attitude is stuck in an elevator with a new girl from the apartment complex 5B and falls in love with her. A broken relationship is mended in the end.
Why did I mention this movie? I feel we all have an impact
on each other; good or bad. When we reflect on our past year we can only hope
to have a new year. Everything we do is based upon those around us.
A smile to the cashier at the grocery line may brighten her
day. You wouldn’t know her grandmother is dying in the hospital. In line you pay for the person’s meal behind
you and not knowing tomorrow would be their last meal. A simple text of good
morning to someone is leaving a mark in their mind that you are thinking about
them. However, you didn't respond and seconds later they were in a car crash that killed them.
There is a tendency to bark at someone who isn’t meeting
your expectations. Sure, we say we want a person who can laugh and have fun.
Maybe we want our spouse to surprise us romantically. Yet, are we finicky when
it comes down to how we want to be treated or are we confused in how we want to
be treated?
“How would your life be different if…You stopped
making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be
the day…You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey.” -- Steve Maraboli, “Life, the Truth, and Being Free
I feel in today’s world there is little room for error. Have we have forgotten how to listen and to
communicate without subjecting our own two sense? Is there is a tendency to fix
it, but is there a lack of motivation to carry it through to the end?
As we start off this New Year think about a new way of being
different. How can we take the hurt and turn it into something positive and
make a difference? Sometimes it is a challenge to feel overlooked. Standing in
line at QT the cashier checked out two people before me, even though I was
there before them. There was a message in that moment.
We may feel like our life is invisible. However, it is the
opposite effect. Our life has impact on others. We may not control how others
treat us, but we can control how we treat others. Communication is very
important. Remember, we are not characterized by how others treatment of us-it
is what defines them.
I want to challenge you this year that if you feel invisible
and you feel forgotten, remember, there is a Creator who loves you and knows
you. Sometimes, it is doing the opposite of what we feel. Don’t ignore someone when
they try to reach out to you. How do you know they don’t feel invisible and
they are trying to have a connection? There is nothing right or wrong about
having new friends.
Let us not forget the song, “Auld Lang Syne”. A Scottish
poem written by Robert Burns in 1788: “Should old acquaintance be
forgot, and never brought to mind?”
The final challenge is to reconnect to a lost love one.
Offer forgiveness, mercy and grace to others in your life. Never be afraid to
feel vulnerable in doing the right thing. Be a visible light to those around
us, so that at the end of this year we truly can have a meaning to remembering
all the people who filled our this past year and formative years.
Happy New Year may we continue to forge our attitude in
trusting Him,
By Faith,
