I
Corinthians 1:27-28, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to
shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the
strong. God chose the lowly things of
the world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify
the things that are" (NIV).
Not too long ago, I found myself face to
face with someone who I would have considered a casual acquaintance. She said, "I'm really enjoying your
blog." I did a double-take, because
the truth is I sometimes forget that I write a blog, and I often forget that
people read it. True story. At any rate, I sort of awkwardly offered
thanks, smiled, and tried to think of something to either end or continue the
conversation, because when it comes right down to it, I am so much better with
people when I either know them well or have them as a captive audience.
Then she went on. She went on to tell me of her life
struggles. And because I am a listener,
I listened. I stood there, absorbing her
pain, so very thankful that God has somehow seen fit to put me in this
position, even though I often cannot figure out how I got here.
Friends, my life is really funny. I cannot even begin to tell you how many
messages I receive in a week asking my advice on things like what devotional
Bible an eleven year old should use, whether or not divorce is ethical in
specific situations, how to contact local churches in various states in which I
do not live, and what I think their baby's rash might be (pictures
included). I love every single message,
because... somehow... these people think I might have reasonable answers! And I love my people.
I've come to learn some things...
First, people will come to you if they
believe you are real. I don't spill my
story because I like doing it. I spill
my story, because it might help someone else to know they are not alone.
Second, I do not know everything. I have not experienced everything. And, quite frankly, even though I love new
experiences, I don't particularly want to!
This is a huge part of why we have community. The truth is, you can add something that I cannot.
Over the past several months, I have occasionally
asked someone specific to share a piece of their narrative. Sometimes they say yes. More often than not, they say no. I think there are several reasons for
this. They include things like, "I
don't write well," or, "People have judged me, before, when I share
this," or, "I don't have time," or, "I don't want others to
know my story," or, "I'm scared". All of these (and more) are legitimate
reasons to reject the offer to share. I
have honored, and will always continue to honor, the requests of others who do
not wish to share their stories in a public forum. However, if you're out there in cyberspace
reading this post and you have a compelling story that you would be willing to contribute
to this community; I would like to share my space with you.
I think we can overcome just about any of
the reasons for staying silent, above. I
can edit your story to make it read well, if you want me to. I can change names and places to protect your
identity, if you choose. We can work
around anything, here. Send me a
message.
And... go...
L.
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