Being the much mentioned observer of human nature that I am....say it with me, PEOPLE WATCHER...I tend to find myself stuck in middle of situations without REALLY understanding how I got there. And sometimes, it feels like a purgatorious (Right...that's not a real word according to the spell check...so let me define it...having the qualities of Purgatory...a holding pattern of the same, endless, mindless activity) loop of Jr. High and High School! Remember how idiotic we all were? Oh, don't get all offended and what not...we were...I was...kids still are! The rush of uncontrollable hormones renders us situationally idiotic. Maybe what happens to us at our present ages is the hormonal decline...because, let's face it...all of us are "at that age" and certain things are on the downhill slide. Somethings shouldn't be allowed to slide....waistbands, necklines, manners....good sense.
As adults, Christ pursuing adults, shouldn't we have the good sense to deal with certain situations differently than we would have when we were 14 or 15? Then why, PLEASE TELL ME WHY, some of us are content to revert back to our days of idiocy? Why are we content to wallow in our flesh when we know...WE KNOW... that no good will come of it? Why do we allow ourselves to play the wounded...the martyred...the blameless. Pretty brassy when if we sat back, stepped back and looked at the situation with a critical eye, we would find that our offense was a choice. We CHOOSE to remain in a place of misunderstanding and confusion and instead of going to the ones who could bring clarity and resolution (which, BTW, is the BIBLICAL STANDARD), we turn to the ones who will pat our heads and stroke our egos. And then when you're done explaining this, tell me why we sometimes refuse the solution when it is staring us in the face? We build walls and put up barriers that even the wiliest Delta Force soldier couldn't penetrate and dismiss any notion or attempt at redemption. Jesus didn't do that to us...God the Father didn't either, so why do we??
I know, I know...this is a bit heavier than the fluff that I usually broadcast, but all of this is relevant to a recent situation in my life. I couldn't solve the problem that was brought to my attention because I didn't cause it and truth be told, the one perceived as the cause of the trouble wasn't really at fault! And I knew that...and expressed that and BEGGED for resolution to be attempted. I even offered to act as the mediator! OH!!! THAT'S HOW I GET MYSELF INTO THESE SITUATIONS! It wasn't my problem, or mine to solve, but there it was...like the poor, little, dead mousies that my cat, Dotty, used to lay at my feet. My reaction to the dead mousies was about like my reaction to this..."GREAT!!!! Fantastic!!!! NOW what am I supposed to do with it?" I cried for a couple of days over this situation because I truly didn't know what to do. It wasn't my problem....not my story to tell...but the one telling it had NO intention of trying to clear the air with the one perceived to have dirtied it....even though I provided REPEATED objections to the offense in question. I knew, as well as I know my own name, that there were major holes in this story and facts that had been bent so far out of shape that they no longer resembled ANYTHING recognizable. Misconceptions fueled by insecurity and dangerously over inflated egos.
In the end, I went to one wiser than myself, who I didn't realize was also on the fringes of this situation. This has lead to a path that can bring resolution, if all involved will behave like ADULTS instead of hormonally insane teen agers. And here's a great big heads up.....if you have a problem and need to talk to me, I am willing to listen. But if you're looking for me to solve something that I didn't have a hand in causing, you're barking up the wrong tree....albeit a very short tree. Don't put me in the middle...PLEASE! I'm content to just sit back and observe...you really don't have to bring me in...seriously....I'm good right where I am.
As adults, Christ pursuing adults, shouldn't we have the good sense to deal with certain situations differently than we would have when we were 14 or 15? Then why, PLEASE TELL ME WHY, some of us are content to revert back to our days of idiocy? Why are we content to wallow in our flesh when we know...WE KNOW... that no good will come of it? Why do we allow ourselves to play the wounded...the martyred...the blameless. Pretty brassy when if we sat back, stepped back and looked at the situation with a critical eye, we would find that our offense was a choice. We CHOOSE to remain in a place of misunderstanding and confusion and instead of going to the ones who could bring clarity and resolution (which, BTW, is the BIBLICAL STANDARD), we turn to the ones who will pat our heads and stroke our egos. And then when you're done explaining this, tell me why we sometimes refuse the solution when it is staring us in the face? We build walls and put up barriers that even the wiliest Delta Force soldier couldn't penetrate and dismiss any notion or attempt at redemption. Jesus didn't do that to us...God the Father didn't either, so why do we??
I know, I know...this is a bit heavier than the fluff that I usually broadcast, but all of this is relevant to a recent situation in my life. I couldn't solve the problem that was brought to my attention because I didn't cause it and truth be told, the one perceived as the cause of the trouble wasn't really at fault! And I knew that...and expressed that and BEGGED for resolution to be attempted. I even offered to act as the mediator! OH!!! THAT'S HOW I GET MYSELF INTO THESE SITUATIONS! It wasn't my problem, or mine to solve, but there it was...like the poor, little, dead mousies that my cat, Dotty, used to lay at my feet. My reaction to the dead mousies was about like my reaction to this..."GREAT!!!! Fantastic!!!! NOW what am I supposed to do with it?" I cried for a couple of days over this situation because I truly didn't know what to do. It wasn't my problem....not my story to tell...but the one telling it had NO intention of trying to clear the air with the one perceived to have dirtied it....even though I provided REPEATED objections to the offense in question. I knew, as well as I know my own name, that there were major holes in this story and facts that had been bent so far out of shape that they no longer resembled ANYTHING recognizable. Misconceptions fueled by insecurity and dangerously over inflated egos.
In the end, I went to one wiser than myself, who I didn't realize was also on the fringes of this situation. This has lead to a path that can bring resolution, if all involved will behave like ADULTS instead of hormonally insane teen agers. And here's a great big heads up.....if you have a problem and need to talk to me, I am willing to listen. But if you're looking for me to solve something that I didn't have a hand in causing, you're barking up the wrong tree....albeit a very short tree. Don't put me in the middle...PLEASE! I'm content to just sit back and observe...you really don't have to bring me in...seriously....I'm good right where I am.
Oh, Michelle...how I wish we all could be born knowing this lesson already. My husband and I find ourselves at various points of learning this lesson, he's a longer study than I, with our adult children. I praise God that I never have to be in my late teens or early twenties ever again. This is a bit of wisdom that I am grateful to receive. At times I need to be reminded. It is never, ever fun to be in the middle of anyone's drama.
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