Everyone has done it…
and don’t pretend you haven’t!
You are sitting in a church service trying very hard to stay focused on the message, but your mind starts to wander. “Did I unplug the iron?” “Man, what is that person’s name sitting behind me?” And often, “Wow, I’m hungry. What should I have for lunch?” A couple Sundays ago, my mind definitely started to wander. And it wandered long and far...
In service, I typically always sit in the very front, right corner. I do this because I almost always am sneaking in late and it’s the closest seat by the side door! But I do love that I’m just steps away from the choir and I love watching them sing. I began to notice how Kayla’s sweet little girl would look up at her mommy (yes, children can sing in our choir if they want to, and it’s precious) and she’d watch how her mommy would lift her hand and close her eyes. So she would do the same. Then I watched Marsann, who always grabs my attention, as she danced to the words and was comfortably having a special moment in her heart, and it didn’t matter that she was on a stage. It was beautiful. I continued to go person by person and notice their smiles, their movements, and their genuineness. Then I asked myself, “Why don’t I ever tell Marsann how much joy I get by watching her during worship?” Or why haven’t I told Kayla what a beautiful role model she is being for her daughter?
My mind continued to wander and as I scanned the choir, person by person, something really incredible started to happen. But then the music ended and our pastor came up for his sermon. I continued watching the choir exit the stage then find their seats. It was at that moment I pulled out my journal and began scribbling away trying to record what I had just experienced. I must confess I don’t remember much of Pastor’s sermon that day, but I’m sure it was wonderful! Pastor, if you’re reading this please know I almost always journal about YOUR message! But for this post, I want to share with you what I journaled that day...
It’s a fun game to survey a room full of people that you know. Start looking person by person and think about gifts you see in them. What makes them special? What gifts do they have that you know help others? What strengths of character do they have?
How many of us scan a room and do the opposite? We look around a room and look for faults. Guess what? You look for it and you will find it. This must be an intentional game. Play it and something begins to happen... the light in the room begins to look different... the temperature feels warmer... things seem clearer. Why? Because what you are seeing when you play this game is TRUTH.
Will you try it? Will you play this game? I have to believe that the more times we play this game, the fewer times we will scan a room looking for faults. And I promise you, the light will change. Everything you see will somehow become clearer. And you will feel a warm sensation start running up your spine. It was a very real and very powerful feeling that came over me… I have to believe that this is how the world should look and should feel. Perhaps when our eyes are looking for truth, we will see it.
So I’ll ask you this, once you see these truths, these gifts in others… please speak them.
With much love,
Kristin