08.13.08
Choices -Girlfriend E-Newsletter
Intentional Choices
Choosing Mindless Escapes
Big Brother and Mindless TV
I love the TV show Big Brother. I won’t appologize and I won’t try to explain except to say it is so mindless and I really do love escaping for that one hour into the lives of these people who are living in a house with others they have never met. The end is something like $250,000 or $500,000 to the last one standing. What I like to escape into is the human actions and reactions to things that are said -not said -perceived -misunderstood and not really ever confronted. I don’t get caught up in the emotions of the show or scream and yell “Don’t you know! Can’t you see!” Rather I sit in simple amusement. Intentionally knowing this is mindless and purposefully understanding that this has absolutely nothing to do with real life. Unless you allow life to catch you up in drama such as this. Where you are always looking for the next chaotic moment. Where you are looking for the next opportunity to fuss and argue. Where you are looking for the next opportunity to completely disrupt a perfectly fine moment of peace and rest and turn it into confusion and chaos because that is what has become most comfortable. Quiet has become too loud and Peace has become too unsettling.
Choosing Something Better
Rachel Scott -The Story I Didn’t Know
I had the opportunity to hear Dana Scott speak this past weekend. Her sister Rachel was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20th,1999. We have all heard the small tidbit -after she had been shot several times and was trying to crawl away, one of the gunmen asked her if she still believed in her God. She responded with “You know I do”. Her killer said “Go be with Him then. And shot her once more. The story behind it is more than I could have imagined. The fact that Rachel Scott lived every day as an Intentional Light for others was shown through her writings, drawings and testimony from kids at her school. One young boy, a proffessed atheist told her parents “Rachel was what a Christian should be”. She didn’t live shouting her beliefs to those who would listen. She just lived, every moment, what she believed. When she would see someone hurting ~even those she didn’t know, she reached out with a kind word or a touch. When someone new came to school, she intentionally reached out to let them know they were welcomed! ” I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.”- Rachel Scott This was written in an essay she had to do for English class. Girlfriends, there is so much more to this story and not enough newsletter to write it all out! It is simply a story about living with an intention to know yourself. It is about living a life with a purpose of compassion and staying aware of those around you who may need encouragement and even just a touch on the shoulder to say “You matter to me.” You don’t have to get caught up in the drama of their life. You don’t have to get caught up in the fixing of their life. You don’t have to get caught up in the gossip of the circumstance. You can be available with a heart that truly cares about another human being and you can be available with an ear, just to listen or a quiet spirit to just let them cry. I would encourage each of you to go to www.RachelsChallenge.com and see the life this young lady lived and the passion she had for the kids around her. The fact that she was so young, had lived her life with Intention, Passion and Purpose and the fact that she lived what she believed ~She didn’t talk loud and proud, she didn’t tell everyone else what they shoulda, coulda, didn’t ~She lived every day with her sweet, kind spirit that touched those around her and now millions around the world!
Making The Choice
Changing Anxiety to Excitement
We all have stuff that comes up. We get to choose in each moment how we will react to the stuff! Here is one of my favorites from Iyanla Vanzant
~ The quickest way to turn a bad situation into a blessing is to get excited! Things may not look so good right now. You may even doubt your ability to hold up under the pressure or the scrutiny. It’s all okay! You can still choose to be excited! Excitement is the opposite of anxiety. It brings a new energy into any situation. Excitement gives you power and puts you in charge of what you do. Just imagine how you will feel when the situation is over. Think about what you will do with the knowledge and experience you are gaining. Think about the stories you can tell, the people you can assist, the fact that you will know what to do if you are ever in this situation again. Isn’t that exciting? In any situation, you have the right, power, and ability to choose your experience. Old habits and negative thought patterns will be the first to show up, but we can choose a new way in which you affect the outcome. Rather than slipping into fear, resentment, or anger, you can get excited! Be excited that you are equipped to handle it! Be excited that life is trusting you to do the right thing! Be excited that you will do you best, no matter what happens!
