This week has been a very trying week for me, however a couple of nights ago I had the opportunity to go to the movies with a friend. We went and saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which is such a delightful movie. I was very encouraged by a line from the movie, which said "Everything will be all right in the end. If things aren't all right now, then that means it's not yet the end."
This got me thinking about what God says about the end: that all things work together for the good, that every tear will be wiped away etc. I think that if we live with a constant reminder that this is not yet the end, it changes things. It makes us more able to live with the discomfort of the now, because we know that it is just transitory, and that it is not the full picture.
What do you guys think?
Friday, March 23, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Hanging out the washing
We were in class the other day, and the lecturer gave us a scenario to use to interview each other with, in order to practise our counselling skills. The scenario was this: Ask the other person how they hang out the washing. Now it may seem that that is a strange thing to counsel someone about, but as we were doing this with each other, we noticed extraordinary things. Like for instance, how rare it is in everyday life for someone to really be interested in the minute and mundane details of your life, like how you hang out your washing. It felt amazing to be interviewed on this topic and get to share. This simple invitation to talk about our routine tasks made each of us feel very loved, and our bonds deepened.
Another interesting thing we noticed was how many different ways there are to do something as simple as hang out the washing. Everybody had a different technique, along with a host of deeply ingrained reasons for why they did it that way. As I was talking, I even noticed that I felt a deep sense of shame about how I did the washing, which had its origins in something else completely.
My point is this: people love having attention, time and love paid to them, especially when they have done nothing to deserve it. Asking someone to share some part of their life with you is often one of the most simple ways to cultivate this. And yet most of the time, most of us, forget to do this. I wonder if this is because we think some topics are off-limits, or too boring to talk about? Or maybe because we don't imagine that there are so many interesting, different ways to do things like hang out the washing.
What simple thing could you ask someone about today to deepen your relationship?
Another interesting thing we noticed was how many different ways there are to do something as simple as hang out the washing. Everybody had a different technique, along with a host of deeply ingrained reasons for why they did it that way. As I was talking, I even noticed that I felt a deep sense of shame about how I did the washing, which had its origins in something else completely.
My point is this: people love having attention, time and love paid to them, especially when they have done nothing to deserve it. Asking someone to share some part of their life with you is often one of the most simple ways to cultivate this. And yet most of the time, most of us, forget to do this. I wonder if this is because we think some topics are off-limits, or too boring to talk about? Or maybe because we don't imagine that there are so many interesting, different ways to do things like hang out the washing.
What simple thing could you ask someone about today to deepen your relationship?
Friday, March 2, 2012
No Ordinary Moments
I've been thinking today about a quote from one of my favourite movies, The Peaceful Warrior, which says "There are no ordinary moments". I haven't seen this film in quite some time but I had a re-membering of this quote after going to the airport yesterday. I went to the airport to pick up a friend of mine who is down in Dunedin for the weekend. As we got into my car, and were about to drive to the city, this girl smiled at me. I opened my door and said hi to her, and she asked if she could hitch a lift into Dunedin. I agreed and off we went.
What struck me about this encounter was that the girl in question (names were not exchanged) had a bold confidence and trust in the goodness of the universe, and me. She never doubted that I would be willing to give her a free lift, and because of her trust in me, I did something I usually do not do, which is pick up strangers.
It was the most ordinary type of encounter, and yet it was quite extraordinary, because in that moment I learnt something not only about myself, but also about the laws of the universe, and the grace of God. That is, that what you expect and believe will come into fruition.
So I leave you with this thought today that there are no ordinary moments. A moment of sacred revelation and self-insight may be contained within the seemingly ordinary-ness of day to day life, if we are aware.
What struck me about this encounter was that the girl in question (names were not exchanged) had a bold confidence and trust in the goodness of the universe, and me. She never doubted that I would be willing to give her a free lift, and because of her trust in me, I did something I usually do not do, which is pick up strangers.
It was the most ordinary type of encounter, and yet it was quite extraordinary, because in that moment I learnt something not only about myself, but also about the laws of the universe, and the grace of God. That is, that what you expect and believe will come into fruition.
So I leave you with this thought today that there are no ordinary moments. A moment of sacred revelation and self-insight may be contained within the seemingly ordinary-ness of day to day life, if we are aware.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)