Tag Archives: Perspective

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Risk, Conflict, Struggle and a Path Forward

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Last week someone asked how I was feeling about a particular topic.

I answered from the heart.   I was struggling.  I was viewing something with fresh eyes and could clearly see that years of doing something had created a comfort zone where there is risk.  Today that comfort zone is so big that unnecessary risks are being taken without a second thought.

Instead of really listening, this person attempted to explain away my concerns with something that sounded a bit like this, “We’ve always done it this way and we’ve never had a problem…”

When the conversation ended I felt like a puppy dog that had been patted on the head and dismissed.

I felt frustrated about being asked to share my thoughts, when the person asking did not demonstrate any desire to hear them.

As I was tempted to dwell on the frustration I made my mind switch gears and consider another perspective:

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Inspired by Syrian Refugees: The Greatest Gift You Can Give ~ Listen

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Yesterday I was visiting with a woman whose husband and daughter had recently returned from a mission trip where they were helping Syrian refugees.

The refugees were primarily middle class families that left everything behind (homes, jobs, family, treasured keepsakes, toys…) and fled for their lives.

With no income and winter coming their physical needs are astronomical!

Syrian refugee crisisSo both the husband and daughter were shocked when they discovered that the biggest need these people shared was not physical….

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Has life ever handed you one of those weeks?

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Have you ever had one of those weeks?

A week filled with news like this:

  • One more friend is diagnosed with cancer while others are in the midst of the battle
  • Several friends say their last goodbyes to loved ones that have left the earth
  • One more marriage is on the rocks
  • One more job loss
  • Another horrible diagnosis

While the world is focused on:

  • Terrorists
  • War
  • Refugees
  • Ugly politics

Have you ever felt shaken AND stirred?  Where the pain in the world becomes so loud it hurts?  This week was one of those weeks.

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Is it all just a matter of perspective?

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“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.”  C.S. Lewis

In less than 8 hours after I arrived in the country we will be living in for the next 3 years, my husband and I were taken to our new villa.

As we toured our new home, we were impressed with this modern, open, well-furnished space.

Towards the end of the tour we walked past the kitchen and the half-bath, past the laundry room and the storage closet to a small room in the back of the house that is just a bit bigger than the storage closet.

IMG_0357The room has a small tinted window in the room that lets some light in but it is so high you can’t see out of it.  There is a small air conditioner, and off to the left of the room is a small watertight door.  When you open the door it reveals a tiny bathroom with a fluorescent light, a sink, a toilet and a shower wand.  (No tub, no shower curtain, and no way to keep the water from flowing through the entire bathroom if you shower.)

Yes – This tiny, claustrophobic space is intended to be the maid’s room.