Pondering purpose

Today I crossed over to the land of the balanced and mature, the thoughtful and the pensive, the both/and. I was inspired by much, I learned much, I didn't stay long. I hope I hauled home some truths that I can use. I will attempt to keep them handy anyway, as I do not believe I can cross over too often. I fear that I will find it tempting to stay. What on earth would my world be like if I didn't have to say, gee, I am sorry six quadzillion times a day? What might happen to me if I learned how to say, no, I don't believe I will? Where would the excitement and joy come from without the fires to put out, the emotional outbursts to redeem, the lovely make up gifts to purchase? It makes my head hurt and my heart ache just thinking about it. So let's not, shall we?

One of the things I learned is that when people say there are two sides to every story, they are right and both sides have some merit. Most people hold an opinion and a value because they believe it to be the right thing. Some I will admit hold these opinions and values because someone else did and they seemed reasonable. Some of them because it seemed right and they have never cared enough to discover whether it really is. But mostly people, having given the matter some consideration, think their opinions are right. And good people thinking they are right often line up on opposite sides from other good people who are also sure they are right. Tonight I heard one of those discussions and I can say without hesitation both sides were right in part. They needed to acknowledge where each other was right and try to find the places where they could bend and compromise, but they couldn't. They were too busy defending their positions and attacking the others. I understand when one thinks they are right it is hard to think compromise and acceptance for another view point. I usually cannot pull this off myself. In the land of balance and maturity though, this is a way of life and essential to conflict resolution. Accept that there are two sides, try to listen to both, even if you hold the opinion that the other side is wrong and figure out what is common ground. Piece of cake in the land of the thoughtful and pensive. Harder than nails in the land I live.

Another truth from the land of both/and, everyone has a gift and a purpose. Everyone. Even those lousy, no good, pond scum bottom feeders who have been placed on the planet for the soul purpose of irritating me. They have a gift and a purpose. Everyone does. Someone's gift and purpose may be nothing more than pointing out that when God said this is my commandment that you love one another, He meant everyone. If you can discover a gift and a purpose even the most EGR (extra grace required) person on the planet they are little easier to appreciate. If you cannot, ask someone else, they may know. If the two of you can't find anyone who can help you with this, pack this person up and take them to the land of balance and maturity. They are too tough for you and me to mess with.

Finally, nobody always knows the right direction. Yes, no one. Even the GPS system that lead me through every corn field in southern Illinois. Nobody can know for 100 percent certainty, all the time, without fail, that they are going the right way, made the right choice, told the right people, did the right thing. Everyone has a day or a week or a moment or a lifetime when they wonder if they are doing the right job, living in the right home, have proper furniture placement for the feng shui thing. It's universal. If you find someone who says they have never wondered, please immediately connect them with a person who's gifts and purpose you are having a hard time identifying. The two of them not only belong together, we must keep their influenced limited. The real truth from the land of the balanced, is that it's not confidence in direction that merits admiration, it's confidence that if we are not going in the right direction God recalculates us and it all works for the good because we love Him and are called according to His purposes. Whenever we can figure out what they are...

The land of balance and maturity has a lot of good stuff going for it. There was a whole section there about being a cheerful giver and sharing what you have and treating others with the respect and affection you would like for yourself, but I really can only hold so much information at one time. Besides my shallow indicator was buzzing me, warning me that I was about to move into thinking that had depth and required pondering. Today is national don't think deeply day. Just my luck!