When she was the very most lonely, Grace would set out and explore the land, searching for friends.
Through it all, Grace grew stronger within herself. She learned what worked and what did not work as well in dealing with people. Grace grew up to be a strong and wise woman.
She welcomed most of all the company of those seeking to learn from her wisdom and principles, and she taught many other young women who grew up to be strong and centered, just like Grace.
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How do you measure your worth? How do you measure the worth of others, or do you even have the right to do that?
Romans 12 is bulging with wisdom in dealing with people. Each verse deserves an entire examination of its own. Today, I will highlight a few pointers that stood out to me. I encourage you to read the chapter on your own, though, because it is rich and sound.
Measure yourselves by the faith God has given us. Not by how you look, how much you have achieved or how much you know... measure yourself with the yardstick of faith.
That encourages me to ask for more and more faith, so my measure will continue to increase!
We have all been given gifts; things we are naturally good at. Think about your life. What are you good at? In other words, in which situations are you in your element? Take the traits that shine in you at those times. Polish those traits and use them whenever you can. You were sent into this world with a set of skills and a purpose to fulfill. Purpose and calling are not mystical or cloudy; your calling is what you are good at. Figure that out, and do your thing the best you can, as often as you can, strengthened by faith!
Sincerity is one thing I truly value in people. I cannot stand it when people are fake nice. Insincere kindness is more an insult than anything else. To people like that, I say:
Don't placate me with what you think I want to hear; be straight with me. If you care for me, then care for me genuinely. Don't be friendly out of some sense of obligation you have in your mind. I am strong enough on my own to not need flimsy, false support. Save your energy, and go put that energy toward something that matters.
This, I confess, is a challenge for me. Probably mostly out of fear, if I'm being honest. I think I need to study up on the word "hospitality" and get a better sense of what that actually means. I will probably feel differently about practicing open hospitality once I learn more in depth about that concept. **KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!** 😊
When I have remembered to do this, I have always been amazed at the feeling of relief I gain. Praying for blessings for someone else takes no effort on my (or your) part; it is literally just asking for God to do something. That action frees you from feelings of resentment (which just take up your energy) and heals you from any hurt or insult someone has caused you. I highly recommend doing this as often as you find it necessary.
There is SO MUCH we can learn from regular, everyday people if we just put more effort into LISTENING. Seriously.
Here, I want to stress, doing "all that you can" does not involve letting anyone misuse or walk all over you. Allowing a person to smash through your boundaries does not achieve peace... because you are left hurting, and that is not peace. But, keeping our personal boundaries intact, let's strive to make peace with people in every way we can!
That about speaks for itself. Kind of like the Michelle Obama line: "When they go low, we go high!" That says a lot about a person's character.
And a person's measure.
Have a wonderful day!
Nicole
