Yeah, starting this post with a made up spelling in the title. That's how this is going down.
Yesterday in church we were talking about the story of Ruth. The part that struck me the most was not how Naomi and Orpah stuck with her after the deaths of their husbands, but how she was known for her character. Ruth was the type of woman that if someone accused her of doing or saying something with malice, no one would believe it.
That lead to a discussion of how to cultivate such characteristics within ourselves and someone brought up the idea of "living for others and being willing to have an interruptable life". We make ourselves increasingly busy with things that don't really matter so when we get that inkling to reach out to a friend or take a moment to make someone's day brighter, we can't possibly take that time because of how it might delay our plans. It's incredibly easy to get caught up in our plans and dismiss the opportunities to be a positive light in someone's life because it takes effort away from those goals.
This is where having a life that can be interrupted comes in to play. There have been several times in my life where I can say without question that my friends or family have interrupted their lives to reach out to me when they felt I needed it. They've pretty much always been right. I cherish those times and am (at least temporarily) inspired to follow their example. I want to be the sort of person who isn't so busy trying to further my own interests that I ignore promptings to put my life on pause and uplift another.
So that's just it - be willing to have an interruptable life and see how your life changes when you change the lives of others.
5 comments:
I love this. I am guilty of sticking to my plan and my schedule too often, when I could take the time to reach out and help others. Thank you for the reminder :)
I really love this. I get stuck in my comfort zone and I know that I am safe emotionally if I don't deviate from that. But I've noticed that because of that I've pulled away from others and I'm not as willing to help. This also reminds me of a study my dad told me about. They took a bunch of people and asked them to come speak on a topic (I think it was related to kindness or compassion). When the people arrived they told half that they were late and they needed to hurry to the building where they would be speaking. They told the other half that they had plenty of time and to start making their way over. Then on the way they had a man lay on the ground moaning in pain and looking like he needed help. Of the ones who were hurrying almost no one stopped. But a large percentage of the other group stopped and tried to help the man. I guess I need to remember that not everything I fill my day up with is as crucial as connecting and reaching out to others
I love this. It's something I really need to learn to do. Be more interruptable. Yes.
Rachel! (It's Leanne LeCheminant from UVU ages ago...yes, I definitely blog stalk you once in a while haha). I couldn't not comment on this, because it was something that I needed to hear as of late. I'm so bad at having my own agenda and getting frustrated when it gets messed up (which is pretty much always, with 2 kiddos). But this was perfect. Thanks for the reminder to follow promptings, and that the purpose of our lives is to lose them in the service of others. I love your blog---YOU touch lives and serve others through your honest words.
I like this application of the story! Thanks for sharing Rachel.
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