I drive 1 1/2 hour each day to work at White Earth Tribal and Community College where I accepted as a full-time English instructor at the beginning of the the 2012 academic year. I know that this is going to sound totally strange, but accepting the position meant that I also had to accept that God had a totally different path for me than the one that I "thought" I was supposed to be on as a pastor serving a congregation. My students have always accepted that I was both an instructor and a pastor, in fact, some have called me the Rez Rev, and recently I have been coined The Rev by some of my colleagues. In a way, the nickname means that I have been accepted into the fold where I know that I am cared for and supported for the unique gifts that I bring into the college.
Last year when I relinquished my call to my churches, I came to the college broken and pretty messed up. If you can name it, it probably went wrong at some point throughout the year! And yet, at this little college cuddled into the rivers bank in Mahnomen, I found a place of healing and renewed strength . . . they accepted me "as is" which was a true gift . . . the gift of acceptance.
This morning the winter winds began to blow and the snowflakes drifted softly from the sky laying a blanket of white on the icy road where they stuck around for awhile. They were small snowflakes, which I have heard means there are a lot more where they came from on the way! I have to accept that winter driving will be my reality for the next few months. Then I got to thinking about the intricacies of the little white snowflakes and how each one is uniquely different and beautiful in its own way, and yet even though we can embrace their beauty, it is still difficult for we Minnesotan's, to accept that winter has arrived.
Acceptance . . . why is it so hard for human beings to accept that everyone and their journey is as unique as the tiny flakes that fall from the sky. Imagine how incredible it is that not one person on this earth is exactly the same. How amazing is it that no life story is exactly the same? And I found myself wondering why . . . Why is it so hard for us to accept a compliment or a kind word of support from another? Why is it so hard to accept another human beings truth, is it because the lies or untruths are way more interesting? Why is it so hard to look in the mirror and accept that the lines and wrinkles as signs of a life worth living? Why is it so hard to accept the gift of forgiveness? Why is it so hard to accept a gift from another? Why? Why? Why? The list goes on and on and on and on.
The gift of acceptance is priceless. When we accept another for the gifts and intricacies they bring into the world we live in, we move toward self-acceptance which means we can also embrace the things that make each of us different. Each one of us sees the world through a different set of lenses seeing things that we can do to help others out, but they have to be willing to accept our gift in the spirit it was given.
My mama texted tonight to see if I had made it home all right. I opted to give her a quick call and chat about her day as the last few in her world have been a little rough. Mom is alone and there have been a lot of "learning" moments as she has figured out how to take care of a monstrosity of a house on her own. BUT tonight when she got home, some little human angel gave her a gift. When she drove into her driveway, it was plowed. When she walked into the house and glanced out the front driveway, it too was done. She was so touched by the generosity of some unknown person. Mom and I talked about how kind it was for someone to take their time and go the extra mile to help out someone that might need it. Mom needed it.
Mom figured that she would probably figure out who did it, but I told her maybe she just needed to accept that she may never know. And she may need to accept the gift in the spirit it was given. And maybe, just maybe, all that person needs is to know that he/she touched the life of another and that there gift was accepted in the spirit in which it was given. After all, each one of us is a gift as unique as the snowflake where God works through us and in us to touch the lives of another . . . all we have to do is accept it which frees us to accept the unexpected.
The Meaning of the Snowflake
Every new snowflake comes to the earth
as a picture of our Saviour’s birth,
Because they are sent from up above
and remind us of God’s care and love.
Each one is so intricate and small
because Christ sees the details of us all,
And just as two are never the same
the Lord knows and calls us each by name.
Snowflakes gently cover the world in white
and hide what’s unlovely from our sight,
Showing us how He covers our sin
and gives us His grace when we come to Him.
So may every snowflake bring Christ to mind
and in every bit of white may you find
a reason to celebrate anew
and a reminder of His love for you.
Sarah Day 5: Is this too deep for a Monday?
Did you know that in 20 minutes, 1 million links are shared on Facebook? And in 20 minutes, 10.2 million comments are made on Facebook. Did you know that it's a proven fact that Facebook can cause low self-esteem, depression, and narcissism?
"So Facebook makes us depressed and narcissistic, and harms our overall self-esteem. Setting studies aside for a moment and speaking on an anecdotal level, how does it feel when you post a status update and no one responds? Or how about when you post an achievement you won, an article you wrote, or an artwork you completed, and a “friend” says something nasty about it? Have you ever stayed awake longer than you should have because of something someone said to you (or about you) on Facebook? When thinking about how these feelings can compound over time, it is rather easy to see how terrible Facebook can make us feel."
I see negative things on Facebook every single day. Whether it's a news article that I don't personally agree with, a photo that someone posted that I don't agree with, or a comment someone made to someone else that I don't agree with . . . there are negatives everywhere. I completely understand that all of these things are a matter of opinion, and if I don't agree with it then I don't have to look at it or read it, and I usually don't. I have said time and time again, that Facebook is probably the reason that I'm such a pessimist and it would be in my best interest to simply deactivate my account. However, there are indeed reasons that make it worth keeping.
I find it unfortunate that Facebook has become such a resume. I know that my future employers will want to look at my Facebook page. They'll probably skim through my pictures, check my status, view my timeline . . . maybe peek through my friends. Facebook gives our employers a sense of who we are as a human being, rather than an employee. Believe me when I say that I don't have the slightest issue with this. I want my employers to know who I am, what I like to do, what organizations I support, etc. It doesn't bother me if my employers know that I played volleyball, love animals, or watch Greys Anatomy before I even have a chance to tell them. The problem is that I know my employers will want to look at these things, so this has become a huge reason that I will not deactivate my account.
I would be lying to you if I said I don't like to see what my friends are up to. You know, who's getting engaged, who had a baby, who lost a loved one, who adopted a pet, who started a new job . . . Facebook is a great way to keep in touch. The bottom line is that social media makes it easier to do these things. It's a quick way of saying "I miss you" or "congratulations!" When really, it's quick to say it, but Facebook definitely consumes much more of our time than that phone call would. Uff. I'm getting away from my point.
Today, I saw one of my friends on Facebook share an article that she thought was really neat. I read the article, and I liked it. It had a positive message that my friend believed in and I could relate to. It was cool and it was inspiring.
We usually share things on Facebook that we want other people to read or look at. Maybe it's something that we believe in or we relate to. Maybe it's something mean and nasty but it has a strong message. Maybe it's just funny and brightens our day. Regardless of the reason why we decide to share a story, one thing is usually true, and that's that "this story represents a part of me, and I want you to know it."
Unfortunately, this girls positive story that she shared backfired a bit. The first person to comment made a negative one. Yes, it was her own opinion, but it was a little harsh and downright rude. It was unnecessary and uncalled for. The person who made this comment decided to look past the clear positive message of the story, and point out the negatives. Did this person disagree SO strongly, that she had to actually post her thoughts? Whatever happened to "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?" Hmph!
My guess is that Facebook is going to keep expanding. There are probably going to be more users joining, more photos posted, more stories shared, more occasions celebrated, more comments made, and all around just more time spent on the site. I can only hope that in the future, people will learn to think before they post their negative comments on another person's page. Those negative comments are what leads Facebook users to have low self-esteem and depression. That negative comment can cause so much more damage than it's ultimately worth.
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