Just Because You Say It Doesn't Make It True

Just listened to this AMAZING sermon from the National Youth Conference our youth group just got back from. This sermon in particular lead two of Cooper's best buddies to salvation. (Teen daughters of our good friends) Praise God that He delivered Pastor Chalie Clark to preach such a message. Please find time to watch this. It is well worth the hour.
**********Just Because You Say It Doesn't Make It True | North Valley Baptist Church*************

Perspective

I've come to a place in life that has humbled me greatly. I've always been the type to quickly judge people before giving them a chance. Assuming the bad in people before allowing them to show me the good. It's a trait that I don't care for, and have chosen to banish that way of thinking forever. Being friendly with an open mind can open so many avenues if you just put in the effort. If a stranger approached me to make small talk or what not I usually would respond with simple small talk back, but for some reason I never knew how to handle it. I was raised to not carry on conversations with strangers to the point  that frightened me if someone even came close to me. I judged them as if they were going to harm or offend me in someway. It could be an old lady asking for directions-it didn't matter what they looked like, I always felt threatened.
In the last few years thankfully, I've come around to see a new perspective. Especially in the last 8 months.
This weekend God proved  this very point to me.


Friday, Joel was out of town cornering a teammate for a kickboxing tournament. When he got back he was telling me a story from when his team stopped to eat at McDonalds. He was waiting in line to order when he saw a young woman making small talk with this other lady in line. The lady was apparently well-put-together and very tall and. As my husband described it she was 8ft tall..anyway, the young woman kept commenting on how tall she was and joked about their size difference.
They separated waiting for their to-go orders and before the tall lady left she returned back to the woman and asked if she wanted to take a picture before she left. (The woman had joked about it earlier) They started chatting again and somehow it lead to the young woman laying out all the difficulties that she and her boyfriend were experiencing. This lead to a heartfelt prayer session lead by the tall woman. Tears were exchanged, and both the young couple and the tall lady left there feeling different from when they came. Something that started out as small talk at a fast-food joint lead to a witnessing experience that may have changed someone's life. I bet neither of them thought that casual banter of a height difference would have brought out such a raw, emotional experience. Joel was cheerful to see such an experience take place, and I was just as delighted to hear about it.


Saturday, I woke up early to prepare a full breakfast, brew a fresh pot of coffee, and pack a cooler full of goodies in hopes of a day outing. I had been yearning for a great day trip outdoors somewhere I could dip my toes in the water and get some sun on my shoulders. 
My  favorite memories always consist of jumping in the car with a sack lunch, sunblock, and towel looking for that special getaway. One where I can soak in a warm summer breeze, sweet aroma from blackberry bushes, and glistening waves bouncing on the lake. In the last two years there haven't been many opportunities for spontaneous trips to the lake. 
Cooper's first year was quite difficult with all the baggage that came along with his cleft. It seemed like there was always either doctors appointments, surgeries, or recovery from surgeries. This past summer we didn't have to worry about medical issues so much, as we did job relocation and moving and then before we knew it summer had passed. 
After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed out to a lake we had never visited. The water was very low and there were many boats zipping through what little water there was. We decided to venture down to the river bottoms to see if there were any nice toe dippin' spots. On our way down we spotted a nice little sandy beach with a trail down to it. As we were unloading, a truck pulled up and I heard a man's voice saying, "Ya know this is private property?!" Once I heard that I started loading up the car again and had to try to console Cooper who did not understand why we were getting back into the car. First thought was, "bummer, now we have to keep searching for a spot." I sat in the car listening to Joel shoot the breeze with the guy waiting for him to leave so we could continue our day. See, there's that attitude again. Through the screams and whines whaling out from one upset boy, I then heard Joel say, "Alright! I'll follow ya over there." Wait, what? Where are we going? I wondered. The gentleman that I already "passed judgement" on was actually a really neat man. He was one of the owners of the property and kindly decided to let us spend our day alone at the private lake. I was floored by his generosity and carried on a great conversation with him once we got down to a sandy beach. He told stories of how he raised his girls on this very lake and how he'll often let people who look like they'll be well behaved come down to the lake for a free pass. Many church groups have used it as well without any charge. This man just wants to make his late father happy by carrying on the heritage of doing good deeds. He gave us his number and left with a, "give me a call whenever you'd like to take your boy out swimmin' again. Or if you want to set up a time for your church to come out here." What an awesome experience we had. 


Not only did I get my wish of going out on an adventure, my expectations of the day were exceeded. I admire my husband for being such a people-person. He is always so friendly and handles situations with so much ease. It amazes me how much we differ when it comes to interacting with strangers. That's probably why he's always excelled in sales positions. Through our marriage he's enabled me to break down that wall that I've always had up. I've gone from a scared-y cat young woman who would refuse to call a customer service operator because I was too afraid to speak with a stranger and handle things that needed to be done, to a confident person who has opened up to the idea that not all people are bad. In fact many people are really just there to help or even brighten your day. Perspective. It really is one of the greatest deal breakers of whether you are going to give into fear, or conquer it. I'm so thankful that I have found strength through Christ to be able to change my ways to become a better person, wife, and mother.
*********************************************************************************

A few from earlier in the week:

Happy Day Everyone!