Thursday, November 1, 2007

Givers, Goers, Doers, and Users, and "those along for the ride".....

"Pick a lane."

That is one of my favorite sayings......"Pick a lane." Like find a lane and get in it and drive, or run, or whatever you do.
All of us are in one of these categories listed above.

It is sad but true.

I've seen it over and over and over......and everyone on the planet fits in there somewhere. It's just a matter of "What lane" you want to be in.

Which category do you want to be associated with?

I know people that would rather "Give" than "Do." That's fine......at least they are contributing. I know some that would rather "Go." I like that as well. I know "Doers" that haven't any money to give....so they give of their bodies and time. That's good too.

"Users"....get on my nerves. I have little patience for a "user" but the world is full of them and we must tolerate them because sometimes.....they just "start out" as users but then they get a "Grip" on life and the greater purpose they are to have and then they choose a new "lane."

They stop using people...or the church....or the government or what have you.

Some people become "users" because of their life situations and they haven't any other way of thinking instilled into them. It's all they've known.
We can show them a new path.

Other "users" are selfish and will never change. They like it the way it is.

Then there are "Those along for the Ride"......many times you can't impact them much and they won't impact their world.

They are just your basic "Good ol' boys.....or sweet ladies or busy teens or what have you" that aren't going to do much for society.

They aren't interested in making a difference. They don't give to charities, probably not even to their churches, they don't pick up trash in their neighborhoods...don't go out of their way to help out in social realms they don't have burdens for the "world." Per say.

Oh yes, they go to church sometimes even ....some don't. But they are usually "Good people."

The ones that attend church usually do the "in and out" thing.
They want the "benefits" of the organization and the lifting of guilt without offering up much along the way. They are here for the "ride of life" and that's about it. Not going to get dirty in the messy world.
Just taking life easy and as it rolls.

That makes me sad for folks like that.

Because there is a BIG world out there that is in need. It would be nice to have "All Hands On Deck" sometimes.....think of what we could accomplish. Oh well.....

Some people just don't know better. Or don't want to know.
"Ignorance is Bliss." Or is it? To some it may be......but I say you can't and shouldn't live your lives with your head stuck in the sand.

It's called "denial" and that isn't just some river in Egypt people. ( HA! I got that from my Beth Moore Bible study this week.)

I'm a realist.
I have always seen life that way.....I face the music.
Good music, bad music. You must deal with it and make choices.
Some are not so fun at times.

I've always believed in my heart that "I" yes....."Joyce" can make a difference. Maybe not to the masses, yet....maybe.
Not to the Kings and Queens in this world.....yet.....maybe.
I mean who really knows who we will impact when we give our lives over to do the unthinkable.
I say we at least TRY and we can try in small ways.....with one person.

Someone you may never even meet again.
We can be kind. We can encourage. We can smile. It's not Rocket Science folks or honestly...I couldn't do it. I'm not that smart.

Yesterday I was in a store and these two elderly ladies who were friends were shopping together...at one point......my heart of compassion sprang into action.
I didn't make it. It just did it.

One lady had been sitting in a chair by a counter because she couldn't walk anymore. I can relate. I just observed her and smiled when I could. Then the other friend came back and for some reason she gave me a look that pierced my soul and I knew she was connecting with me for some reason.

Wither she was trying to recognize me or what I don't know but my heart opened wide.....and I could feel it happening. So I smiled bigger, and I looked into her eyes....and she looked into mine and I smiled and she smiled and I said kind things to her and she said kind things back. She was very thankful. I could tell it and she stated it over and over and kept looking at me.

Odd.

I quite didn't know what to make of it.....maybe I looked like her when she was younger. Maybe I looked like someone she knew years ago.

Who knows.
But I do know this.... she was sweet and I am glad I wasn't crabby or impatient or worse yet......rude at that moment because I was dealing with some of my own issues "body wise" at that moment and elderly people don't move so fast you know. They hobble sometiems. They make mistakes. They drop stuff. They forget.
So do I.

How easy is that though???? To be kind. To give a smile. To assist someone that is in no way tied to you.
It's not hard at all.

Don't just go along for the ride my friends. I challenge you to do more. More than wave at the neighbor when you pick up your morning newspaper.

Be a giver.....be a doer. It's not about money all the time and sometimes it is.
I personally love to "give and to do." But it's not always about that and at this point in time I'm not able to "do" all the things I would like to physically.
But I do what I can.

Money for some reason trips people up. I don't know why but.....is it so terrible to GIVE of your finances? I mean for worthy and good and just causes. Not for glam or foolishness. Yet if you want to do that as well that is your decision....just do something.

I mean...it's not really yours anyway now is it? What is though....is how it was used. How we gave and spent our monies. We must be accountable.

We will be HELD accountable one day.......along with those that were gainsayers.

That is why people are choking so badly over recent scandles out there in media land........because well meaning people gave money that was foolishly blown by men and women of authority.
Just think what could have been done for the nations of this world...ugh.
It makes me sick. My grace levels are low in this area.

We must be careful how we align our "giving and our doing."
Because the "users, and the free ride takers" will use those "bad issues" as excuses to not get on board. To stay away from Christ even.

I like good quotes. I have a ton of them saved up in one of my files. HA!

I am giving you this quote today that I ran across this morning. I like it.
Never forget.."the Least of these"..whatever you do......sometimes.....the simplest things will matter one day. You have to figure out WHO the LEAST of these is in your lives and your paths.
Pick a lane would you please?

It is now possible to live a "christian life" without doing the things that Jesus commanded us to do. "We have hired people to go into all the world, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to care for widows and orphans. The average Christian doesn't have to do it.--Cal Thomas

Don't ever settle to be an average person. Do something. Whatever it may be big or small.
You can impact the world.

Know any Widows?
You could start right there and make a huge difference in someone's life.
That's not like boarding a oceanliner and heading for the Congo or anything now is it?

I can give you names of ladies if you need some.
Cards are nice. Cash helps them too.

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