A Refreshed Perspective

     "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Such a popular saying from my childhood that did nothing more than put a temporary band-aid on an ever growing problem. I know that my family members were only trying to get me to build up a resistance to the mean and cruel things that people will say to you, in part to make themselves feel better and in reality to tear the object of their words down and make them feel bad about themselves. 

     Let me insert the brief version of today's story. I went shopping for a new outfit for several events that are coming up. I went to one of my favorite stores and began to look around. It wasn't long before I discovered several things that I would like to try on in hopes that one of them would be that one thing I was searching for. Well as luck would have it most of what I had picked looked much better on the hanger than it did on me. Not my desired outcome, but reality nonetheless. I had one last dress to try one. As soon as it slipped over my head I knew that this dress along with a black or fuchsia shrug or a denim jacket would be the perfect outfit for all of the upcoming events. I stepped out of the dressing room to get a better look only to hear several of the employees make extremely rude comments. This time no matter how hard I tried to ignore the words, they hurt. They hurt worse than the stones that could have been thrown. The exact words are irrelevant, but it leads me to remember something I heard not too long ago. Words have power. Spoken words can never be taken back. Their message can have one of two outcomes: edification or destruction. Words of edification will build a person up. Words of destruction bring with them curses, hurt feelings, damaged spirits, and probably a whole host of other things that I don't even know about. 

     My self worth cannot come from the numbers on a scale, the size of clothing that I wear, or from the images seen on television, magazines, and the Internet. Those only give a false sense of what is really beautiful. Beauty, true beauty is measured in things that cannot be seen by the human eye. Beauty is seen in the way you treat other people, how you interact and react to situations. Beauty radiates from your soul. It can't just be an outward appearance. You can put all kinds of things on the outside of your self that will disguise what you are like on the inside, but at the end of the day you are left with the ugly on the inside when all of the outer things are removed. Your actions, thoughts, and words reveal what you look like on the inside, How do you treat others? How do you react to a certain situation? Do your words edify or destroy?

     Now don't get me wrong, I want that physical beauty that is so prevalent in society, and I have put forth an honest effort to get to that place. I have made changes in my diet, my exercise regimen, and have increased the amount of water I drink everyday. The results are starting to show. The scale has lowered fifty pounds. It's a good start but no where near where my end goal is at right now. I have to be a Lady of Perseverance. (I don't even think that one is in the book.. but it would be a good fit if you ask me.) I have to persevere to reach my short and long term goals. I have to persevere to find the place where God wants me to be. It is important to finish well. I want to finish well like Joshua did. I want to get to the end of my life and know that I did my best to serve God and do the things that He intended for me to do. What better of a greeting when you get to Heaven than "Well done my good and faithful servant."

     "I want to leave a legacy. How will they remember me?..." I want my children, be they my own one day or the ones that I have been blessed with to teach, to remember that my words were encouraging and positive. Did you know that every interaction you have with a child is stored in a sort of bank: positive and negative. It takes seven positive interactions to balance out just one negative interaction. Sort of puts things in perspective. Negative words and actions will destroy a relationship much faster than what I originally thought. It makes me even that much more aware of the way my words are presented and hopefully received. 

     This post certainly did not go in the direction that I originally thought that it was going to go. I guess that's what God had planned for me to write about all along anyway.

Until next time,

~Melody~