What is this...
Why do all the best topics for me to blog about burst into my mind past midnight? It's the curse of a writer, I swear...
And I don't know about you...
But when I hear the phrase, "Silence is deadly," it just reminds me of those old Nickelodeon commercials that talked about the different types of farts (ones that were done out loud but didn't smell and the "silent but deadly" ones...) Yeah the phrases aren't exactly the same but whatever...I digress...
On to the important stuff.
Lately, I'm realizing how much me being silent is hurting other people, and myself. I've been in some situations in the past and even recently where some things shouldn't have been done, and I knew I had to say something in order for those things to stop.
But I was too afraid to say anything. I was scared of losing a friendship or what could have been a potential boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. So, I kept my mouth shut. And later, I paid the consequences for that and ended up losing the friendship anyway. So, being silent about what's going on with the person it's going on with is deadly for the obvious reasons: you'll get hurt in the process and/or so will the other person and your relationship will never be the same. There could also be extended, maybe even life-long consequences because you didn't speak up when you should have.
And, trust me, if you don't remember that Jesus carries your burden for you, the consequences can be a deep burden. Just the memories and flashbacks of what you did and what you could have done or said hurt enough. By God's grace, we don't have to deal with the burden of that hurt.
Also, it's not just being silent to the exact person that's deadly...being silent to those who care about you such as friends and family is also very dangerous. I struggled so much last school year with telling my family and friends exactly what's going on with me, whether it's a friendship with someone or some certain situations that occurred, and even now I still struggle with it.
But once I've built up the courage to tell the people closest to me exactly what's going on, I feel so much better. Because they don't judge me if I've made mistakes, but encourage me and pray for me if they know I have to take more steps in dealing with a certain friendship or situation. And knowing that there are people praying for me makes me feel more confident in what I have to do.
Even now, I am praying and lying in wait for a conversation I'm going to have to have with someone close to me. Am I still afraid of losing the friendship? Yes. I know that things will change: feelings might be hurt and space and boundaries will be placed. And I'm not exactly sure how it will all end. But I do know that even if things do end, God is still faithful. Maybe that friendship I had needed to end forever. Maybe it will end for a time and begin again, stronger than it ever was. Maybe it will continue and grow into something better later on. Who knows? Only God. And that means God is the only One I should have complete faith in when dealing with these types of things.
As I approach this time in prayer, I also pray for those of you who are struggling through the same thing. I encourage you to speak up and not be silent. Pray that God will give you the strength to say something.
I know: telling someone close to you what's going on and asking for advice may feel embarrassing or "weak". But I can't tell you how great I feel after I do tell someone close to me what's going on.
Wow. A couple of days ago, these thoughts wouldn't have made sense. Heck, this morning all of this wouldn't have made sense.
And it just leads me to say this again: it's crazy how thoughts and things come together so well after midnight...
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Call Me, Beep Me...
...if ya wanna reach me, if ya wanna page me, it's okay! ~ "Kim Possible Theme"
HAD to finish it! :D #90skidprobz Anyways...
Yo!
So, I had a great Google hangout with my besties the other night, and it just made me think of all the ways everyone communicates nowadays. Obviously there's speech. You go out to Starbucks to meet someone and you talk about your week, what you've been thinking about, etc. You've got writing letters AKA" snail mail", that is barely used except when it comes to bills and birthday cards. You've got email which is now kind of considered a form of "snail mail." You've got IM, which is basically like the chat on Facebook or the DM on Twitter or the chat on Google +. You've now got video-talk, which includes Skype, Oovoo, Google + hangout,Facetime on Apple products, and I think even Facebook has a video option now. There's texting and phone calls too, but rarely do people ever call one another anymore. It's become "too awkward," and texting is usually the number one preference, especially among teens and young adults.
And there are all sorts of ways to just keep people generally updated: the obvious ones being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Why tell someone what you're doing when you could send them a video of you doing it? Why settle for a simple picture of the sushi you are gonna eat when you could use oh-so-many different filters to make it look more colorful than it really is and then you can share it with your friends? Wanna send an ugly face to your friend, but don't want him to save the picture to his phone? Say no more. Send them a picture of your best ugly face that will allow them to view and enjoy it for only 2 seconds!
Anyways, on to my point...
I am trying my best this summer to keep in contact with all the people I care about. But I am now realizing how hard it is...I told some people I'd call them a certain amount of times a week, I told others I'd write them letters and we could be "pen pals," I've texted so many texts this summer alone that I'm sure that if I didn't have the unlimited plan, the phone bill would be as big as the US national debt right now. I've called a few people too, but barely. And I've been keeping up with one person through the Facebook message thing because it's the easiest thing to use since my friend is travelling a lot.
It's just amazing to me how much communication happens in one day. I can't tell you how many people I talk to in one day, much less how many forms of communication I use on a daily basis. And it amazes me how much just communicating with people encourages me.
And when I think about how communication assists encouragement here in the world, I think of the communication Christians have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and how communication with him should be the best encouragement we receive!
He communicates to us in different ways as well! After Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave us the Holy Spirit, who lives within every Christian. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and guides us in our decisions. He prays for us and expresses our prayers in ways we can't (you can thank Bria for this part of the explanation. I could not put this into words haha!)
He has also given us His Holy Word, the Bible. So many times Christians (I'm including myself as well) forget how important the Bible should be to us. When things get hard, we go to it as our last option, our last hope. We expect it to be a genie in a bottle and we open it up and think, "Show me what to do! Everyone else isn't giving me the answer I want! Give me the solution to this problem! Grant me my three wishes!" (well, maybe not exactly like that...)
But the Bible should be daily encouragement to us. We should want to read our Bibles everyday to see what the Lord wants to reveal to us. If we want answers, we should read our Bible! This doesn't mean that we get the answer we want or that we get a straightforward answer, but in some way, we will be encouraged.
And lastly, there is prayer. This kinda goes hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit, but we are to daily be praying to our God. We all have needs and wants, and who better to tell them to than our Heavenly Father? Again, it doesn't mean we get the answer we want, a straightforward answer, or an answer right when we want it. But when we pray, we have faith that God will answer in some way, whether it's "yes", "no", or "not now." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing" meaning continually pray! Pray throughout the day, not just when it's meal time!
What I try do is this: when I think about someone during the day, I try to stop what I'm doing and pray for that person. Sometimes something will happen that will remind me of a friend's situation and I'll pray for them. It really isn't that hard. There's no formula for praying, just talk to God like He's your best friend (because He is! :) )
I know I may be "preaching to the choir," but it's not going to hurt anyone to be reminded of these things. Shoot, maybe some of you didn't know these things at all! And I hope I was able to help you understand how we as Christians communicate with God.
Well, I'll say one thing: I'll be praying that God gives me the wisdom to keep up with my friends, whether they're only a few hours away or in a different country! And I'll also be praying that God gives all of us the motivation to speak to Him through prayer and hear from Him through His Word!
Also, if any of you needs prayer for anything, don't hesitate to contact me about your prayer requests through email! My email is mishruss94@gmail.com ! Your requests will remain confidential, and I will genuinely pray for them as often as I can remember!
I hope y'all's weekend has gone great! I just had an awesome time with some friends from college celebrating one of their birthdays! So good to fellowship with them! Gotta get to bed soon though for church tomorrow! :)
LOVE Y'ALL!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3
HAD to finish it! :D #90skidprobz Anyways...
Yo!
So, I had a great Google hangout with my besties the other night, and it just made me think of all the ways everyone communicates nowadays. Obviously there's speech. You go out to Starbucks to meet someone and you talk about your week, what you've been thinking about, etc. You've got writing letters AKA" snail mail", that is barely used except when it comes to bills and birthday cards. You've got email which is now kind of considered a form of "snail mail." You've got IM, which is basically like the chat on Facebook or the DM on Twitter or the chat on Google +. You've now got video-talk, which includes Skype, Oovoo, Google + hangout,Facetime on Apple products, and I think even Facebook has a video option now. There's texting and phone calls too, but rarely do people ever call one another anymore. It's become "too awkward," and texting is usually the number one preference, especially among teens and young adults.
And there are all sorts of ways to just keep people generally updated: the obvious ones being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Why tell someone what you're doing when you could send them a video of you doing it? Why settle for a simple picture of the sushi you are gonna eat when you could use oh-so-many different filters to make it look more colorful than it really is and then you can share it with your friends? Wanna send an ugly face to your friend, but don't want him to save the picture to his phone? Say no more. Send them a picture of your best ugly face that will allow them to view and enjoy it for only 2 seconds!
Anyways, on to my point...
I am trying my best this summer to keep in contact with all the people I care about. But I am now realizing how hard it is...I told some people I'd call them a certain amount of times a week, I told others I'd write them letters and we could be "pen pals," I've texted so many texts this summer alone that I'm sure that if I didn't have the unlimited plan, the phone bill would be as big as the US national debt right now. I've called a few people too, but barely. And I've been keeping up with one person through the Facebook message thing because it's the easiest thing to use since my friend is travelling a lot.
It's just amazing to me how much communication happens in one day. I can't tell you how many people I talk to in one day, much less how many forms of communication I use on a daily basis. And it amazes me how much just communicating with people encourages me.
And when I think about how communication assists encouragement here in the world, I think of the communication Christians have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and how communication with him should be the best encouragement we receive!
He communicates to us in different ways as well! After Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave us the Holy Spirit, who lives within every Christian. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and guides us in our decisions. He prays for us and expresses our prayers in ways we can't (you can thank Bria for this part of the explanation. I could not put this into words haha!)
He has also given us His Holy Word, the Bible. So many times Christians (I'm including myself as well) forget how important the Bible should be to us. When things get hard, we go to it as our last option, our last hope. We expect it to be a genie in a bottle and we open it up and think, "Show me what to do! Everyone else isn't giving me the answer I want! Give me the solution to this problem! Grant me my three wishes!" (well, maybe not exactly like that...)
But the Bible should be daily encouragement to us. We should want to read our Bibles everyday to see what the Lord wants to reveal to us. If we want answers, we should read our Bible! This doesn't mean that we get the answer we want or that we get a straightforward answer, but in some way, we will be encouraged.
And lastly, there is prayer. This kinda goes hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit, but we are to daily be praying to our God. We all have needs and wants, and who better to tell them to than our Heavenly Father? Again, it doesn't mean we get the answer we want, a straightforward answer, or an answer right when we want it. But when we pray, we have faith that God will answer in some way, whether it's "yes", "no", or "not now." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing" meaning continually pray! Pray throughout the day, not just when it's meal time!
What I try do is this: when I think about someone during the day, I try to stop what I'm doing and pray for that person. Sometimes something will happen that will remind me of a friend's situation and I'll pray for them. It really isn't that hard. There's no formula for praying, just talk to God like He's your best friend (because He is! :) )
I know I may be "preaching to the choir," but it's not going to hurt anyone to be reminded of these things. Shoot, maybe some of you didn't know these things at all! And I hope I was able to help you understand how we as Christians communicate with God.
Well, I'll say one thing: I'll be praying that God gives me the wisdom to keep up with my friends, whether they're only a few hours away or in a different country! And I'll also be praying that God gives all of us the motivation to speak to Him through prayer and hear from Him through His Word!
Also, if any of you needs prayer for anything, don't hesitate to contact me about your prayer requests through email! My email is mishruss94@gmail.com ! Your requests will remain confidential, and I will genuinely pray for them as often as I can remember!
I hope y'all's weekend has gone great! I just had an awesome time with some friends from college celebrating one of their birthdays! So good to fellowship with them! Gotta get to bed soon though for church tomorrow! :)
LOVE Y'ALL!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3
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