Romans
8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us.
Now you
may be asking, what’s up with the title?
For those of you that truly know me
the topic choice seems really strange and I admit it is a little outside of my
normal “cool and calm” demeanor. I rarely let things rattle me to the point of
indifference. But lately I have had some things happen that have forced me to
alter my perspective on things somewhat. “What is the cause of my indifference” you may ask (then
again you might not … but I’m gonna tell you anyway). The source of my
indifference is plain and simple. Frankly, Ya boy is just plain sick and tired
of being sick and tired. Tired of partisan politics, tired of high gas prices,
tired of loved ones coming back in body bags, tired of mudslinging politicians
and simple minded pundits, tired of people’s lack of respect for one another,
tired placing my trust in people only to be disappointed, tired of being a
giver in a world full of takers, and unfortunately my list goes on and on.
Yes,
tired of being a giver in a world full of takers. I felt like that warranted
repeating. You see there are two types of people in this world. There are
givers and there are takers. Unfortunately until you determine which one you
are, you are not a damn bit of good to anyone…. Not even yourself. Now I know
plenty of people who profess to be givers, yet all they do is take.
Regrettably, takers are just takers and you definitely know one when you see
one (Then again, sometimes you don’t). Honest self reflection is the only way
we can determine your heart’s condition. Do you have the heart of a giver
(which would make you an individual after God’s own heart) or is yours that of
a taker (Basically meaning, that all you do is think about yourself never truly
taking the feelings and concerns of other’s under consideration and when you do…..
it is only because you stand to gain something from it)?
I
personally have the heart of a giver. I am sometimes selfless to a fault. I
will be the first to admit that. I know that I sometimes
overextend myself for the ones that I love. But in all honesty, if I can’t love
you unconditionally then how can I truthfully say that I love you.
Unfortunately, I can’t. People use the word Love far too loosely these days.
Please by all means, don’t say it if you don’t truly mean it. Words have power
and the word Love carries an enormous amount of power and influence all by
itself.
I’ll
give you a few examples of what I mean:
Love
will make you do things that you swore to yourself that you would never do.
Love will make you put yourself in harm’s way for the ones you love. Love will
make you look beyond the one you love’s faults and shortcomings (Mainly because
we ourselves are not perfect), Love will make you give your last (insert here)
to insure that the one you love never suffers any pain or discomfort. Love can
either cause many a sleepless night or grant you some of the soundest sleep you
have ever had in your life. True love makes you do all of these things and more
without reservation or precondition……
…Or at
least it should anyway.
Nevertheless,
there are far too many people in today’s society professing to love people
without a clear understanding of what it truly takes to love someone. Love is
only complicated because we choose to make it so. Treat the one you profess to
love the way you would like to be treated and I guarantee you that what you
have will work. I am a living witness to that. Love is more than just lip
service. In this writer’s humble opinion, love is 90% action and 10%
verbalization. You will NEVER have to tell me you love me if I can honestly see
and feel that you love me in your actions towards me and by the way you treat
me. Don’t just tell me you love me R.A.C.E. with me (When you get a moment,
revisit my earlier entry “A Lesson in R.A.C.E. relations”).
Hence my
indifference. My indifference stems from those takers in my life. Those
individuals that are only around as long as they are getting what they want and need regardless of what “It”
happens to be.
You know
who you are and just in case you don’t…well let me call the roll:
My
family (Not all of you but you know who you are), my exes (Not all of you but
you know who you are), and my fair-weather friends (you definitely know who you
are), and last but certainly not least my……ummm never mind. God has TRULY
brought me a mighty long way is all I can say and he ain’t…yeah I said ain’t
….done with me yet. I am not perfect by any means and am most definitely still
a work in progress.
But I
digress…..
The
wonderful thing about God’s Grace is that allows for us to be indifferent.
However, it doesn’t and will not allow us to remain that way. Honestly, five
years ago I could not have written this entry without naming names and saying
some pretty foul things. However, when you know who you are and Whose you are……
When you know from whence your help truly comes…..it allows you to show
objectivity, even amidst feelings of indifference…. And for that I can only
give thanks to the Most High. Which reiterates the point I made earlier about
loss not always being a bad thing. Sometimes in order to build something of
substance you have to break ground, in order to lay the proper foundation. That
has been the story of my life. Loss can eventually lead to gain. It’s all in
your perspective.
The
Price of indifference is only as expensive as you allow it to be. As for me, I
am an Emotional Cheapskate. I am unwilling to spend enormous amounts of time,
energy or anything else for that matter mulling over the regretful decisions of
my past. Life is way too short and too full of promise. And for those of you
that may be experiencing some form of disappointment and disenchantment right
now, please don’t waste precious time dwelling on it. Press on. Mainly because
….and those of you that believe as I do may agree…. When God closes or
allows a door to close, it’s only because he plans on opening another door
allowing you access to what is truly meant for you. Oh, and don’t
fret the door that an individual closes on you. God will open a window to get a
blessing to you and that in itself is truly something to be happy and hopeful
about. Simply because, the last time I checked…. there were more windows in a
crib than there were doors.
Opportunities
abound. It’s up to you to take advantage of them when they present themselves.
However, please make sure to never cease an opportunity at the expense of
someone else’s mental, emotional, or physical stability and well-being. The
livelihood you save may be your own.
What’s
love got to do with it?
Everything.
Nothing. It basically depends on your heart’s condition. However, ask yourself
this question and please be brutally honest with yourself:
Am I a
Giver or am I a Taker?
Your
answer to the question will pretty much determine quality of life. For some –
if you’re truly honest with yourself - the answer may just surprise you.
