i think you'd find it hard to believe that i enjoy people watching through movies and television series. of course, you might think: that's not real people watching. everything is scripted and the people are portraying characters, not actually who they are.
but i still enjoy it.
that being said....
i decided to stop watching movies/television shows for a bit--unless i'm in a group of people.
purpose being because it doesn't relax me.
many people watch television as a mindless activity, to check out and relax after a long day of work or whatever they've been doing.
i find it quite mindful. i'm always wondering as to the psychological history and background of the characters that make them what they portray at that particular moment.
it's actually exhausting.
so i am exploring other options for relaxation methods, such as reading books and spending more time with friends. of course the latter suggestion is funny, because as much of a people person i am, i am also very introverted and need time away from people to re-energize.
so today i really wanted to watch something while i ate dinner...which is quite a normal thing for me to do. but i instead opted for the option of writing a blog. :)
People Watching...
Wouldn't you know?
I had just written about grace well, mentioned it.
and then i decided i should go through a devotional.
so i found one online.
and today's hit the topic of grace and "fairness" from matthew 20.
i don't know if we can ever truly describe God as "fair". he's just, righteous, honest, true...but what does fair really mean?
does it mean having some sort of standards/guidelines, and consequences? and then "fair" falls within those parameters?
so back to grace.
the workers from the first group of men rounded to up work agreed to terms, and then hoped for the terms to be changed, as they waited for their pay. they saw "generosity" from the land-owner, as he gave those who worked only one hour a full day's pay. so of course those who'd been there all day expected more. that would of course, be fair. never mind the agreement they made earlier. :P work more=get paid more. ???
but grace is something undeserved.
i think it comes after you're ready to receive the consequences of your actions, to be fair. and that requires humility.
grace works with humility. and that is something pride will never understand.
you can't demand grace. if you demand it, you're in a position to believe that you deserve it. and grace is undeserved.
the land-owner gave the men who worked the full day what they deserved. what was fair.
he gave those who worked just an hour what they didn't deserve, what they didn't expect. but like it says in matthew 20:15--"am i not allowed to do what i choose with what belongs to me?"
if he had given those first men more, no grace would have been shown. it would be just fairness all around. but grace, grace...
If you want to read the devotional click on the website here and go to may 21 if it's already a different day. http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/
i'll be mulling over the last thought given in the devotional:
"if people judged God by my actions, what would they know of grace?"
Is that ok with you?
i recently discovered that the question in my title line is not, in fact a rhetorical question.
maybe you're thinking, well, of course it's not. but honestly, i think often when we're making up our mind about something, we tend to use this question, "is that ok with you" out of politeness rather than out of real concern for the other person.
maybe i'm completely off base.
I was just reminded of this in a recent meeting i had.
a decision was made.
i didn't necessarily agree with the decision, but i didn't also really care the outcome either way.
but then that question:
is that ok with you?
and wouldn't you know? there are people out there that genuinely ask that question for real.
of course, i had to find out the hard way...(which wasn't that hard)...meaning a miscommunication, moments of discomfort, apologizing, clarifying, and reconciling.
so, in that whole situation i was reminded of the amazingness of working together in a team.
yeah, teams are hard.
people have their own opinions.
there's that famous saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with a team...or something like that.
but honestly, what i discover over and over again is working in a team gives you the opportunity to receive grace from God through them, and to give others grace.
yeah, it's harder working with people.
i work with people from different nations, with different personalities, different values, different ways of handling conflict, different ways of having meetings...etc...
but with one purpose which is to serve God by serving ukraine.
and when we remember that, well, mountains are moved.
grace and peace to you.
A Good Read
We in ukraine have been watching with a little anxiety the things that have been happening in and around the country since president yanukovych took office in february.
for those of you who have no idea what's going on, please click on the link below and read the article.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0507/Ukraine-Russia-relations-Why-Kiev-made-a-dramatic-U-turn-back-toward-Moscow/%28page%29/2
and if you haven't seen the reaction of the opposition party in the ukrainian parliament to the extended lease for the russian fleet in the black sea, please click on the link below and watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfCRyLlyqJI&feature=fvst
It's a Small World After All
I was recently (yesterday) at the Passion Concert in Kyiv, which was wonderful by the way.
And i was walking around, seeing random people i'd met through different churches, through the prayer conference which was the weekend before...and someone i went to university with in Canada.
All of the sudden i hear my name, and this familiar looking girl walks up to me. i'm sitting there, thinking, how does she know me, and i know i know her, but from where?
then it hits me!
my senior year of university, i started feeling a call to go to Ukraine. there were many "signs" that i saw that it was a call on my life BEFORE that year. my father's ancestors lived in ukraine for a time, i grew up around Russians/Ukrainians, even though i never talked to them...
but after I had decided that I would try Russia/Ukraine, i remember having tea with a friend. She herself was Ukrainian, although i never knew it because her english was perfect with anything but that russian accent. she put all of the articles "a", "an", and "the" in the proper places. and anyway, i didn't know what ukrainians were supposed to look like, so she looked like a regular canadian to me.
anyway, so we had tea together, and she told me a little about ukraine and where she was from, which was a place of course, i'd never heard of.
so, it was this friend, 6 years later that i ran into, who was calling my name. isn't the world small after all?
so, something a little less spectacular, but still makes the world feel small...
at the Passion Concert, many people from the International Church helped with directing people and crowd control. i met one such person while i was chatting with a friend. it turns out, he's from a town about 20 minutes from where i grew up. i played sports against his school. we graduated the same year and had some mutual acquaintances.
again, the world is small, and our God is much bigger.
Growing up...
I've been sitting in lectures in a YWAM Addictive Behavioral School. This week's topic is on Dysfunctional Families. One of the most interesting things that was said today was:
If you want to grow up, get married.
If you want to grow up more, have children.
If you don't want to grow up, don't get married.
If you really don't want to grow up, don't have children.
If you want to stop growing up, get divorced.
Just a very interesting way of looking at things.
