Durruck
Pirate!
To those that are watching this forum, please don't think that I've forgotten you. I've been watching the site, and there has been no update since Friday, May 4th.
I've just checked again, and alas, there's nothing for us today.
In lieu, let's start our own and see where this takes us. Today, I'd like to talk about one of the hardest things we can do: Asking for Feedback.
Asking for feedback? Yes. It's probably one of the hardest things that we can ever do. Openly and completely exposing yourself for everyone to pound on each of your weaknesses. The thought of begging people to tell me what they really think terrifies me. I don't need others to tear me apart, I know all the little nasty demons of things that are keeping me from where I need to be...
Or so I think. Sometimes there are little things that we don't even realize that we're doing that drive us away from others, that drive us away from God.
Do we judge others? Do we love others as we love ourselves? Do we omit portions of the truth? Do we covet what others have? Do we indulge to excess? Do we speak profanities? The list goes on and on.
So recently, someone I know opened himself up for evaluation by his peers. My first response was to run away. I didn't want to own up to the things that I had been thinking about him. Here he was, being brave, and I was running like a coward.
Why did I run away? Because I didn't want to admit to myself that I had been judging him. When I finally admitted that to myself, I didn't want to admit it to him, because that would open up the judgement upon me. I finally worked up the nerve and wrote out my response. Some I made a short list of the things I felt needed to be said. And the more things I was using as fodder against him before, turned out to be my own shortcomings. Before I had gotten two sentences written, I figured out that I was judging someone else because of my faults!
I thought that I had a grip on all my problems, and was addressing each of them... and a new one reared it's ugly head when I wasn't looking.
So where does that leave us? What can we learn today?
- Stop judging others. The concept seems easy, but make it even easier. For every reason you think someone else isn't good enough, look at yourself first. Why does this imperfection make him not good enough for you, while you are still not perfect yourself? (Paraphrase of Matthew 7:1-2)
- Be prepared to make amends. Even if you didn't realize you were hurting someone else with your judgments, they have noticed the way you've responded to (or neglected) them.
Speaking of feedback, please feel free to comment on today's topic. Let me know what you think. On this point alone, I think that I'm ready to take whatever beating I may have earned. All my other little problems... I may bring those out later, but not just yet.
I've just checked again, and alas, there's nothing for us today.
In lieu, let's start our own and see where this takes us. Today, I'd like to talk about one of the hardest things we can do: Asking for Feedback.
Asking for feedback? Yes. It's probably one of the hardest things that we can ever do. Openly and completely exposing yourself for everyone to pound on each of your weaknesses. The thought of begging people to tell me what they really think terrifies me. I don't need others to tear me apart, I know all the little nasty demons of things that are keeping me from where I need to be...
Or so I think. Sometimes there are little things that we don't even realize that we're doing that drive us away from others, that drive us away from God.
Do we judge others? Do we love others as we love ourselves? Do we omit portions of the truth? Do we covet what others have? Do we indulge to excess? Do we speak profanities? The list goes on and on.
So recently, someone I know opened himself up for evaluation by his peers. My first response was to run away. I didn't want to own up to the things that I had been thinking about him. Here he was, being brave, and I was running like a coward.
Why did I run away? Because I didn't want to admit to myself that I had been judging him. When I finally admitted that to myself, I didn't want to admit it to him, because that would open up the judgement upon me. I finally worked up the nerve and wrote out my response. Some I made a short list of the things I felt needed to be said. And the more things I was using as fodder against him before, turned out to be my own shortcomings. Before I had gotten two sentences written, I figured out that I was judging someone else because of my faults!
I thought that I had a grip on all my problems, and was addressing each of them... and a new one reared it's ugly head when I wasn't looking.
So where does that leave us? What can we learn today?
- Stop judging others. The concept seems easy, but make it even easier. For every reason you think someone else isn't good enough, look at yourself first. Why does this imperfection make him not good enough for you, while you are still not perfect yourself? (Paraphrase of Matthew 7:1-2)
- Be prepared to make amends. Even if you didn't realize you were hurting someone else with your judgments, they have noticed the way you've responded to (or neglected) them.
Speaking of feedback, please feel free to comment on today's topic. Let me know what you think. On this point alone, I think that I'm ready to take whatever beating I may have earned. All my other little problems... I may bring those out later, but not just yet.
