Opinions, opinions.......

I upset someone.  I have strong beliefs and I posted my beliefs on my Facebook page.  It upset someone and they "unfriended" me.  I probably should be upset about this.  I'm not, but I probably should be.  I am not even sure what exactly prompted them to do this.  It was my page, my beliefs and my opinions.  The fact that it posted on their page is not my specific problem, just a problem that Facebook has.  I call this one of Facebook's little quirks.

The funny thing is THEY had no problem posting their beliefs on MY home page.  Now I've long believed that they and I wouldn't necessarily see eye to eye politically but it never would have entered my mind to un-friend them because they felt strongly in favor of something I felt equally in disfavor of.  I was raised that every one of us has the right to an opinion and the expressing of them should never be censored.  My parents taught my brother and I that our rights were hard won and we should  always use them as there are those in this world who would love to be able to use the freedoms we take for granted. Also, the lack of valuing our freedoms can (and will) result in our losing them. Unfortunately, there are many for whom this is a one way street.  They feel duty bound to share their beliefs while ignoring or denying us ours.  In the end, when you surround yourself with those who feel exactly the same way you do, one of you becomes unnecessary   It is through differing opinions and the discussion of them that we are able to grow, learn to express what we believe and more importantly, why we believe what we believe and learn how to express that in coherent statements that some third party can use to develop their beliefs.  Those beliefs will then become our life statements.  Now these aren't written in stone and can be subject to change. But the free expression thereof is one of the greatest gifts our forefathers gave us.

But I am still unfriended.  I'm not sad.  I am praying they will come around (as I'm sure they are praying I will as well).  I am more worried about the cowardice of the act of "un-friending" by not calling me up to discuss this, writing me expressing why they feel the way they feel or even what specifically they felt so upset about.  That's right, I've no idea why I was unfriended.  It could be they disagreed with my politics, my religious beliefs or my choice of friends.  Maybe a joke I passed on.  See, the assuming of the "why" is left to my imagination.  Now those who know me will be only too happy to declare I have a great imagination.  Did our friendship mean so little that it was easier to walk away than pursue it?  At some point in everyone's life, a friend will just up and leave and you'll be left wondering as to what it was that caused it.  It is not that they've chosen to leave but how you respond to this that will define you.  Is this one of those moments? Can I choose to "be the bigger person" and let this relationship cease?  Am I letting my imagination get the best of me?  Maybe it really is "them and not me".   I can come up with at least 100 different reasons, from real to imaginary, as to the "why" of this issue. What if they are waiting for me to apologize to them?  Until they choose to let me in on the secret, there is little I can do about it.

My daughter asked me how I was going to deal with this.  I told her that I would be taking the upper hand by letting this person go on without me.  I am not defined by my abundance or lack of friends and also that friends come and go and all this is done in God's good timing.  Also, maybe they responded in a knee jerk reaction that time will heal, but only if I stay out of it. Let go and let God.  You know the difference between you and God?  God doesn't think he's you.  I am great at meddling into the problems of others and if they want me to meddle, they should ask me to do so.  So, I'll rise above it, continue in my beliefs, talk to those who are brave enough or strong enough in their own beliefs to be able to come into the discussion.  We might be able to change others minds, but only through loving kindness and not shutting the door on people who we disagree with.  A closed mind gathers no knowledge.

And then she played Mary.....

My daughter has played Mary (as in mother of Jesus) on three separate occasions.  Each time she's either dropped the baby, fumbled the baby or in the latest go round, decapitated the baby.  Although, this third time, she had help.  While waiting for her cue to walk up to the alter and take her place in front of the manger, she and another player found small swords.  They decided to duel.  With one swipe, down went baby Jesus's head.

When I asked her what specifically she had against Jesus, she replied "I don't know.  It's just every time He's around, stuff happens."  Ain't it the truth?  While she didn't understand the laughter going on around her, we sure did.  Whenever Jesus was around, things did happen.  Usually it was to others but things happened.  Lame people walked, blind people saw, life was restored. Through all this, faith was established.  A new faith.  A real faith.  People were never the same.  Something that rarely is talked about is how Jesus stayed above it all.  While his love for humanity caused him to step outside his comfort zone, He didn't change.  He didn't succumb to that  "look at me, I am great!" mentality.  He just kept going out and and doing, with nary a thought to what others thought of him.  He just went and did.  How many of us can claim the same thing?  Doing a good deed is all fine but being seen doing a good deed is even better.  I don't know anyone, including myself, who hasn't succumbed to that "hey look what I just did!" moment. Rare is the person who just does and does with no thought to how he's being looked upon by others.  I think most of us struggle with it.  Yet doesn't Jesus request us to "go and do ye likewise."?  If we are supposed to live our lives using Him as our model, then we must need to strive to take ourselves out of the picture. To let God move the universe by doing His will through us.  No easy task, this.  We aren't alone however.  God has promised us to be with us always. We do have someone watching our good deeds.  Therefore we no longer have a need for an audience, we've already got one. And He is cheering us on, all the time, even when we fail, even when people laugh at us or ridicule us or mock us.  He is there, holding us up.  Even when no one else sees, He does.

Encourage someone today.  We all expect to see animosity, stupid human tricks, weird human behavior.  Actively go search and find each day, someone who is doing something good.  Holding a door, smiling, listening, let someone go first.  When we purposefully search this out, our opinion of humanity will slowly start to change and we just might find it easier to do what God requires of us as well.  We could very well see that the world isn't the totally messed up place we think it is.  We might feel led to do something ourselves, outside our comfort zone.  We might end up living the life that Jesus wanted us to.  Yeah, us!