Hello, friends,
I can't believe that it has been almost a month since my last post. I guess I need to make a more concerted effort amid my new schedule to reflect and write a bit more. This being said, I do have thoughts that come to mind during the day, but I simply haven't taken the time to put them down in writing.
Anyway, a thought that has remained in the forefront of my mind is one from a few weeks ago. I heard a priest give a homily on one of the most important qualities that we can possess: humility. The timing of his lesson was interesting given that football season was starting and certain collegiate football players were gaining media attention for being anything but humble. I realized then that we have way too many egos in our world today. The priest shared a quote with us this quote from a best selling author:
There are two kinds of people in the world. One kind of person when entering a room will say, "Well, here I am!" The other kind of person when entering the room will not say anything but rather other folks will say, "Oh, look, there he is!"
This quote resonated with me because I know at times I have been the first kind of person drawing undue attention to myself rather than just allowing myself to be present. I thought of this quote in terms of our presence before amid the Spirit of God. I feel like God always notices us when we "enter the room" and is saying "Oh, look, there he is!" God has every right to be the first kind of being who brings attention to God's self, but rather, always shows us loving attention.
So, as we go forward this week and beyond, let us all recognize the presence of others rather than making our presence known.
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
Some folks can light up a room (extroverts), while others are hardly noticed in a room (introverts).
ReplyDeleteYou know, those type A personalities....and so in.
It is my humble opinion that this has nothing to do with "God's presence". We are all just wired differently, if you will.
Regarding "egos"....don't fool yourself, many priests in the RCC possess huge egos. They become popular for whatever reason (oratory skills, charismatic altruism, etc.) and it goes to their heads. Father John Corapi comes to mind, and look at what happened to him.
Hey, thanks for your comment! I agree that we are all wired differently and that is not the angle I was trying to take. I'm suggesting that we can all do a better job, regardless of our wiring, of making others feel present rather than presenting ourselves in situations. Take care.
Deletepeace,
Drew
Agreed. But again, I would argue it has nothing to do with religion.
DeleteBy simply being better LISTENERS, we automatically "make others feel present".
What would you recommend to an atheist who enters that same room?
Now do you see the "angle" that I'm taking/presenting?
I think this all still applies regardless of religion. If being better listeners makes others feel present, then we all should be doing that. For me, this is where I believe that the Spirit is most present. I would recommend that an atheist still enter a room with an open mind, heart, ear, etc. to whatever possibilities that room might present.
ReplyDelete