Thoughtful Thursday: Honestly Anything

Daily writing prompt
What topics do you like to discuss?

I think it shows from my blog that I am a very abstract human being with a wide range of skills and knowledge. I know a little bit about too many subjects for my own good, but when I am asked about subjects that I really want to discuss it always has to be understanding people. Technically, it could be solving any problem since I love problem solving and finding answers to the more difficult problems of life; however, the biggest conundrum to me is simply how human beings function. I am not talking medically, but psychologically. Unlike many people I am not trying to just learn to manipulate people, but seriously understand things like when people tell me I have to work on myself… Granted only my biological family has made this claim, but it’s so abstract and arbitrary it solves nothing. How do people function seeking solutions that they can’t find?

Troubleshooting is the simplest idea in the world. If something isn’t working try using something that you know works reliably until you locate the cause by elimination. Similarly, word games are easy fun because you use the same idea to narrow down and confine the answer. History is simple because it is what it is, and what could have been is what you make plans to direct towards, and mistakes are what you learn to avoid. Construction, is simple to discuss because it follows simple patterns, and even engineering is just planning how to make something happen the way it needs to. Discussing weight loss and fitness is great because I have had my own struggles with that despite being educated in exercise science and physical therapy. I appreciate everyone in all fields of work and life, but I hate ambiguity.

I am not saying that the people are broken, but more like their communication is broken and unclear to the point that you don’t know what they mean. I also don’t understand people like my own sister, who feel the need to rehash all things they have ever seen and done until you can’t ever redeem yourself. Maybe, if we still lived 969 years like Methuselah did we would see a reason to hold onto grudges and arbitrary memories, but now life is too short for that. The solutions for people seem to be simple on the outside: forgive, talk, draw, care, show kindness, confront issues, establish grounds of agreement, etc. Yet people tend to shun, push, force, lie, be silent, begrudge others, stay aloof, refuse family members phone calls (consistently, life happens), halt between two parties, etc.

We all do the things that we know are bad for us, but only produce pleasure for a season and regret for a lifetime and beyond! Really I like discussing people, because I like to learn what not to do. I think the biggest fallacy that we tell ourselves about studying people is that, “I can miss every problem in life by learning from other people’s mistakes.” That might not be what you think you’re believing, but the truth is often despite our own avoidance of pitfalls and dangers others can ruin our lives and I have the power to ruin other people’s lives. Even living like a hermit would mean people who should learn the lessons that I have learned now have to go through pain themselves because of my lack of interaction.

I feel like life is like a game of frogger. You can learn every lesson, figure out what looks the best, and educate yourself; however, you can still get boxed in and hurt regardless of your best efforts. That is why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:12,

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

We need to talk to those around us and listen to them, which might even involve asking questions?… Doom doom doom! Yes, discussing people and their lack of willingness to hear definitely intrigues me into a long discussion; however, I am all too happy to discuss anything including the standard SRP subjects with people.

As an additional point to this weeks topic I will mention a conversation I had with my mother, which was that she said, “Western Christianity has become too selfish.” This usually translates to, “We need to be less Christ only and more ecumenical”, which is a trick of the devil to make Christians less active. Not believing my mother to be of ill intent, but knowing that the men who she’s heard this from were of this misleading intent I decided to rebuttal this with scripture. I said excitedly,

To be fair all christianity is selfish. How does someone get saved? They act selfishly to avoid hell, or the wrath to come in the tribulation, or even to gain what heaven offers. Paul even told us “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:”, which means we need to be more selfish and want to win souls, labor in the word and prayer, and exercise faith to have rewards in our heavenly home for when we get there. Christianity is all selfishness.

She naturally didn’t like what I said and stated that I was doing my pastor’s, “yelling thing”. My sister (the same one from before) backed me up and said I wasn’t yelling, but I was preaching. My mother then said, she didn’t like what I said in examination of her own life. I decided not to push the point any deeper knowing it would cause her to lose sleep over the issue, but I realized after that statement that every time she has referred to a preacher doing the, “yelling thing” she meant that she felt convicted.

Thinking of John 16:7-14 I left that conversation knowing that she has something between herself and the savior that I know not of. It’s hers to deal with and if she chooses to run from it rather than confronting it she will be running until it catches up. I hope that whenever conviction comes in your life you choose to confront that conviction with honesty and integrity, but if not remember that until it’s made right there will be a divide. Don’t blame others for what you can do to change, and only your actions are what matter in judgment. If you do wrong it will be an issue until you get it right with every person involved, and I hate that because I feel like there’s something about myself that I don’t understand that I am supposed to do; however, I can be comforted knowing that until I realize what next action I need to take it’s for lack of knowledge that I don’t. That means that if I don’t ask for more light on that subject I am at fault for not having because I didn’t ask.


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