OK, so I haven't posted anything for a while. Been busy and have kinda unplugged myself from the tech world. No more Facebook, very little email, & even less blogging. So here I am, after a lot of personal happenings in our family life, making for great gossip. As we try to get our lives back to some sort of normality, we continue to hit small snags. Most of these snags are the result of so called Christians being very un-Christian like. But that's okay. History has taught us that the "high & mighty" will get theirs eventually, And they most definitely will have to answer for their actions some day. This all brings me to the subject of today's blog: Drama. I hope this will be an interactive subject, since any helpful suggestions are welcome. How does a person live a somewhat drama free life. Being through a lot of drama in my life, and probably being the cause of drama in others' lives, I can think of a few suggestions for at least decreasing drama. Most have to do attitude, patience, and the ability to rely on God.
No certain order; just as they come to my untucked mind:
- Rely on God / Pray a lot
- Make a habit of reacting slower to life experiences
- Know that there is a happy ending somewhere down the road
- Realize that bad things happen for a reason, just as good things happen for a reason
- Think before you speak
- Respond with kindness to verbal attacks
- Don't believe everything you hear
- Respectfully & kindly correct any false accusations &/or statements
- Put the past where it belongs: in the past
- You don't have to socialize with them, but at least be sociable to them
- Watch for hidden jabs, and respond accordingly, or not at all
- Add the words "Oh well" to your vocabulary and use them often
- Having a positive attitude can get you through the worst day
- Know the importance of Family / Protect, defend, & stay close
- If Facebook is a gossip collecting site for you, delete your status & discontinue it's use
- If Facebook is a constant cause of your ugly attitude, delete your status & discontinue it's use
- If you consistently dislike what you read on Facebook, delete your status & discontinue it's use
- Be a regular reader of the Bible &/or positive motivational books
- Look for at least one good thing in everyone, and keep that in your mind when in contact
- Remembering is okay, but using that memory for revenge is not okay
- Holding grudges only means that they are controlling your attitude toward life
- Fill your mind with as many good thoughts that you can each day
- Practice what you preach
- Review your patience level on a regular basis, and adjust accordingly
- Make it a habit to do at least one good deed a day
- Are your daily activities, actions, & words something you would do or say in front of God
- Brownielocks.com lists some crazy holidays that can make you day start with a laugh
- Laugh as much as you can
- Be very appreciative for everything
- Learn to LOVE more
- Smile, all the time, as much as you can
- Know when to be passive & not aggressive / know when to be aggressive & not passive
- Don't let your positive personality make you a doormat
- Be careful that innocent activities don't turn into harmful habits
- Wonder what God thinks, more than what another human thinks
- Know that being mean is not really rewarding or satisfying
- Quit watching violent and disturbing programs on tv or at the theater
- Start watching productive, thought provoking, educational, & happy ending programs
- Surround yourself with happy positive people
- Consistently improve your manners and speech
- If what you do, even on occasion, may cause any kind of human harm, stop doing it NOW
- Think young, feel young, be young at heart
- Exercise (even if it is only for 5 minutes)
- Be sure that you know that your eternity will be spent with God
- Know that all drama causers will answer for their actions in the end
- Know that drama is earthly & will not exist in heaven
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Very well stated! I TRY not to repeat gossip! I think everyone that hears gossip should ask themselves this question "How much if any of this gossip is true?" Also remember when you chose to listen to gossip there are ALWAYS two sides to every story. Maybe you should listen to the other side of the story before you repeat what you heard!
ReplyDeleteThanx Tammy. I'll add to the list: Don't repeat without the facts. and maybe: Don't repeat if it's gonna hurt, even if you have the facts.
ReplyDeleteJack, you have a plethora of good tips/suggestions listed here, & it's obvious that you put a lot of time & thought into this blog entry. The ones that I most identify with are "don't believe everything you hear," "put the past in the past," & "look for at least one good thing in everyone." The one with which I struggle most is putting/keeping the past in the past.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few that come to my mind (& you may/may not agree with me):
++listen, listen, listen! (because, like you, most of my hurt in life has come from "so-called Christians being very unChristian-like," I seemed to turn every conversation into an opportunity to get the other person(s) to think & feel "woe is Jerald Kimble!" -- how awfully he's been treated! -- instead of focusing on talking less & listening more to the other person(s) story.
++don't be afraid to read books you might not agree with.
++don't be afraid to listen to "secular" music -- I stopped listening to "Christian only" music years ago -- there's a lot of really good & honest stuff out there written & sung & performed by "non-Christians."
++be on the lookout for persons, families, causes, charities, etc. that are in need (financially, physically, materially, with a project, etc., with the gift of my time, etc.) and purposefully plan to assist (rather than simply write a check & put it in the offering at church).
++try to see God in every day happenings, conversations, etc. -- & be quick to thank Him for each day's opportunities.
And I'm sure I'll think of more ..........
Jerald