favorites...

rain


the smell of rain


the smell of the desert after the rain


the sky


clouds


sunsets


the moon


night


the ocean


waves crashing on the beach


the tide receding to uncover "new" shells


seashells


vacation


nothing to do





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c2010 lorenda houston

empathy...

n : the experiencing as one's own of the feelings of another

"...treat everyone as you would like to be treated...this sums up everything the bible says," matthew 7:12.

"what the world needs now is empathy, sweet empathy...it's the only thing that there's just too little of." -hal david, revised by me.

empathy is what we all want when the cop pulls us over for speeding...

“do not judge others, and you will not be judged. for you will be treated as you treat others. the standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. and why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? how can you think of saying to your friend, ‘let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? hypocrite! first get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye," matthew 7:1-5.

"then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye"... when?

WHEN YOU HAVE LEARNED EMPATHY.

"when you can't see past the log in your own eye", you are selfish, self-centered, arrogant and egotistical. you see no problem with yourself, yet you judge everyone around you. how can you "get rid of the log in your own eye"??? by turning the searchlight on your own heart, seeing yourself as equal to everyone else, recognizing your own need, recognizing your own humanity, humbling yourself before the only one who is greater than anyone else - god. when you do those things, you can't help but become empathetic toward others. you will no longer "judge" because you desperately do not want to BE judged.

we all struggle with "judgmentalism" (is that even a word?). why is it so in our human nature to judge one another? i don't know. but, i do know that's why the bible deals so plainly with it. the bible shines the light brightly on all our human weaknesses... not to make us feel hopeless, but to actually show us we need god's help if we are ever going to be anything like what we should be. we cannot gain more empathy on our own. we cannot rid ourselves of our judgmental eyes simply by wishing it so. we need god's help. as always. only complete and on-going surrender to him allows us to view others, as well as ourselves, as we should...

hopeless? no. helpless? yes, definitely, without god's help.




c2010 lorenda houston

comfort zone...

when was the last time you did something outside of your comfort zone?

we all find that spot where we feel "safe" and want to stay there. safe, meaning protected from criticism, shielded from change, cocooned in, so to speak... there are always times we need to pull away in solitude or with only our closest companions to recharge and refresh, but i'm talking about isolating ourselves from ever having to experience anything that brings change to us. because that's what happens when you step outside your comfort zone. you are confronted with people, experiences, places, which force you to adapt, change, grow...even, rethink your "position". sometimes we need to experience discomfort in order to address selfishness which so quickly creeps in to all our lives. when we rarely or never step outside our comfort zones, we become judgmental, uncaring, skeptical, harsh, critical. we lose empathy for others. and empathy is what we all need more of. empathy is what tears down walls. at some point in your life, you will need empathy from others, so isn't it best to live with an attitude of empathy right now?

"...in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets," matthew 7:12. by "the law and the prophets", jesus was referring to what portion of the bible they had right then. in other words, treat everybody the way you want to be treated -- this sums up what the whole bible is about!

the next time you find yourself being overly critical and judgmental of people, rip yourself out of your comfort zone. go somewhere you've never been... try to see life from someone else's perspective... put yourself in their shoes. isn't that exactly what jesus did when he, who being god, came down to this earth, wrapped himself in humanity, and lived amongst us?... he refused to stay within his "comfort zone" in order to relate to us... how much more should we, being utterly human, refuse to stay within our selfish comfort zones in order to understand and empathize with one another more adequately...





c2010 Lorenda Houston