December 11, 2010

Greetings My Friend,

It is the Christmas season and soon we will be with friends and family and on occasion, with people we don’t particularly care to see. As much as the holidays are a fun time and time to connect with special people in our lives we also deal with those who are shall we say marginal in our thoughts.

The thing I love about being a follower of Jesus Christ is that He loves us each one as if we are the neatest thing since sliced cheese. In our day to day lives we struggle with those who are not so fun to be around. So how do we deal with those who are trying to our very core? That is the 64,000 dollar question.

Junior and I are very surprised at how much we love living out in the country. I am totally surprised that we have been able to adjust to life out in the country. I am amazed at the very diverse type of people out here. One of the first things I noticed is the housing out here. On one lot will be a beautiful home and right next door will be a rundown ramshackle home. I am consistently amazed at two diverse neighbors living side by side. When I meet people at church, at the grocery etc., I find that I do not know which type of home these people live in. I also am not able to tell a whole lot by the way they dress. People are casual in their dress. The more I am here, the more I appreciate not knowing their social status. I am not judged, I am not considered eccentric. I am accepted as I am. That means a whole lot to me. If I befriend a person who is different than me, I am also not judged. If you are an on the fringe type of personality, people tend to take you as you are. I don’t feel the judgment feelings I knew in the suburbs.

My church family tends to wrap their hearts around me. I can be silly, honest, whatever and I am always accepted and I even feel love from these wonderful ladies. Junior is also accepted as he is. His gruff, off the wall ways are accepted with love, not with judgment. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I also find myself loving those who are worlds apart different to me is such a wonderful feeling. I am learning to accept people right where they are at, which is what I find when I walk with Jesus. He takes me where I am and slowly I find myself being transformed into a new creation. Until I have been accepted warts and all, it is hard to grow out of dysfunction.

So we settle into a new home, another neighborhood so to speak. Our neighbors have already started welcoming us, loving us and allowing us to love them back. Slowly we are meeting them, some are contractor’s working on our home, other’s are walking by for an afternoon or evening walk. They all seem to say “hi”, welcome to our neighborhood. Not once have I felt like, “you don’t belong.”

I guess my point this Christmas season is maybe it is time to let go of attitudes you may be holding onto in regards to those who you will deal with and aren’t fond of. Maybe by letting go of an attitude, you may allow a healing for the other person to come out. Again in Jesus, I have found such a wonderful sense of love. He takes me warts and all and loves me. In that love….I find the strength to move away from hurt, anxiety and even depression. When I reach out and love people where they are at, I’ve been given a blessing. I find myself starting to love outside of my comfort zone.

It is like the mission trips I’ve done. I often find those that I’ve gone to help are really teaching me, loving me and giving me so much more than I’ve given them. Again God seems to show me to let go of strong holds and as I let go, He shows me a love, a tenderness that astounds me. I also learn that I am stronger than I believed I thought I was. He shows me I can walk away from situations, life struggles, even addictions. On my own, in no way could I have done a lot of what I have done, write a book, be married and enjoy a marriage, make new friends. In Jesus though, I find I can do so much more than I have ever dreamed possible.

My friend B down here, at first, I thought I was just being the face of Jesus. The more she comes around though, I find a precious new friend. I am so grateful that I put on the blinders because I would have never seen past her hurt and pain. Now I see a wonderful new friend, someone who will teach me to cook with a southern flare. I see an intelligent woman and her first encounters with me I would never have allowed her intelligence a chance to be brought out. We also share the sting of abuse and in that we have held each other where no one else would have understood.

This Christmas season I ask you to put on the blinders to people’s eccentric ways. You will be surprised at what you may meet and begin to know.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.

Love
Janet