So it might have been his opening reference to one of my all time favorite groups that caught my eye, but really It is truly amazing how he really pegs us for how we are in our relationships. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, how we can be so consumed in ourselves and how we feel in our relationships that we forget to reach out to others who need support. The fact of life is that things don’t always go your way, people don’t always say what you need or want them to say, and people don’t always realize that they aren’t making you feel like you belong. It’s something that I think we all have to deal with at one time or another. I have been thinking a lot lately on how important it is to focus on the person you are talking to at the moment you are with them, and then thinking later about things you can do or say to help them feel at ease. We were designed to be social creatures, and we all crave a sense of belonging. What I think slips our minds from time to time is that Jesus provided a way for us to belong to Him, to be loved and given guidance. We have so much from Him that provides security for us to reach out to others and give them that sense of belonging that we all want. I am guilty of being overly concerned with what people think about me or if they like me or want to be friends with me, but really I should be thinking of what I can do for others and how I can make another person feel like they are wanted and needed. I also know that from time to time selfish motives come into play where I don’t necessarily want to make an effort to help someone maybe because of something they said or did, and that is definitely not the attitude that God wants me to have. I am ashamed to admit that, but I think things like that are not talked about as often as they should be. I love how he says that we need to be secure in our own surroundings to help others and how he says we must be comfortable and content in our own surroundings. His last thoughts are so easy to remember too, awareness, acceptance and appreciation. I hope that you all got something out of Gary’s thoughts, I truly thought that this specific idea was just really neat, and something that we can all understand and improve upon. Just a few thoughts about Gary’s thoughts!!! :0)
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