Often times we go through life, like a movie on fast forward. We move and act as if we don't have time to move at a normal pace. In reality who does have time to move at a slower pace? We have busy lives and how could we slow things down when we have grocery shopping, bills to pay, phone calls to return and appointments to keep?
During these times we frequently interact with the people in our individual worlds and they interact with people around them. Its a ripple effect. Before you know it something little we say or do is directly and indirectly impacting the lives of others.
I have used my words, as of late, in a form of sarcasm to express all of the negativity that I feel inside. When I reflect on the last few months I realize that this form of sarcasm has increased greatly. The truth is, even after I have realized what I was doing, it was hard to stop. We all need someone we can confide to who will hear our deepest thoughts, worries, anxieties and fears. I believe letting those emotions out is beneficial when you have a safe person to vent to. However... Letting it carry over into our daily lives with people who may be hurt or harmed is something we must be careful of.
I don't believe I have hurt or even offended anyone, as of late, but I do believe if I continue in this way my ripples may start interacting in ways far beyond my own understanding. The truth is I have recently seen how my words can effect another person. That they reflected on what I said and that it sunk in. I am lucky in that the words I had to say were words of encouragement and not of sarcasm. But it left me to think about how much people really do listen.
You see, I don't often take time to stop. Just simply take a moment and hear or see the world around me. The people in my life, often times, do pause to reflect. And what if? What if they are reflecting on sarcasm when I could have had more frequent moments of kindness and positiveness?
I know a month or two ago that I believed that my words weren't worth hearing. It is in these moments when we least expect it that we have opportunities to reach out to others and more importantly to reflect Gods love through our own actions. I am a completely new person now in comparison to just a few months ago and I am going to make it a personal goal to try to reflect love instead of negativity. Every person will fall short of being kind in this world and I was beginning to loose hope in kindness. Which has helped me realize. You will only ever find kindness when you are willing to share it with others. Else, you may just watch it walk past you and you won't even recognize what it looks like.
So next time you think someone is not listening... Be careful they might be soaking every single word and action you make.
