We all have
those moments when, in retrospect, we’re less than happy with our words or
actions. Maybe our conversation wasn’t filled with grace or kindness. Maybe our
actions weren’t motivated by love or patience. Or maybe our interactions with
others didn’t reflect the person we normally are or strive to be every day.
Although I’m
never happy about my personal embarrassment in these situations, one thing I
love is that God always uses these
moments to teach me, to grow me and to mold me into a person that resembles Him
a tiny bit more each day. I just pray that my heart is always ready to accept
each lesson.
Cathy, our
dear Administrative Assistant, asked to share one of these lessons in her own
life:
During this
past spring semester, the college director asked us to choose one word that we
wanted to work on for our semester goal. After much thought and for various
reasons, I chose “humility.” There were numerous opportunities within the
semester for this word to challenge and stretch me. Even today, I was
caught off-guard when an e-mail conversation with a co-worker turned into one
such opportunity for me to learn (yet another) lesson in humility.
My e-mail
request to make a room reservation in the Wood Center morphed into a dialogue
about the noise level in the building during the work day. Noise, in this
bustling college environment, comes with the territory, I know, but for
whatever reason I was carrying on about it, complaining about the talking in
the hallways, the cleaning staff vacuuming the carpet during work hours, the
lockers banging, days when my office seems like Grand Central Station. I ended
the e-mail with, “I appreciate the break times when I can actually think with some quiet.
(sigh)”
My
co-worker’s compassionate and Godly reply humbled me and brought tears to my
eyes. I had to stop what I was doing and go outside to process the conviction born in my
heart from her description of noise that interrupts the days at Shepherds.
She wrote,
“The noise and interruptions can be a blessing – when Dennis
is going down the hall singing praise to Jesus, when students just stop by to
talk or to show me their Special Olympics ribbons or their birthday presents...
...when Peter walks into my office to adjust my furniture so it is positioned just
right, when Ron stops by to tell me I look very pretty today, when a student
from Horticulture brings me a special arrangement she made for my office...
...when Culinary
Arts students bring tasty samples...
...when college students come to sing Christmas
carols...
...when Doug comes to share the burdens of his heart, when Sean stops by
just to see how I am doing, when JoEllen stops in to share whatever is
happening in her life that day.
As my pastor has often said, ‘it is during the
interruptions when ministry happens.’”
I think I
need another semester on the goal word of “humility.”
Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.
No comments:
Post a Comment