A Thankful Heart
I'm headed home for the holidays in less than a week. It's been an amazing time here and I have started to think how incredibly grateful I am to be here. This school has changed my life.
Impact is committed to the development of ministers on a heart level. It’s intent is not necessarily for full-time preachers, though that’s a focus, but the equipping of people to minister in any area they decide to pursue after school. We learn business skills, team building, personal development and people-valued counseling. It’s remarkable how God has prepared me for just this kind of education.
The first three weeks I was here I cried nearly every night in my dorm. Not out of sadness, but out of a thankful heart, a personal discovery and the facing of personal responsibility. You see, every circumstance is a result of choice. We can either let our life be dictated by default or take responsibility for our growth, actions and development. I thank God for the choice to change.
Creating healthy disciples is what this school endeavors… spiritually, physically and emotionally. That last part is what has really struck significance in me.
For so long, I allowed others to dictate my emotions, self-worth and value. That’s simply a co-dependant, pathetic existence. ALL of my pain was self-inflicted. No matter how people treat me, I’m learning to be consistent, stable and healthy. Others can create chaos around me, but I have the power to choose what significance I give to it. How incredibly simple, yet profound.
Every relationship is affected by these thought processes. Whether it’s business, church, or romance, people are completely annihilated by casting blame, claiming the “victim” mentality or not forgiving other’s dysfunction. It’s like having a bird poop on my head and waiting for the bird to return to clean up the mess. I can do something about what how I feel about it and what I do about it. The bird is responsible for his own actions. It's foolish to still blame the bird. The bird did what the bird does, whether or not I was there. People who are hurting, hurt others. It's nothing personal, that's just what they do wrestling through their own "stuff".
The other incredible thing I’ve learned is in the area of communication. The whole key to communication is to share your thoughts in a manner that can be heard by the hearer. For all of my life, I thought I could just say what I wanted. It’s very natural to me. I like things direct and to the point. This is also how I liked confrontation… doesn’t make for a good counselor nor a good spouse.
When we humble ourselves to understand others and speak to their needs instead of our own we open a floodgate of openness, safety and connection. Becoming more sensitive, patient and seeking to understand is way more powerful than seeking to be understood. It takes humility. What an incredible gift to offer those you love.
Impact is committed to the development of ministers on a heart level. It’s intent is not necessarily for full-time preachers, though that’s a focus, but the equipping of people to minister in any area they decide to pursue after school. We learn business skills, team building, personal development and people-valued counseling. It’s remarkable how God has prepared me for just this kind of education.
The first three weeks I was here I cried nearly every night in my dorm. Not out of sadness, but out of a thankful heart, a personal discovery and the facing of personal responsibility. You see, every circumstance is a result of choice. We can either let our life be dictated by default or take responsibility for our growth, actions and development. I thank God for the choice to change.
Creating healthy disciples is what this school endeavors… spiritually, physically and emotionally. That last part is what has really struck significance in me.
For so long, I allowed others to dictate my emotions, self-worth and value. That’s simply a co-dependant, pathetic existence. ALL of my pain was self-inflicted. No matter how people treat me, I’m learning to be consistent, stable and healthy. Others can create chaos around me, but I have the power to choose what significance I give to it. How incredibly simple, yet profound.
Every relationship is affected by these thought processes. Whether it’s business, church, or romance, people are completely annihilated by casting blame, claiming the “victim” mentality or not forgiving other’s dysfunction. It’s like having a bird poop on my head and waiting for the bird to return to clean up the mess. I can do something about what how I feel about it and what I do about it. The bird is responsible for his own actions. It's foolish to still blame the bird. The bird did what the bird does, whether or not I was there. People who are hurting, hurt others. It's nothing personal, that's just what they do wrestling through their own "stuff".
The other incredible thing I’ve learned is in the area of communication. The whole key to communication is to share your thoughts in a manner that can be heard by the hearer. For all of my life, I thought I could just say what I wanted. It’s very natural to me. I like things direct and to the point. This is also how I liked confrontation… doesn’t make for a good counselor nor a good spouse.
When we humble ourselves to understand others and speak to their needs instead of our own we open a floodgate of openness, safety and connection. Becoming more sensitive, patient and seeking to understand is way more powerful than seeking to be understood. It takes humility. What an incredible gift to offer those you love.
