Dive in

Just sitting listening to a little Alexi Murdoch.... all the kids are in bed and Catie is out with a friend... a little quiet for a few minutes. I thought I never needed any time to myself (because as an extrovert, I energize from being with people, but I need a little time to just breath. Anyways here we go...

So I am learning in ministry and in life that I can not solve the worlds problems and likewise I can not solve the problems of all of the people I care about or come in contact with. I know I can pray for them and talk to them but as a guy I am a "solver". If there are problems they need to be fixed. And in theory most problems aren't too complicated... if people could take a look from the outside it wouldn't be too hard... but the key word here is "in theory".

The problem I keep running into is that most problems tend to involve people... and people are hard... they have things like different ideas, stubborn personalities, different ways of expressing themselves, and most of all, people are emotional and have trouble stepping back and looking at themselves. Even a brilliant guy as myself sometimes has trouble stepping back when in tough situations... :)

If only everyone who was facing a problem could see what the situation looks like from outside their perspective... but there is the problem again, people have there own opinions and ideas. Now, I love different opinions and ideas (to a certain extent of course) but I have realized recently that people rarely attempt to see the other side of the story (when they are faced with a tough situation).

So lately, I have been encountering a lot of awesome people, but they are all struggling with situations that they need to face. It just seems that many of them don't see that they need to deal with certain issues. Or if they do realize they need to deal with things, they are just to stubborn or scared to make the move. The problem is they don't realize who they are affecting... not just themselves but friends, family and anyone who cares about them... but they are to selfish and blind to realize.

And I just stand there on the sidelines screaming inside "HEY! HEY, BUDDY JUST STEP BACK AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE DOING. LOOK AT WHO YOU ARE AFFECTING... YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS.... EVERYONE AROUND YOU! THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT THE MOST YOU ARE HURTING... LET ALONE THE AFFECT YOU ARE HAVING ON YOURSELF"

But I am realizing that people are human and they have flaws and fears and sin that holds them... correction..... that holds all of us back from doing what we need to do. I do it a lot too. I just am realizing that people do not deal with things very easily... at least not very often.
And you know what?... the step they need to take is right in front of them. It may seem scary but really its not to bad. It is so close and seemingly so simple but they (I) just miss it sometimes...

Its like diving off the diving board for the first time (at least for me). It seems so high up. And I have a few hestitations...... I mean, I do have to go in head first... and that could hurt... it could hurt my head or neck on the water... I could dive wrong and do a belly flop.... I could do a face flop....other people watching could laugh.... in fact I could slip on the diving board as I am walking on it and hit my head, then fall into the water and then of course, I would drown.

Now, looking back at these thoughts, they seem... funny and the last one about dying is nearly impossible when you are diving in for or your swimming instructor. But, never the less, it took a big push to get me to jump... to take the risk... my swimming instructor paid me a dollar to dive in. I then decided it was worth the risk and jumped in... And the more I dove after that.. the easier it became. I did have a few belly flops but that was ok because I also had a lot of successful dives. But you don't see that until you do it. Until you step off the edge and dive in.

But you know what else I have realized lately... I don't have a problem dealing with emotions. I am always confused when people say "Guys don't talk about emotions"... I always have. I have noticed it makes things a lot easier... it really isn't that hard. Trust me. It is worth it... most of the time people want to know what you are feeling...

I just pray that t my friends talk to the right people. That they "man up" to what is going on with them. That they examine themselves and stop thinking about what they want.

My goal for this season of my life is to remember to step back.... it is tough. It is always easier to solve the problems of others rather then dealing with your own issues... I know all too well.