The nature or character...who we are...perhaps we could sometimes also consider these to be known as "quirks"? These, quirks or personality traits often define who we are, and yet have you noticed how so many people often dislike them?
We recently had a new admit on our floor, but the strange fact was that the admit was not some 70-80 year old elderly person like normal but rather a 19-20 year old male. When I was first assigned to his section I panicked because to be honest I have always had a hard time connecting with people who are my own age. Now, to be clear and not make the wrong impression, my purpose for trying to be-friend him was not because I wanted to impress him. You have to understand that when people come to my work they tend to be a little down in the gutter and I feel it is my job in life to try and lighten their load by making them smile, laugh, or even by just meeting their needs in a timely manner. So later when I went into his room to get his vitals I felt like someone had stuffed cotton into my head because I was trying to be "cool" or "professional". The whole time it felt awkward and I felt like the conversation was strained. In the end I felt embarrassed, he seemed unimpressed, and I figured he could care less if I ever came back into his room. (Which my thought was: "How could anyone not like this awesome person?!" =P) Therefore, I visited his room as little as possible. Later, I asked one of the nurses if he was always so quiet and uninterested. She told me yes but implied that she had decided to go out of her way to be her 'quirky' self hoping to cheer him up. Now I am a goof...but I tend to like to mellow it down around people I don’t know because I fear people might think I am immature or retarded. But after talking with Roxanne I felt empowered and decided to just be me. Since then I have relaxed and learned to embrace, that once thought to be embarrassing, side of me. It has done wonders and I have noticed our conversations, although short, are now quite enjoyable.
So as I was driving home tonight, thinking about this, I suddenly thought of all my friends. How different they all were and how I loved them all very much for their uniqueness’s. It saddens me to think how many people try and hide their natural side, thinking people will like more if they aren’t themselves. The truth is though that we just need to learn to embrace our quirks and let God shine through them. Trust me you will be surprised at how many people are drawn to you when you aren't even trying.
Something else that crossed my mind as I was driving home was the idea of "clicks". Examples being: the jocks, nerds, band geeks, emo, Goth, cheerleaders, athletes...you get the point! When I thought deeper of what clicks really are and what they do I suddenly felt sad because I realized that people who are in clicks are depriving themselves of growth because they aren’t allowing themselves relationships that are with people different than they are. Yes, someone else's characteristics might seem different...but that isn’t always a bad thing. About 6 years ago I met my really good friend Jordyn in math class. She was a nice girl but I never fathomed the idea of becoming close friends. When I talked with her at school she was nice but sort of had dry humor that I didn’t understand. Thinking back now it makes me laugh because that "quirk" I wasn't so sure about before is now one of the special things I cherish about our friendship. We are very good at creating joy out of dry jokes. But I thank God for opening my eyes to the beauty of those characteristics, because I could have lost the chance to get to know an extremely awesome girl and could have lost an incredible sister in Christ.
So today I just want to encourage people to embrace their quirks and learn to look for different characteristics in other people that we find intriguing. Because, you never know whose day you might brighten; or if the possibility of a lifelong friend is just a few ‘clicks’ from you.
In short: Stand tall. Be proud. Be YOU
.
Verse: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" - 1 Samuel 16:7
No comments:
Post a Comment