Giraffe or Jackal?

Courtesy of Pixabay

Giraffe or Jackal? Life has a way of throwing us curveballs and we can find ourselves needing to confront or speak up in a situation.   Out of the blue life gets scrambled a bit: a favorite chair gets tossed by mistake (don't ask for those details!), the refrigerator dies, the furnace humidifier needs to be replaced, the wrong ice maker part comes meaning the wait will be longer... and just a few other things that make life interesting occur.

How does a person react to these without making a mountain out of a molehill or minimizing things that really should get a reaction? It's hard some days. I don't know about you but I'm learning. 

There are ways to communicate without resorting to either extreme.  I think of a giraffe and how gentle these animals are, however, they let the zoo keeper know his wishes in easy to understand terms. I have watched this reality on animal shows. 

Growing up some of us have learned to yell, talk over, interrupt and get aggressive in order to be "heard" but in reality a calm, quiet, yet assertive stance gets further. It's something we can all learn, no matter the past.

Non-violent communication by Rosenberg is a communication style that has impressed me. Sometimes the giraffe and Jackal are used as representatives of how we communicate and Rosenberg explains this "giraffe" language so well; consider looking it up further.

In today's environment, wouldn't it be a wonderful consideration to turn down the temperature in our language, just a bit!  The giraffe is a great example!

Courtesy of Pixabay

Synagogue

Thank God for the safety of the synagogue hostage situation this week!  Continued prayers for the healing of those involved as well as the entire congregation and law officials who responded. Even without physical wounds, the trauma will leave an impact indefinitely.  Please, let there be peace on earth...individually and collectively! 

Courtesy of Pixabay

 

Wires in Trees

Courtesy of Pixabay

Have you ever wondered how much more you can take?  This reminds me of several trees on our property.   One has a wire around it to hang three bird feeders.  The wire has been there about seventeen years and to my amazement, it has not broken as the tree grows. 

The other tree has a rubber strap I put around the trunk when it was a sapling, trying to pull it in the opposite direction. Neither strap broke, but the tree kept growing. Inspecting these straps more closely, they actually have now been incorporated into the tree; the tree bark literally wrapped itself around these straps.  

Life is sometimes like these straps.  When situations stretch us sooo severely, how  often have we said, "how much more can I take?" Or, even, "I can't take anymore."  Sometimes we think we need to do something drastic to end that pain and suffering.

Well, then others, in their upbringing that has told them, "God won't give me anymore than what I can handle" find strength there.  I don't know about you, but when I'm stretched to near breaking, God seems really far away. Well, I should say, my prayers get a whole lot shorter, like, "help!!" 

On a deeper thought, have you ever stopped long enough to ponder how those tough times have enriched your life, made you a better person or gave you more strength for new struggles?  These "wires and straps" in your various trees of life sure are there but how has your life incorporated all those experiences to help make you a better person!  It's amazing to realize there really can be a blessing to tough times! 

Trapeze

 Have you ever been to a circus and watched trapeze artists?  It's quite entertaining to see. It amazes me thinking of it. Then there is real life when it can feel as if we are on a trapeze, swinging, off the first platform but not to the opposite one, swinging, fearful of falling to the net below...if there is one! 

Quite a picture, isn't it? However, what do you do when life's challenges present circumstances that must wait for one thing or another?  Perhaps waiting for the mail to bring information, a decision from a department which is necessary before the next move, or even days to pass over a weekend in order to make a phone call to clarify a question.  It really is like swinging on one trapeze bar unable to reach the other side yet.

We have all been in similar situations, all with different details. Then we ask ourselves why we wake up in the middle of the night, unable to get back to sleep. Our wheels are turning.

Well, what tools are in our personal toolbox to keep us grounded? Perhaps it's a good friend who is more available at this time of day, so we talk and laugh and then can fall back to sleep.  Books on tape help, but if the book is too interesting we may stay awake listening to it!  Then there is prayer.  It is wonderful to "fall asleep on the breast of God" as one retreat speaker shared many years ago. 

These are helps that can keep us strong as we are swinging on the trapeze of life, so we don't fall. So, too, it always helps to remember there is a net below.  That net is faith in God and knowing no matter what, we will be OK. 

Courtesy of Pixabay