It's Really Pretty Simple

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new opportunity begins to dawn! It's the 1st of December...such a beautiful time of year!

I love Hallmark movies! It has become a Haslam family tradition to watch them together this time of year. Yes, the ultimate outcome is pretty predictable however they are often filled with faith, hope & love...things that make the spirit soar!

Earlier this week we were watching one of these movies and there is a scene where a woman almost gets hit by a car. A complete stranger, risking her own life and completely unconcerned about the groceries she carries in her arms, pulls the woman out of the way and they both tumble to the ground. The woman who has just been saved asks the woman, "How can I ever repay you?" The disheveled woman, picking up her groceries that have spilled all over the pavement says, "Go help someone who needs help."

You know how we always hear, are always told, that we need to be careful what we, and our children, watch on TV? That it impacts the way we see things, the way we do things and our attitude. It does a heart good when the next morning in the Haslam family group text message - yes, we have one of those! :) - the Little Preacher, my 12-year old Tender Warrior Landry, sends a message to the whole family that says, "Love you and go help someone that needs help."

Why do we make all of this, life, so complicated? It's really pretty simple. When someone needs help, help them. That's it. The help may be big, like pulling someone out of danger, or it may be very small, like opening a door or even simply smiling at someone. Did you know that smiling at someone is actually a form of helping them? If you have ever had a day that was overwhelming, where everything that can go wrong seems to do so, when you feel completely lost & alone...if someone smiled at you on that day then you fully understand that a smile is in fact a way of helping someone.

So that is Challenge 1 of this Happy Friday - to go out this day and help someone who needs help. Be aware of those around you, don't just look with earthly eyes and through the prism of your wants, goals & desires but to see with spiritual heart & eyes, to see others for who they are, where they are and, if you can, help them. A simple concept with an incredibly profound impact!

The other thing I want to share this week is based on something I heard on the radio this week, and it directly ties back to the Happy Friday I wrote about Legacy a couple of weeks ago. On Wednesday the announcers were talking about the fact that Matt Lauer had just been fired from the "Today Show" for "inappropriate sexual behavior." The announcer was talking about the fact that Matt had been reporting on all of these other individuals who had been fired for inappropriate sexual behavior prior to his own firing. He then went on to talk about how we like to sit back and pick apart others for their faults, failures & weaknesses...something that has, sadly, become like the new national pastime. 

Everyone of us has fault, failures & weaknesses...every single one of us. The Bible, in 1 John 1:8 tells me this is true; "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." There is a quote that is a great reminder - "Don't judge others because they sin differently than you."

Now, this doesn't excuse Matt's, or anyone else's, behavior when they do inappropriate things. I think this is where we get hung up as a society. His behavior was wrong, is completely unacceptable and thus, he was fired and will possibly face legal consequences. It isn't about whether it was right or wrong...it was clearly wrong and is being handled accordingly. But for you & I it is what we do with it next...

Matthew 7: 3 - 5 says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Let me ask you this; what good, life giving thing will come from you sitting around your dinner table with your family talking about what a [fill in the blank] Matt is for what he has done - or anyone else for what they have done? Or how about with your co-workers? Or friends? Simply put, absolutely nothing. If we are wise we would focus on ourselves, the leading of the spirit within us about the things we need to clean up - the planks we need to remove - in our own lives.

A couple of things I feel my spirit telling me I need to say:
1. I am not saying look away and enable another's inappropriate behavior. If someone is doing something wrong, hurting another, etc. I pray we will have the strength, courage, knowledge & wisdom to intervene. This is Biblical as well. You see, there are people that have done this in the case of Matt...which means your & my 2 cents is not needed.

2. What I am talking about is when we are on the outside of the situation, when we are not directly involved. Here I am encouraging us to be different, to not judge and to focus on ourselves...I am encouraging us to walk out Matthew 7: 1 - 5.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev