Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Wonderfully Weird

I'll admit it.  I'm weird.  I'll let you in on another secret.  You are, too.  I've long come to the conclusion that we are ALL very, very weird.  Think about the top 5 women you see or talk to on a regular basis.  Just the women.....we're not even going to consider the men and the other people you run into on the street.  I doubt you can count many that haven't lead you to utter the phrase at some point, "I don't know....she's just weird."  Or my personal phrase, "I don't know....she has issues." That's my own personal code for, "She's weird" or sometimes..."she's crazy."  It's OK because I usually follow it properly with a, "Bless her heart!"

Really think about it....wouldn't you agree?  A lot of times, in our heads, different = weird.... and I'm not sure what we expect!  
No two women operate the same.
No two families operate the same.
Even our twins....even though they are identical twin boys who, as babies, pooped every other day at the same time, cut the exact same teeth in the exact same order within days of each other, and are now almost 14 years old with very similar interests....they have ALWAYS had distinct personalities. From day one, one was always quicker to anger, but easier to console while the other was always more easy going but more difficult to calm down when upset.  That's still the case and though they still look very much alike, they are even more distinct in their personalities now and operate very differently. If that's the case, how could we be so arrogant to think that we should all operate the same way?

I've noticed that when people don't operate the same as we do, we often refer to them as being weird about things or being altogether weird.  However, just as I've come to the conclusion that we're all weird....I've also decided that that's not at all a bad thing.  We are all chalked full of weirdnesses. (Yes, I make up words....I'm weird like that.)  I'm going to give some examples of the day to day weirdnesses you probably see, too.

The Drama Queen vs. The Drill Sergeant:
Take those people who wear their feelings on their sleeves.  Bless their hearts.
They tend to be more sensitive, easily offended, more prone to spouting off in anger or burst out crying, etc.  At times it can feel like you're babying grown ups.  I, for one, find that weird as I am more of a drill sergeant, facts of the matter type. However, in my experience...and if you think about it...you'd probably agree, those you have to walk on egg shells around are often the very ones that are quick to come to someone else's aid....to offer support, bring food, get their hands dirty.  Why is that? Because they feel so much. It's how they are wired.  Furthermore, I think they bring some much needed emotion and enthusiasm to a world that can be very blah and cold.  For us drill sergeant types, the world needs us, too.   People need to deal more in facts and not fly off the handle with every emotion.  But....for crying out loud....we don't have to sympathize but we can empathize!!

The Type A's vs. The Type B's:
"Type A" means, "A place for everything and everything in it's place".  You know the type.  Bless their hearts.  They have it all planned out with little flexibility and little patience for Type B's (bless our hearts).  But, you know what, the world needs Type A's and their weird ways because they GET STUFF DONE!! It would be a very scary world indeed if we were all laid back and had the mind set of, "whatever happens, happens" and organized chaos. On the flip side, I think people also appreciate the people in theirs lives who make them feel at ease.  

I think it would be more to the point to just put it this way:
It's not simply that the world needs all types of people, though that is true.   It's that God creates us with distinct differences....sometimes to the point that they are weirdnesses to others....Then, He uses those to lead us in fulfilling our specific purpose in His plan.  
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them." ~ Ephesians 2:10

That's what I think we're all missing when we point out or get outdone with people and their weird ways.  We all have a tendency to think our way is the right way and others are weird, wrong, or just plain crazy.  We all have our hang ups or our soap boxes we like to get on....parenting issues, health issues, family issues, church issues, etc.  While I guess there are some truly weird things out there....I would venture to say that unless it runs contrary to Scripture.....to each his/her own.  I'm pretty sure God doesn't want us hung up on ANYTHING but Himself and His Son.  Not food....not planning....not parenting....or anything else.  Those things become idols and actually end up being barriers in our relationship with Him and definitely in our relationships with others as we simply can't appreciate our differences.

So whatever our hang-ups.....
- Worship styles
- Parenting styles
- Eating habits
- Children's sports, grades, futures, etc.
- Money
- Planning/Not planning
- How easily some are able to roll with things
- How easily offended others are
-WHATEVER

......as I said in my last blog post, we need to remember to evaluate everything through the filter of Scripture....especially our own selves and our weird ways.  Maybe we should try letting our hang-ups go for a bit regarding other people and their weirdnesses and...maybe we even try appreciating them. If we could all simply focus on Jesus and The Word....there's no telling what we'd find in His plans for us and the beauty we'd see in others.  When we all realize that we are ALL wonderfully weird....God can "bless ALL our hearts" as we become and see others become the people He created us to be, doing the things He had planned for us to do from the beginning. How weird would THAT be ?

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" ~ Psalms 139:14-17