I really encourage you to watch this whole thing. It's about fifteen minutes long, but if you do, I promise you won't be disappointed. I watched this short film a while ago with a really close friend and her family and in the last few days, it has been on my mind and on my heart to share it with people. And I thought... what better way than to post it on my Tumblr which no one reads? :] Although a lot of the situations in here are fictional and may be somewhat extreme, the point is clear: What you say has a bigger effect on people than you can ever imagine.
Working in youth ministry for over 5 years now, there's a definite need for encouragement in today's youth and the adult world alike. Constantly, I hear, even if it's jokingly, people tearing each other and degrading each other simple because it's what everyone else is doing. It's easy to conform, standing out from the crowd is what takes real courage.
What I've come to learn is that there is one main reason why it's almost a habit to tear down others: Everyone is insecure. Height, weight, hair color, laugh, personality, clothes. Even if it seems materialistic, everyone is insecure about something. Another realization I had is that insecure people will never admit that they're insecure. That just makes them feel insecure about their insecurities. Yeah, it is a vicious circle. Very difficult to get out of and momentarily soothed by putting someone else down.
So, this week, I challenge you to do something somewhat uncomfortable for a lot of people: Compliment a complete stranger or an acquaintance. Most likely, this will be way out of your comfort zone, but I encourage you to try it, contact me, and tell me the response you get. I think you'll be surprised how much a little encouragement can go a long way. :]
Working in youth ministry for over 5 years now, there's a definite need for encouragement in today's youth and the adult world alike. Constantly, I hear, even if it's jokingly, people tearing each other and degrading each other simple because it's what everyone else is doing. It's easy to conform, standing out from the crowd is what takes real courage.
What I've come to learn is that there is one main reason why it's almost a habit to tear down others: Everyone is insecure. Height, weight, hair color, laugh, personality, clothes. Even if it seems materialistic, everyone is insecure about something. Another realization I had is that insecure people will never admit that they're insecure. That just makes them feel insecure about their insecurities. Yeah, it is a vicious circle. Very difficult to get out of and momentarily soothed by putting someone else down.
So, this week, I challenge you to do something somewhat uncomfortable for a lot of people: Compliment a complete stranger or an acquaintance. Most likely, this will be way out of your comfort zone, but I encourage you to try it, contact me, and tell me the response you get. I think you'll be surprised how much a little encouragement can go a long way. :]
am I having wicked dejavu or are you just posting the same blogs in different places with a couple month delay?
ReplyDeletei'm deleting my tumblr in place of this and just transferring over the posts that i want to keep. there are only three. :]
ReplyDelete