6-16-02, Sunday Journal
GRABBING THE DOG
By Dalton Roberts
IPS Features
In 1988 I was writing about sticking my nose in
something that was none of my business and found this verse in Proverbs:
"He that meddleth in strife not belonging to him is like one who grabs a
dog by his ears, a mad man casting firebrands."
Think about all the strife in your life right now. How
much of it belongs to you? How much of it belongs to your kids but you are
trying to play God and buffer them from it? How much belongs to a friend but you
are being Sir Galahad and ride in to the rescue?
Unless you are a rare bird, one thing is certain: You
are meddling in a lot of strife that doesn't belong to you. You are grabbing a
dog by the ears and will be bitten – most likely by the person you are trying
to "rescue."
Once I did a funny tape saying something like this: Yes,
I know you have problems. Everyone has problems. But if I ignore my problems and
work on yours, what will we do if mine get worse?
Looking back, I realize it was more true that funny.
A HIDDEN PAIN BUTTON
One source of our pain and anger is a feeling that we
are doing work that doesn't come from the most real part of our heart and mind.
We have a tiny hidden feeling that we only have a certain number of days and are
going to spend them on things we don't really love to do. We often hate part of
what we are daily doing.
Sometimes years of disappointment and pain back up
on us. At such times, we can take comfort that we have been good stewards under
difficult circumstances. We can remember the simple fact that no person can
relish all they have had to do in life. We can know that all good work will
stand and that the time will come when we will be free to do things we love.
Sometimes this kind of pain is as simple as
feeling unappreciated. We seldom get gushed over and who doesn't enjoy being
gushed over? There is no law that says we can't gush over our own self.
Give yourself a good self-appreciation bath now
and then.
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