I'm sure we've all done it.It's easy to do. It's a lot harder to make the conscience choice to not do it. What am I talking about? Lashing out on someone else when it's your own junk and not theirs. I did this today. And as I was in the process of having me...moment...I had a second of clarity where I thought "STOP!". And thankfully, I listened to myself. But sadly, the "damage" had been done and I'd said things that 1.) Were rude and disrespectful and 2.) I didn't feel. Well, I didn't feel them to the extent that I lashed out. I guess that what I said I did, on some level, feel, but it wasn't as extreme and I made it out to be. I immediately apologized to the person I lashed out on. They told me "it's fine" but as the morning has worn on, I could see that I've really overstepped and quite probably hurt the person I lashed out on. I have now sent an apology e-mail (gotta love technology).
I say this story to ask this question: Why do I, and possibly we as humans, so desperately need the forgiveness of those we hurt? I feel the same way when I hurt my husband, I NEED to know that he forgives me and that we're "OK". Is it out of insecurity and a desire to be liked? Is it our of fear of the repercussions of them not forgiving you?
Do you have thoughts?? Share em!!
Love, Mrs. M.
Monday, September 26
Wednesday, September 21
Thoughts on common sense
The month of September is a month of education for me. All together, at the end of this month, I will have sat through 39 hours of training through various conferences and professional training at my job. I will have learned about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Adopting an Older Child, Ways to Create Special Needs Ministries Within Your Church, The Neurochemistry of Fear, and many other topics. I will have traveled to Rockwall, Plano, and Round Rock for trainings.
Every July, my company does performance evaluations and at the end of the evaluation, you must indicate something (or things) you'd like to accomplish within the next year. This year, I said I would like to attend professional trainings to help me in my professional development. I guess you can say they took me seriously. In addition to these trainings, I'll have one in November for two days in Austin, and then each month the agency as a whole is doing a two hour training on a Wednesday morning about various topics.
On Monday of this past week, someone referred to a Social Work degree as a "common sense" degree. A degree which didn't require extensive study and hard work to complete. Knowing that the person saying this was indeed a Social Work Major in college, I asked her "Did someone tell you that". She said no, it was her own personal opinion. This has had me thinking- Is what I do common sense? Could a monkey really do my job (yes, someone has said this to me. A previous supervisor in fact once told me that a monkey could do my job).
Yesterday, I was finishing up lunch here on campus and a family who finalized their adoptions over the summer came in. Noticing the glum looks, I set out to investigate and hopefully cheer up my sweet family. Well, fast forward 4 hours and investigating I did, cheering up, I did not. During those four hours, I felt unprepared, ill-equipped, and out of my league. I speak most likely 3 1/2 of the 4 hours praying that God was using my words because I didn't even know what I was saying/doing at a couple of points. I struggled to recall my education- both pre and post degree- of how to relate to, communicate with, and love on hurting people. And it hit me. God's desire IS for social services and social work to be, in fact, COMMON SENSE. It's not some big secret that requires years of EDUCATION, but it does require an endless amount of EXPERIENCE and LOVE and COMPASSION to be an effective social services worker.
I think Jesus is a wonderful example of a social worker. When I think of His ministry which is detailed for us in the Gospels, I see the compassion He had for individuals and how despite some pretty unlovable and, in our religious society, condemnable, behaviors, He used his EXPERIENCE, LOVE AND COMPASSION to bring them to a better place, the best place, His place. At one of the trainings I have gone to, a wonderful professional and friend to adoptive families, Dr. Karyn Purvis, was speaking about this very idea. When talking about ways to change or "improve" a child's negative behaviors, Dr. Purvis talks about "parenting the heart of the child, not the behavior of the child". She used Jesus' ministry to demonstrate this. She talked about when Jesus spoke with the woman at the well and Zaccheous the tax collector. In both of these instances, Jesus knew/saw their sin AKA negative behaviors but didn't try to change them (the behaviors). He LOVED them (the person) and out of His love for them (the person), they were transformed. If we, as the body of Christ, are to be Jesus' hands, feet, heart, etc, wouldn't it stand to reason that if we LOVE first, we could and would see the same transformations Jesus saw? (To learn more about Dr. Purvis and her awesome work, click Here!
No, I'm not equating our ability to love with Jesus'. No, I'm not placing myself on the same level as Jesus. But Yes, I am saying, that by loving people they way Christ did, the common sense way, we can and WILL see the change we want.
I am not discrediting my degree. My degree opened my eyes to so many social injustices around me. I am thankful for the years I spent learning and studying social work. I am also not discrediting the 39 hours of training I'm receiving this month (and all the hours of training I'll complete in the future). Just as believers benefit from attending sermons and hearing how God is speaking to and through spiritual leaders (be it pastors, Sunday School teachers, etc), I believe as a social worker, I benefit from learning tips and techniques from those who have been involved in this work for years.
So tomorrow, as I leave for Round Rock at 5:30AM for my next two day training, I am going to be EXCITED and HOPEFUL about what wonderful truths and insights await me...ok, maybe I won't feel this way at 5:30am, but by the time I get to Round Rock three hours later, I'll feel this way... :)
Love, Mrs. M.
EDITORS NOTE: Sorry for my almost two month hiatus. I hope at least someone has stuck around to read this!
Every July, my company does performance evaluations and at the end of the evaluation, you must indicate something (or things) you'd like to accomplish within the next year. This year, I said I would like to attend professional trainings to help me in my professional development. I guess you can say they took me seriously. In addition to these trainings, I'll have one in November for two days in Austin, and then each month the agency as a whole is doing a two hour training on a Wednesday morning about various topics.
On Monday of this past week, someone referred to a Social Work degree as a "common sense" degree. A degree which didn't require extensive study and hard work to complete. Knowing that the person saying this was indeed a Social Work Major in college, I asked her "Did someone tell you that". She said no, it was her own personal opinion. This has had me thinking- Is what I do common sense? Could a monkey really do my job (yes, someone has said this to me. A previous supervisor in fact once told me that a monkey could do my job).
Yesterday, I was finishing up lunch here on campus and a family who finalized their adoptions over the summer came in. Noticing the glum looks, I set out to investigate and hopefully cheer up my sweet family. Well, fast forward 4 hours and investigating I did, cheering up, I did not. During those four hours, I felt unprepared, ill-equipped, and out of my league. I speak most likely 3 1/2 of the 4 hours praying that God was using my words because I didn't even know what I was saying/doing at a couple of points. I struggled to recall my education- both pre and post degree- of how to relate to, communicate with, and love on hurting people. And it hit me. God's desire IS for social services and social work to be, in fact, COMMON SENSE. It's not some big secret that requires years of EDUCATION, but it does require an endless amount of EXPERIENCE and LOVE and COMPASSION to be an effective social services worker.
I think Jesus is a wonderful example of a social worker. When I think of His ministry which is detailed for us in the Gospels, I see the compassion He had for individuals and how despite some pretty unlovable and, in our religious society, condemnable, behaviors, He used his EXPERIENCE, LOVE AND COMPASSION to bring them to a better place, the best place, His place. At one of the trainings I have gone to, a wonderful professional and friend to adoptive families, Dr. Karyn Purvis, was speaking about this very idea. When talking about ways to change or "improve" a child's negative behaviors, Dr. Purvis talks about "parenting the heart of the child, not the behavior of the child". She used Jesus' ministry to demonstrate this. She talked about when Jesus spoke with the woman at the well and Zaccheous the tax collector. In both of these instances, Jesus knew/saw their sin AKA negative behaviors but didn't try to change them (the behaviors). He LOVED them (the person) and out of His love for them (the person), they were transformed. If we, as the body of Christ, are to be Jesus' hands, feet, heart, etc, wouldn't it stand to reason that if we LOVE first, we could and would see the same transformations Jesus saw? (To learn more about Dr. Purvis and her awesome work, click Here!
No, I'm not equating our ability to love with Jesus'. No, I'm not placing myself on the same level as Jesus. But Yes, I am saying, that by loving people they way Christ did, the common sense way, we can and WILL see the change we want.
I am not discrediting my degree. My degree opened my eyes to so many social injustices around me. I am thankful for the years I spent learning and studying social work. I am also not discrediting the 39 hours of training I'm receiving this month (and all the hours of training I'll complete in the future). Just as believers benefit from attending sermons and hearing how God is speaking to and through spiritual leaders (be it pastors, Sunday School teachers, etc), I believe as a social worker, I benefit from learning tips and techniques from those who have been involved in this work for years.
So tomorrow, as I leave for Round Rock at 5:30AM for my next two day training, I am going to be EXCITED and HOPEFUL about what wonderful truths and insights await me...ok, maybe I won't feel this way at 5:30am, but by the time I get to Round Rock three hours later, I'll feel this way... :)
Love, Mrs. M.
EDITORS NOTE: Sorry for my almost two month hiatus. I hope at least someone has stuck around to read this!
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