The Heart of the Servant

Yesterday I was listening to "The Dave Ramsey Show" (www.daveramsey.com) who is a financial counselor with a talk radio show. His guest was author John Miller, of the book "QBQ." One of the best quotes from him on the show was this:

"Service is doing something for someone that you didn't have to do."

I have to look back at my day and think to myself, "Did I do something for someone today that I didn't have to do?" Well, I had coffee with a friend tonight who needed to get out of the house. I held the door for someone at school, I brought cookies for me and a friend to have during our class break. So I did do something for someone else that I didn't have to do. What a shame it would be to look back upon my day without having done something for someone else--it seems like such a waste. Even that small gesture of holding the door for a stranger can mean so much to them. It may just be the bright spot in their day--that you would go beyond yourself to think of them. I wonder what changes the world would take on if everyone made this the goal of every day...to have that servant's heart.

I believe that we often associate a servant with a slave. But according to Webster a servant is "one who serves another." To serve is "to work for; to minister to; to wait on; to attend; to help; to promote; to advance; to satisfy; to deliver formally."

Have you had the heart of a servant today?

A Child's Eyes

"Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder." -Eberhard Arnold

Children look at the world without judgment. They do not bring their preconceived notions and past experience to the things upon which they look. I always find it interesting to really listen to the perspective of my nephews and niece--sometimes looking at what they look at in order to find out what is so intriguing. It is so interesting if you attempt to take away what you know, what you remember, and try to look at something--whether it's a painting, a sunset, or even a person--with fresh eyes. You'll be amazed at what you see.

Look Away

Today as I was driving in downtown Nashville, I saw a man on the side of the road. Dirty and unkempt, he just stood by the side of the interstate exit ramp looking dazed and lost.

As I passed him by, rubber-necking to get a glimpse of whether or not he was holding a sign (I was curious if he was asking for money), I said a short little prayer for him, something along the lines of "Lord help him." I didn't know him, but my heart ached for what appeared to be his lack.

How often is it that we just look away? Sometimes it is difficult to look into the eyes of someone more desperate then ourselves. Could it be that we are ashamed of our blessings? Or do we feel that we cannot (or will not) help someone else in need? Do we not even see a person in need because we are too focused on our own issues and problems? Is what we deal with on a regular basis (traffic, work issues, relationship issues, etc.) more important than someone who is in want of food, shelter, a shower or a clean bed to sleep in at night? Does our own selfishness blind us to the needs of others?

I have always felt that every young person (under the age of 18) should be required as a part of school to get out there and help someone in need. It is so amazing to me when you help someone else and are willing and open to give of yourself, how your problems seem to pale in comparison to theirs. Maybe then it won't be so easy to just look away.

Truth

It's that time of year again...every other commercial on television is for one hopeful elected individual or another. Each ad blasts the opponent, stating that he or she voted for a certain bill that may have caused harm to the public. The opponent retorts in his or her ad claiming that he or she did in fact NOT vote for that bill and, in addition, did something better that far outweighs all other "dirt" that could be dug up.

This got me to start thinking about truth. Have we gotten to the point in time where the truth is so gray that we cannot even trace it back to an ounce of reality? Is it true that this person did a certain thing...or are they just telling you what they think you want to hear in order to sway your vote? Is it possible to dig deep into it enough to discover whether or not a person has any moral foundation whatsoever--or have the moral grounds become so gray that we cannot determine this either?

Here's the BIG question: Is everything relative, including the truth?

Uhri Photography!

I am SO blessed. I have had the opportunity to do a photo session for Darryl Hambrick, a guy from my church who is in the process of releasing his first album. So here are some of the shots I took...hopefully I'll be able to get the album cover up so you can see what the finished work looks like!

www.uhriphotography.com is in process as we speak. My brother, web guru extraordinaire John Uhri (Red Bit Blue Bit) is developing my site. I am so excited and can hardly believe that I am getting work and I've only been back in school since the beginning of the year! That goes to show that God works on His own timeline!

Sweet Photos

Here are the most recent personal photos that I took. Can you tell that I'm a proud aunt?

9/11

We never forget.

To the Mattresses!!

I recently set a goal for myself to watch all of the Academy Award winners for Best Picture. My most recent view was "The Godfather." Please don't think me ill for never having seen the entire movie...it was just one of those things. I really enjoyed the film and can see what all the hype is about [smile]. The term "go to the mattresses" was used in the movie when Vito wanted the Corleone family to fight against the other mob families.

This really caused me to stop and reflect. I was editing some articles for my dad, who had escaped his homeland of then Czechoslovakia in order to have freedom which was not found under Communism. He has very strong feelings about events that occur even in this country that head in the "Communistic" direction. He speaks out for those things in the opinion columns of my hometown newspaper. I admit that I cannot fully understand from his point of view because I have grown accustomed to the freedoms that we have. Yet I am reminded that many have "gone to the mattresses" before me for freedom and justice when I haven't had to lift a finger.

There are things that I strongly believe in, yet I don't think that I necessarily "fight" for those things when push comes to shove. I feel like I am complacent and careless about issues just because I don't want to rock the boat. So what will it take for me to fight? I wonder if it would take me losing my liberties and my rights for me to dig in.

Have we become a society that no longer fights for what they believe? Have we stopped "going to the mattresses"?

Boredom

After almost an entire day of watching movies and tv, I stopped to read the newspaper only to find a short article on boredom...how appropriate. Actually, I wasn't bored today...I wanted to take the day off (after all, it was Labor Day) and rest after a few weeks of being sick (and believe you me, this is totally valid!). Ironically, this article spoke about the fact that boredom may actually be a good thing specifically for children since their lives are extremely stressful these days. According to a poll by KidsHealth, 41% of kids feel stressed most or all of the time because they have too much to do.

So this then forces me to ask myself this: when did childhood become stressful? I remember the days of playing outside with my brother and sister making "houses" out of leaves and tunnels out of snow piles. I remember my mom packing my sister and I a "picnic" lunch in a brown bag that we could eat outside on the front porch. Or lying on the floor in a sleeping bag on a Sunday afternoon watching the snow fall. How is that stressful?

The article outlines some tips for parents to encourage their children to "get bored." It is somehow ironic that when I was a kid we were avoiding boredom to the point of creating our own fun by building a "swamp" trail through the green carpet in our basement. My, how times have changed.

Have our lives these days become so busy that even our children are getting stressed out? Is it so stressful that now we have to take advice on how to encourage boredom? Can I get permission to be bored?