Never Give Up

Some thoughts as I leave Missouri:

Never under-estimate a people group.  The Mid-West is full of complicated, creative, and inspirational people of all colors and walks of life.  Geography is a terrible predictor of human value.  

No matter how lonely you may find yourself, if you try, you will find friends.  But here’s the catch: Trying takes effort.  You have to keep trying, you have to show interest in people, and you have to wait.  

People don’t like change, but that doesn’t mean they won’t change.  If you want to change things or people, you’ve got to be a steady and constant force.  Slow change is lasting change.  

Conflict is uncomfortable and inevitable. Don’t be passive-aggresive. Don’t avoid people with whom you have said conflict. Address it head-on with a cool head.  Many conflicts are misunderstandings. And even if you have just cause, addressing a conflict will, in many cases, solve or soothe the bumps in a relationship.

But… never never never write AND SEND any form of communication when you are emotionally charged.  We are emotional creatures. We like to vent.  But many times we become more rational when we give ourselves some time.  In this day and age, it’s too easy to vent your emotional natural disaster toward people, cell phones, and social networks.  Write, if you must, but DON’T SEND. Wait a day.  Is pushing send the right/smart thing to do?  Probably not.

Lastly, love. Want to be happy in this life?  Don’t be apathetic about people.  I don’t care if you’re an introvert or extrovert.  We all get tired.  Being part of a community or church takes work.  Love isn’t just an emotion.  Loving people takes interacting with them.  It’s easy to stay home.  Don’t. Make an effort to reach out to people.  It may not seem like your words/friendship means anything, but IT DOES.  And don’t just show up and leave.  Show up and interact.  It’s your life, it’s your love. You work for money.  Work for love, too.