What do you see??
Does it ever seem like that no matter what happens that you are ALWAYS the person giving a least just a little bit more in every relationship?
Whether it is investing more time than they do, making all the plans, doing more than your share of the work, pulling your weight – and some of theirs, making more concessions….
Just like me, I bet almost EVERY person that read this thought, ‘Yeah, I do give more in relationships than most people.’
I’m not saying that you thought that with a bad attitude. I didn’t.
But I can still hear my son Austin asking when he was about 9 years old, ‘Did you have me so that I can do all you guy’s work?’ His big chore was taking the trash out :) #stressful?
Really, most people see whatever they give away (time, money, effort) like they are looking through a magnifying glass and WHATEVER we just gave seems big to us.
Then, when someone gives something to us (that they saw as HUGE), we receive it as something much smaller. Like what ever it is goes through an incredible shrinking machine before it gets to us.
Maybe you are disagreeing with me right now. So I’ll give you an example.
I got up this morning extra early because my beautiful sleeping husband accidentally elbowed me in the head and then rolled over – taking ALL of the covers.
I didn’t say a word and snuck out of the room so that he could sleep.
I started a load of laundry, straightened up his things in the living room, paid our bills and knocked out a few chores around the house.
When I saw him that morning, showered and ready for the day, he didn’t remark on all I had accomplished, saved him from having to do, or even for letting him sleep after I nearly escaped a concussion.
Nope, he said, “I’m going to take Ashtyn with me to make your morning easier.”
He didn’t do anything wrong. He was actually being super sweet and thoughtful making my morning kid-free. But he didn’t see anything I gave him. But mentioned the thing he was doing to give to me.
And to be honest, if this concept wasn’t rolling around in my head I would have probably thought something like, ‘Oh thanks. But I have been doing you favors all morning too!”
Not sold yet? Try this.
Your paycheck. We are excited about the new job, the pay raise, the increase we get. Then we get used to the paycheck we get every week and actually start to grumble at how low the amount is.
What we get, what is coming in, is small in our eyes.
However, when we go to write a check for only 10% of that amount to give that to God. Suddenly that 10% seems MASSIVE because we are giving it!
The magnifying glass effect goes on!!!
The amazing thing is that this principle works the same in relationships with loved ones, with our money, even at work.
In order to reach life more, we have to learn when that magnifying and super shrinking switch is being flipped and to override it.
It’s the same principle from Matt 7:3. You know, the one about your brother’s eye?
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” NIV
Our wrongs? Small in our sight. Someone else’s wrong to us? Lumberjack size problem.
Let’s crush the magnifying glass!
Let’s see the good and God are doing to us for all the wondrous blessing that it is.
Let’s give away BIG encouragement so that others at least feel it a little bit.
Let’s maximize the encouragement that we get and ride that wave as long as we can.
Let’s set the stage for seeing the good in things so we enjoy life to another level.
Are you thinking about a time when something like this happened to you and you want some space to share?
Post your comment below. We’re listening…
