About six years ago, two of my friends and I read through and studied Luci Swindoll's book, I Married Adventure. During that time I received one of my greatest blessings ever - a chance to go on a cruise to Mexico with my best friend, at a very low cost. Here I was in the midst of studying about adventure and I couldn't leave my study partners behind.
We each selected a stuffed animal to represent our true selves, the person inside us that many don't know. There were three stuffed animals in my suitcase - a brown horse, a frog, and a brightly colored bird. While at times embarrassed, I did take photos of "The Adventure Gang" in a variety of locations including sunning on the Lido Deck and enjoying chips and guacamole in Cabo San Lucas.
I find that people can often surprise you as you begin to grow deeper in the knowledge of who they are. I have some friends that I thought to be very humorless and kind of rigid...until I got to know them. The opposite is also true. I have some people in my life that are still full of surprises years after I reached the point where I really felt I knew them. People are complex - after all, God made each one of them, and just look at what He's capable of!
Our human nature tends to be pretty quick with judgment calls based almost solely on an exterior evaluation, or at best, maybe a first impression that includes conversation. I have been working on this for years, but it's become apparent that I still have many long years of work left ahead of me.
Last week, I was reading on Facebook about a burger contest here in town. Needless to say, I bookmarked the page! I discovered that one of the semi-finalists was at a place very close to work, so we ventured way beyond our comfort zone and went to this bar to try the burger. I'm not sure I've ever been to a bar, a true bar like this one was. There happened to be two large parties at the time, making it too loud for us to talk so we just sat there waiting for our food. One gal there was covered in tattoos (large, odd-looking ones), kind of wild hair, and an "earthy" outfit including a top that was made from a skirt. The top was cute, but I found that I did jump to some conclusions (confession time). There was enough of a lull in the conversation for me to hear that she had at least one master's degree, maybe even two and I believe she worked serving children. Wow. I was doing the very thing I get frustrated about when people do it to me. I thought I knew her based on my first assessment. I was wrong.
As for the burger...not a semi-finalist in my mind! There are better ones out there, maybe soon to be featured in my blog.
Which animal do you think I chose to represent me?
I'd love to hear of any new adventures you find when you look a little deeper...to the person inside. I hope and pray you will find somebody God has put into your life, that simply needed a closer look from you.One More Thing...I'd like to challenge you to step back, start over, and go deeper with some of the people you may have met along life's journey. There may be a lot more to them than you ever expected or had the courage to investigate. God made them and they are here for a purpose just like you are. Do you want to miss out on those great adventures?
Take care, and I'm always here to listen, pray for you, or to encourage you.
