What Did You Tell Them

Someone asks you about your loved one and you give them a short or long update about how they are doing. You see that loved one later on and tell them that a certain someone asked how they were doing. Your loved one asks you, “What did you tell them?” For a moment your mind stalls at the question hitting your thoughts. You reply, “What could I tell them?” “You haven’t given me much to give to them“. This statement sank very deeply into my spirit. “You haven’t given me much to give to them” was a rising sun of understanding deep inside my mind chasing away the darkness. We are automatically loading people around us with ideals of our present condition. We are loading others up with our present state of body, soul, and spirit so they can give an answer when someone inquires about you. If the one doing the answering is honest about your condition then the one receiving will walk away with a true word about you and if not honest a deceptive word about you. If you want to have a good report you have to give to others a positive outlook or if not a negative report will be concluded. Assisting or not assisting a status will be gleamed by others about you whether you like it or not seeing the facts of you attempting to being good daily or being negative daily. You caring or not caring about what others may think determines the answer to “What did you tell them?” Someone who is truthful, loving, and honest you should care about what you are giving them to talk about. Others who are not truthful, loving, and honest you should not care about what they think. You and I are giving to those around us good things or bad things daily whether we are aware of it or not.

The choices we make for ourselves everyday speaks louder than the words. I realized after thinking on “You haven’t given me much to give to them” that I am physically walking by people at home, work, in public businesses, and anywhere else I may go giving them impressions of my demeanor. I am loading up people with ideals by my outward appearance. If I am a smoker I am loading their nose with smoke in my clothes or from my breath. If I curse every other word as I am speaking I am loading their hearing with my education and attitude. The clothes I choose to wear will load their eyes with the categories of styles they have learned, which can range from someone living on the streets, addicted to drugs or alcohol, Gothic, religious, well to do…etc. If I shake someones hand and I have dirt or sweaty palms I am loading that person at my touch with a feeling about who I am. The people I like to be around and call friends is loading up others of who I am. “Birds of a feather flock together” saying means whatever your demeanor is determines the people you like to fellowship with. If you love misery you will hang around others with misery – misery loves company. If you like to argue you want to find someone to argue with. The places you love to go is loading up others of who you are and your present status whether it is sports, bars, country side, or cities.

I had an incident at my work place where someone wanted to get me in trouble. I am a person who likes to help others if I can. This someone made it known to the higher-ups in the company I was working for that I was refusing to do my job, which I found to be absurd. A boss in another department was a friend to one of the higher-ups and was told that I refused to do my job. I did not realize until now that I had been loading people up daily at my work place my attitude, work ethics, and personality automatically. I was just being who I am. The boss from the other department shared with me what the higher-ups were saying of which hurt my feelings because I like to live life with a good name and reputation. The boss told me he replied to his higher up friend that did not sound like me that he needed to talk to me personally because when ever this boss asked for my assistance I was glad to help if I could. I had loaded up this boss with answers to others that may inquire about me. It could have been good things or a confirmation that of bad things. I was just simply being myself everyday without any charades.

This is a slowing down moment and thinking about the lost their way loved one and saying,”What did you tell them?“, “What can I say?”, “You haven’t given me much”.  If the loved one had got back on the good and right track this would have given me, empowered me to give to all who asks a good report, but otherwise I am stuck with not so good words of their status, which brings sadness into the conversation lowering my heart into a looking downward gaze. What we give to others from the life we are living will be all they have when we are gone. How much of good things have we given to those around us whether in words or actions? When the light bulb of understanding turns on shinning in the area we can make better is the opportunity not only for ourselves, but automatically to others watching. We are an inspiration of good or bad automatically to all we come into contact with daily. You are giving even when you think you are not giving.

“In reality what do you give to others?” “What do you want to give to others?” I will answer this by saying I have done my share of bad things in life, witnessed bad things, and saw the suffering that went with bad things for a season. I came to the conclusion I did not want to do bad things, be around bad things, and stand by idle watching the suffering from bad things. There seems to be more bad things in life than there is good. I want to contribute to the good. I, also, found that being bad is easy, but trying to be good is what a real man or woman is all about. It takes effort and a price to pay to doing good, which afterwards there is strong sense of completeness and of accomplishment. In this conquest of leaving the bad things behind and going forward to good things. I found myself falling deeply in love with the word of God. Many people are giving to those around them the Bible is a bunch of don’ts, restrictions, a baseball bat, or fairy tales. Isn’t that amazing within itself people are judging the Bible and God by other people with or without God giving them what to say or do? What if God asked you, “What did you tell them?” meaning in the words you spoke or the body language you showed? Would you respond, “You haven’t given me much to give to them“? The Bible is full of God’s attempts into communicating, providing, and giving seconds chances to us – His children. I have gladly received and continue to receive His efforts to make my life a good example to those around me. He gives to me and I give to you.

I am asking myself, “God, what have you given me to give to others?” One of my daily prayers is: “I want people to see You beyond me, hear You beyond me, and feel You beyond me” because I know what Jesus will load people up with (goodness), more than I ever could. What has God given us to give to others? My first thought was the Bible and the next thought His Spirit. I can read His Word and find out how He thinks, how He feels about things, and what actions does He like to take. Reading His word gives Him the opportunity to give to me “What I should tell others“. I personally do not like to answer anyone with my opinion with taking a scripture here and there piecing together an answer I want to give, but an answer well-connected through out the Bible. Reading His Word also brings the fellowship of His Spirit. An example: while you are reading he is walking down the street in a great crowd you find yourself being one of the people in the crowd walking with Him as He stops and asks, “Who touched me?” You stop and look around finding yourself agreeing with Peter that the crowd is pressing against you. The calm voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to you saying I know who touched me and where the power went when it left me, but I want to reveal something inside of her to all (this is a giving moment). Standing in this anticipating crowd a woman came trembling and fell at his feet. What does this sight give to you and me about this woman? She explains the twelve years of suffering and no one could heal her. Is there really no one? How she came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothing and immediately her suffering stopped. The Holy Spirit takes the word and brings it to life inside of us just like when Jesus said, the words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are life. The Spirit shows you Jesus knew, but he wanted to extract out of that woman how powerful faith can be in the tiniest of things in God? This is what God gives us to give to others from His Word and His Spirit. It is up to us to visit God every day in word and in spirit asking, seeking, and knocking for the things He wants to give us, allow us to find, and open the door of opportunity (Matt. 7:7). So, that we may give to others good things. Let your faith be I might not have much, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:6).

Have a great day in-spite of what may come your way.