day 9 : be present
the message of the day from the devotional...
- 'being present' means to put yourself in the presence of others on purpose, to benefit others. this means to give the best of your time + your attention to make someone feel valued.
- try to understand and be there for people, both in the best and worst parts of life. this means, not just reconnecting with a friend because you want some gossip or to benefit from what they're going through. neither does it mean cutting out those who are being negative. instead, continually sharpen your friendship and be there to share your burdens and happiness.
- people who are hurting aren't always going to be able to give their best, and that's when it's most important to be there for someone and carry them.
- be on both ends of the spectrum: be able to confide in and share with someone when you have problems. but, also, be there to listen to someone to pray for them and listen without judgement.
my act of generosity today...
i don't really have examples of my acts of kindness today, but more a sharing...
i've always been an open sort of person. i haven't often been afraid to talk about my life because i go by the policy of being open and honest in conversations, unless someone gives me reason not to. on the one hand, this means that today's challenge was something that was second nature to me anyway because i have dmc's (deep meaningful conversations) pretty much on the daily. at the same time, this was hard for me because i'm more a talker than a listener in these situations. i can easily just ramble on about my life (not in the big-headed sense!) but when it comes to giving support and advice, i'm less good with finding the right words.
nevertheless, i would like to think that i'm good at being present with others. i guess at times, you need to lead by example, right? so if i lay down my life for others and show them transparency and my vulnerability in conversation, it can help others feel like they can open up because it shows that our conversation is not because of personal gain or for gossip, but to show that everybody has their own things that they go through and that we are not able to judge from a position of weakness.
today i am thankful for...
1. my bravery to commit to planning the end of year retreat for our student fellowship. i offered my help to plan this trip and in doing so, i had to collect a lot of data to be able to plan potential dates and locations and the feasibility of it etc etc. this meant i had to contact a lot of people in our student group to make sure i have the right details. i'm not a leader or anything at core so i guess i don't have the general 'roundedness' of knowing most people at the fellowship. in order to collect data, ofc i had to message loads of people individually. i honestly just expected people to answer me with blunt answers and that was that, but no. my heart was so warm by the number of people who continued conversations with me after i already got what i want.
this really is an illustration of how something ordinary can become special. it may not be a lot but it's the fact that me being forced to message someone i've never really had a conversation with before has spiralled into a lovely chat. this just shows me that it isn't about your age and experiences which shapes your connection with someone, but how you approach the conversation and how intentional you are with it.
2. so tonight was the 4th night in a row that i have stayed up until around 5am ish, to take an average. i have been spending time with a decent friend of mine and for some reason, lately when we've been spending time together, honestly time just goes past us without us realising, it's mad. whilst all intentions were good (we genuinely wanted to meet to do work), it's just a shame that we never manage to achieve what we set out to do lol.
despite this, i do not regret any of it and can confidently say that we are now goooood friends. our friendship level has gone up like 100 notches and it's been nice to just confide in someone in this new city and just unload and share with them and keep each other accountable. he's helped me organise my thoughts and understand my own life more and love myself more and accept things that have happened and are a part of my history.
i honestly just appreciate this person a lot, but i'm not at the stage where i can openly admit how thankful i am for him in my life to his face yet. i guess i'll just wait and see if he's a true fan and if he'll read this post :)
- - as i was doing the devotional for today and writing this post, this old quote / story came to mind and it's so beautiful that i want to share it. i hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.
all the love,
haynam xo
despite this, i do not regret any of it and can confidently say that we are now goooood friends. our friendship level has gone up like 100 notches and it's been nice to just confide in someone in this new city and just unload and share with them and keep each other accountable. he's helped me organise my thoughts and understand my own life more and love myself more and accept things that have happened and are a part of my history.
i honestly just appreciate this person a lot, but i'm not at the stage where i can openly admit how thankful i am for him in my life to his face yet. i guess i'll just wait and see if he's a true fan and if he'll read this post :)
- - as i was doing the devotional for today and writing this post, this old quote / story came to mind and it's so beautiful that i want to share it. i hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.
all the love,
haynam xo