While I was visiting a local elementary school, I had the opportunity to lead a group activity with a fourth grade class during my January Term class, (The Culture of Bullying/Waiting on the World to Change). I asked the group of students to share their "Bully Scene" that they drew. The boy to my right in the picture raised his hand, eager to share what he drew. He went on and explained the scenario on the playground when he heard someone calling another kid "four eyes" because the kid was wearing glasses. At that time, I asked the young boy how that made him feel when he saw that happen. He replied with, "It made me feel sad because we are all people. Some of us wear glasses, some people don't. But underneath the glasses, we are all the same because we are all people." More of us should think like this fourth grade boy. It's not just the elderly that are full of wise advice. We could also learn a thing or two from the simplicity of a child's mind. ______________________________________________________ "My dad was in the military, so all the things that he saw were very cruel to him, so he doesn't really talk much, but he does find everything cool that I do. He calls me and says I should do this and I shouldn't do that. He's always concerned with how I do. He's asking me, 'How are your grades? How is school? Do you need anything?' So he's always making sure." And how does that make you feel? "Makes me feel good. Once I got a job and he was like, 'Are you sure you want to work at this job?' He also bought me a car, and I was like, 'Cool!' One time he went to Ghana for like two months and when he came back I learned how to drive and he was so surprised and so proud of me." Later in the conversation, we were asking him if he's always thinking about what the right thing to do is. "Yeah, it kind of gave me like a bad temper when I was in Ghana before I got to my auntie, you know, the one who treated me good. At my school, I was in charge of getting people food, you know, making sure everyone there had something to eat. The food was already paid for, so I was just making sure. Then I would just smile a lot, because I never wanted to get angry. You know, if there's someone that like hits me, I would just smile, because I was used to getting mad for a long time and then I got fed up with getting mad. Why let it drag you down when you can be happy?" ____________________________________________________ "I like doing my own thing and not being told what do." Are you more like the spontaneous kind of guy? "Oh absolutely. I mean, I don't even know what I'm gonna do tomorrow. I've been that way my whole life because every time I plan something it always falls through. Plans always fall through, that's how it is. I enjoy being able to do whatever I want. If you see something you want to do, go ahead and do it. If you have the money to take a trip, go through with it. Follow yourself and follow your instinct. Trust yourself, you can't go wrong. It's more of a trusting yourself, but at the same time don't care what happens. Usually, I really don't care what other people think. It keeps things light and then also not caring about things just makes life fun. What's life without having fun?" _______________________________________________________ "If you like it, I love it. As long as you're happy, I love what you like. I hate to see people sad or miserable. We had this one miserable lady come into our pizza place and she was just so mean. I could see she was miserable, she was going through something in her life and I served her table with a smile. Even though she was an ***hole, I served her with a smile and told her to have a great night. I feel bad for people who are just mean for no reason or when they have a reason and they're just mean, they're not happy. Why would you want somebody to not be happy? I wouldn't wish my worst enemy a bad life or a not so happy life." Sometimes society teaches you to be mean and just take care of yourself. "And I do not live by society's rules. If there's anything you ever take from me, I don't live by society rules; THAT'S why I'm happy. It's too much pressure, you can't live up to society's rules. If people like pressure, I still feel like they're living for somebody else, because you're not doing what you want to do. You're doing what they want you to do." ______________________________________________________ Being one of the happiest people I know, were you always that way? "When I was younger I was really quiet, I wouldn't talk much. I always had good grades and everything. I just wouldn't talk to people. One teacher actually wanted to send me to summer school because she thought I was mentally behind. My parents just declined and said, 'He is fine, he will be fine.'" "And then, my senior year of high school, I finally started talking and being myself. That's when I found out that it's best to just be yourself and to be happy. That's why I'm smiling all the time. Why be sad when I can smile and be happy and upbeat? It just doesn't make any sense to me." ______________________________________________________ | I had the opportunity to ask my gospel choir director about her childhood, how she was raised, and her story of how she came to know Christ. I asked her, "How did you come to know Christ? Was there a momentous moment that sticks out in your mind or was He always present in your life?" This is what she told me: "I came to know Christ at a young age. It truly wasn’t an option. You went to school and church. Those two were a guarantee. We had Sunday School, Children’s Church, Teen Church (called RIGHT Turn), Choir Rehearsal, Bible Study, Intercessory Prayer and AWANAS (in another church). We were pretty busy with Christ. As I grew, my relationship with Christ did as well. I knew things my “friends” in high school didn’t know. They often referred to me as the “church girl” or you go to church waaay too much. But that’s how I was raised. Of course I strayed, but church stuck. God stuck. Jesus stuck as the bible said it would. Of course some people don’t believe in the being saved because you were in church all your life thing, but after questioning my Bishop and elders, deacons, ministers, evangelists, ushers, choir directors, praise team leaders and so many others affiliated with the church, I know I believed in God and his son at an early age. However, like many, I went off to college and things were different. I got off course and “fell in love” with someone who I thought loved me the same. These things are pivotal in our lives as believers. Now, I knew better. Should have done better, but I didn’t. Through my weakness I know God was there for me when no one else was anywhere to be found. He picked me up and carried me back to where I needed to be. I am forever grateful." I preceded to ask for her insight on what she thinks everyone could do to make this world a better place. I asked her, What do you believe everyone can do to make the world a better place? "To make the world a better place I believe we must all remember what Christ did for us. Now, I know not everyone is a believer, but there shall come a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue, but that’s putting me off subject. For those who don’t believe I know we must learn the Golden Rule; do unto others as you would have them to do unto you in return. I know we’ve heard this for decades, but if we could truly do this, reflect and then act, I know it would change so many mistakes we’ve all made. I believe we should also pray! For those of us who are believers and lean on the Lord, prayer and fasting and praying again is especially crucial." ______________________________________________________ You said if it weren't for your mom beating you up, you wouldn't be where you are now. Did God play a big role in that too? "Oh yeah. He scared the living crap out of me one time. What happened is my mom telling me, because I actually saw her crying one time and she was like, 'Please, please look over him, Lord. Please watch over him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Please get him into school.' I can't remember the rest because she was crying. So what happened is I went to sleep and I kid you not, God scared the living crap out of me. So what He showed me is, 'This is what's going to happen if you don't turn it around and get an education and get into school.' Three to six months from now, working at McDonalds, don't like it, still living with my mom. I was like, 'Okay, that's not too bad for someone who's in JC or just graduated high school and save up some money so that they can have their own apartment.' Then he showed me five years from now. At 25, still living with my mom, working at McDonalds, hate the job. At age 30... 30! I quit my job, didn't want to go to work because I hated working there, loved the crew, but I hated the work. So after that my mom kicks me out of the house and my sister, she's happy, she's married, she has kids. I have no kids, I'm homeless. Then I'm old, I'm still homeless and like, 'What did I do with my life?' The next day I woke up and turned it around and fortunately got here." Understandably you have been through some changes in your life. If you had to give advice to somebody, what would that be? "Actually I live by two quotes. One is Winston Churchill which I can't remember. Another one is by my own, which I still rewrite so I can perfectly live by it, it's basically, Divided in God you will achieve nothing. United with God you will achieve great things." ______________________________________________________ Along the way of your own college life, did you learn any valuable lessons? "I'm sure that over the course of my life I have learned a couple, but from the academic perspective the best piece of advice I got from my advisor was 'Never compare yourself to people.' I think in today's day and age we get very caught up in trying to model ourselves after someone or an accumulation of people like a group or a stereotype. It's such a tiring and energy-sapping endeavor that when you really realize that it's a waste of time, THAT'S when you grow." "Everybody's got their own path. Don't ever get caught up trying to be on somebody else's because there is only room for one." "It takes a lot of energy to always try to be somebody or something that you're not. Do you and things will be a lot easier." Is that the most important advice you would offer to others? "Oh yeah, for sure. Especially to college students who are trying to figure out who they are and that really is my opinion what college is. The book stuff is very important, the studying and homework is very important, but this is your four years to find out who you are as individuals and if you spend part of that time trying to be like someone else that you know or that you hang out with, you're wasting that time and not figuring out who you really want to be and I think that is, if you can walk outta here in four years and say, 'I know what kind of individual I am and I didn't when I got here', you won." ______________________________________________________ |
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LizzieI enjoy taking naps, singing loudly in the car, and long walks to the fridge. I am a self diagnosed chocoholic and I suffer from cuteness agression disorder. I'm also crazy about Jesus. ArchivesCategories |