I want to live like this. My hope is that this is what others see when they focus on me. Not that I want or need recognition for my heart and welcoming others but that I can be an example of how to live back to the stage. In Young Life they told us leaders to always sit with our back to the stage at dinner. That way the teens we were working with could have the preferred seats and not have to twist around to see what was really being presented for them. This was something that I tried to carry out in every aspect of my life. Living back to the stage meant taking the pizza slice with the least amount of pepporini, letting others go ahead in the grocery line, watching the movie Ronnie B wanted to watch even if it was about snakes mating, just generally putting others first.
Trust me I don’t always get it right and have to check myself when I puff up with pride about being that unselfish person. Reminding myself helps me be intentional about living a Roman life. My friend Chris Ynzunza practices this by giving a visitor that stays at her home one of her favorite things in her house. I was reluctant to take a light switch cover that she unscrewed from her wall and gave me many years ago. It didn’t even particularly appeal to me. It was just not quite my style. She gave it to me when we were moving from California to New Mexico in 1990. When we got settled in our new home, I put it in my laundry room. You know it became a constant reminder (trust me a mom of four I was in that laundry room more than any other room in my house) of having a generous heart. It was never about the light switch cover but about Chris’ heart for me. I need physical reminders of how I want to live my life putting others above myself.
The second part of this verse about welcoming others into my home is another way I want to live. I have a little sign in my kitchen that says I want my birdhouse filled with birds. Don’t we all? After all, we don’t put up a birdhouse and buy bird food or fill up a hummingbird feeder with that sweet, red liquid hoping the seeds and syrup will last all summer. On the contrary, we hope that the birds will come and enjoy the sweet treats as we enjoy watching them near our windows. Last year, Ronnie B. and I were blessed to have a singing, dancing group from Kenya in our home as they traveled the US to raise money for a new dormitory for their school. Each of those kids were orphans and were flourishing in the school that took them in. They were so talented, hard working, polite and most importantly full of joy and laughter. Their voices and giggles filled our home with a warmth that could never have been achieved without our saying yes when Pastor Shawn asked for volunteers to house them for a few nights. What a gift that simple yes was. We would not even have known what we missed out on if we had not been willing. But the love and connection we have with them is proof that the right answer is always a quick yes when an opportunity to fill our home arises.
My Aunt Judy always had a book for visitors to sign when they stopped by. It is so fun to look back through the pages and see who has been there and why they came. Over the years we stopped by to see her when we were passing through Arizona for so many reasons. Like the calendars on our walls that are a look back on how we spent our year, this book is a view of life pouring through my aunts doors which are always open and unlocked. We now have our own book that started at my Mom’s house and is now continuing in ours. Anytime someone stays overnight we ask them to sign our book. It is fun to see them first look back on our other visitors and why they were here and what they enjoyed about our home and our park. This book is a treasure and a reminder of how much richer we are when we open our doors and our hearts to others. This weekend my daughter’s soon to be mother-in-love is here enjoying the baby and helping our adult kids grieve the unexpected loss of our grand dog. Her generous heart to fly down to support them makes me honored to have her in my home. What a gift to get to know this lady who is now my family better over the past few days. Her heart for her son and now my daughter makes me smile. What a treasure to watch our family grow.
I want to live like that is something that I say after Bible study each morning. The truth is I get distracted with life. Little reminders help me keep my focus and live intentionally. After all, even at sixty four, I want a life filled to the brim with others not one focused in on me. I enjoy my me time but as great as I am, I need others in my life more often than not.
In Him,
Joyful
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