Read this..."PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 18) - A Rhode Island woman faces charges after allegedly punching and biting her 11-year-old son's school principal after being told the boy was being suspended. Police said 30-year-old Aleyda Uceta also bit an officer trying to arrest her after Friday's incident at Roger Williams Middle School in Providence. She was charged with assault on school officials, assault on police officers and resisting arrest. Principal Rudolph Moseley Jr. was allegedly assaulted after he told Uceta that her son would be suspended for three days for refusing to go to a room for misbehaving students. Police said Uceta punched Moseley in the face and bit his left arm. Attempts to reach Uceta by phone for comment were unsuccessful."
I wonder where this misbehaving boy learned his behavioral standards? Hmmmm. When reports such as this surface, few are surprised at the child's poor conduct when the parent seems to practice such abhorrent behavior. It makes us hurt for the anger that must hang like a cloud in this home.
This story reminds all of us that we are examples and models to those around us...even when we don't want to be cast in that role. How we respond to tough situations, crises, injustices, harsh words, and challenges reflects who we are inside. If foul language and anger erupt from us...then that is what lives in us. When that sort of behavior is evidenced it says that the person reacting in such a poor manner has little or no respect for those impacted by their behavior. The expression of that kind of behavior has...at the point in time it is evidenced...become more important to the person doing it than the emotions or well-being of those around them. It is essentially selfish, insensitive behavior. And...let's face it...not the kind of example that any of us want to leave.
What kind of example are you leaving? How would those who work with you describe your actions and reactions? Do you respond with wisdom or react with emotion to the challenges before you? Is your behavior reflective of the person of Christ? Is your behavior centered more on yourself or more on others? We need to make sure that the model we live points positively to Christ. Others are watching...and so is Jesus.
"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5,6
Ever wonder if there is a healthier seat than others on an airplane? MSNBC reports the following. "If you're worried about blood clots, sit on the aisle. A recent study from Lahey Clinic Medical Center confirmed that getting bumped by the beverage cart can help keep deep-vein thrombosis away. The research team found that 75 percent of these cases occurred among non-aisle passengers, because they were not moving enough. Flights lasting between four and eight hours were worst. It's not just a matter of leg room. Window seats in business class led to the same results. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself healthy. Put on compression stockings, and you'll reduce the blood clot risk. If this is too cumbersome for you, try drinking plenty of water ... and avoiding alcohol and caffeine (well, that might actually be harder). Before you loosen your seatbelt and move freely throughout the cabin, just make sure the "fasten seatbelt" light is off and that you're not blocking the meal service. Hungry, thirsty passengers can put your health at risk, too."
How about that?! Where we sit makes a difference! That is especially true in how we live our lives. Where we position ourselves affects our health...our emotional and spiritual health. Unfortunately, in much of life, it's not that people sit by the window...some sit by the wrong window. They look and focus on the underside of life. Some position themselves next to the bottom feeders in society and adopt those individuals' description of life as reality. There are still others who "look out the window" and let what they see (bad experiences, hurt, rejection, etc.) color their views of the world so much that they disengage and miss all God has for them and all the opportunities for which God might have used them.
There is another dynamic. Whenever we look out a window, it not only reveals to us what is beyond the window, it is an invitation to explore that beyond. Unfortunately for some, they never move. Looking is as far as they want to go. They are the "window shoppers" of life. They never expect to invest, spend, engage or in any way merge with what they see, good or bad. No...they shouldn't engage the "bad," but the reality is...their apathy won't allow them to engage with anything. As a result, they remain stagnant in their fears or comfort zones, all the while staring into their dreams and within touching distance of a greater reality.
Because we fail to move beyond and because we sit by the wrong windows, we experience what Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 9:21, "Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses..." What's happening at your windows? Where are you positioning yourself today? Are you near a window? If you are...are you willing to go beyond that window? What do you see? Is it only what others tell you, or are you asking the Lord to open your eyes to what He sees? When you explore God's Word, do you ask Jesus to turn on the lights of understanding in your mind? When you see problems and crises, do you ask the Lord to reveal wisdom?
What's happening at your windows? Are you seeing Christ? Are you seeing what can happen when you are in Christ? Are you excited about exploring what you see? What's happening at your windows? Are you getting sick or are you getting challenged?
"Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" Psalm 66:5
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