Skip to main content

Flame on

Don't feel bad if people remember you only when they need you.  Feel privileged that you are like a candle that comes to their mind when there is darkness.  Unknown

My husband swears that it is my lot in life to only be remembered when something needs to be done - whether that's a party, a task, etc.  I've been called "the glue" that holds groups of people together - mostly because I'm the "doer".  I'm not complaining, I've made my peace with it.  (My husband complains about it but that's a whole different blog - ha!)
Don't get me wrong, when I say I've made my peace with it I don't mean that I have reluctantly resigned myself to my apparent role in life. It means that I have come to appreciate being known as a light.  It's okay, it really is.  It's okay that I'm remembered mostly for what I can do to help out a situation/circumstance/etc.  I fall by the wayside otherwise and that's okay. 
Do you feel the same?  Does your heart resonate with what I'm saying?  Have you struggled with that feeling, which looks an awful lot like reality for most of your relationships, that you are only needed or wanted when something needs to be done?  If so then you and I could have a good conversation about those feelings (okay fine the reality of it - sometimes you gotta call a spade a spade).  I would share with you what I've had to process and work through in order to get to a really good and peaceful place about it.  I'm only a light in someones darkness when I don't rely on being needed to keep my flame burning.  That's part of the conversation I would have with you as well.  For a long time I fed my flame by making sure I was needed.  It was flickering and weak at best and that's not the kind of light darkness needs. 
And just a note, not all of my relationships are based on when I'm needed by them. Some have a good and healthy balance of give and take.  Some seasons I do the giving and no taking and other seasons I do a whole bunch of taking and very little giving.  It's the relationships that I know I'm only called upon and reached out to when I'm needed to be the "doer" that I have had to make peace with in my own soul.  And it's okay, it really is a privilege. 
Wouldn't you rather be known as light in someones life rather than darkness?  Flame on my friend! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

April 5, 2015

The Feast of Firstfruits & Easter Go for Broke Day If it scares you this is the day to go for it no matter what. One Day Without Shoes Day Today is to raise global awareness for children’s health and education.  Why shoes? Because shoes help protect from bacteria in the dirt, rusty nails, dirty needles and shoes enable feet to withstand the long distances most children in developing countries need to walk to get to school. Join TOMS One for One There is plenty of criticism out there for TOMS and its short term solutions. Critics don't even buy the "at least they are doing something" statement.  However, you have to start somewhere. And every bit of awareness helps something go from short term to long term.  We all have a part to play. Read a Road Map Day One of the many reasons I would stink at The Amazing Race is because I never did learn how to read a road map well.  I remember doing worksheets and class lessons on maps and I was able to skate by ...

Butter someone up

There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment. 

A dime a dozen

"It's said that in the year 1796, the first U.S. dimes were produced for circulation. Hence, it would make sense for this phrase to originate sometime after." Read more here .  Today the phrase carries the meaning that something is cheap or without value if it can be lumped in with other similar or exactly-like things. It's more of an insult than anything.