"I Know How You Feel"

My English teacher got me thinking about this the other day. She said that we are the worst at telling people "I know how you feel" whenever something goes awry in their life.

The truth is, we don't. People (more often girls) say this in situations when another person talks about losing a parent, a pet, or a job. When someone fails an important exam, has their heart broken, or gets stood up. Yes, they certainly may have gone through a similar situation-type, but no, they aren't and didn't feel the pain and respond the same way. Loss, rejection, and hurt hit people different ways, and no one can truly ever mean the phrase "I know how you feel".

People probably think they will appear thoughtful and meaningful by saying those words, but in reality, I think it's selfish. They try to turn the conversation from the hurt being displayed by the person to their own personal experience.

So, next time, why don't we say "I cannot imagine what you're feeling, but I'm here to help you in any way", mkay?

My thoughts of the day :)

Random

A fellow blogger (Molly) has written a few posts featuring random things about herself. No, I'm sure you guys don't care, but I think I could amuse myself by writing oddball stuff about me. So.. here goes try #1:

~ I secretly want a pair of every color Chuck Taylor's. My mother despises them, so I've momentarily ended my buying spree. So far? Light pink and Tennesse orange (fake, but $7).

~ I have an odd obsession with Qtips. I use an average of 5 a day to clean out my ears.

~ I am slightly germaphobic. Wash your hands after using the restroom (EVEN AT HOME). Don't sneeze on your hand (and then grab my stuff). Don't touch anything but soap and water directly after fiddling with your feet. After playing outside, use sanitizer or wash. It's just a little fetish.

~ I am very competitive. Very. Pride issue.

~ I don't like it when people use the wrong forms of "they're/their/there or your/you're". Learn.

~ I've always wanted to know someone elses life as intricately as I know my own. Maybe not feel all the hurt, but know everything and every thought that consumes them. I think it'd be cool to see if other people are as random or as deep as I am.

~ When I run (an average of 4 times a year), I only like to do it on a treadmill. Most people hate it because it's a constant motion with no new scenery. I either read, watch TV, or listen to music. Guess what I do the whole time? Look at the numbers on the treadmill a figure out my average speed, how long I have to run to reach this many miles, how many calories I'm burning a minute, etc. It keeps my mind occupied.

Well, right now I have to go to the bathroom, and I'm at school. Therefore I cannot leave the computer up, and this post must come to an end.

Song of Songs Chapter 8

The series at church we are currently studying is called "I Do" based on the Song of Solomon. I love the way our pastors are approaching it. Usually when we study things like this we always go back to the "God is our one, true love. We need to have this type of love with Him." Stuff like that. Oh, I absolutely believe it, but I know it. Sure, I don't know it all, but sometimes when you hear stuff over and over again, you just stop listening. Is that bad to say? It has its moments when it sticks, and those are wonderful.

Anyways. Today there was a different spin. Matt Reagan spoke of intimacy based on Song of Solomon chapter 8. We spoke of how intimacy is more than sexual relations, and how we are supposed to build it up. Here are some notes I jotted down (plus a few thoughts I didn't write down at the time).

-Love is an incredible thing, but more than portrayed.
Song of Solomon 8
vs. 1
The only person they could show affection towards in a public setting was a sibling.
vs. 2
vs. 3
Above all else in the world, we want intimacy.
******************vs.4******************
vs. 5
Their love story. All love starts with its own story. She figuratively saw her man coming along the horizon, and she wished to share the story of their love.
vs. 6
Death is a permanent thing (except for the whole Jesus rising from the grave thing:). HE is jealous for us.
vs. 7
Love is worth everything. For the one you love, selling your home would be nothing. It's more than all the riches or anything you could imagine.
vs. 8
This is like us saying today, "I have a friend who wants to know ________." "My friend wants advice to handle this (____________) situation." It's so they can know what to do and how to find the love their friend has experienced.
vs. 9
The integrity of a Godly, whole, and righteous woman needs to be built up and exalted! In the case of her being a door (which most women are), this means they have more than one love story. We are meant to have only 1 (physically).

We need to try to build intimacy.

*People who stay committed to one person are more sexually intimate than anyone else.

You can listen to the message on Collide TV here starting sometime later this month (hopefully!).

Boy

Boy meets girl. They fall for each other. Boy takes girl's heart and runs.

I've been head over heels for a boy for almost a year. I seem to get him out of my head, but as soon as I see his smile, or he playfully touches my chin, I melt into a pool of.. well, I don't know what I melt into, but I definitely melt.

Crazy, the effect the opposite sex has on us.

Words

Lately I've been surrounded by adults who just simply encourage. They tell me how proud they are of decisions I've made. Told me I'm beautiful. Tell me they want their kids to turn out like me. Tell me I'm funny. Don't get me wrong, I love that :] SO SO much.

Today I was sitting in church, completely surrounded by parents who I babysit for, all encouraging me, patting me on the back, etc. As I was soking in how great it felt to be loved this much on Valentine's Day as a 16 year old without a boyfriend, I realized something. This is why I hang out and gravitate towards adults. People my age don't say encouraging words half as often, and even more often they have things to say or actions they take that tear down.
So, why don't kids, teenagers, encourage? I assume it's because for the most part we're creatures of selfishness. I don't know... But maybe if people my age began saying nice and kind things, all of our lives would be better. I know mine would be.

That's my challenge for myself: Encourage, encourage, encourage.

Comfort Zones.

Comfort zones. Undoubtedly we all have them. Few friends or a party. Talking to strangers or keeping to yourself. Extrovert or introvert. Personality types help define our comfort zones.

Christianity does not call for us to be comfortable. Look at Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, CHRIST.