Invitations: do you accept?
Has anyone sent out an invitation with a RSVP? It’s actually French for: yes, I’ll be there. There are certain events that are by invitation only. They include some and exclude others. Have you ever found out that you weren’t invited to an event, but someone you knew was?
I think we’ve all been left out a time or two. Did you ask yourself, “why not me?” “What did I do to them?” Haven’t we all been there?
There are some places that do not require invitations. Just like, I don’t have to be invited to “be sad”. But I can be invited to “be happy.” Some say that sickness needs an invitation. Yes and no. If I stay out late, don’t take care of my body, don’t get enough rest, or eat healthy then I’m inviting sickness.
Here’s a question. If we invite sickness why do we pray for healing? Something to think about. But does sickness need an invitation? No. If it comes uninvited can I legitimately ask for healing? Of course. What if I invited sickness? Can I ask for healing? Certainly. This doesn’t make any sense does it? I mean if rules are rules and laws are laws and I’m going to reap what I sow, shouldn’t that include sickness? Yes and no.
Theee are certain things we invite into our lives that have the ability to do a “hostile takeover “. Bad habits, let’s not use the word bad. It’s relative. No I didn’t say it was your relatives. If I’m in France drinking wine with my dinner is expected. If I do it here I’m borderline alcoholic. If my child drank wine in France it would be normal. If I gave my under aged child wine here it would be child abuse. So, as I said the terms “ good and bad” are relative.
Let me instead talk about things that are beneficial and things that are detrimental. Oxygen is beneficial! But if you try to take oxygen onto an aircraft you’ll find that it prevents you from boarding. What about medication? If I take medication to treat an illness, it’s beneficial. If I misuse the same medication it’s now detrimental.
So let’s take addictions. No this is not a blog on healthy habits. I’m not writing a stop smoking campaign. I am asking you to take inventory. Is there something or even someone you’ve invited into your life that is detrimental?
Ok. Since you’re thinking it... let’s talk about smoking. If I start smoking I’m inviting an addiction. If I start abusing drugs, inviting an addiction. What about pornography? Guess what? It’s an invited addiction. Now let me get real! What about gossip? What about lying ? What about cheating? What about hate?
People seem to categorize addictions like they are on a scale from 1-10. Are they? Not according to my philosophy. If I invite gossip into my life it will ruin all of my relationships. If not right away, soon. If I invite alcohol into my life in an abundance it too will eventually ruin my relationships and my health. Does gossip ruin your health? Absolutely. The side effect for gossipare hate and seclusion. According to s recent study, loneliness is a top killer in this generation of technology . I find that odd. People can communicate to each other more often from more locations, but look around at the dinner table when you’re out. How many people are talking to the person in front of them? How many are staring intently into a device that has no feeling and can’t respond to them in a positive way? People are lonely.
We’ve invited loneliness into our lives and we’re addicted to it. Have you entered someone’s house only to hear the tv blaring? Have you tried to talk to that person but they won’t turn the tv off or even down? And when “their show” comes back on...the conversation is officially over? Wouldn’t that count as an addiction? To noise? We fear being alone but when we’re with other people we either have a device in our hand. Something is beeping at us, or there’s so much background noise that we might as well be alone.
Anything that demands your attention can be an addiction. Ok. I mean unhealthy attention. Children demand our attention, but they are not an addiction.
Take a minute and evaluate. Ask yourself this question...”what is in my life that is demanding attention of me and is it harming either myself or my relationships?” I dare you?
Do you want to stop doing / being controlled by that? It’s hard to uninvited an addiction. So, either don’t invite one in or do what it takes to revoke the invitation. What can I not live without and is it harming or helping me?
I invite you to take a short break from whatever it is just to find out the level of invitation it has been offered? Do you still want it in your life? If so, what are you willing to give to keep it? If not, what are you willing to do to uninvite it? Something to think about.
I think we’ve all been left out a time or two. Did you ask yourself, “why not me?” “What did I do to them?” Haven’t we all been there?
There are some places that do not require invitations. Just like, I don’t have to be invited to “be sad”. But I can be invited to “be happy.” Some say that sickness needs an invitation. Yes and no. If I stay out late, don’t take care of my body, don’t get enough rest, or eat healthy then I’m inviting sickness.
Here’s a question. If we invite sickness why do we pray for healing? Something to think about. But does sickness need an invitation? No. If it comes uninvited can I legitimately ask for healing? Of course. What if I invited sickness? Can I ask for healing? Certainly. This doesn’t make any sense does it? I mean if rules are rules and laws are laws and I’m going to reap what I sow, shouldn’t that include sickness? Yes and no.
Theee are certain things we invite into our lives that have the ability to do a “hostile takeover “. Bad habits, let’s not use the word bad. It’s relative. No I didn’t say it was your relatives. If I’m in France drinking wine with my dinner is expected. If I do it here I’m borderline alcoholic. If my child drank wine in France it would be normal. If I gave my under aged child wine here it would be child abuse. So, as I said the terms “ good and bad” are relative.
Let me instead talk about things that are beneficial and things that are detrimental. Oxygen is beneficial! But if you try to take oxygen onto an aircraft you’ll find that it prevents you from boarding. What about medication? If I take medication to treat an illness, it’s beneficial. If I misuse the same medication it’s now detrimental.
So let’s take addictions. No this is not a blog on healthy habits. I’m not writing a stop smoking campaign. I am asking you to take inventory. Is there something or even someone you’ve invited into your life that is detrimental?
Ok. Since you’re thinking it... let’s talk about smoking. If I start smoking I’m inviting an addiction. If I start abusing drugs, inviting an addiction. What about pornography? Guess what? It’s an invited addiction. Now let me get real! What about gossip? What about lying ? What about cheating? What about hate?
People seem to categorize addictions like they are on a scale from 1-10. Are they? Not according to my philosophy. If I invite gossip into my life it will ruin all of my relationships. If not right away, soon. If I invite alcohol into my life in an abundance it too will eventually ruin my relationships and my health. Does gossip ruin your health? Absolutely. The side effect for gossipare hate and seclusion. According to s recent study, loneliness is a top killer in this generation of technology . I find that odd. People can communicate to each other more often from more locations, but look around at the dinner table when you’re out. How many people are talking to the person in front of them? How many are staring intently into a device that has no feeling and can’t respond to them in a positive way? People are lonely.
We’ve invited loneliness into our lives and we’re addicted to it. Have you entered someone’s house only to hear the tv blaring? Have you tried to talk to that person but they won’t turn the tv off or even down? And when “their show” comes back on...the conversation is officially over? Wouldn’t that count as an addiction? To noise? We fear being alone but when we’re with other people we either have a device in our hand. Something is beeping at us, or there’s so much background noise that we might as well be alone.
Anything that demands your attention can be an addiction. Ok. I mean unhealthy attention. Children demand our attention, but they are not an addiction.
Take a minute and evaluate. Ask yourself this question...”what is in my life that is demanding attention of me and is it harming either myself or my relationships?” I dare you?
Do you want to stop doing / being controlled by that? It’s hard to uninvited an addiction. So, either don’t invite one in or do what it takes to revoke the invitation. What can I not live without and is it harming or helping me?
I invite you to take a short break from whatever it is just to find out the level of invitation it has been offered? Do you still want it in your life? If so, what are you willing to give to keep it? If not, what are you willing to do to uninvite it? Something to think about.
Comments