by Suzanne D. Williams
My brain is a car with only one gear. I’ve known this for years, but had it reaffirmed recently when I took a personality test. I won’t bore you with the details, but in essence, I do one task at a time, the same way every time. All fourteen steps must be performed in the correct order … A, B, C, D, and etcetera … in order to be happy. I cannot skip from step C to step E. This disrupts the time continuum.
It also creates a world of frustration because my spouse, my daughter, my dogs must also do things in this manner. I cannot watch the cake being made backwards, so to speak. I hadn’t given a great deal of thought to that part of it until taking this test. Staring at the list of character traits someone smarter than me had written, I had a revelation.
God has made us all unique. Some can draw fantastic pictures; some can sing like angels; some are athletic and perform great feats; some write poetry, and others dance ballet. My mom has said for years that we don’t have to be alike, as long as what we disagree on isn’t ungodly or immoral. I would add we also don’t have to do things the same way.
My husband likes to cook, but God bless him, his style of cooking drives me insane. He does the steps out-of-order. Step Z comes before Step B, nine times out of ten, and I’ve spent almost 30 years trying to get him to stop. It’s amazing how much peace I have by letting it go. The other day he wanted to make baked beans. He’s perfectly capable of making baked beans. But I knew … I KNEW … he’d make them wrong.
My best action that day was to walk away. I took my dogs on a stroll through the yard and came back happy. There’d be a lot less division if people would do the same. I am only responsible for me – my choices and my reactions. I let God handle everyone else. They can walk the tightrope upside-down if that’s what they choose. My job is to pray they find God’s best and to be there to catch them if they fall.
This is the true meaning of “love one another.” Jesus never made the twelve disciples wear matching tunics. He didn’t force Matthew to think like Luke. Nor punish John for what Peter said. And I’m sure, somewhere in the group, someone hated the way the disciple on his left or right ate his food, or performed some other such habit. They were as human as I am, and I find great comfort in that. Because God came to save PEOPLE with foibles, likes and dislikes, and strange habits. Not to make automatons but to celebrate our uniqueness.
I wish we would realize that the next time so-and-so doesn’t do things exactly our way.
If some have cause to celebrate, join in the celebration. And if others are weeping, join in that as well. Work toward unity, and live in harmony with one another. (Rm 12:15-16 VOICE)
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The final book in the series.
About The Author:
Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors. She is co-founder of THE EDGE.
To learn more about what she’s doing and check out her extensive catalog of stories, visit www.feelgoodromance.com or link with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor or on Twitter at twitter.com/SDWAuthor.
Dana
/ June 25, 2018Love this article! You’re so right. We should try to remember to ask ourselves “how important is it?”