Dismissed

Since no one reads this, I feel more liberty in saying...

I am tired of not being heard.
I have been dismissed for years.

As a teenager, I was told that it was my "thyroid talking" when I tried to express myself.

Later, it was that I was p.m.s.-ing.

Maybe there is a little truth to the hormone thing. I'm definitely not denying that hormones affect me.

I wish that I could be more like my friend. She says it like it is, but she is the nicest person I know. You don't have to wonder where she is coming from - she'll tell you straight up!

It's my fault, really. I have a reputation of not standing up for myself. People are shocked when I occassionally do say something.

I am not a confrontational person; I enjoy peace. Therefore, I evade and avoid certain people, subjects, or situations that cause tension or stress. I have walked on eggshells for others many times in my life. I am usually the one who backs down or apologizes - even when I don't feel I did any wrong. I care about others and how they feel. I just wish everyone was considerate of other people.

I feel that if a person respects you, they will not intentionally do the things that bother you or take advantage of you. I try to be patient after I ask someone to please do/don't do suchandsuch. I have a "long fuse", so to speak. I let things go for a while, until I blow. I am not proud of this.

So, what can I do to be heard? I don't want people to be blown away when I say something. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just don't want to be dismissed. I want to be taken seriously. Respected. Is that too much to ask?

Are You Living in Neutral?

Before we were married, my husband drove a car that had a mechanical problem. It made an awful noise everytime it was idling. My husband would have to shift into neutral at every stop light/sign to make the noise stop. Why didn't he get the problem fixed instead of living with it? Honestly, it was probably because he couldn't afford the repairs.

I was thinking about how we do this with our lives. Sometimes we become content with situations in our lives and learn ways to "live with it." Why not fix the problem? Instead, many of us use excuses such as,

"I can't afford to ________."
"I don't have time to _______."
"I was never good at school."
"I don't know how to ______."
"I'll just ______ instead."
"It's no big deal!"
and even use scriptures,[Philippians 4:11] "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."

While I believe it is the will of God that we should give thanks in all things [1 Thessalonians 5:18], I believe we should also strive to make things better. John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

If we see a problem and do not fix it, we are "like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." [James 1:23-24]

Ecclesiastes 10:1 "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour:"

Ecclesiastes 10:10 "If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success."

Luke 14:5 “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out...?”

James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

If you don't know what to do, pray, read the Word of God, and seek Godly counsel.

James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him."

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

If you have a situation that you have been "living with" - Stop shifting into neutral and fix the problem! Whatever it is, you CAN do it - with God's help. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Proverbs 6:6-10 "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;"