Week 3 in Review

It's weird to think about doing a review entry about days that I haven't even blogged about yet! Oh well. The theme was "Communicate from the Heart."

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When it comes to conflict, are you a skunk or a turtle?
For me, it depends on the situation, though probably I am more of a turtle than a skunk. I really don't like it when people fight, especially when it's over stupid things. I'm all up for a discussion about something, even if it gets a little heated, but to fight over something stupid or trivial is, well, stupid. When possible I try to diffuse the situation, either by siding with the person who is right (in the chance that there is a "right" side and not just a "this is my way" type deal) or by taking the attention off the trivial and getting the focus back to the important. Or by breaking the tension with well played word games (when my wit is on, it is ON! And when it's not, it's usually so bad that people laugh in spite of it, so I win both ways!) I generally try not to get myself drawn into such situations when I can help it. On the other side, when I do decide to engage in conflict, I can definitely be the skunk, because EVERYONE will know exactly how I stand. I'm pretty stubborn/opinionated/vocal about what I believe when it comes down to it.

Describe a time when you were helped by someone who was honest and loving enough to tell you what you needed to hear rather than just what you wanted to hear. Or was there a time in your life when you wished somebody would have done that?
Hmmmm. . . I had to come back and think about this one. I was at a pretty low point in my life and seriously out of control (like, close to harming myself out of control). I thought I wanted someone to verify my feelings, to tell me that what I was going through was for all the reasons I had dreamed up, to "understand" and feed into my craziness so that I didn't feel as crazy as I did. Instead, I got a smack to the face (literally) and was told I needed to stop acting out and grow up (in terms not much less stern than that). It's so easy to spiral downward and try and drag others with you; I can't imagine it's easy being on the other side, resisting the pull but also not wanting to let the other person drop.

Is there someone in your life you need to confront? Someone you need to encourage?
There is definitely someone I need to confront, mostly to tie up all the loose ends I left back in the mitten and to possibly see if I can become a helpful force in his life rather than a destructive one. It's hard to see how to fix that when I'm 1,200 miles away, and it's also really easy to use that as the excuse to leave things where they are at. As far as encouragement, I can think of a few people down here who I am still getting to know, and I can be more of a positive influence rather than a neutral (or even sometimes negative) one.

How could you be better at building trust with your words?
I tend to use jokes and sarcasm not cruelly but as a defense when I start to get a little overwhelmed or uncomfortable, and while I don't think they are misinterpreted, I'm still avoiding opportunities to say something of significance. I have myself convinced that I'm not a comfortable speaker, but especially with all that happened at camp, God is slowly teaching me that I don't need to be afraid of what is going to come out of my mouth as long as I am staying connected to Him. So, we'll see what comes of that.

Did the way Jesus pictured the truth with Nicodemus and the woman at the well give you any ideas for using pictures to get the point across in your conversations?
Well, not particularly, but it did make me feel better about my copious use of analogies to convey ideas (which you know if you've been following this blog for a while, or if you've ever been in a rehearsal that I'm teaching/leading).