I know. That was yesterday. How can I be writing on Thursday about yesterday? Do you read a newspaper – online or in print? Aren’t you reading about yesterday? Anyway, I wanted to talk about the irony pointed out during my priest’s homily yesterday.
I have long been a student of literary elements. I like a good metaphor as much as the next person. I love to read well-written blogs and novels. I love to see the pictures that words paint.
I sit near the front of the church – usually within the first three or four pews. I pay attention to the readings, listening intently as opposed to reading along. Just my way of participating and not for everyone.
Yesterday, the Gospel reading talked about not letting others see your good works, not letting your right hand know if your left was doing a good deed. The irony that Father spoke of was the fact that we were all in church to be marked. We would leave the church with a visible sign that we were Christians, in most communities something done in few churches other than Roman Catholic ones. We would leave the church with a visible sign of who and whose we were.
Do you live so that others can see who you are? If you could change one thing about your life to make it easier for those who know you, who love you to see who you are, what would you change?
Nicki's Nook 
So thoughtful Nicki! I do think I live so that others can see who I am. I talk often with friends and family about what excites me, what interests me, what makes me laugh, what makes me tick. I like to get to know others easily and at the same time want others to know me. At the same time, I do think I talk too much about the good things I do. I like praise more than I should. Maybe it’s because I never felt like I got praise growing up and now seek it? I too often list things off to Tim that I’ve done around the house – to be noticed. It’s not necessary. I should just be proud of myself but I sometimes crave more.
Becca – I know what you mean. I think because, as a parent, we are so often on the giving end of praise, we tend to crave it. It is like anything that is denied. The urge for that becomes stronger.
I have learned, the hard way, that a balance of self-protection and showing who you are is necessary. I do not always achieve that balance well. These days I err on the conservative side, most of the time. Self-protection is and has been essential for many years. As individuals, we learn how much “self” to show, in what context and when, and what requires appropriate boundaries.
I do find it interesting that age, region, culture and other factors play into this. It’s an intriguing question. And a very thought-provoking post.
BLW – I think I sometimes, especially in personal relationships, put up a wall to get that balance of self-protection and putting myself out there.
What would I change? My inherited way of thinking. I believe that we are brought up with so many rules and belief systems that stifles our own self. Enlightenment can come if we discard our old self and seek who we really are. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Walter. You are right. The rules we are brought up with play into how we are as adults, as do the environment and other items. I discarded my old belief system while in college and sought a different belief system.
Do you live so that others can see who you are? What a fascinating question. Imagine how we would live and live differently if others weren’t seeing us? How can others see who we are if we often can’t see who we are? Thought-provoking stuff.