Five Minute Friday ~ Wonder

Joining up with Lisa Jo for her last Five Minute Friday of 2012 (she's taking the month of December off)...

"Now, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right. 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.

3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on..."

Wonder…

Ever wonder what this world just might be like 

if we spent more time 

gazing through the eyes of our hearts...

and celebrating our differences instead

of majoring on them?

I know... some are probably rolling their eyes at that sentiment and so I hesitate to actually write it, putting it down in black and white and jettisoning it off into cyberspace where it will be exposed, where, in a sense, I will be exposed...

What prompted thoughts along those lines this morning?

I have to be at school early, before school actually begins, to meet with students for speech and language work. We were going to play charades so that hopefully, they'd have opportunity to use some of the different sounds we've been practicing this past month.

That meant I had to hop through the shower before the kids actually left for school instead of a more leisurely one a bit later in the morning. While I was standing, eyes closed enjoying the hot water and lathering my hair, the electric went out. So when I opened my eyes, it was dark. I couldn't see anything. Even though I knew immediately what had happened, it was a still bit of a shock. Then I wondered, "What would it be like to open my eyes someday and really not be able to see?"

That happened to a character on a TV show I watched, once up on a time.

Although a tragic, heartbreaking story, I'll never forget a comment that character made after only listening to a conversation between several of his friends and neighbors. 

He said, "Sometimes, I see people better now than I could when I had my sight."

Why?

So often, what I perceive physically with my eyes blinds me to the reality I need to observe... contemplate... accept... with my heart.

I wonder why I don't pray more often, "Open the eyes of my heart..."

Celebrating differences doesn't mean always agreeing. 

Celebrating accepts and appreciates learning that bubbles out of examining another's perspective as well as re-examining who I am and why I believe either the same or differently. 

Celebrating recognizes that God revels in the uniqueness and individuality of each one He has made, that life would lose some of its magic if everyone was just like me. 

Celebrating implies we can learn something more about God from every other person because each one was created in His image.

Isn't that a responsibility?!! 

Others might get glimpses of God when they do more than just glance at me? The corollary is also true...

Isn't that a wonder?

(Note: this was a 10 minute Friday!)