Practice what you PREACH

Resolution in practice, realization number one.

Luckily I have been able to spend more time with Benji. Working around the school system year is incredible. Who doesn't want summers off? The weird thing about Argentina is that shops really close for vacation. Its strange for me to see a sign that says, "Closed, On Vacation." Closed? what do you mean closed for two weeks, for a whole two weeks, are you kidding me??? That's my reaction. haha. I guess mom and pop places still exist here in Argentina more so than in California, and I thought I was from a pretty mom and pop town, I guess not. Anyway, Benji and I have been on mini vacations. This morning we woke up, went to the living room, put ourselves under a blanket while it rained and watched TV and drank our milk until 10:30. Man, I love that my job allows me to be with my kid. A true blessing.

Well, While spending time with Benji I have unexpectedly surrounded myself with a more positive environment. The other day I decided I would sit down and watch a cartoon with him. I know I said in my last blog that he doesn’t normally sit and watch cartoons and he doesn’t. However, my psychologist suggested that I sit down with him and watch something for at least a half hour, that it would help his concentration level. So I did just that. Perhaps before he wasn’t sitting through the whole episode because he was distracted by other things. Or because let’s face it, he’s still only 2. But with my company he surprisingly sat through a whole show. We watched one of his favorite cartoons, Paw Patrol. It’s about a group of puppies who help the community when they are in trouble. I’d never really paid close attention to the episodes, only in the background of doing housework. The puppies receive a call for help from someone and instantly and willingly jump up to get working. Just like I mentioned before in my last blog about Benjamin. In the show everyone was kind, helpful, patient and understanding. Therefore, I decided to observe what I was watching on TV. It was obvious that I wasn’t going to find anything like Paw Patrol. Although I was shocked to find that some of my favorite shows are about empowering people. Shows like The Biggest Loser and Extreme Home Makeover. Helping other people and seeing their happiness on the television even makes me cry. I’m a wus! Unfortunately those aren’t the only shows I like. I also fill myself with drama garbage like The Big Bang Theory and old episodes of Friends. Don’t get me wrong, Im not bashing these programs because I actually think they are really funny and they do teach some good lessons if you can see past the problems they create. I need to realize that the things I fill myself with have a lot to do with how I act. The way Rachel treats Ross or the way Penny handles Leonard on these shows are a lot like the way I treat Diego. Sometimes nice, sometimes not. I would now like to part myself from that type of selfishness and moody personality that I see on TV. Perhaps giving up programs like these for a while would be a good thing or at least recognizing the things that I don’t want to imitate. Fill myself with bigger and better things like sermons and educating myself through reading books. Dedicate less time to worldly pleasures and more time to Him.
This past week I decided to watch these programs in a different light. On one episode of Friends Joey claimed to Pheobe that there is no such thing as an unselfish good deed, that everything we do is selfish. I liked this episode a lot because I think this is one of our biggest problems as human beings, we are incredibly selfish. However, Pheobe did good deed after good deed trying to prove to Joey that an unselfish act exists. Nevertheless, Joey always found something that satisfied Pheobe and made her feel good about herself. Then in The Big Band Theory you can see that one of the characters, Sheldon, is always honest. He never lies. In fact, he supposedly can't lie or keep any secrets. What a good friend to have, right? A truly honest person. Yet in the show he isn't a good friend and no one at first really could stand him. His brutal honesty was hurtful because it wasn't backed up by any love.

My point is this, without God, our good deeds are selfish and honesty is nothing without love. Love is the greatest of all things. Without it, we are nothing.

I Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Once you start changing how you think and respond to things not only regarding TV shows but in every aspect of life, that’s when you really start to see change. And I definitely have. I only hope to see more change and more growth within myself. I hope one day I will be so content in serving others.

Have a great week!!!!