the validity of validation

Photo c/o: Tumblr

So, I'm a fan of Oprah. Yes, I'm admitting it. I really appreciate her story and also her perspective on life. She has to be one of the most open-minded individuals to be able to interview all of the different people she's interviewed. Drug addicts, murderers, pastors, and artists: she treats them with the same amount of respect and genuinely wants their stories to be heard to enlighten others. One of the most powerful thoughts she continues to share is that we all just want to be heard and validated. We all just want someone to make us feel as if there is value to what we say and/or feel. Next time you're in a conversation with someone who is sharing something important to them, listen. Listen to what they're truly saying. If you don't understand, ask them to clarify. If that doesn't work, just be there. On top of that, validate them. You don't have to agree with what they're doing but validating someone is simply acknowledging the true presence of something whether it be a idea or an emotion. It can make a world of difference in a person's heart.
Just a thought.

Attitude of Gratitude: Matthew 21:22.

I have chills. The magnitude of God is overwhelming. He sits so high but reaches down so low. He takes care of His children. If you were to ask me to list some of my absolute favorite things that I own, my iPod would would be #3 on that list: my car, my computer and then my iPod. Those three things were gifts from God to make life a lot easier to handle and I don't take them for granted. I lost my iPod two weeks ago and have been feeling out of sorts since then. I felt as if I'd been walking out of the house every day without underwear. 

Even up to a couple hours ago, I was whining to God about the fact that I had no idea where it was. Funny thing was that I had the TV on the OWN channel. Oprah was talking about how much she loved her iPad and how she really wanted it as a part of her favorite things. When Apple said no to the donation of 320 iPads, she was really disappointed but she opted not to pray about it because she didn't want to bother God with something so minute in the grand scheme of life (I'm paraphrasing). When she ended up getting the Apple iPad donation, she felt as if God had given her the okay. I thought that was sweet so I decided to let go my complaints about the iPod. I do believe God cares about the little things but I also believe He is all-knowing and doesn't need me reminding Him every 5 minutes. 

Last night, I was doing laundry. I decided to start with laundry I didn't finish from last week that was at the bottom of the laundry basket. As usual, I started the washer with the detergent and Fabuloso and proceeded to drop clothes in. I wasn't checking pockets for some strange reason. I just fixed my eyes on the darks and worked on getting them in the washer. As I was putting a pair of swishy gym pants in the wash, something heavy in the pants clanked against the washer. At that moment, I let out an audible "Thank you, God!" He KNEW I would've been incredibly angry with myself for washing/ruining my own iPod that was in the dirty clothes the entire time. I'm just so incredibly grateful. Part of the pant leg was already in the washer. I could've easily thrown the entire garment in the washer with perfect aim so that the iPod wouldn't have hit the side. Geez! I'm so grateful. Thank you, God! It's the little things He does that really make me fall more and more in love. He's just so incredibly thoughtful *sigh*!