Everyone Can't Be in Your Front Row.
Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to:
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?
The more you seek God and the things of God,the more you seek quality. The more you seek not just the hand of God but the face of God, the more you seek things honorable. The more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.
You cannot change the people around you... but you can change the people you are around. Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.
27 comments:
Did you write this, Dianne?? It's AWESOME! Just packed with wisdom. Thanks.
Dianne, I LOVE this post! Can I be the cheerleader on the left??? This is great and you are ABSOLUTELY right. There have been several friendships that I've had to sever because they just kept bringing me down.
Not you, sista! I miss you SOOOO much!
Wow...Dianne. I vote this a perfect post! Very well written! You go girl!
Hugs!
Kat
Oh...forget to mention...I'm the cheerleader on the right...you know the blonde one?! LOL
Oh, if only my waist could look like that again!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs!
Kat
Okay, I'll be the one in the middle. She has the biggest mouth, so that fits!
This is an awesome post. Very thought provoking. I am going to take notice right now of who is on my front row. I believe I need to do some purging. Thanks for the insight.
Blessings
I found you through justabeachkat.
I'm here via Kat... great post!
This was a fantastic post! You need to be published! Tell you what, you keep writing like this, and I'll keep reading, and save myself $20 bucks on a new devotional. ~Karlie
I'm sorry to disappoint, but this is not an original post...just something that I knew bore repeating in my own life and something I knew others could probably use as well. If I ever find out who the author is, I'll gladly add it here because they certainly deserve to be recognized.
I guess I want to be on the front row of broken people. (I switched that a bit) My greatest desire in life is not to have a great life, but to be there for broken people. I know the one who can mend the broken and I want to point them to HIM.
I have a friend who told me yesterday about her neighbor who constantly talks about her own husband in a bad way. I wish I could know that neighbor because there is hope when she follows what God wants in her life. I wish she were my neighbor. I would put her on the front row of my life.
I hear what you're saying, Cheryl. For me the issue has always been that because of the journey our family has chosen with foster care, I have so often been surrounded by broken people who could so easily bring me down. It has been a struggle for me to give them and all their issues to the Lord instead of trying to help fix everything with my own ideas and efforts and money.
What I take from this writer, whomever it is, is not that I walk away from these broken people, but I do not take my "nourishment" from them. I must purposely put people like my pastor's wife and others who see things through faith into the front row of my life so I do not become "sucked dry."
Wow, Dianne, you just started a chat room here!!!
Wow - this post hit home with me.
I am struggling so with a friendship.
Thanks for the inspiration, Diane.
(I am new to your blog- really enjoy it!)
Melissa
http://mcc.typepad.com/mcc_my_guys/
username: mccaligiuri
password: lulubelle
Love this post! Need to print it off and put it up on my bathroom mirror!
Have a blessed weekend.
Wow! Great post Dianne! I loved reading all the different takes on this in comments.
Deedra
I too am here via Kat. Excellent post and oh so true. I know I have had to sever friendships because they brought me down. Through the strength of God, I ended them and am a better person.
This is so true, Dianne. There have been times in my life (especially dating) that I re-evaluated my front row and knew I needed to make some changes. Thanks for a very good reminder.
I'm glad you have Kat in your front row...she sent me here too.
I can remember telling my kids the same thing as they were growing up. So Far, So Good! Keep praying.
wow, this is an awesome post! I agree with Kat, PERFECT post.
thanks,
Lidy
I came over from Kat's blog too..nice to meet you, Dianne. I've seen your face around, but don't think I've ever visited. What a great post! thanks for sharing that. Something we all need to keep in mind.
Rhoda
I've never quite thought of it as who was in my front row but it makes sense.
You have such a great perspective!
Hi, Diane. I found you through Musicaljean. She's my sister. This post really hit home and thought I needed to let you know. I have been having some discussions with the Lord about this very subject. Because of the "chats" among your blogger friends, including my very wise sister, I now have some clarity! Thank-you ~ I'll stop by again, I promise.
That was a great post. I have some people in my life that need to be taken out of the front row. You know, this applies to family members as well as friends and acquaintances. Sometimes I get so bogged down with family members having a negative impact. I can't let them drown me just because they're related.
Dear Dianne,
I just dropped by for a visit via Beaufort Belles blog whom I was also visiting as the link sounded very interesting and I arrived at your blog and I just loved this post. I have never quite thought of life from this perspective and I thought it not only wise but uplifting and hope bearing. There have been occasions in my life where I have to learn how much I allow others to influence me: God has been teaching me the importance of filtering and I felt like your post put into words what I have been learning....thanks! I will visit again soon!!!!
If you don´t mind I would like to make a link with this post on my blog because it is just so good to evaluate these things every so often!!!!
Sure!
I do think of this ALL the time, you know?
I think that's probably why I only have a very small number of people in my front row. But for me there is only 4 seats available in my front row to sit. I just like smaller groups, that's all!!
*smile*
My cousin Ally directed me to this post - so timely and true. I was only reflecting yesterday on a friend, who I always come away from feeling heavy and completely drained. I want to help her, but pointing her in the right direction doesn't seem to make a difference. She just wants me there to tell her troubles too, but nothing else. I've been wondering how to deal, and I think I need to point her towards some other folk who could share God with her more effectively at this point...well I'm praying it through. Thank you.
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