Enlightenment

Above everyone's heart are these exact words: Acknowledge Me. Believe it or not, we all have a purpose in speaking. We talk with one another and say things in a certain way to get reactions from each other. Most of us enjoy talking about ourselves, and to some, it comes naturally to divulge information. We are all special and want people to know we are unique and that we have depth. This must be done carefully, or it may come across as being self absorbed. We ALL want to be acknowledged in some form or another. I think our human need to be acknowledged far outweighs that of being complimented. Being acknowledged is more than just a pat on the back and saying "job well done." To be acknowledged means to be noticed, to be appreciated, and to feel genuinely cared for.

People need to be acknowledged on a daily basis in small, simple ways. Most commonly we applaud people less frequently and ONLY if a person has achieved a grandiose accomplishment. This kind of acknowledgment isn't wrong, but there are several reasons to support why this can be harmful to humankind. If one is only applauded when they do something outrageously wonderful, this conditions the person to seek for excellence through any channel to receive acknowledgment. Encouraging people to succeed is a great thing, and we should all be uplifting to one another. The problem is that people will push themselves harder and harder just to be acknowledged for something...anything. They will run faster than they have strength and some will run right off the edge.

Some of you may be wondering why I have chosen to impart of my enlightenment with you, and I would love nothing more than to explain why. Recently I went to lunch with my mom and our waitress was a little cold and down. After she left our table, I mentioned to my mom that something was wrong, and that she must be having a bad day. Normally I wouldn't think anything of it... in fact I would probably assume this person had a bad attitude and leave her a crappy tip. Instead, I decided to say something to our waitress the next time she came to our table. I did, and I learned that she had just called off her wedding not one week ago. She said she was coping fine, but earlier that day she was very sad and spent most of the morning crying. Later she thanked us for being so kind and caring as to ask her what was wrong. I sensed her sadness and I wasn't being nosy. I truly wanted her to know I cared, and that I acknowledged her as a child of God.

When people randomly pop into our heads, this is Heavenly Father's way of asking us to do Him a favor. If we think about them, it's for a reason, and it's like Heavenly Father wants us to give the person a "hug" for Him. Why pass up this opportunity to do His work? We can accomplish this in several simple ways, such as a note of thanks, a genuine compliment, or a statement of acknowledgment.

I have prayed recently for yet another paradigm shift and today, it came to me. I have been so focused on myself lately. I have been frustrated when people don't listen to me, or try to one-up me. I have felt that people talk at me, and not TO me. I have realized that maybe it's a vibe I am emitting, that I am unapproachable or that I don't care about people. I have decided to change that. Instead of wishing for people to have the desire to get to know me, I have decided to make it my personal goal to be an acknowledger, and a better friend. I encourage you all to be better listeners. Instead of talking about ourselves whenever there is a pause in conversation, (or simply starting the conversation talking about ourselves) why don't we take the time to truly care about the people around us. Let us be affirmers and acknowledgers, not discouragers and depressors.