IF YOU'RE LIVING IN A GLASS HOUSE, DON'T THROW NO STONES

By Vernalee

If you are living in a glass house, don't throw no stones...remember that phrase.

Stop criticizing others for bad qualities in their character when you may in fact have identical or similar ones! Ouch! No one is squeaky clean! We all have faults of some sort. Guess what? Your flaws are just as visible as theirs! That is why, you should not throw stones. Remember, people can throw stones back at you and reveal the skeletons that you thought were hidden in your closet. You may be a much easier target that you imagined. Stop the madness! Don’t be fooled because no one can successfully hide “stuff” behind glass! What you think you are hiding or have hidden may shine just as bright as the light of day. Oh my!

I take you back once again to those wise old ladies in Mississippi. Reminiscing, I can hear them now. “Child, ya ain't fooling nobody. We see straight thru ya! We know who ya are, whatz ya made of, whatz ya done, and whatz ya bout to do. So honey ...be careful bout whatz ya do and say. It might come right back round and kick ya in yer hind parts. Ya betta hush yer mouth and stay out them folks buzness. Ya can barely mind yer own!” Say it! Ain't that the truth!

WHEN PEOPLE SHOW YOU WHO THEY ARE, BELIEVE THEM

By Vernalee

Admittedly, I am slow to judge people. I have always felt that there is good in everyone. Why I fail to recognize that good folks can do bad things and bad folks can do good things is beyond my comprehension. Go figure. Giving folks the benefit of the doubt has always been my forte and to some extent, my downfall. Sorry! Silly me! Perhaps, I tend to see the good, not the bad; the successes, not the failures. No matter what cover up process is used, invariably people will show you who they are. It is in their DNA. Well said by the late great Dr. Maya Angelou, “When people show you who they are, believe them ...”

Our failed acknowledgement to admit what we see or refuse to see who they are is our fault, not theirs! Stop making excuses. Don’t wait until they do something despicable that hurts your feelings! Injury knows no preference. We can’t say that they didn’t give us a warning or preview. With wide opened eyes, we saw! Our task is to believe! Consider me the choir singing to myself as I have been duped before too - more than once! I’m learning. I’m growing. I’m believing. I’m better than I once was. Thank God!

STOP IGNORING WHAT YOUR EYES SEE

By Vernalee

We use metaphors from time to time to bring home a point. They tend to help us see a situation clearer. “An Elephant in the room” is an metaphorical idiom that refers to an obvious truth that is going unaddressed or to an obvious problem or risk that no one wants to discuss. It is so profound as this expression is focused around the idea or thought that an elephant because of its sheer size would be impossible to overlook. Agreed? Admittedly, there are times when certain things stare us “smack dab” in the face and we ignore them. This carefree ignorance makes it all the more interesting. How can we ignore what is clearly right before our eyes particularly when it is blatantly obvious or too big to go unnoticed? When it is a big problem/issue/truth, how can we push it under the rug? We do ... but in all actuality, we are only fooling ourselves! If we don’t deal with the “elephant” issue, it will continue to take up valuable space in our minds and our lives. Keep in mind that these so called elephants - can be people and things! We will remain uncomfortable because there is no comfort when the “elephant“ is blocking our view/our reasoning and prohibiting progress. It’s too big to evaporate through osmosis!

The question and real root of the issue become - Why do we refuse to acknowledge the “elephant’s“ presence?

There are many reasons. Denial is a predominant one! Fear, hurt, pride ... are others. It may take considerable energy and time, but it is critical for us to address.

Our issues will not magically fade away in the sunset until we deal with and wave goodbye to the “elephant!“ Photo credit: www.emmanuelaco.com