Humbling Words
A few months ago, we had a meeting at work and we chose words for each of our co-workers that we felt fit their personality. I had cut up colored papers and wrote about 150 words to be scattered on the table. Even though it was my idea and I was in charge of that 15 minutes, they decided to choose words for me also. That was not in my plan, but I'm glad that it worked out that way. Sometimes it can be eye opening to see how you are perceived.
There were seven of us from my department. Out of the six ladies that chose words for me, only one of them knew me fairly well (for a co-worker). Another one of them was on the interview panel when I interviewed for the job and she works in the same office as me occasionally. The other four have only met and talked with me a handful of times.
The words that they picked for me were: graceful, selfless, kind, modest, bright and polite. Let's do a little word study here. I found these words to be very interesting (and one was quite funny).
Graceful- characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; elegant:
This is the word that caused the most laughter, although I refrained from laughing in front of my co-workers. I am the least graceful person. When I think of graceful, I think of a ballet dancer. They are tall and thin and their movements are very fluid and pretty. I am short and stubby and kind of all over the place. I trip over my feet and well, I think that's enough for your word picture.
Selfless- having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.
This is another word that I would not use to describe myself. I would love to be the giving, thoughtful person, but I'm not. I have always been a little, ok a lot, selfish. I try not to be, but I haven't really mastered the 'not being selfish' part of life.
Kind- 1. of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: 2. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence:
and
Polite- showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil:
I'm humbled by these words. I do try to be kind and polite. I don't always have kind thoughts, but I work really hard on having kind actions. (I'm just trying to be real here. Don't judge) A lot of times I get into situations that I really have to stop and say to myself, "WWJD?" He is the One who I should base my thoughts and actions on. I have worked really hard on this area and have prayed for the Lord to help me, so it is humbling to have people that may or may not know me very well to perceive me as being kind and polite.
Modest- having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions; free from ostentation or showy extravagance:
This is another humbling word. This is another area in my life where the Lord has had to do some chipping away on the exterior. Sometimes it's not always what you wear that makes you modest, but it's the way that you carry yourself. Modesty is an important issue to me, so I was very humbled when I saw this word in my pile.
Bright- radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining:
I have to admit that when I first saw this word, it didn't excite me very much. I just thought of it as one of those words you could pass off on anybody that had any kind of personality at all. But then, as I was looking up the definitions to the words and I saw this one, a smile automatically came to my face. This was the best word of all, "radiating or reflecting light".
If there is anything that I would like to do in this life, it would be to show the love of Christ and radiate His light. If there's anything that I would want to be associated with, it would be the shining light of Jesus.
Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your let so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
So now I have some big words that I have to live up to.
If you have a chance at a ladies meeting or maybe even just a work meeting, try this out with some people and see what they think of you. You may be surprised by what you find out.
There were seven of us from my department. Out of the six ladies that chose words for me, only one of them knew me fairly well (for a co-worker). Another one of them was on the interview panel when I interviewed for the job and she works in the same office as me occasionally. The other four have only met and talked with me a handful of times.
The words that they picked for me were: graceful, selfless, kind, modest, bright and polite. Let's do a little word study here. I found these words to be very interesting (and one was quite funny).
Graceful- characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; elegant:
This is the word that caused the most laughter, although I refrained from laughing in front of my co-workers. I am the least graceful person. When I think of graceful, I think of a ballet dancer. They are tall and thin and their movements are very fluid and pretty. I am short and stubby and kind of all over the place. I trip over my feet and well, I think that's enough for your word picture.
This is another word that I would not use to describe myself. I would love to be the giving, thoughtful person, but I'm not. I have always been a little, ok a lot, selfish. I try not to be, but I haven't really mastered the 'not being selfish' part of life.
Kind- 1. of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: 2. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence:
and
Polite- showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil:
I'm humbled by these words. I do try to be kind and polite. I don't always have kind thoughts, but I work really hard on having kind actions. (I'm just trying to be real here. Don't judge) A lot of times I get into situations that I really have to stop and say to myself, "WWJD?" He is the One who I should base my thoughts and actions on. I have worked really hard on this area and have prayed for the Lord to help me, so it is humbling to have people that may or may not know me very well to perceive me as being kind and polite.
Modest- having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions; free from ostentation or showy extravagance:
This is another humbling word. This is another area in my life where the Lord has had to do some chipping away on the exterior. Sometimes it's not always what you wear that makes you modest, but it's the way that you carry yourself. Modesty is an important issue to me, so I was very humbled when I saw this word in my pile.
Bright- radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining:
I have to admit that when I first saw this word, it didn't excite me very much. I just thought of it as one of those words you could pass off on anybody that had any kind of personality at all. But then, as I was looking up the definitions to the words and I saw this one, a smile automatically came to my face. This was the best word of all, "radiating or reflecting light".
If there is anything that I would like to do in this life, it would be to show the love of Christ and radiate His light. If there's anything that I would want to be associated with, it would be the shining light of Jesus.
Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your let so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
So now I have some big words that I have to live up to.
If you have a chance at a ladies meeting or maybe even just a work meeting, try this out with some people and see what they think of you. You may be surprised by what you find out.
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