Pay It Forward

After the rough week I had, I was very excited to go to church and enjoy being around the good-hearted people I know there. I actually got there an hour early with the intention of taking advantage of the free St. Louis Bread Company coffee and bagels they always provide in the lobby before church starts (those of you not from Missouri, you may know the Bread Co. as Panera). Instead of enjoying the bagels and coffee, however, I ended up going into the auditorium, sitting toward the front and listening to the band as they practiced before service started.

While I sat there I began to reflect on my week, how hard it had been and the things that triggered me being down-in-the-dumps for the entire seven days. I came to the conclusion that there were several things I could have done to prevent feeling the way I was feeling. For example, I could have stayed away from a few of the negative people I came across and I could have chosen not to entertain some really dismal conversations from a few friends. I've come to the realization that I can't help everyone and those that I try to help are going to do what they want to do anyway so why get caught up in their affairs when I have my own to tend to?

Don't get me wrong, I love my friends but sometimes ... psssh! Especially when their mood begins to effect my own ... *rolls eyes*

So anyway ... I saved seats for my family and I and waited for church to start. That first picture you see is a picture of the stage/pulpit. The banner reads "Pay It Forward." Basically, the church members are being encouraged to "pay-it-forward" by being a blessing to others in their everyday life ... not just during the holidays.

The "Pay It Forward" message was very touching to me because I feel my happiest when I'm helping people and making a difference in their life. It'd be so nice if the entire world adhered to such a philosophy. I think that maybe we'd all be a lot happier and the prescribing and sale of various anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medications would decline.

In the lobby of the church is the "Pay It Forward" tree. On each ornament is the name of a family in need. Families from my church have been encouraged to go to the tree, pick a family and bless them with things they need this holiday season. I'm tearing up at the thought because I know that right now there are a lot of families in need. The economy is bad, people are losing their jobs and homes, the children are hungry and cold. So, I think this tree and encouraging people to pay it forward everyday is great and I hope that everyone adheres to it, even when its hard. Because, I know when I'm in need ... I mean in REAL need ... I don't want someone to not help me just because its a little inconvenient for them at the time. That doesn't feel good!

So, I'm going to apply this message to my life ... my everyday. I feel better and happier when I know that my actions have enhanced the day and/or life of another. I work in retail ... its the holiday season ... you can imagine how much practice I'm going to get right? Ha ha ha ...

Don't forget to Pay-it-Forward ... today and always!