The Card Challenge: People Are Important. Show them.
One of the things I love about my job at Hallmark is that it feeds my heart and soul with inspiration, encouragement and direction. This is done through the stories that I hear from the guests that come in; those guests that I make this Godly divined appointment connection with, and understand that I really am an honest sales woman who really isn't at that job for the money, but really and truly desire to help them find just the right card or gift to communicate something important to someone in their life. Other times it is done when I'm reading new cards before I put them out. A word, sentence, picture or theme of the card has the potential to get my mind moving in a hundred of really good places. I can hardly believe that I actually get paid to for all of this!
There is something that God has really laid on my heart recently to communicate to whomever He sees fit, and that something is a challenge to lay out to you. This is not an expensive challenge, nor is it time consuming. It is a challenge where the only end result is two people who feel more blessed, alive and connected; a challenge where someone in your life is being told in a very special way that not only do you care, but that you see them.
What do I mean when I use the verb "see" in this context? It means choosing one person out of a sea of people in your life; a person who is truly one tiny fish in the large ocean of this world. It is choosing to see that person by initiating contact with them in a way that tells them that they are important in your life and in the lives of others. That in the mundane routine of life they haven't been forgotten. That they are more important to you then catching your favorite week night television program or sleeping that extra hour.
There are so many things that happen in our lives that prevent us from making true connections with people and valuing them for who they are. Maybe this topic is heavy on my heart because I work in a card store, or maybe it is because I am almost 24 hours away from many of my friends and family; there is a strong possibility that it is the combination of the two. However, one thing I am sure of, and that is that everyone has the potential of becoming so self absorbed with their world that they literally get blinded to see the people outside of their personal planet.
Here is my challenge for you. Once a week for one month, I want you to send a card in the mail to someone who is important to you; someone who you have lost sight of. It doesn't have to be an expensive card ( Hallmark has lovely 99 cent options :) ) and it doesn't have to have a long inscription on the inside. The reason I am enlisting this challenge in the form of a greeting card is not because Hallmark is paying me to do this ( trust me, they're not.) , but because with a card you can read it over and over again. With a card you can display it as a reminder that someone saw you and took time for you. With a card you can share it with someone else that may be blessed with the inscription on the inside. You cannot do this with a text or a phone call, and email just isn't the same.
Jesus loves His children with an everlasting love. He sees all of us and knows our deepest needs and concerns. If we desire to imitate Jesus and follow in His footsteps, that means showing others His love. It means stepping outside of your own needs, desires and time frame. When we show others love, it does our heart good. When we spend time finding the write card to express the write sentiment, it gives us an opportunity for creativity. Can you imagine the look on a forgotten person in your life when they get a bright envelope in the mail with your name in the return slot, and it's not even their birthday? It's a beautiful thing.
You might think I'm crazy, but my hope is that you will see that I'm right and take me up on this challenge. There is absolutely nothing to lose, but there certainly is so very much to gain.
There are so many things that happen in our lives that prevent us from making true connections with people and valuing them for who they are. Maybe this topic is heavy on my heart because I work in a card store, or maybe it is because I am almost 24 hours away from many of my friends and family; there is a strong possibility that it is the combination of the two. However, one thing I am sure of, and that is that everyone has the potential of becoming so self absorbed with their world that they literally get blinded to see the people outside of their personal planet.
Here is my challenge for you. Once a week for one month, I want you to send a card in the mail to someone who is important to you; someone who you have lost sight of. It doesn't have to be an expensive card ( Hallmark has lovely 99 cent options :) ) and it doesn't have to have a long inscription on the inside. The reason I am enlisting this challenge in the form of a greeting card is not because Hallmark is paying me to do this ( trust me, they're not.) , but because with a card you can read it over and over again. With a card you can display it as a reminder that someone saw you and took time for you. With a card you can share it with someone else that may be blessed with the inscription on the inside. You cannot do this with a text or a phone call, and email just isn't the same.
Jesus loves His children with an everlasting love. He sees all of us and knows our deepest needs and concerns. If we desire to imitate Jesus and follow in His footsteps, that means showing others His love. It means stepping outside of your own needs, desires and time frame. When we show others love, it does our heart good. When we spend time finding the write card to express the write sentiment, it gives us an opportunity for creativity. Can you imagine the look on a forgotten person in your life when they get a bright envelope in the mail with your name in the return slot, and it's not even their birthday? It's a beautiful thing.
You might think I'm crazy, but my hope is that you will see that I'm right and take me up on this challenge. There is absolutely nothing to lose, but there certainly is so very much to gain.
Awesome Sarah!!
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