Echoing Hearts

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Not only is this a movie that reminds you of the importance of your own life, but also bring you to realize just what an impact you may have on others without even knowing it. In this movie the main Character George Bailey, played by James Stewart, exellently executes what it means to put others first before yourself not leaving resentment nor bitterness any room for hostility. So many times in my life I am thinking I am doing something selfless and considerate when really I am expecting something in return, or expecting sympathy. I feel that this can be even more dangerous than outright selfishness. Infact, it is not only worse because it further corrodes your spirit from self pity, but it also puts a burden on others of unattainable hope that you wish them to then offer back to you. I am not simply speaking egotism, but rather of a tainted charity.
George Bailey is not only given the chance to see what life would have been like without him, he was also given the ability to see into how precious life really is upon what we do with it.
Sometimes i find myself thinking that all I am doingl is meaningless. That if I am not out there on the streets feeding the homeless with my own crafted spoon, and self grown food then I am no better than someone who takes from someone else just to show that I am more generous. Where does this madness end, and why have I been given a mind to think these things in the first place?
Many of you have been lead to believe that your heart is portrayed by your thoughts, and your thoughts and how you execute them then shows your character. As I do agree with this statement I am also brought to the consideration that thank goodness no one can know our thoughts! What would be your character then? Would it be rendered the same? Would people see you differently? Of coarse they would. As your thoughts are in fact a reflection of your heart, rarely are we inclined to jump in sharing with others exactly what is it we are thinking about. It's hard to in effect say that you are not thinking of how you can further help others, but that you would like to help others so that people may see how splendid you are. You would never say that, but perhaps in catching yourself thinking that, believing you have a good-willed heart you will then correct your thoughts and sincerely help others with no strings attached. In truth no one really knows who exactly you are, but only the echo of who you are. Now that I have confirmed that we are all echo's of our thoughts, and we are loving echo's for who they are, and working for echo's, receiving from and giving to echo's I would like to complete my echo of a thought with a sincere truth.
God knows exactly who we are, what are thoughts are, why we have them. He created us, so He would indeed know. We are made in His Image. Isn't it interesting that even though our corrupt and vile thoughts are basically spoken to God out loud, He still finds it is His heart to extend His grace and love toward us?
I am not saying that every person is a fiend, only that every person is human. Every person struggles with who they are, bringing insecurity from the flesh, and therefore self pity is emerged.

I would like to tell you something that happened to Christoph yesterday.
Our car does not have an automatic light shut off, so when I parked the dar last week the lights were left on to suck the life out of the battery. It's funny because even though there is a loud shrill when you have opened the door and the lights are still on, I seem to turn a deaf ear to it every time. Yesterday upon realizing our battery was dead we had no idea why this would happen just before we wanted to spend a day together driving to the beach in North Germany. Christoph was not upset, but only called the AAA friendly service to put the annual money he was spending on it to use.

After biding our time for an hour before the service guy to get there, I waited in from the cold while the two of them figured out the whole mess. About fifteen minutes went buy and I decided I would go check on the situation. They were indeed done, and Christoph was sitting in the guys car talking. "Hmmm." I wondered what they were talking about. Christoph eventually got out and we both then sat in our car. He smiled and looked at me and said, "Well, I know why you left the lights on now. That guy just poured his heart out on me."
"Oh really what did he say?" I replied
"Well, the guy asked why the battery was dead, I told him you left the lights on, he said 'maybe you should get rid of your wife then,' and I said that actually I had just found her, he said 'oh I'm sorry.'" "He then continued to tell me about how his wife just left him after 25 years of marriage because she thinks that she would like to enjoy life without him. I stayed in the car and just listened the whole time while he poured his heart out, explaining his pain. Upon leaving I said how sorry I was, and God bless you if I may say that."

My point here is that upon our mistakes in life, I believe that God has greater purposes for our failures. It is in our failures He uses us the most. In our failures He is glorified. This lonely man needed someone to share his heart with. Someone who would not be biased or judgmental, but just someone to listen. In this case, if Christoph was only meant to be a listening ear, then that was worth me leaving our stupid lights on.

And so continues the world each one of us being used by God to bless others. You never know what an impact one kind word, a smile, a listening ear may have on someone's heart. Even if it is only an echo of your heart.