Have you ever made up (as in your imagination) something that wasn’t true at all? Made up how someone was reacting to something you’ve said or done? And then, upon reflection realized you have no basis for the story you fabricated? You just made it up, just created an imaginary tale about what was going on in someone else’s head.
I assume you can answer ‘yes’. It’s very human thing to do, but one that we can work to eradicate. For me, it’s part of the challenge to live in silence, the silence of no gossip, no judgments, no rumors. We can start by being honest and intentional about what we do. That, in and of itself eliminates much worry about what others might be thinking, and from there we can come to understand that we are not responsible for other people’s worries.
Case in point. The other day I started making up someone’s response to Very Grateful, the book I wrote about my mom and me. Why? Because I didn’t hear from them when I thought I ‘should’. This got me considering my intention and honesty in writing the book. Yes, I wrote with honest intention; over a period of time I prayerfully and carefully considered what I was writing and how it would be received by others. When I did hear from the person, I realized I had been entirely wrong in those original imaginings. But more than that, I was grateful for the opportunity to separate what I had written with how someone else might respond to it.
I assume you can answer ‘yes’. It’s very human thing to do, but one that we can work to eradicate. For me, it’s part of the challenge to live in silence, the silence of no gossip, no judgments, no rumors. We can start by being honest and intentional about what we do. That, in and of itself eliminates much worry about what others might be thinking, and from there we can come to understand that we are not responsible for other people’s worries.
Case in point. The other day I started making up someone’s response to Very Grateful, the book I wrote about my mom and me. Why? Because I didn’t hear from them when I thought I ‘should’. This got me considering my intention and honesty in writing the book. Yes, I wrote with honest intention; over a period of time I prayerfully and carefully considered what I was writing and how it would be received by others. When I did hear from the person, I realized I had been entirely wrong in those original imaginings. But more than that, I was grateful for the opportunity to separate what I had written with how someone else might respond to it.