While my word for the year is Intentionality, I feel like a sub-theme for the month has been Awareness. And, wow, there are ways I am so massively working on this.

For example – stayed overnight in Nashville, at a friends. Using google maps, the pin puts me in front of their house. I can only see the first three of four numbers on the mailbox, but it lines up and looks like their house from what I can remember. My friend had texted, “come in thru the garage,” so I did.

I get inside. I can see thru a glass door into the house and I think, “huh, I don’t remember them having a dog.” And a woman appears who’s not my friends wife, followed by a man who is not my friend. I am super apologetic, it’s 10:30 at night, a stranger in their garage with his overnight bag, laptop and clothes on hangers, ready to crash at their place. I’m so glad they were nice people and I didn’t get shot.

As I said, working on awareness, grateful for people who are becoming love, and of God’s kindness, grace and protection over me as he loves me thru my stoopid.

I’m reminded of Psalm 5:12 which says, he surrounds us with favor, as with a shield.

We’re around people we love and care about all day, and part of our relational interaction is being influenced by them, and also influencing our friends for their good.

I can try to make that sound like I have this figured out, but alas, I’m guilty of often wanting to tell people what to do, rather than influence.

In Everybody Always, Bob Goff says, instead of telling people “what they want” (my words, what to do) tell them “who they are.”

“We’ll become in our lives whoever the people we love the most say we are.”

When I first came back to Claris Networks, a customer gave me an earful about the performance of one of our project managers. I ran into one of our then owners offices (Dave Sagraves), vented, and asked for the name of this PMs manager so I could put the feedback where I thought it belonged. Or really, did I just want to blow someone up for no reason?

Dave challenged me, “Before you do that, have you just talked to the PM about it?”

Great advice. Once the PM and I talked, I understood the situation better, saw the issues our PM was tackling on the customers behalf, and was able to assist with bridging the communication gap for all of us.

So – when someone dumps on you about a peer, consider whether you’re hearing the whole story. Then love your teammate with direct communication. We all need good feedback and you can honor your co-worker by keeping it real (and safe) by giving the person a chance to hear it and respond.

“There are two sides to every story. The first one to speak sounds true until you hear the other side and they set the record straight.” Proverbs‬ ‭18:17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

God’s always doing a 2-for-1.  My daughter works at an amazing coffee shop (The Empty Cup), and she and a friend/co-worker were working hard while cutting up behind the counter.

A customer got the giggles, not needing to know what they were laughing about, just catching their joy.  And guess what?  As she walked out, she left a $100 tip that will go to support adoption.  How cool is that?

Laughter blesses everyone, sparks generosity, an adoptive family is blessed, and everyone wins.

Was reading Proverbs 15 this morning and got to thinking about the incredible influence we all have on ourselves. When we speak, we are choosing, we are creating. Which includes the chatter running in our heads. Seems obvious, but are you deliberately choosing to create the world you want, when you speak to you?

“Everything seems to go wrong when you feel weak and depressed. But when you choose to be cheerful, every day will bring you more and more joy and fullness.” – Proverbs 15:15 TPT