I saw this today and love all it invited me to….
Live without pretending….I strive to live true to my heart and all it holds in a passing moment. As I have journeyed to my heart I have learned that to live without pretending requires me to live honestly with my thoughts, emotions, celebrations and struggles. I find to live without pretending invites me to practice honesty, commit to integrity and I am often amazed how honest living invites deep connection with others around me!
Love without depending…this one always makes me think a moment. I want to trust enough to depend and I believe that is a healthy thing. But I have very much been caught in the co-dependent type of loving before, believing if I love you then you better do this or that for me. I do find my heart to be more free when I love freely….
Listen without defending…I have learned that to Listen well is an excellent gift! I have learned that to listen well is to set aside judgement and defense. I have learned that when I begin an internal dialogue to what I am hearing, I am not listening well. I believe to love others well is to Listen without defending….
Speak without offending…and so the invitation to recognize that my words have impact. I must recognize that there is my intent and there is my impact and I am committed to be sensitive to both. And of course my commitment to live without pretending invites me to be honest in the face of conflict and disagreement in the event someone is offended. May I be willing to speak the truth in love and know when to speak and when to remain silent. There is maturity in both.
And so, I see this as a wonderful saying and a loaded invitation.
If I focus on just these four invitations this week, I believe I will have much to practice!
Hi,
I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could email me?
Jillian