Dream Team of MVO's
This morning has involved a lot of bouncing...
Bouncing my teething son...
And bouncing ideas off some dear people in my life whose opinions I value.
While texting my friend, I thanked her for her input by calling her one of my MVO's (Most Valued Opinions). My moment of cleverness faded into the thought... There is a small handful of people in this life whose opinions matter to me, whose opinions should matter anyways. They are people who know me, really know me. They know my private struggles, my short-comings, my character flaws. They know my dreams and my strengths. They know my values and either share share similar values or they respect my values enough to protect them.
Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." My MVO's are able to set aside their life for a few minutes, and, when I am excited over something, they get excited. When I am experiencing heartache, no matter how good their day was, they can set it aside to encourage me, listen to me, and pray for me. They don't get jealous of my achievements. They are truly happy for me. They don't grow weary of my troubles. They truly care about me.
An MVO has too influential a spot in your life to allow it to be filled by just anyone. They have the power to kill your dreams and make you believe less of yourself than you really are. They can ruin your day with an unkind word. They can ignore your short-comings because they are too afraid of hurting your feelings to tell you the truth (kind of like when you get spinach in your front teeth and you walk around the party unaware and no one tells you.) They can fail to lay aside their own dreams and values and instead try to form your life and dreams to the way they think it should look. When life gets exciting, they fail to celebrate with you. Your triumphs become petty. When life gets hard, they leave you feeling abandoned because they just couldn't mourn with you.
Just two simple questions for the day: Who are your MVO's? And should they have such a valued and influential place in your life?
In this world, there is only ONE you! My pastor likes to say "You are His (God's) favorite. He only made one of you." Who you are and what you were made for, your hopes and dreams, are far too important to allow any of it to be crushed by a well-meaning friend or family member. Surround yourself and your dreams with your DREAM TEAM... even if that means it's just you and God for a while... God is able to fill the spot. He could even be your entire team!
By the way, I have friends and family that I love and cherish who simply aren't MVO's. I love them. They aren't going anywhere. But I keep my dreams and values sacred lest who I am and what I was made for be extinguished. Also by the way, when a dream is first forming it is most fragile... sometimes at this point only God should get an input. As a dream grows and begins to take form, more people can be involved.
Here's to my MVO's! You know who you are, and I treasure you. And here's to all the MVO's everywhere!
Bouncing my teething son...
And bouncing ideas off some dear people in my life whose opinions I value.
While texting my friend, I thanked her for her input by calling her one of my MVO's (Most Valued Opinions). My moment of cleverness faded into the thought... There is a small handful of people in this life whose opinions matter to me, whose opinions should matter anyways. They are people who know me, really know me. They know my private struggles, my short-comings, my character flaws. They know my dreams and my strengths. They know my values and either share share similar values or they respect my values enough to protect them.
Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." My MVO's are able to set aside their life for a few minutes, and, when I am excited over something, they get excited. When I am experiencing heartache, no matter how good their day was, they can set it aside to encourage me, listen to me, and pray for me. They don't get jealous of my achievements. They are truly happy for me. They don't grow weary of my troubles. They truly care about me.
An MVO has too influential a spot in your life to allow it to be filled by just anyone. They have the power to kill your dreams and make you believe less of yourself than you really are. They can ruin your day with an unkind word. They can ignore your short-comings because they are too afraid of hurting your feelings to tell you the truth (kind of like when you get spinach in your front teeth and you walk around the party unaware and no one tells you.) They can fail to lay aside their own dreams and values and instead try to form your life and dreams to the way they think it should look. When life gets exciting, they fail to celebrate with you. Your triumphs become petty. When life gets hard, they leave you feeling abandoned because they just couldn't mourn with you.
Just two simple questions for the day: Who are your MVO's? And should they have such a valued and influential place in your life?
In this world, there is only ONE you! My pastor likes to say "You are His (God's) favorite. He only made one of you." Who you are and what you were made for, your hopes and dreams, are far too important to allow any of it to be crushed by a well-meaning friend or family member. Surround yourself and your dreams with your DREAM TEAM... even if that means it's just you and God for a while... God is able to fill the spot. He could even be your entire team!
By the way, I have friends and family that I love and cherish who simply aren't MVO's. I love them. They aren't going anywhere. But I keep my dreams and values sacred lest who I am and what I was made for be extinguished. Also by the way, when a dream is first forming it is most fragile... sometimes at this point only God should get an input. As a dream grows and begins to take form, more people can be involved.
Here's to my MVO's! You know who you are, and I treasure you. And here's to all the MVO's everywhere!