BEWARE : it's going to be quite a lengthy post, BUT definitely a meaningful story, read on if you dont mind :)
A few years ago I attended a writers’ conference. An author from my list whom I’d long admired was to be the keynote speaker. I wanted to tell him the story of how I came to find him and how his writing had inspired me, so it was arranged for us to meet and talk.
We sat in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby and I began to tell him what his work has meant to me. Halfway through the story, he stopped me, “Just a minute. You have to stop, because I need to bask.” That’s B-A-S-K – bask. I didn’t know what he meant until he closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply through his nose. He waved his hands as if to fan my words toward him and got a weird look on his face as he appeared to soak in my words of encouragement.
It was all I could do to keep from bursting out laughing. That someone need to bask in the glory of a simple compliment flabbergasted me. Instead of reflecting any glory back to God, this author chose to absorb it for himself. To bask in my praise.
…
During my morning prayer time, shortly after my visit with the author at the writers’ conference, I found myself telling God how disillusioned I was with so many of the people on my list ( people whom I admired for their works and wanted to meet ).
It didn’t take too many disappointments to conclude that unless the person stayed God-centered, fame and talent seemed to ruin the person in some way. Basking in their own accomplishments led to self-absorption and self-obsession. Many of them didn’t even seem to see other people.
So that morning I complained to God how disappointed I was in several of the people on my list. Then it hit me. My disappointment stemmed not from the fact that these people were flawed. We are all flawed. The true source of my disappointment was that I had misplaced my admiration.
We sat in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby and I began to tell him what his work has meant to me. Halfway through the story, he stopped me, “Just a minute. You have to stop, because I need to bask.” That’s B-A-S-K – bask. I didn’t know what he meant until he closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply through his nose. He waved his hands as if to fan my words toward him and got a weird look on his face as he appeared to soak in my words of encouragement.
It was all I could do to keep from bursting out laughing. That someone need to bask in the glory of a simple compliment flabbergasted me. Instead of reflecting any glory back to God, this author chose to absorb it for himself. To bask in my praise.
…
During my morning prayer time, shortly after my visit with the author at the writers’ conference, I found myself telling God how disillusioned I was with so many of the people on my list ( people whom I admired for their works and wanted to meet ).
It didn’t take too many disappointments to conclude that unless the person stayed God-centered, fame and talent seemed to ruin the person in some way. Basking in their own accomplishments led to self-absorption and self-obsession. Many of them didn’t even seem to see other people.
So that morning I complained to God how disappointed I was in several of the people on my list. Then it hit me. My disappointment stemmed not from the fact that these people were flawed. We are all flawed. The true source of my disappointment was that I had misplaced my admiration.
As I prayed, I sensed that God was saying. There’s a reason I has that happen, Debbie. It’s because I want you to make another list. You asked Me to send those 30 people into your life. You’re My daughter. I love you, and as your Father, I want to give you the things you ask for, but I also wanted you to see people through My eyes. Now make another list and put down 30 more spaces, but leave them open for the people I want to send into your life.
Recognizing those who will influence us is no easy task. Sometimes we meet someone and are immediately drawn to them, confident that he or she may very well be an important part of our life. We might even seek someone out. And at times we may even feel like our life has been invaded by someone we'd rather have avoided, only to discover that God sent that person, wrote that person on our list, for His own surprising purpose.
“God’s Guest List”, by Debbie Macomber.
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