Chances

Joy, my roommate, and I recently went to see the new movie “You Again” staring Kristen Bell and Jamie Lee Curtis.  I absolutely loved it! (If you haven’t seen it already, go watch the trailer here.) I will probably buy it when it comes out on dvd.

I think it’s a movie anyone can relate to. 

If you’ve ever been bullied or been the bully, made a huge mistake that hurt someone you love, had a falling out with a friend and don’t even know exactly why--it’s all in there.

I think the movie also holds a special place in my heart because one girl, through grade school and briefly in Jr. High, bullied me.  She would tell me I was ugly and stupid, laugh and talk about me with her friends, and kick the back of my desk while I was trying to write.  She sat behind me in a class we had together later on in High School, and we got along fine. I think we both just kind of pretended it never happened.

There are lots of reasons psychologically why someone would use another person as the object of such...well...mean-ness.  They are insecure and they need to make others feel inferior to validate themselves, they feel powerless in their life circumstances so they exercise a “power” over others.

There are tons of books written over the subject of inter-personal communication and relationships.  How people treat each other is something we all deal with on a regular basis... unless, of course, you are the hermit who lives under the 12^th street Bridge.

Sometimes relationships make us want to be the hermit living under a bridge, never having to communicate or deal with other people and their issues, never having to say “I’m sorry”, let alone deal with our OWN issues. Sometimes, going it all alone sounds like a great idea.

But- it’s not how we were meant to live this life, or the next one in eternity.

We were made for community.

And community is all about taking risks... taking chances.

It’s about just jumping out there and letting others see you for who you really are. It’s about telling someone something they may not like to hear, but by telling them the truth, you may just save their life.  It’s about taking the chance and letting someone back in after they’ve hurt you. 

You will never know how beautiful life could be unless you take some chances.

So, let’s get out there and love people for who they are, right where they are...because we want them to do the same for us.