Good morning…
Last week, I went to a women’s luncheon at a nearby church. A friend of mine was the main speaker, and I was excited to support her and to hear her talk. As we filed into the exquisitely decorated space, a group of us found our table. I began to sit down at a seat, until I saw a Q-tip sitting next to the dinner plate. “That’s odd,” I thought. “Maybe someone was already sitting here, used a Q-tip and could not find a trash can to throw it away.” Odd. I know.
I began to move my purse to the back of another chair until I looked around and saw that all of the plates had a Q-tip beside them. Fortunately, none of them looked used! We all sat down to beautifully arranged place settings, each setting with a Q-tip to the left of the fork.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch, and my friend shared life lessons from the podium. Nearing the end of her talk, she had us each pick up a Q-tip and she explained the meaning of this ordinary symbol. “Quit. Taking. It. Personally.” Q-tip. “Quit. Taking. It. Personally.”
This phrase can apply to a variety of life challenges threatening to drag us down. A child makes a bad decision. “Quit taking it personally.” A boss changes the job description. “Quit taking it personally.” A spouse chooses infidelity over integrity. “Quit taking it personally.” Another person spews rage. “Quit taking it personally.” Crap occurs. “Quit taking it personally.”
Now, following my daily bath, I remove water with a Q-tip and unclog my spiritual ears, pondering “What issue am I taking too personally?”
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! 1 John 3:21 (MSG),
Sue
