I’ve had people tell me that I am a bad person, no one likes me, I have a lot of things wrong with me, etc., etc. And for a while, it really upset me. It’s hard not to believe those things when you hear it all the time. But I knew that wasn’t who I am.
I was on a mission trip once, and was having a bit of a struggle because of the negative things I have been told in my past. Then another member of the team told me something which has stuck with me since then. She told me that she knew I had a good heart, and that it was really a good heart, because any little kid we were around came instantly to me. During church services, I was fairly buried under the little kids (probably about 8 and younger) who wanted to be with me. They wanted to constantly be touching me, whether it was a hand on my arm, or my arms around them, or sometimes they would rub my belly :~)
Another reason she gave was the street dogs. Even without any encouragement from me (I didn’t try to get them to come up, knowing that someone else on the team would kick them, trying to get them to go away), the street dogs were always coming up to me. I’d be standing in front of the church, and look around, and there would be dogs sitting right by me, looking at me.
She said that when someone has a good heart, small children and animals are drawn to them. She didn’t know the reason, just said that’s how it works.
I was reminded of that the other day when I was driving through town. I was sitting at a red light, and glanced to the side of the road. There was a dog standing there, perfectly still, watching me. Maybe I smelled like Cosette (she wasn’t with me at the time), I don’t know. But it was similar to things I’ve experienced before. In Mumbai, I was walking around, and a street dog started following me. The guy I was with kept chasing her away, and as soon as he turned his back, she was back at my side, following along happily.
So anyway, there will probably be plenty of people who will say this is nonsense, and that I am a bad person in general, no matter what little kids and dogs seem to think about me. But I can’t help but think she’s right when I am being followed around by little girls, who are holding my hand and chattering my ears off. I’ve not done anything to try to get them to like me, it just happens.
I was on a mission trip once, and was having a bit of a struggle because of the negative things I have been told in my past. Then another member of the team told me something which has stuck with me since then. She told me that she knew I had a good heart, and that it was really a good heart, because any little kid we were around came instantly to me. During church services, I was fairly buried under the little kids (probably about 8 and younger) who wanted to be with me. They wanted to constantly be touching me, whether it was a hand on my arm, or my arms around them, or sometimes they would rub my belly :~)
Another reason she gave was the street dogs. Even without any encouragement from me (I didn’t try to get them to come up, knowing that someone else on the team would kick them, trying to get them to go away), the street dogs were always coming up to me. I’d be standing in front of the church, and look around, and there would be dogs sitting right by me, looking at me.
She said that when someone has a good heart, small children and animals are drawn to them. She didn’t know the reason, just said that’s how it works.
I was reminded of that the other day when I was driving through town. I was sitting at a red light, and glanced to the side of the road. There was a dog standing there, perfectly still, watching me. Maybe I smelled like Cosette (she wasn’t with me at the time), I don’t know. But it was similar to things I’ve experienced before. In Mumbai, I was walking around, and a street dog started following me. The guy I was with kept chasing her away, and as soon as he turned his back, she was back at my side, following along happily.
So anyway, there will probably be plenty of people who will say this is nonsense, and that I am a bad person in general, no matter what little kids and dogs seem to think about me. But I can’t help but think she’s right when I am being followed around by little girls, who are holding my hand and chattering my ears off. I’ve not done anything to try to get them to like me, it just happens.
So often, it's easier to believe the negative comments that are told to/about us. We need to cling to the positive comments, thoughts and memories--they make all the difference in the world.
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