“Step a little closer to me.  So close that I can’t see what’s going on.”

-from Canonball by Damian Rice

I love Damain Rice.  I picked up his album “O” in Ireland in September, 2003 right after its release.

This song reminded me of how easily I can analyze/evaluate and become critical of other peoples’ lives.  It’s so much easier when you can step back and see it clearly - get ahold of the big picture, notice patterns, observe tension. 

It’s much harder to do with our own lives.  We are so close that we can’t see what’s going on.

Here’s the challenge:  sometime this month.. or next.. ask some people around you about the things they pick up on in your life.  What are the things they are seeing?  The patterns, the responses, the cutting comments.  And don’t just settle for the good.  Ask them to be brutally honest.  And if they can’t think of a whole lot, ask them to watch you more closely and make some observations.  Give them an ALL ACCESS PASS to your life.

I recently did this with a few guys that I felt God put in my life to help me become a better person.  Their insight was invaluable.  And the support they now show me is amazing. 

Here are some sample questions in case you need somewhere to get started:

1.  What is your take on me as a man (or woman)?
2.  Sometimes my weaknesses are hard for me to see.  What would you consider some of my weak points/moments?
3.  If I was going to focus my energy into improving one area of my life, what would you suggest?
4.  Where have I let you down or disappointed you as a friend?

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2005 at 11:31 am and is filed under What's In My Head. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.