Bigfoot Is Real & How That Gets You Friends

Today’s post is going to have a flair of admonishing to it. It’s not aimed at one person; it’s aimed at all women because we all do this, and it’s so rude. (We’ve got to stop it, we are a self-centered bunch.)

Stop inserting yourself into other people’s stories. Be better at just listening and being curious about someone else.

Hear me out:
Fun fact—I believe that Bigfoots COULD be real. I didn’t use to, and I don’t know for sure if they exist, but after some research, I believe it’s a possibility. (Don’t worry, I won’t get weird about it!)

I have learned that I have to be careful about when and with whom I share this. It’s so funny to me how attached we are to things like Bigfoot (and breastfeeding, working outside the home, homeschooling, babywearing, etc.) and how quickly we insert ourselves into someone else’s thoughts, stories, and lives.

👍🏼 I have done some research on Bigfoot, and based on that research, I think it’s a possibility.
👎🏼 Most people I share this with have done exactly zero research, and yet they know for a fact that it is absolutely not possible.

💡 This is a silly example, but one that sheds light on something:
Am I listening, or am I inserting myself into what the other person is saying?

Another example:
I was sharing an idea I had with someone. It was a new/scary thing I wanted to try. Instead of asking me questions, inquiring why I wanted to do that new thing, or encouraging me, this person spent a good five minutes talking about why THEY could never do that, what THEIR fears about this new thing were for THEM. We never even got back to why I wanted to do the new thing.

And this has happened for decades. Any time I’m in a non-homeschool group of people I get to hear all about why “they could never” even if the tone of my conversation had nothing to do with “them ever”.

ALL this to say, let’s just stop it.
Let’s stop INSERTING ourselves into stories that don’t even belong to us.

Philippians 2 says that “Jesus emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant.” Yes, this is talking about God emptying Himself of His power in order to become fully man, but I still think we can emulate this character quality and empty ourselves when we are listening to friends.

Let’s be better at being curious, encouraging, and listening. Let’s wonder with and be excited for someone’s choices, even if they are something “we could never”. We all have things that “we could never”, just don’t let it shut someone next to you down.

We can choose to listen and be emptied of our own fears and struggles. When we listen to a friend, we can remember that we don’t know it all. We can be actively looking for ways to encourage them, speak truth to them, and be curious about their hearts.

Can I encourage you today to stop inserting yourself into other people’s stories?