Welcome to this week’s edition of the Five Minute Friday writing prompt link-up!
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This week’s FMF writing prompt is: IGNORE
Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO.Â
This morning as I was driving home after dropping my son off at school, I passed two kids on the sidewalk waiting for the bus — a boy and a girl who looked to be around nine years old. They were at least four feet apart from each other, each with their heads facing down at the ground, shuffling their boots across the snow-covered ground. Completely ignoring each other.
At first I was thinking how sad it was that they stand there together every day and probably don’t ever speak (obviously an assumption, but possibly true), but then I remembered that I used to do the exact same thing when I was younger.
In fact, I still do it. I allow the (perceived) awkwardness in a situation and perhaps a dose of my own introvertedness to keep me from being polite, to keep me from striking up a conversation, to keep me from acknowledging other human beings in my presence.
And I’m not sure that’s what God wants from me.
In a Bible study I’ve been participating in, we recently discussed one of the passages of Scripture that teaches us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
When are those moments and where are those places when I am failing to SEE my neighbor, let alone LOVE them?
May God lift my head and open my eyes to see.
STOP.
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Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite on the prompt, IGNORE, below, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment:Â
The world out there is such a bore,
seen all there is to see,
and so I think I will ignore
all that does not pertain to me.
The people are so tiresome,
all their troubles and their strife,
and I really want to say, “Oh, come
now, and get a life!”
But in my heart there’s silence
from Almighty God On High,
implying that my action’s violence,
consigning hurting souls to die
while I, preening, try to hide
behind my overweening pride.
Four minutes flat. OK.
Bad form to blow my own horn, but my linked post today is serious; it’s about dealing with the loss of a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion.
Anyone wants to use it, thinks it can help someone, go for it, no attribution needed.
Dear Lord,
Open my eyes to see the hurting people around me today.
Amen
FMF#5
The link never works for me – it always says the server doesn’t work, or something is wrong. It happens multiple times to me, my husband tried as well and he’s a developer – he says the link doesnt connect with the server. It’s so frustrating coz every week I come to link up and it doesn’t work – also if a persons network has a firewall it won’t work either. I’m sure I’m not the only one this is happening to.
I put my VPN on and set my IP to the United States (I’m based in South Africa), and now it works only when I set it to U.S or U.K, this means the server is blocking South Africa, so we can’t post our links. It seems the company hosting the link up does not allow for us to access the link – up, it blocks our IP. This is quite a concern, as it is blocking certain countries from accessing your link – up. Perhaps you can contact the company and find out why this is a problem. If I do link – up it will be because I am using a VPN. But I am sure there are other people from this side of the world who want to link up to.
Oh, I did not know that was happening! Thank you for letting me know. I’m glad you figured out a workaround for now, but that is very frustrating! I’ll see if anyone at inLinkz can help.
Whoa. Thought-provoking, especially as I’m here in a new-to-me place where I don’t know anyone. Am I willing to reach out to others as I learn my way around? Or am I ignoring the possibility that they might need ME to take the first step?
Convicting words, Kate!