Friday, April 26, 2013

F for Feedback



If these walls could talk.

Seems they do.  In today’s UCC devotional, Pastor Talitha Arnold writes about a time when former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall spoke at her church.  She expected a political theme to his message, but he started out by talking about his childhood.  Specifically, he reminisced about the walls of his home, adorned with Scripture samplers made by his mother and sisters.  Those words inspired and empowered his life’s work.  See the whole article here.


It made me think back to my childhood.  The most prominent wall hanging I can remember is the Jesus painting that always had a place of honor. Christ was always present in my home, if not always in my heart.  In my grandparents’ house, there was a painting that was on the wall directly in front of me when I laid on their sofa in the front room to nap.  It was a small village, a cobblestone lane running at an upward slope between the cottages, and a lady with a basket of flowers.  The colors seemed to shimmer in a way that made the painting come to life.  It sparked my curiosity and imagination – where was she going?  Where had she been?  It was a peaceful scene that made me dream of foreign places.  When I moved to Switzerland, I returned to that village in real time. 

On my walls now – a print that we bought in Tennessee – our Ebenezer print – a reminder that God has and will always help us . A collection of ceramic crosses.  Our degrees and professional certificates – a reminder of happy accomplishments.  A flamingo watercolor painted by a 9-year old Kate – the bright yellow sun always makes me smile. And many more…

My walls say a lot to me.  They speak of the past, a life of blessing, overflowing with family and friends.  They sing of the present, each new day a wellspring of joy.  They call forth a future full of hope and promise.  So F is for feedback.  Feedback can be defined as “a process in which information about the past or the present influences the same phenomenon in the present or future.”  Our physical surroundings of today influence our tomorrow.  What feedback are you getting from your living space, personal and professional?  Take a walk around.  You’ll be living this tomorrow.  Choose your feedback wisely.  You’ll get what you create.

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