Do you ever find God where you least expect Him to be? It's often humorous to discover the many places He chooses to reveal Himself to us. For me, it was in my Communication Theory textbook last night. Odd? Absolutely. Refreshing? Beyond belief. It's called unconditional positive regard. I had heard of it before, but pretty much cast it aside as one of the million theories that simply was unimportant in my personal life, prior to last night. Em Griffin writes, "Unconditional positive regard is the attitude of acceptance that isn't contingent on performance." He relates this concept to a better communication environment. If individuals feel safe and accepted by the other person, they are more likely to communicate in an authentic and transparent manner. The only thing I could think of when I kept reading about this theory was God's love and communication with us. How amazing is His love that no matter what we do, no matter how we "perform," He has an unconditional positive regard towards us. Then I thought about my Granny, who was known for her love- for finding something good in every person she met, even if that person wasn't easy to get along with or generally well-accepted. I've longed to be that type of person for years...to look beyond the attitudes, the expectations, the performance of a person- into their heart, into their being. I want so bad to lavish God's love on others, but often find that my human nature gets in the way. By relying on Christ though, I believe it's possible.
Who would have thought that little "revelation" would come from a school-based textbook? So, today- expect the unexpected. God will show up just when you need Him the most...whether it's reading for a theory-based class, or catching up on laundry or logging in hours at your job. That's what's so good about Him- He will do whatever it takes to allow us to see Him.
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