Sister, you teach me...

Yesterday, I got a call from a very excited Sister. She was on Cloud 9 regarding a new milestone in her romantic relationship. As I listened on the phone, I felt opinions arising in me that were in contrast to what she was feeling. Thankfully, I didn't give a voice to those negative, judgmental opinions I was harboring.

Midway through her outpouring, I finally got it. A light bulb went off. The negative opinions and feelings I was thinking about HER life's events was really out of line for me spiritually. After some thought, these are the reasons why the opinions that arose in me were out of sync with who I want to be:

• She wasn't calling me to ask my opinion, she was calling me to share her news; to which if I had the time to give to her, I must be able to actively listen & to offer my well-wishing without any judgement or unnecessary emotional or mental entanglement. 
• I had a bad practice of wanting to help people and to fix their problems whether or not they explicitly asked me for help. In behaving this way, I have: (1) overstepped my boundaries in other peoples lives (2) taken on problems that are not mine to create distractions in my life (3) overburdened & overwhelmed my Self (4) misappropriated my valuable internal resources by dispensing them on external sources. 
• Being opinionated and/or judgmental is using the Voice of Ego and not the Voice of Love. In order for me to strictly adhere to using the Voice of Love, I can't listen to friend while simultaneously processing a bunch of negative opinions about their life. This is not loving or virtuous. 
• Honestly, who am I to be judgmental about anyone? 
• My Sister is a mirror, so how many times have people been on the phone with me (or even in person) & disapproved of what I was saying or how I was going about something? 
• It's not my business really. I must practice fully tending to my own business & staying in my own lane!

Food For Thought

It's not about what I can get,

It's about what I can give.