Strength, Representation, and Update

Strength.  We all have a little bit of strength in some certain areas.  Some people are stronger in other areas than another, and then there's some who are weak, but stronger than they realize.
Some people are strong in the food and exercise area, and others aren't.  Some are strong in the humbleness area.  Some aren't.
The strong and weak are to work together.
If all the people who were strong on eating healthy, and exercising ignored the ones who were weak, but wanted to be strong, then the weak would have no one to help them be strong in that area.
If proud people didn't have their humble friends to help remind them not to be prideful, then the pride people would be proud.  Even the people we don't think are proud.
Some people are strong in abilities like writing, musical talent, school talent, ect.  These people also need to be doubly strong, which is sometimes hard.  Strong enough not to soak in so much praise that it all goes to their heads, and makes their heads huge, and strong enough to help others with their talents.
Some people are stronger in the temptation area than others.  They need to try to help those who are.
This is where accountability partners come in.
If you don't know what an accountability partner is, I will now tell you!  An accountability partner is someone, normally a friend, who you can tell your struggles to, and they will try to make sure that you don't slip into the problem.
Like, if I had a drinking problem, or a drug problem, I would talk to my friend Karen.  Not because she has the same problem, but because I trust her, and can tell her everything and anything.  Here, I'll give you a basic scenario.
Me: Umm...Karen, I have to tell you something.
Karen: Okay, tell away!
Me: This isn't something about Timothy, like the things I normally tell you randomly are...
Karen: Is this good or bad?
Me: This could be either good, or bad, depending on your answer to the question I will ask after I tell you what I need to tell you.
Karen:...Okay, what do you need to tell me?
Me: I have problems with drinking...and drugs...even though I'm under aged.
Karen: O.O  What???
Me: Um...yeah....
Karen: Okay...so what do you need to ask me?
Me: Could you by my accountability partner?  You know, ask me if I've done drugs, or drank?  Randomly?  To make sure I'm staying clean?  I really want to stop, but I can't do it by myself.
Karen: Well, that has to be the strangest thing you've ever asked me, but of course!
Me: Okay, thanks.  It really means a lot to me.
Karen: Do you want to pray, and ask God to help us before you start off on Timothy again, and how awesome he is?
Me: Yes please!
Karen: Dear God, please help Katie to stop drinking and doing drugs, and help me to keep her accountable, and make sure she doesn't do them, so we don't have to send her to rehab.  Thank you.  In Jesus name, amen.
It's very simple.
Make sure that you trust this person, and then tell them.  If you trust them, and they care as much about you as you trust them, then you'll be okay.
We use our strengths and weaknesses to help others.
But anyway...that was my soapbox for right now.
Now onto another soapbox...
My other soapbox has to do with representation.
Did you know that when you walk out of your house, you no longer represent yourself?
You represent your school, your work, your church, your parents, your siblings, your God, your friends and teachers?  You represent yourself maybe about 1 or 2 percent.
Let's do a little bit of math. Which I only seem to like when I do it on my own free time...
Okay, so 24 hours...say you sleep 8 hours of your day, we'd better just get that out of the way right away.  24-8=16.  Now we have sixteen hours to work with.  We spend approximately 8 hours at school.  16-8=8.  You then spend about two hours at work (we're gonna say, as I'm going for a teen view, and some teens work 2 hours a day if you divide it all up) so you have 6 hours left, which we're gonna say goes for family.
Okay, so we're gonna kinda ignore the 8 hours you spend sleeping for right now, and get on with the fun stuff.
33% of your representation goes for your school, as that is where you spend most of your time during the school year.
8% of your representation goes for your job.
25% of your representation goes for your family.
Then you have the 8 hours you spend sleeping, which we're going to cut in half to represent friends, and then we're gonna cut half of the other half in half.  So 4 hours for friends, and then 2 hours for boyfriend/girlfriend, and 2 hours for yourself.
16% of your representation is for friends.
8% is for your bf/gf/dh/dw (dh is dear hubby, and dw is dear wife)
And 4 to 8% is for yourself.
You really don't represent yourself very much.
And I really don't do math well.  And when I do it really makes no sense at all to anyone but me.
Oh yeah, and if you wanna know how I did that I divided the number of hours that you spend with the person by the number of hours in a day.
Anyway...yeah, so you don't really represent yourself.
Like, if you met someone's mother, and you hadn't met the person, and their mother made fun of everyone, and thought that anyone not like her was horrible, what would you think of the person when you met them?
You wouldn't think highly of them at first, until they proved themself to be a person you could think highly of.
It goes an opposite way too.
If you met someone's mother, and they were sweet, and kind, you would think that their child would be sweet and kind...and then when you met the person, they could be the exact opposite.
Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out.
Okay, now for an update.
I had Christmas at my grandparent's house, and shockingly, my family found a way to shut me up!
For those of you who don't know...I love making music.  I like to play piano, play guitar, sing, test out my friend's instruments when they'll let me...  Well, there's a few instruments I favor above others.
Such as flute, and violin.  As the ones I don't have.
Well...I can't really say that I don't have a violin anymore, because my aunt (well, actually my cousin, but she's 2) gave me a violin for Christmas!
I also got three headlamps, the game Catan, an address book for me to write down all my addresses in, a pair of slippers, and some leopard footie pjs.
On my list was: Headlamp, Catan, The Time Keeper, more people to buy my book, a Violin or flute, and I will accept anything but a snake gladly.
My grandma always gets the grands pjs for Christmas...and I like footie jammies, because they're warm, and I don't have to worry about cold feet, or socks coming off as I sleep, because the socks of those jammies are attached.  Plus it makes me feel like an innocent little girl again.
Anyway, the way they shut me up was I was told to sit in the middle of the floor, shut my eyes, and hold out my hands.
The bow was placed in my right hand, and the violin in my left, then I was told to open my eyes.  I was silent and not breathing for about a minute...which is probably a bit of a family record for me...
Anyway...I have to go, and I know that if I don't wish y'all a Merry Christmas before midnight it's not Christmas anymore, so...
MERRY   CHRISTMAS!!!!!
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and a happy new year.
And remember that the reason for the season was born and died 2,000 years ago, so that we might live.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:10-14
~Katie :)