Pat and I were headed toward Clearwater to see our granddaughter, Jessica. We were passed by a fairly large panel truck. I didn’t catch the name of the company, but did see their logo on the back as they raced on by. It said, “The Uniform People”.

I then launched into an eight minute spontaneous monologue about “uniform people”. Here’s a little background on what led me to launch! (g)

Harry Chapin is one of my favorite folk singers. He once recorded a song that talked about the sameness of people. He described their houses as “ticky tacky houses all in a row”. He said that they all looked like they were stamped out in cookie cutter fashion – pretty much identical. The people who lived in these “uniform” houses drove the same kind of car, wore the same kind of clothes, had the same kind of kids.

I heard James Dobson say one time that if two people absolutely agree on everything, one of them is redundant, not needed and unnecessary.

Well, back to my monologue. I talked about how little we need “uniform” people in this world. We need individuals, we need people with opinions (even though they differ from mine). We need diversity. We need all colors, shapes, and personalities.

People often ask me, based on 43 years of counseling, whether it’s true that opposites attract. My answer? Sometimes, maybe often. Marriages seem to thrive on diversity of thoughts, methods, plans, etc. However, I’ve seen marriages do well when both partners were fairly similar. Someone once gave me a piece of paper on which was written: “Marriages Are Not Made In Heaven. They Come In Kit Form And Must Be Put Together On Earth”.

I once had a poster on my office wall. It showed footprints in the snow, winding through the woods. The caption read: You have a choice. “You can follow the existing footprints or take the lead and make your own”. A friend sent me this one: “Unless you’re the lead dog, the scenery never changes”.

Dare to be different. Be yourself without fear of repercussion. Stand for principle especially when it’s not the “uniform” position.

I’d like to hear what you think about this piece. Please use the “Leave a Reply” box below!  I WILL answer you promptly!

SOME SELECTED RESPONSES TO “FLOATERS”

– Wrongs and shortcomings we “see” in others, may be overlooked if we allow the mind of Christ to become our mind.

– Oh, Jerry. AMEN to this statement you made, especially this time of year. I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone. She is having a lot of family discord and it’s hard for her this time of year with all the family gatherings. We were talking about this same thing. Wow, this is NO coincidence. This is truly the Lord talking, and I can’t wait to show her this. She will flip.

As usual, you truly wrote something at the perfect time that needed to be read by someone dealing with that particular situation.

– BTW, I loved the piece. Great stuff!

– Went back into the archives (a.k.a. ‘ancient history’ g) and found this one on floaters. Sad part is, all too often we become accustomed to sin and don’t see it as we should. Sometimes ‘glossing over’ is a good thing, but not always. God bless and may this Christmas bring you even closer to Him who is our retreat, Christ Jesus ‘the’ LORD.

– That was interesting about floaters! So often our troubles are like floaters: the longer we live with them, the smaller they get. Or, we could just be so used to them that we don’t think about them. So, I wonder at times, why do we raise such a fuss about something that is truly insignificant? I remember one local policeman who, when I said something to him about someone going the wrong way on a one-way street, remarked that it wasn’t worth taking up his time. (The street was only one block long.)

– I wished to respond to you and the bathroom stall, but have not been able to see or feel well enough to do so. I will save the e-mail news today until my eyes are better. I have been sent from one doctor to another for a few weeks now. I return again this Tuesday for further tests, so far the news is not too good and far from what I expected.

I would like for you to remember me in your prayers. I was put on some medication I hope is causing me double vision, I feel all the time like my eyes have been dilated. I am not taking the medication again until I return to the doctor, I need to know if the med is causing this or it is something new. Have a great weekend.

– Thank you for your prompt reply. To answer your questions about how I found your Inside Out site:

I was looking in the Gentle Ministries Website and found Grant’s Graceland and then Inside Out. I was first struck with your picture, you are a big man like my husband and have a kind face; I felt I could trust you. I enjoyed your writing, too.

– I have had floaters for a long time. My doc said that it happened early for me. I have thought about this story for a few days now. I’ve also thought about the forgiving thing. I just directed a dinner theatre in our church. I and another lady had been the two that were willing to commit to planning and organizing and coordinating every last detail to decorating the church to look like an inn back when Joseph and Mary were not given a room. We decided how the table would be set and all about the food, etc. We worked really, really hard.

Then the night arrived. The same lady who never wants to commit or help, who always comes in at the end and tries to rearrange everything, did it to me again! I just told her over and over again that it was already planned a certain way. She went to someone else to try to get them to change it and then sent someone else to me to try to get me to change it. I said, “NO!” It is the way it is going to be. Now I wasn’t trying to be inflexible but she does it all the time. She proposed a huge change that would have made a huge difference in the position of our scenes. So, I was soooo aggravated that I just decided to stand my ground. Is this a situation I should have let my brain get used to and not see? I know it is my responsibility to forgive, but I do not have to change my boundries. Your turn.

– Ah, yes….floaters. Well, my eyedoctors all have told me that I have the biggest floaters they have ever seen. So, I still see mine ‘cuz they are too big. Also had the flashes of light in one eye sometimes, and told of the shrinking…… only part of my body that shrinks and it isn’t a good thing….! Argh!

I do ignore the floaters as best I can, but when tired they really are a bother. Sometimes I have to wait for them to drift by in order to see things clearly.

– We share our eye problems I guess. I am taking Ocuvite. I don’t worry one way or the other. It won’t hurt to take them (except the pocket book). My vision is not what it used to be, but I can still see so won’t whine about it.

– So, welcome to the land of “Floaters.” Yes, I hate it when the doc says, “Well, as we get older…” Only when the doctor seems in my age range do I accept him or her “as we get older” as a co-adventurer. My introduction to “floaters” led me on the same road. Happily, my brain has adjusted for the irritating reminders that this Earth suit does suffer rips and tears. Thanks for paralleling the “floaters” to those slights that confront us, from Christians as much as non-Christians. The Lord gently (or sometimes un-gently) reminds me of how much I’ve been forgiven, and how often I’ve been the challenge to somebody else’s patience or vision. When all else fails, I’m reminded to pray for those who persecute me or who are my enemies. Most often, I ask the Holy Spirit for guidance about what might be the cause of that irritating person’s irritation.

– I was not happy with the floaters. They were a reminder that I and my body are less than perfect. So, too, the irritating person’s irritations frequently are indicators that I am not perfect and often am stuck in my rut. Even if I’m right, the irritations sound God’s rally cry to me to go into action with the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. It’s the enemy (Satan) who is confronting us with his works; it is God who tells me (us), “I trust you to be able to use the weapons of the warfare, to win that person to our side or point him in the right direction.” It’s also a time to remind me that Christmas was God reaching out with a way to overcome my sin and find a way to His heart.

I know I’m rambling, but I have one last thought. On my wall in front of my computer is a picture of an American combat medic gently washing away the blood on an Iraqi soldier’s face and tending his wounds. An American tank is in the background. What an incredible picture. I keep it to remind me of how God acted and how I should act. Instead of crushing the Iraqi soldier under the tank, the medic’s unit stopped and ministered to the enemy. God could have easily crushed me, but He took me in His arms when I stopped and cried for help. Indeed, He has made me a joint heir with Jesus, and I get to share with the world what God shared with me: The Way, The Truth, and The Life.