Last Sunday at church there was a lady sitting in front of me with the tag clearly sticking out of her shirt. Of course, she had no idea.
However, I became fixated on that tag! My hands itched to reach up and tuck it in for her.
Instead, I reached up and made sure the tag in my own shirt was tucked in.
And I had an ah ha moment. (Appropriate for church, actually.)
Let’s think about that shirt tag symbolically for a moment. Allow it to represent issues in our lives.
What if we all, when we saw someone with a “tag” sticking out of their “shirt”, took a moment to check our own “tag” before reaching out and fixing someone else’s?
When speaking of literal tags, the lady in front of me probably wouldn’t have minded at all if I had reached up and tucked in the tag. She may have even appreciated my gesture.
When referring to symbolic “tags”, the recipient of my very good intentions would probably not appreciate my kindness. In fact, there would likely be a little resentment involved.
Because what we see when someone attempts to fix our “tags” is the “tags” sticking out all over them. Often much more visible.
If we all make an effort to tuck in our own “tags” first and use a lot of caution when tucking in the “tags” of others, we may find the world a kinder, happier place!
I loved this “Little” Micki. Yes, we should all be minding our own tags and when needed and welcomed we can help others with theirs. I struggle with this when it comes to my kids mostly. I just want to fix whatever it is that I think needs fixing. Key word here is “I.” So be careful….the tag you see may not be your place to fix.
Denise, Thanks for the comment. I think we all struggle with this and definitely with our kids! It is hard to remember that it may not be ours to fix!