Intentional, Compassionate, Understanding (ICU)

That which comes from the heart reaches the heart. Treat others the way you want to be treated. In all your getting, get an understanding.

This past Sunday my Pastor’s sermon topic was “Improve your Family.” It begins with ME. From the message the acronym ICU was used to illustrate the stance that one should take in improving the family unit. Family support means everything. Family bonding means so much. Family ties are burden lifters.

My maternal grandmother passed away June 2014 and boy did we learn what we pretty much knew. She was the earthly cornerstone of our family. She was our rock. She was everything to us. Her heart was pure and she was the epitome of love and truth. She displayed to us how family should love and cherish one another, but somehow when she passed away there was some sort of disconnect due to our hurt from her loss. We just couldn’t seem to find our way back together. It was an awkward feeling being at family dinners. My eldest uncle finally said one afternoon before our family prayer, “I don’t care if it’s a handful that shows up to dinner, we will have it every month.” To his point, we had dinner every month pre C-19 and our love ones began to show up consistently and eventually with a better spirit and attitude towards one another.

It is when that one someone DECIDES and INFLUENCES the group to follow for the benefit of all that change happens and bonds are rekindled authentically. I know so well how life is short and at that moment my uncle expressed much of what I know my grandma was thinking, “A family that prays together, stays together.” Being intentional means to do it with all of your heart, mind and soul, withholding nothing. Whatever it is that you’re working at, do it as if you’re doing it for the Lord. Be intentional, be authentic, be in tune with all of your senses. Make it meaningful and don’t miss the moment.

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Compassion is a matter of the heart. Its expressing concern and care for someone and doing your part to ease the feeling. We live in a world where people are going through various issues, coming out of issues or heading into an unexpected circumstance. Those matters could be relative to marriage, divorce, grief, career confusion, failed business, wayward children, self image, insecurity, uncertainty, financial crisis, to name a few. Compassion for your fellow neighbor may seem small, but it goes so far. Have you ever been in your feelings because something was not going your way and so you took it out on whatever that bad habit may have been and decided to put a yield on everything you were supposed to do and then that thing that you had been emotional about was not what you thought after all and so you decided to carry on as you should before you decided not to when you were in your feelings? Whew!!! That was a mouthful and provoked a lot of thought in order to gain an understanding. I know, but it is a prime example why compassion is important. People are walking around with the world on their mind and saying they are ok. That’s a lie. They are not ok. Be gentle with people. Smile. Choose your words wisely. Listen sincerely.

As you’re showing compassion, be sure that you are understanding and not so judgmental. Do you believe that love conquers all? Are you afraid that if you’re understanding that you agree with a person’s choice? Think about this, you may not agree with everything a love one does, but if you’re honestly, attempting to gain understanding, you never know how that strengthens the trust factor; thereby, giving you an opportunity to bond more and let your light shine. It is through the light that darkness is overpowered. It is through sincerity that phoniness becomes discomfort. In other words, if you’re the light and you’re understanding and not judgmental, there lies the self improvement that was sought after. Improving your circle begins with improving yourself. Who’s all in? So much love to you all!