Heart Drops

This past Fall I read a book by Karen Ehman called, Listen, Love Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World.  My friend Hope passed along this book to me in Guam when she was done with it and it sat on my self about a year-and-a-half before I picked it up.  I grabbed it to read as my weekly reading book while Theo was at art class and Mason graciously stayed home with Maximus and Woodrow.  Forty minutes of reading time right in the middle of the week was perfect and the things in this book started jumping out at me from the first chapter. 

The author discusses the concept of heart drops. "A heart drop is a concept my husband and  learned from our small group leader Michael.  It's when a person, either directly or in a cryptic way, give you a peek into his or her heart.  It may be through actual words, or you may pick up on a feeling, perhaps a sadness or loneliness."  This struck me because it felt so relatable.  Perhaps it was my own season of depression or sadness that was highlighting this to me, but I felt like I can read people pretty well.  Mason would probably disagree since I'm always asking him telling him how he's feeling and I don't think he cares for that, but I guess my point is, sometimes you can just tell when a friend is "off".  The author goes on to say that, "Hearing a heart drop is an art we must lovingly cultivate.  It can lead to the most wonderful times of encouragement as we make it our habit to listen and love."

I think this concept also resonates with me because I would call myself a giver.  I love to carefully think out gifts for people and provide them with meaningful things when it comes to birthdays, holidays, and just random 'heart drop' moments.  Sometimes for me that means dropping off flowers to a friend who might be having a hard time, delivering a meal when a friend seems overwhelmed, dropping off ice-cream just because, picking up a token that I think represents a friend or family member and sending it to them just because.  More recently I sent a desk calendar to a friend who needed some encouragement, I had a canvas print made for a friend of a stunning photo she posted on FB.

Ehman points out that, "Jesus wasn't about doing big things.  He was about doing the right thing.  And often for him, the right thing was noticing one simple soul."  I think I notice the heart drops that friends hint at or mention in passing.  I'm not always the best listener or retainer of important information and I know that's an area of weakness I need to improve upon.  I also often think I do not have the gift of the spoken word.  Sometimes I really, really want to be there for someone who I can tell is having a hard time, but I just can't seem to find the right words.  Often I'll try to relate it to something I've experienced, and it makes me cringe a little because I constantly feel like in doing that I'm making the situation about myself, when I truly want to be helpful or relatable.  

I also realize that since I feel my word is weak and I'm constantly tripping over what I mean to say, that I default to a tangible thing to offer.  Now, sometimes I will just shoot a friend a message saying that I'm thinking of them, praying for them, hoping their day improves, etc...and sometimes this will start a conversation, other times it doesn't.  For me, finding those tangible items just seems to come easier to me.  However, I do need to work more on solely doing it our of goodness and not seeking any form of recognition.  What I was able to focus and reflect on was, "Jesus' real ministry was the person he found standing in front of him. Who is that for you today?  Rather than trying to do something grand for God, perhaps we need to embrace the obscure instead.  To stop trying to be profound or important and instead just be obedient.  To quickly and humbly obey when we feel God calling us to engage with another or to cheer and hearten a weary soul" 

For today or this month, can you hear the heart drops around you?  What have people in your life mentioned to you that was meaningful.  Focus on the face in front of you, what is is telling you?