My Name Is What?

My name is Lane. That doesn't say alot about me, and sometimes I'd rather people thought of me by what they see me do and hear me say than what my name sounds like. But do people really judge based on a name? Or do they just stick your name to your actions and label you that way? It's an interesting concept I think. I wonder if I do it.

I work with kids. At a place called the YMCA which I've always learned stands for "Young Men's Christian Association". I guess the "association" itself suffered the same fate as the word Christian over the years. That is, becoming an adjective that loosely describes the values and morals of the person or in this case the organization rather than a noun that describes the reality of such. The days when being a Christian meant believing in Christ are almost gone, making way for a new era. Now being "Christian" simply means you are a nice person; a generally selfless and caring individual. If this is the case, those people are now held to a higher standard by society but have no solid foundation for why they behave the way they do. It can't last. Well, how does it last? What makes a person allow themselves to be held to that standard and then continue to strive to live up to it day in and day out? I guess it takes a firm belief in a real person named Jesus. An unbelievable trust that a divine, all-powerful being... has their back.

Like I said, I work with kids. I love kids. Some people say kids have no worries. That's not true. Relatively speaking, I think a 6 year old worrying about who will or will not play with them is equivalent to a 21 year old worrying about failing a class. In their mind it is just as important, just as life-threatening as anything else going on in the world. There's a difference though, in the way they handle stress. I've been observing this. For example:
Sable: Alec, you're not allowed to play with us. It's girls only.
Alec (very deeply hurt inside): That's not fair! I'm going tell!
(to me): Sable wont play with me! Tell her she has to!
At this point I have a choice. And I have tried both options. I can either walk up to Sable and ask her nicely to include Alec in her game, explaining that it isn't fair to exclude people, or I can tell Alec to leave me alone and find someone else to play with. If I choose the former, Alec joins the game and all is well. If I choose the latter, Alec might pout for a few minutes, but quickly gets over it, plays with someone else, and all is well.
What's the moral of this story? Kids have problems, and their first reaction is to take the situation to someone who they perceive as wise enough to come up with a definitive solution. No matter what the answer, they follow the instructions given, assume it was the best advice, and move on. Why can't we be like that? The only reason not to take a problem immediately to God is because we don't think He's wise enough to provide a definitive solution. The only reason not to follow the instructions is because we don't think the answer was the best possible advice. Finally, the only reason not to move on quickly from our problems is if we don't believe that the problem has been taken care of. Kid's are amazing aren't they? I wish I had a childlike outlook on the world more often. Rather than over complicating things and assuming my problems are too complex for even God to handle.

So, my name is Lane. I started this blog as a way to put my thoughts, theories, feelings, and experiences permanently into writing for anyone to read. Of course this isn't a journal nor a diary, but this is who I am. This is my life... or something like it.