Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Find Joy in Giving

Until last April, I worked part time as an MRI/ X-ray tech.  I was good at patient care.  Most of my patients were in pain or  had fear of the MRI.  Person to person interaction is much easier for me because I can tell from their facial expressions what is really going on.

The majority of the time, people were annoyed by the time I took care of them. Long waits to see the doctor for 2 minutes, then wait again for their x-rays.  The room is cold and the table is hard and then I have to position them in ways that make their pain surface more.

I could tell who was really hurt or who was trying to get away with fraud of some kind.   There are other things that health care workers see day in and day out that would make you doubt the morals of our society.   That is how this doubter was born.

I have a really good friend that does her best to keep me accountable on all things customer service related.  She has got a tough job and I am blessed that she is sooooooo patient.  With that I have to confess that I have a problem with being told what to do.  My inner child comes out and says, "You can't make me!"

Our last conversation, which I call reality checks, she told me that I need to give people the benefit of the doubt.  After 23 years in the health care industry, doubt is hard to let go.    So, needless to say, I find it difficult to follow her advice.  All she was hearing from me was, "But, but..."  She was sooooooo patient.  I am sure if I was in the same room with her she would have smacked me in the back of the head.

I promised her that I would do better at GIVING the benefit of the doubt.   I doubted that I was going to fulfill my promise.   Then God sent me validation in what she was saying.  He definitely has a sense of humor when He tries to humble us.   I was getting ready to post my next card when I realized what the sentiment on my card said.  Now keep in mind, I made this card 3-4 weeks ago.

God definitely has great timing.


39 comments:

  1. Beautiful post. What a good friend you have! :)

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    1. I know. I am surprised I have not run her off!

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  2. Fantastic post. I have to confess, I'm just as skeptical about the morality of our society, being a small business owner only compounds that! lol I enjoyed the insight into your porsonality as a business person. (I didn't watch the video yet, I'll do that tonight)

    Merry Christmas! May the Lord continue to bless you in the year to come. I know you've blessed me immensely with your tool.

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    1. Awe....Thank you. seems like the more I share the more people can understand why I am the way I am.

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    2. We share a hobby that tends to be very relational. While that makes me uncomfortable sometimes, I need to remind myself of that as I interact with people online. Personally, I'd rather remain a bit more distant in the relational aspect (in terms of sharing personal information), trying to run a business in a female dominated, relationally driven industry requires personal sharing.

      Blessings

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  3. Only the best recognize and realize! Hint - you're one of the best! ~chris

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  4. THANK YOU for sharing your story today - I agreee - it can be a real challenge!!!
    LOVE your CUTE card and tutorial, Thank You for sharing :)
    PS - sorry that I don't give you the thumbs up as often as I should, the settings have changed, to give you them, I have to leave your blog and open up the video again in YouTube.

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    1. Thanks for reading my story. As long as it isn't a thumbs down, haha!

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  5. Wonderful card and video, Iliana! I also loved reading your story about God's sense of humor. He certainly has that; especially when He's trying to give us a message to our own idiosyncracies!

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    1. I just need to listen to Him more than listen to myself.

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  6. So cute. Enjoyed watching you make this card.

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  7. Beautiful card, love the coloring and your background is stunning!

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  8. 23 years in the medical profession!?!?!?!?!? From the picture on your blog, I would judge that you started at the age of four! Yes, God is the Ultimate Crafter!! He creates beauty. He doesn't hoard. He inspires. He shows us that giving is essential.

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    1. Thanks on the age comment. I started at 19 years old.

      God is Great!

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  9. I LOVE your card...and your honesty! Yes, God's sense of humor and timing is amazing...He is AMAZING! We truly serve an awesome God. Thank you for your wonderful product, Misti. I've just ordered my third one...it is a Christmas present for my oldest daughter...youngest daughter received hers for her birthday. Blessings for a wonderful Christmas season. Kay

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    1. One thing that I have to remember is God is graceful to me and I should be graceful to others. But it is sooo hard. However, He has placed good people in my life.

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  10. Beautiful advice to us all. Your explanation of the source of your doubt was well described. I'm an RN and I find that we care givers are also extremely nosy!

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    1. Yes, we are nosy. I am sure you understood my comments on other things that people do. But I cannot take credit for the advice as it was my friend that sets me right.

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  11. What a cute card! I love those Lawn Fawn sets. Too.

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  12. I to had gotten to where I didn't trust to many people too. Up until three years ago, we lived closer to my husband's family and somehow over the years, they and many other people took my trust in others away. I had come to think there weren't all that many GOOD people anymore. Sad that family was so instrumental in making me believe that. However, since we moved we have the BEST neighbors (they are amish) and they have started making me believe there really ARE still good people in this world...and then when I started making cards this last Feb, I discovered a lot of really nice helpful giving people in the scrapbooking world. They really ARE out there, we just have to open our eyes...and trust God to help us find them! When it comes to business...leaving it in God's hands is sometimes all we can do, because Yes, there are still people out there trying to get all they can...but I truly believe that being a compassionate, caring, giving person who is willing to help others will have God showering blessings on you more in the long run, than being that ruthless distrustful business person only out to make buckets of money. Personally...I'm not a "business" person...I tend to want to give things away to much to ever be good at selling...but I have to believe, if I ever had anything good to sell...that there has to be a better way to do it, than to be the ruthless, distrustful, vengeful type. I think you have a GOOD friend, in the friend who was giving you advice. Lucky you!! I also have to agree that God has a great sense of humor! :-))

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    1. The more comments I read the better I feel about people. Knowing that there are others like me with the same struggle really helps. I appreciate your words immensely. It's tough to get over the doubt.

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  13. Thank you for the cute card. I must say that my original MISTI is my most favorite tool ever. My friends after seeing it and hearing me rave about it have all ordered one for themselves. Now I want to unmount all my wooden stamps so I can use them with my MISTI. Bless you for creating such a wonderful tool.

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    1. Wow! Thanks. I only unmount them as I use them. Have you seen the Mirror image stamping video. I use vinyl instead of the EZ foam.

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    2. No I haven't seen that video, but I'm going looking for it right now and hope I can find it. I enjoy all your videos.

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  14. Great card and a great way to look at celebrating Christmas by finding joy in the giving!

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  15. It's good to be reminded of the joy of giving. I too have a problem giving people the benefit of the doubt. Thanks for the reminder. I needed it.

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  16. That is a wonderful comparison. Maybe a I can do a share your burden card.

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  17. I loved your card and video and your story touches me as well. I work in the legal field and in the courtroom, everybody is innocent and they didn't do it. After 15 years I have become very cynical and I can use the reminder to give the benefit of the doubt as well. It's just that sometimes....it's incredibly difficult and I can't do it. And sometimes they did do it. Even so, God forgives and I shouldn't judge. Thanks for the sweet reminder to you and your friend.

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  18. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and doubts. We all have them, I think, but we need to remember this is not a perfect world we live in. There ARE good people out there, and you are reading from many of them who have commented here. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of stampers who profess to believing in God, and you are one of them. What a delight! I'm waiting for a windfall so I can get a MISTI for myself, but in the meantime I'll continue to follow your blog and watch your fabulous product at work! Blessings to you!!

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  19. Beautiful post. I understand where you are coming from. We see lots of "wrong" in this world. All of this "wrong" troubles those of us who want it to be all good. Sometimes the wrong troubles us to the point where it becomes difficult for us to bring the good to the forefront of our minds. We will keep trying to focus on the good because when we feel good ourselves, it helps us spread good to others - and helps us make the world a better, kinder place, one person at a time.

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  20. I'm a Christian and I figure God likes to have fun- He created it, after all! I'm glad you could see the humor in what He's trying to teach you. I'll also pray that people are honest when they contact you!

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  21. Iliana, your card is simply adorable!

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  22. Thank you for sharing a wonderful example of "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear". I love your honesty and straightforwardness that you share. Blessings to you and yours! Kudos Woman!

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  23. Iliana, first, I want to say that is an adorable card. Second, I loved your video on how to create a mirror image of a stamp using MISTI. Third and most important, thank you for being an MRI technician who cares about their patient's comfort and their state of mind. MRI's scare me. It is the only thing that causes me to get claustrophobic. Due to the fact my lower spine is disintegrating, I get 2 - 3 MRI's a year. Having an understanding tech really helps a lot. So, again, thank you.

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  24. Never early, never late, always perfect timing! I enjoyed reading this post. Also worked in healthcare as a labor and delivery nurse for nearly 25 of my 35 year career, and I so know what you mean!!! I do wish I had walked closer to God during those years and that I had had a mentor/ accountability partner. I had great co-workers and we all mostly kept each other on track!

    Shortly after I left work on disability, I was myself in an MRI tube, and was so grateful for the tech, who was really kind. It is also the place where I first admitted to God and to myself that I was really, really scared. The brave face came off, the tears flowed, (and didn't stop for about 2 years!), and God, the good Shepherd brought me back into his fold. Thanks for your testimony!

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