DEBBIE LEGG -- WRITER AND SPEAKER
  • Writings
  • Videos
  • Called and Confident
  • About
  • Contact
  • What Would Christmas Be?
  • Fun Stuff

​
Writings

​
​


Be a Witness, Not a Bystander

10/9/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Photo Credit: Pexels
Paul passed away. I didn’t go to his funeral.
 
It would have been awkward.
 
You see, I never met Paul, never spoke to him. I only know him because he was a dear friend of my friend, Lisa. We had been praying for his healing for months. He had been doing well, and we didn’t see this coming. We were both devastated.
 
After he died, she told me, “We were part of this. This is what God let us see. We were witnesses.”
 
Witnesses. That word resonated with me.
 
To witness is to look upon, look into. It’s active, not passive, not a glance or a gaze, but really seeing. It’s focusing, paying attention.
 
A witness has a level of intimacy that a bystander or observer do not. A witness is an insider, privy to births and deaths, birthdays and anniversaries, to milestones great and small, public and private, mundane and quiet.
 
A witness in a trial testifies, under oath, that their part of the larger story is the truth as best they know it, as honestly as they can tell it. They express what they experienced--what they saw, what they heard.  Nothing more. Nothing less. They don’t guess at anyone else’s part. If they do, it’s considered conjecture and dismissed. They can only relate the parts of the story they know to be true. 
 
It takes courage to bear witness, to expose part of yourself to people who may not believe you belong in the story, or who wish you didn’t. They may not believe your part of the story. They may reject it, and possibly you. But no one can take away what you see, hear, or feel. They can’t tell you what you experienced. Your witness is your own, TO own. 
 
Right here, right now, you are reading my words, and are therefore privy to my thoughts, beliefs, and life. We are connected.
 
You can choose to be a bystander in my story, an observer, or you can choose to bear witness. You can express what you experience, what you see and hear, in this small connection point in both of our lives.
 
Let’s not wait until a funeral to embrace it. 
1 Comment
Clella link
10/12/2018 01:43:30 am

And I am privileged to be a witness in your story!
❤️

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Creating Courageous Kindness


    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    / ( mm / dd )

    About Comments

    I love to read comments and know how my work is helping you. Please respond with your first AND last names. Anonymous comments will not be read and may be deleted. ​


    Archives

    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017


    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians 13
    Augustine Of Hippo
    #bethelove
    Be The Love
    Books
    Burning House
    Bystander
    Carpenter
    Change
    Changing Seasons
    Choose Your Hard
    #chooseyourheartache
    Connection
    Crappy Week
    #davegrohl
    Dave Grohl
    #deeperthanthedetails
    Deeper Than The Details
    Don't Be The Change
    #dontbethechangebethelove
    Essentialism
    Facebook Memories
    #fakefriends
    Family
    Favorites
    Favorite Word
    Fear
    Fire
    Focus
    Forgiveness
    #forgiveness
    Freedom
    Friends
    Friendship
    Funeral
    #godlovesyou
    Golden Rule
    #goodsamaritan
    Grief
    Growth Through Grief
    Guacamole
    Heartache
    #heisnotwhatyouthink
    High School
    Horizontal
    Incense
    Independent Film
    Jealousy
    Jesus
    Karate Kid
    Kitten
    Lake Of The Ozarks
    List
    Loneliness
    Love
    #loveinaction
    #lovesaves
    Love Waves
    #lovewithasmileeverymonday
    Mean Girls
    Memes
    Memorial Day 2017
    Messaging
    Movie
    Movies
    Paul
    Please
    #pleaseandthankyou
    Purpose
    Quotes
    Reflection
    Show Don't Tell
    Smile
    Smile On Monday
    Snow
    Sponge
    Stalker
    Storyteller
    Texting
    Thank You
    Theatre
    The Benefit Of The Doubt
    The Giving Tree
    #thegoldenrulerules
    The Love Chapter
    The Power Of With
    Tornado
    Touch
    Trust
    Truth
    Turn The Tide
    Two Trees
    Vertical
    WIth
    Witness
    Wounded

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Writings
  • Videos
  • Called and Confident
  • About
  • Contact
  • What Would Christmas Be?
  • Fun Stuff