All Talk and No Do?

I'm sure you're all familiar with the saying "all talk and no do". It usually means someone who likes to talk about all the things they are good at or know about but they never seem to do anything about any of them. Or it might be a person who is always on a project scene who is pointing out what others should do but never does it him or herself. Either way, it appears this person is lazy, incompetent, or maybe a bit of both.

I disagree. I've seen some of these people, and I've drawn my own conclusions. They are pretty interesting, if I say so myself. I've always thought if you take the time to observe and understand a person, you will usually come away with a better perspective of them than if you just snap to judgment of them. Sometimes people just lack confidence. Sometimes they lack assertiveness. Sometimes they try to speak up and no one gives them the time of day! I've seen this happen time and time again to myself and to people I care about. Sometimes you don't have the right last name. The right friends. Sometimes you don't have the right "look", the right amount of money, enough clout, (according to those who always seem to be "in charge". The list goes on. But sometimes, just sometimes, you could be just not feeling well in your body, but your mind works just fine and so you try to continue to contribute where you can.

Funny how that gets misread by people. In the last few months I have experienced what it's like to be "all talk and little do", as my energy has been zapped to nothing. I have dizzy spells, crazy fatigue, sometimes it's hard to breathe, and I have trouble finding my words still. I get emotional without trying. I'm just not ready for a whole lot of "do", yet I'm still as intelligent and creative as before and have a lot to contribute. But people only see your hands sometimes. They only see work and labor as important contributions. They see the rest as unwanted opinions!

My dad is 75, and has congestive heart failure, spinal stenosis, diabetes, and is a colon cancer survivor, praise God. He helped us build our home, take care of our daughters, and has always come to our aid whenever we need anything done. Anything! He bakes delicious bread, a hobby he found while recuperating. He can no longer climb ladders and pound nails and put his body through the hell he used to put it through. Is he weak. NO. But if he wants to be around for us, he knows he has to be careful. He wants so much to be a part of projects around him because he needs to feel useful, but many times all he can offer is his mind. We appreciate his mind and we put our own hands to use, making a perfect combination. He is also driving my brother 3 hours to Ann Arbor for his appointments, and would pretty much do anything for anybody. Truly if anyone says anything about my dad, I would personally clobber them. No kidding!!!

People are more than what meets the eye. I've learned so much about chronic illness these past few months. I've learned about depression and other conditions by having them myself. I've learned that not everything can be prayed away. Though God is in my situation with me, and walking me through it, He is not taking it away overnight and I'm going through the fire. I am determined to learn and teach with this. I am determined to educate those who continue to mistreat my friends and family with invisible illness as if they are "faking it", "useless", "lazy", or because they "look fine", "nothing is wrong" with them. We don't "dwell" on our illness. We live with it every day. There is a difference. Tell someone with cancer not to "dwell" on it. Would you do that?

My mom learned through my years with migraines that people with a broken leg walking into a room would be given a seat, but someone walking in with a terrible headache would have to stand. I agreed. People with visible illnesses are somehow called "courageous" and celebrated somehow, but people who "look fine" are complaining or hypochondriacs. Funny, I recently learned that epilepsy kills as many people as breast cancer, and actually suicide probably kills more people than illness. I'd have to check that out for sure. The point being, don't be so quick to judge another person's illness or actions or lack of participation. Seek to understand them. You don't know what they've been through and what they go through every day. I've caught myself being reactionary to someone who is hard to deal with, then I found out that person had been through something traumatic. I was ashamed of myself!! I prayed that God would soften my heart and help me to see people through his eyes, even people who tick me off! :) Especially those...

All talk and no do. That can be negative, I agree, but in some cases, it's not. There are a lot of great minds out there, not being given a chance to do because some people don't like to share. Oh, they don't even know who they are, do they? Lots of people can do a lot of things if given a chance, and if they can't, how about giving them a chance to make a suggestion once in awhile? If I remember right, I think that's called humility.

Blessings to all who do and all who don't.