BITTER SWEET SERVICE =)

I have a problem- a major one. And I have no idea how to stop doing it. Since I don't remember anything from my childhood or pretty much anything before 2002, I have no idea if I have always been this way or if I became like this because someone told me it was cool to be a pushover. I do things for people, seriously- anything they ask, I do. When I'm told to do stuff at work or if someone tells me how to do something or if I'm asked to do extra stuff for my callings, that's totally different. I'm talking about when people ask me to hook them up with something, or when they ask to borrow money, and when they ask me to give them things, or any other ridiculous and selfish favors. Maybe I think people will like me more if I actually do it- I HAVE NO IDEA. But it is going to change because I hate when people use me and expect things from me, when there's no rhyme or reason for me to do it. There's no point in telling the dramatic and tragic (in my mind) and deceiving experience that has finally pushed me to the hatred of being asked favors, but I wanted to share some perfectly descriptive words and actions of the human beings that I seem to be associated with. I learn a lot from Google.

HOODWINK- hood·wink
verb....to influence by slyness, swindle, conceal, mislead, deceive or trick - To conceal one's true motives by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end.
"Hoodwinked with kindness." --Sir P. Sidney.

BAMBOOZLE- bam·boo·zle
verb......to deceive or get the better of (someone) by trickery and flattery
They bamboozled us into joining the club.

FATUOUS- fat·u·ous
adj.....Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way
'Don't you like the poor lonely bachelor?' he yammered in a fatuous way" --Sinclair Lewis

VACUOUS- vac·u·ous
adj....devoid of significance or point; "empty promises"

AVARICIOUS- av·a·ri·cious
adj.....characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous
The avaricious eagerly grasp after it at the expense of others.

SANCTIMONIOUS- sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous
adj....making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness
"a solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old man that looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity" --Mark Twain

PERFIDIOUS- per·fid·i·ous
adj.....deliberately false, disloyal, deceitful, and tending to betray
"Involved in this perfidious fraud with this perfidious lover." --Milton

Okay- now that I'm done with my new vocabulary list for the day, I'll remind myself of what I have a testimony of.....

Hymn #232 Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words
"Let us oft speak kind words to each other
At home or wherever we may be.
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live,
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other;
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
Let’s oft, then, in kindly toned voices,
Our mutual friendship renew,
Till heart meets with heart and rejoices
In friendship that ever is true.

EPHESIANS 4:29-32
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

THE GOSPEL ALWAYS WINS IN THE END! =)