Who's your roomie?!

I recently heard a quote on one of my favorite shows that got me to thinking. The show is House, starring Hugh Laurie. He's such a jerk - Gosh I love that show.........

"That's what life is. It is a series of rooms. And who we get stuck in those rooms with adds up to who we are."

I've been thinking on this for a while, and I think it's true. Taking rooms to be - situations. Encounters. Every interaction with another person is being stuck in a room with them. And whatever happens in that room adds, takes away, or otherwise alters (however slightly or dramatically) who you are.

My current analogy for this is Love Languages. Prior til a couple weeks ago, I had no idea they existed. I found out during prayer (surprise). Part of what we were supposed to do was meld division in the body amongst the leaders by going to speak with anybody we had any kind of issue with. I had an issue with one of my sisters. Kind of. Even now, I'm not sure if it's legit. Whatever. Anyway - my deal was that I sometimes had trouble remembering that she loved me, even though in my head I knew she did. I wasn't blaming her or anything like that mind you. And I couldn't even tell her specific times, or a pattern of when I felt like that. All I knew is that this didn't bother me when we were being jerks to each other (lol) and that it was only blindingly clear when I was already having a lousy day. She then proceeded to tell me that maybe my love language was different.

That piqued my interest.

She explained that there were five love languages (I don't know if these are the only ones): Gifts (giving/receiving), Service (self explanatory), Physical Contact (self explanatory), Verbal Affirmation (positive encouragement/reinforcement), and Quality Time (self explanatory). Based on that selection, I told her that it was probably sincere Verbal Affirmation. Like - me believing it. Of course my believing it is my personal problem....... Anyway - that got me to thinking. Why was that? Why did I actually, genuinely need verbal confirmation?

Rooms.

As a kid, the rooms I was stuck in with my father were not affirming to say the least. They were - pushing. Always to do the next best thing. See the next best objective. See the better solution.
The rooms I was stuck in with my brother were definitely not affirming. I was the big brother. I had to be verbally affirming to HIM. And to my sisters when they came along...... When I was fifteen and started going to PCC....... Very little verbal affirmation.

Maybe my mom, and a little from my dad - but the main thing was pushing. Stretching. Succeeding. All good things... just not the..... right affirmation.

There was one lady at PCC (who gave me my first job there) that OVERFLOWED with verbal affirmation. And with her, I felt like I could take on the world. At church? Please. Everybody knew my mother, and everybody knew how helpful I was. Freakin' OVERFLOWING with verbal affirmation.
Rooms.

But - there are other rooms. Like - the ones in my mind. The ones in where I talk myself down. The ones in where I explain to myself my complete and total worthlessness or uselessness based in insecurities or the - ah - results from an experience in another room. I think many people do this. We lose sight. And I'm not gonna be long or deep on this. We lose sight. We go into these rooms and encounter whatever it is that is behind the door. And we lump our total life around the consequences (whether good or bad) around that one room. When really - it's the series of rooms that we pass through during life that give accurate definition of self.

And I say definition in a loose sense. These rooms are - lenses. They help us see who we really are. And once we see that, then we can define ourselves. So - in a sense the rooms define us (just thought I'd clean that up). It's the series of rooms. It just occurred to me that it's the same way with God. When we first get saved. Room. When we first speak in tongues. Room. When we first engage in true praise and worship. ROOM. But - we can walk away after that and never look back. That's because the room is not it. It's important - but it's not the whole picture. Combine them. The room where you get saved. Transitions into the room in where you experience true praise and worship. Which transitions into the room where you speak in tongues.

In a sense, one could say that each room you enter is preparing you for the room you're about to be shifted into. Hmmmmmmm..... Anyway - rooms. They add up. The series of rooms adds up to who you are, because they expose your true nature.

Which makes me cautious and convservative about who I share a room with under what conditions. Who's in the room with me? My friends - this puts them in a whole new light. Are they maximizing the power of this room over my life for me? Is this girl I like REALLY roommate worthy? Do these television shows deserve to be playing in this room? Heck - is this room supposed to be dedicated to prayer???? This suggests that not only do these rooms add up to who I am but - each room has an intended purpose (tying back in to what I said earlier about them preparing you for the next room). So - what's the purpose of the room you're in? Are you in an evangelical room? Quit lookin' for a mate!! Are you in a prayer room? Quit trying to win with your abilities! Are you in a war room? Quit tryin to slow the show and FIGHT negro!! Do you get me? I'm speakin as loud to me as I am to anybody reading this. Is this room a work room? Quit trying to hang? Is this room a dating room? Quit trying to "spread your net." It goes on and on.

Each room shapes you.
Each room is built upon the principles of the room prior.
The series of rooms adds up to who you are.
And eventually the series of series of rooms adds up to more of who you are.
It's a cycle. Each room serving a purpose, with particular roommates who also serve a particular purpose.

Take it for what it is. It's not deep. It's just something I recognized, and felt like sharing.

Hasta!!!!!