The Great “Spoon vs. Ladle” Debate

We live in an ever changing world. Change, good and bad, is happening all around us every second of every day. Some changes are small: Starbucks releases a new drink, a co-worker cuts their hair, Beyoncé releases a new album, deciding to eat at a new restaurant, hitting a detour on your way to work, or waking up to find that Mother Nature dropped 2’ of snow on the earth while you were sleeping (this could be a reality any day now, folks, brace yourselves). Some changes are big: accepting a job offer, moving across the country, losing a loved one, the birth of a baby, quitting your job to pursue your true passion, buying a house, receiving a devastating medical diagnosis, a terrorist attack, or electing a new president (whether we like it or not). 

Speaking of electing a new president…I’ll be the first to admit that I have never been a fan of politics, and if this current presidential election has done anything, I’d say it’s turned me away from politics even more. Now I’m not writing this blog post to talk about my own personal political views or opinions but rather a thought that has stemmed from all of the craziness that has accompanied this unique presidential race. 

I can’t help but feel like tensions are running high, people are fighting more, violence has become an answer to a lot of questions, and negativity seems to outweighing positivity in the world around us. While I find this to be a quite discouraging and overwhelming as it makes it easy to lose sight of the joys in this world, it comforts me to know that I can help counteract this negativity by doing one small thing in particular: using my ladle. Now before you think I’m completely crazy (I’m only a little crazy, I promise), let me explain: a member of my church, Ted Lammi, gave a talk a couple weeks ago in which he brought up the “spoon vs. ladle” analogy. The analogy is pretty simple: we use spoons to feed ourselves, and we use ladles to feed others. While Ted was encouraging us to use our ladles regarding a different topic, I found that this analogy could be applied to our every day lives. I truly believe that it’s the simple acts of kindness we practice every day that are the most genuine and make the biggest difference in people’s lives. Sure, you may not feel like you are making a different or changing the world, but you don’t know whose world you could be changing by simply sharing a smile, giving a compliment, holding a door, asking how someone is doing, offering to lend a helping hand or listening ear, etc. I strive to use my ladle every day by being a positive light in the lives of others, because even though the positivity I spread may be small in comparison to all the negativity in the world, it makes me feel better to know that I am at the very least capable of spreading happiness to the people I encounter every day. Ted Lammi once said, “whatever I do will be small in comparison to what I have been given.” I find this quote to be extremely applicable to my own life, because God has blessed me with a darn good life, and I figure the least I can do is share this goodness with others. 

Moral of the story? Yes, change is happening all around us, good and bad, but if we all used our ladles more than our spoons, our lives and the lives of those around us would start to change for the better. No matter what the outcome of the presidential election is tonight, “don’t let the static blind you to the joys of the world (Kermit Nielsen).” I promise you that the joys of the world are still out there…it’s just up to you to find them, see them, or better yet…create them. :) 

♥ Jane