Transparent Christian Magazine

I have experienced some spiritual growth this year.  There has been some improvement in the way I react to situations that used to make me anxious.  I stopped trying to please everybody every second of the day, and I’m learning to say “no” when it’s required..  Part of that is just a function of getting older, but I have felt an overall peace in my life lately that I attribute to a better relationship with Jesus.

So, last week, when someone “un-subscribed” from Transparent Magazine, I was caught off guard with my immediate sense of annoyance.  I thought I was beyond this, but my feelings got hurt a bit.  This person was very encouraging early on, and actually contributed some articles… So why did they unsubscribe?  I don’t know for sure, but I obsessed over a laundry list of thoughts:

Maybe an article wasn’t spiritual enough.

Maybe an article was too religious.

Maybe they got a new ‘feed reader’ like Netvibes or iGoogle, and they didn’t need to receive the updates in an e-mail any longer.

Maybe publishing 2 times a month is too often for Transparent.

Maybe publishing 2 times a month isn’t often enough.

Maybe they got a new e-mail address.

Maybe I forgot to respond to an e-mail they sent me at some point.

Maybe the articles weren’t well written.

Maybe they were too well written and were misunderstood.

Maybe I should write them and ask.

Maybe I shouldn’t.

[rinse, repeat]

Strangely in the same week, I had two people tell me that they loved my heart and I had contributed to their life in a positive way, but I certainly didn’t obsess over THEIR statements, so why on EARTH would something like an ‘un-subscription notice’ bother me so much?

Maybe it’s partially a societal problem. It does seem that in our lives and in our media, negativity gets more attention.  I stopped watching the TV News when my kids are around for this very reason… I’d rather them watch Spongebob than listen to a newscaster talk about some horrible tragedy.  (I hope i didn’t lose another subscriber by mentioning Spongebob!)

But a friend suggested another reason. He said (like it was obvious) “Seasons.” He followed that with “Jason, think of the people that have impacted your life in a positive way… Maybe a book you read, or a conversation you had, a class you took or someone you worked with… Maybe an old pastor, or an old friend, or maybe even someone you didn’t even know.  That book, conversation, person, relationship, or experience was in your life for a season.  You learned what you needed to learn and then it was over… Don’t sweat someone unsubscribing, they are simply in another season.  It doesn’t mean that they have outgrown Transparent; it just means that it isn’t right for them at this point in their life”.

Just like it started… the frustration was gone.

Love,
Jason