SACRIFICE MATURITY QUOTIENT

In previous Thoughts for a Sabbath Day I have mentioned how I have survived shopping excursions because I am an avid people watcher. Over the years of applying this survival technique I found myself making mental notes of the stranger/neighbors I was observing. I actually came up with an interesting methodology of categorizing the passing individuals in the mob.

Obviously, since my placing these people in relative positions in my made up system was totally superficial and nonscientific and, therefore, lacked any significant relevance to what their true characters might actually have been, they all remain innocent and unidentifiable.

Nevertheless, I feel there is some value in taking a few minutes to think about the observations and categorizing I was doing. I had even gone so far as to name my system.

Sacrifice Maturity Quotient

Although many subgroupings have eventually developed and been identified, most of the passing humanity I have been able to place into three main levels on the Sacrifice Maturity Quotient chart.

LEVEL ONE – THE BURDENED

LEVEL TWO – THE CONFUSED

LEVEL THREE – THE BLESSED

Like so many systems which attempt to quantify maturation behavior, and especially a totally subjective one like mine there has been no attempt to separate those who went into each group by age, height, nationality, hair color or shoe size.

As I sat on those benches, kindly provided by all mall managers for people of my ilk, the only way I had of measuring a person’s Sacrifice Maturity Quotient was to observe behavior or listen to passing conversations of stranger/neighbors and make mental accounting of behavior in regard to the stressful stimuli which attends shopping.

In the future, if you find yourself waiting patiently on a mall bench, you will have some expertise in identifying the level of
Sacrifice Maturity of the stranger/neighbors passing by. I give you the following descriptions of general behavior patterns demonstrated by people of each of the three broad levels of Sacrifice Maturity.

CAUTION: Before venturing forth or sitting forth, do not at any time make the mistake of trying to categorize yourself – this can cause reflection which might result in personal character building.

LEVEL ONE – THE BURDENED

Usually is seen walking with the chin very close to the chest.

Shoulders are often seen at an angle sloping down from the neck.

Often audible heavy sighs are heard being expelled from the mouth.

Conversations often contain expressions of there being a complete lack of time to complete the tasks they have to do each day.

Prolonged conversations are laden with verbiage which is being used to try to convince those who are accompanying them of the heaviness of their burdens.

LEVEL TWO – THE CONFUSED

Usually observed with the eyebrows tilted toward the bridge of the nose.

The shoulders are often found in the vicinity of the ear lobes.

The most common word in their vocabulary is what, as in ‘What am I supposed to be doing?’

Constantly find their days filled with going from one unfinished helping hand project to another.

Find it much easier to talk about what they should be doing rather than actually doing it.

LEVEL THREE- THE BLESSED

Usually their faces have an expression like they had just stepped out of the freshest shower having used the most marvelous cleansing soap ever developed.

Shoulders are often found pressed forward.

They are often heard using such words as wonderful, marvelous and beautiful when describing their day.

They seem to wake up each day excited about the great opportunities which await them during the coming day.

Often seem to be too busy to spend a lot of time talking about what they are doing.

GENERAL OBSERVATION: People who arrive at level three on the Sacrifice Maturity Quotient seem to have given up ownership of their resources, time and talents.

There now, with this guide you too can begin the process of becoming an expert judge of all your stranger/neighbor’s levels on the Sacrifice Maturity Quotient.

FINAL WARNING: Never, I say never, look in a mirror while making Sacrifice Maturity Quotient judgements. Even a passing glace could result in serious self-evaluation which could result in one becoming more Christ like.