"Me Vale"

While driving on the freeway the other day I saw a license plate that said “Me Vale” (pronounced May Vah Lay). It’s a Spanish slang term used in Mexico that basically is a term used to impose that something easily rolls off your shoulders or that it really doesn’t matter to you. It literally is translated as “To me it’s of worth,” but its connotation is of the opposite. Ironically enough that person cut us off while we were trying to pass a semi and the license plate became that much funnier to me. It’s a term I haven’t heard in a long time. At first it was funny but then I got to think of it a little more. Sometimes I think we all need to have that kind of attitude in our lives, not the one that puts you or others in danger (like the lady who cut us off) but the one where we don’t get offended by others. How often are we offended or upset by the actions, or lack of actions, of others and how often do we let those offenses separate us from the company of those that we used to enjoy? In our world of today we cannot control how we are treated; but we can control how we respond. Everyone has little things that set us off and more often than not it is the members of our own family or our friends that are the ones who either set us off (most times unintentionally or unknowingly) and/or receive the tail end of our anger. They are the ones that we distance our selves from and suffer more when we let these little things get in the way of our relationships. This is not the doctrine of Christ. Contention is not what he taught. In fact, he counseled against it and even gave instructions on how to act. “Turn the other cheek,” or “Give him your cloak,” or even “Go with him twain,” were the teachings of Christ. We need to implement the thought of “Me Vale” into our lives. Let us remember that it is not our family or friends whom we separate from our lives but that is our lives that we separate from our family and friends. We ostracize ourselves from the blessings that we could receive if we were to only keep in mind “Me Vale.” Remember that it isn’t others who offend us but our choice to take offense. There will always be times when family and friends bug us but always keep in your mind “Me Vale.” Once we learn to master this within our own families we can then apply it to the many other relationships that we have in this world, be it work, school, etc. The commandment of Christ is that we be one for if we are not one we are not his.