Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture doée

Today’s idiom means “a good name is better than wealth” or literally, “a good name is worth more than a golden girdle.” Last week at a house party with some locals, our discussion lead to the question “what do we value in life?” This arose from a personal fascination between value placement and the feminine/masculine temperament

For one lady: her friends; the people she shares experience and time with

For another lady: her friends and family; the people she knows will be dependable and accountable

For a gentleman: the connective energy and support of creating community and environments where people “belong”

For me I have the similar value placement: to create space for people to belong and connect on a deep level

For another gentleman: friends and career; for the contribution to humanity, his legacy.

These values drive our passions and interactions with others and talking about them bring a wealth of understanding, transparency, and relationship.

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Coming back to our idiom, “a good name is better than wealth” this value placement on one’s character, integrity, interaction with others is greater than the temporal, the material, the what you can buy from others. In a larger sense maybe on could say this value placement is selflessness.

I went to my first church service last night at L’église Liberté. Their services are spoken in English and then translated into French, a perfect practice for language comprehension. The message was on making the right decisions in life, how to be flexible in life, and also how to connect to our calling and purpose. A phrase that spoke to me the most from the Australian lady pastor was “Maybe the reason why you are so anxious is because you are following someone else’s calling.” Let me take one step further and say when we don’t pursue what we “value” then it is like we are living someone else’s life. Personally, I feel the weight or expectation of other people’s expectations, value judgement or placement over my life. Instead if I commit to my own core value of creating community, connection, and an intimate environment; then I can see what I need to cut out of my life, how to make the right decisions, and pursue with joy and passion to path set before me.

Needless to say the service was good, a church home away from home. The worship was the same songs I sang at my home church in Coeur d’Alene, however in French. The people were charismatic and loving, and the Holy Spirit was present.