A Better Me

Several days ago, an old church song came to mind. I cannot remember how long it has been since I last heard it. It just stuck in my mind and at least daily, comes back to me. The song lyrics are “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me”

Those lyrics are a prayer that most of us should probably pray. Whether you are a believer in God or not, these words can still apply to us.

MELT ME

Overall, I like who I am. Sometimes this is a problem. When we like ourselves, we do not always see the things that hold us back in life. We do not always see the hatred, jealousy, selfish ambitions, and strife that often cause us problems. We see them in others, but not in ourselves, because we tend not to look at the weaknesses we have allowed to become a part of who we are. We need to rid ourselves of the things that hold us back. Melt away the imperfections as fire melts away impurities. No one likes seeing himself or herself as they really are. Very few people like change when it comes to searching our hearts, minds, and attitudes. Letting go of bad ideas, regrets, and offenses is not easy. Change is not always fun, but in order to succeed in life, we cannot stay where we are. We must get better.

MOLD ME

Once we have moved past the melting process, we need to move on to the next phase. Become molded into something useful. Do not fall back into the trap of letting the ugly parts of your previous condition form again. We need to transform into something that is pleasing and acceptable. We need to renew our minds. We often claim to be open-minded, but often fall short of that when people disagree with us. Stop seeing others as less important. Start thinking about things that are actually true. Think about things that are positive and pure. Let us stop looking for things about which to complain and start finding things to praise. There is still so much good in the world. We need to start focusing on those things more often.

FILL ME

Being an empty vessel does not serve a purpose. Removing the useless stuff in our lives requires a refilling. An empty container does not stay empty forever. An unfilled container will eventually get dust and spider webs or worse. Do not refill your hearts and minds with the same bad stuff. Be filled with love. We say we love others but we often demonstrate the opposite. Love others as you love yourself. Put joy into your life. Step back and smell the flowers. Receive peace. Allow kindness and goodness to become a part of who you are.  Temperance is also something we need to add. Without it, we lose our way.

USE ME

We are here for a purpose. We may not realize what our purpose is, but it is not to sit around doing nothing. We need to be useful. We need to start rejoicing with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep. Help those that need help. Encourage those that need encouragement. Teach what you know. Show mercy. Help others rather than waiting for others to help you. Bless others even if they try to harm you. Associate with people that are not exactly like you. Think of others, regardless of who they are, to be important. Be a participator in people’s lives but not busybodies. Listen before speaking. There is a world that needs help, so find out what you can do to help.

I truly want the Spirit of the living God to fall upon me. I want to have God’s personality, love, and strength. That only comes when you allow him to melt, mold, fill and use you. We often try to become self-made people, but no one is entirely self-made. Someone helped us get to where we are. I would rather have God get me to where he wants me to be. 

An Inconvenient Truth

In 2006, the documentary An Inconvenient Truth premiered showing Al Gore's lecture series on global warming. To some, this was a rallying cry to fix the environment. To others, this was a work of fiction that was just a waste of time and a money-making scheme by the former vice president. However, this is not a politically motivated blog. We all have our opinions on the subject, and most will not change. 

The title is what caught my attention and makes me ask the question: Why is truth inconvenient? 

Most of the time we are caught up in our ways. We have created our own realities based on tradition, history, culture, superstitions, and even downright lies. We even try to rewrite our history to make it flow with our own personal convictions. When truth and our personal realities do not agree with each other, we often choose to believe what makes us feel better about ourselves. 

Truth does not change because you do not like it. Truth does not change because it hurts your feelings or makes you feel bad. Truth is simply true. 

Someone on hallucinogens may believe he can fly. That does not change the truth that the law of gravity is true. Unfortunately, the families of those that have attempted to jump off buildings believing they can fly have to face the inconvenient truth that truth overpowered the perception of reality. 

Truth can hurt. No one likes to hear that they are lazy or incompetent at their jobs during performance reviews. Most people hear bad things and jump to the conclusion that the boss does not know the truth about how great we really are. Maybe we should listen and see what we can do to improve. maybe the boss knows more about you than you think. 

I remember one of my first reviews at a job. I knew exactly what they were going to say. I am detail-oriented but am old and slow. I even told the boss that before she started. I was right about what was written, though not in those words. You cannot tell someone they are old on the job for fear of legal ramifications. 

The bosses are normally told to tell mention complimentary thing about you and one thing upon which you can improve. To me, this is insane. I know there is more than one thing in which I can improve. I also know that I am better at more than just one thing. However, sometimes we do not want to hear the truth.

There are greater truths that are more inconvenient than those that are job-related. We need to stop trying to find truth in songs, comedy acts, social media or anything like this. Truth stands the test of time and does not change because of our ever-changing culture.

Many people disregard scientific discoveries because it does not coincide with their theological point of view. The inconvenient truths that science has revealed are that people may have misinterpreted the scriptures. Rather than go back and look at the scriptures to see if we missed the point, we choose to ignore science. 

Others choose to ignore the scriptures because they cannot believe in something that goes against their cultural biases. Many questions God and his word though they themselves have never read or studied it. Others avoid it claiming hypocrisy in the church. The inconvenient truth here is those same people believe professors, politicians, actors, and scientists forgetting about the hypocrisy that goes on in those professions. 

Some people say the truth will set you free. That is not entirely accurate. In order for the truth to set you free, you must know the truth. The Bible says, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Truth is our there for us to know. Do not ignore it because you do not like what it says. Search for truth. Be willing to accept that you may be wrong. Let the truth dictate what you believe and not your own thoughts and feelings.  

Friendship

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas, I wrote about dealing with the storms of life. After just a short couple of weeks, Hurricane Irma brought a lot of damage and destruction to Florida. I have family that stayed behind because of job responsibilities. I have friends that were able to evacuate to my house for safety. Hurricanes are no jokes. They upset people’s lives.

Because of troubled times, we often see the best and the worst of people. Scam-artists take people for every penny they own or at least as much as they can swindle out of them. Price gouging becomes a reality. Thieves are looking for abandoned homes to see what to steal.

While there are plenty of bad characters out there, I prefer to see the good. The people who uproot their lives to help people tear down and rebuild homes.  The neighbors that stay behind to protect their homes as well as the surrounding houses that belong to others. The check writers that help finance the rebuilding, feeding, and schooling.

I am thankful that I had friends that allowed me to evacuate to their homes when I needed to leave. I am thankful for the family members that took my family and me into their homes for extended periods during the aftermath of our disaster. I try to provide the same opportunity to others who are in need of help.

This is where being a true friend is important.

Some friends are only there as long as everything is going smoothly. When the good times are rolling, they are there. Then they disappear at the first sign of trouble.

Some friends are only friends as long as you pay for everything. They never help and only seem to be friends because there is something in it for them. The trouble is that they never truly invest in the relationship. When the money runs out or you have given all you can give, those friends disappear.

Some friends are friends when you are around, but gossip behind your back. They are only friends now, so they do not feel alone. Normally they are insecure and just want people to like them, but as long as someone is around it does not need to be you. They use friends as a security blanket until the next cool person come around and then they go away.

I have a few good friends. Those that even when I have not seen them over extended periods will be there when I need them. I can communicate with them as if we were never apart. I can joke with them in ways that others may not understand, but it works for us. The friends that I let into my heart are true friends.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  (Proverbs 18:24 NIV)

I try to be a reliable friend. I am not just a friend in the moment. I enjoy spending time with my friends. I enjoy a quick text. I enjoy sharing my experiences with them. I do not require them to do anything but be themselves and to let me be myself. Sometimes people cannot handle me truly being myself, though I admit I can be a lot to handle.

Friendship is a choice. Choose your friends wisely.  Be the best friend that you can be. Show yourself friendly to everyone. 

Labor Day

Labor Day is a day we celebrate the contributions of the labor force. It is a day we honor American workers. Many workers get the first Monday of September as a holiday from work. When attached with the weekend, some people enjoy a 3 - 4-day weekend. 

The day is celebrated in various ways. Some family or friends gather to barbecue. Some like to sleep late. Some prefer to go shopping and continue contributing to the economy. Unfortunately, the retail workers at the stores in which they shop do not get to celebrate this holiday. Neither do many other Americans, like first responders, medical personnel, and many others. To those that do not get to celebrate this holiday due to having to work, I thank you.

This Labor Day weekend has not been great. Many people are recovering from last week's hurricane. This week we see another approaching hurricane causing many to worry. Allergies have me under the weather, but nothing compared to those who have been stuck in hospitals having surgery.

Labor Day weekend does bring excitement for a lot of people. Football games that matter begin to take place. While Summer is not over, we see Fall starting to sneak in a little here and there. Don't believe me, check the shelves at your local stores and count the items with Pumpkin Spice flavor. Nothing like overdoing a flavor. How many Fall and Halloween items are already in the stores? I have already been to one store with Christmas stuff for sale. Never too early to prepare, I guess.

Soon the weather will not be so unbearably hot, here in the south. It makes you want to be outside a little more. The tree in my front yard is always the first tree in the neighborhood whose leaves change colors and fall off. I see that has already begun to happen. 

The world does not stop because of holidays. Life goes on. Good things will happen. Bad things will happen. Season come and seasons go. Only God remains the same regardless of how we try to manipulate him into what we want. 

As you enjoy your holiday or even if you have to work, treat those to whom you come in contact with love. It does not matter if you agree with them. Treat them with respect. Jesus spoke to people with whom the religious people would never speak. He loved them despite their background. He turned no one away.  He did not agree with many of their personal choices, but he loved them and wanted them to be set free. If Jesus loved the unlovable, who are we not to love each other.