The Kite

Have you ever had a decision to make and wanted to make the right one? It is not always easy to make the right choice. We see wrong choices being made every day. Even in the scriptures, we see bad choice after bad choice. Lot chose the wrong place to live and lost his possessions, his wife, and his freedom. King David chose to commit adultery causing him to lose an infant son, his daughter to be molested by her half-brother, and a rebellion led by his own son.

All decisions can have blessings or curses. We need to make the right choices. Sometimes we make all the choices ourselves, but we should rely on godly counselors that God has placed in our lives. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance, the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.” But who can you trust?

God has given every one of us a set of parents. They have more experience in this life and will often be glad to share their wisdom. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (Col 3:20) It is amazing how smart I became when my son went to college. Even in my forties, I consulted my dad for his opinions. However, parents are not the only ones God has in our life to consult.

For many of us, he has given us a spouse. Too seldom do we consult each other in decision making. The Bible tells us that we need to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph 5:21) This passage talks about our spouses. We might think that we rule the house and are to make all decision, but those decisions should be a joint effort.

God has also given us spiritual leaders. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Heb 13:17) Your leaders want you to make wise decisions that will help you succeed and please God.

Another group of people from which we can seek help is experts. Attorneys, doctors, auto mechanics can give much better advice in their fields than the average person.

Probably the most important counsel that we receive is the peace of God. When we are guided by God, His peace is on the scene. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Col 3:15)

We may not like the counsel we get because we think it may hold us back. “My parent/boss/pastor doesn’t understand and is holding me back.” Statements like this are made all the time. What we soon forget is that they want us to succeed. They do not want us to be held back.

There is a story about a kite that loved to fly high. It would fly as high as it could possibly go, but it would always feel this tugging. It was the string. The kite thought that if the string would just let go than it could fly even higher. One day, the kite tried really hard to fly higher and higher. It kept pulling and pulling until the string finally broke. The kite thought that with the string now gone it would be able to fly higher. The problem, he found out, is that without the string, there was nothing to guide it. The kite would crash into the ground.

The moral of this story is: The thing that holds you back is the thing that holds you up.

What do you want to eat?

Whether there are only two people or many, the question of where or what to eat seems to come up. We often repeat the question several times because no one wants to make a decision. Finally, after getting tired or hungry, someone names a place, and everyone settles for it.

More often than not, people know what they do not want but are not sure of what it is they truly desire. Others just do not want to make a choice in fear that others may reject what they really want. 

Today, I saw a car on the interstate trying to decide whether to exit or not. He finally took the exit and at the last possible minute swerved back in front of me to stay on the interstate. Fortunately, my brakes work well, and an accident was avoided.

Indecision is a problem. Some things, like dining out, are not as important as causing possible crashes.  Some things matter a lot more. I would never want to hear a plumber tell me that they were unable to decide if the natural gas lines in my house were leaking or not.

We need to make decisions. It is not always a fun thing to do. What do you want out of life? How do you plan to accomplish your goals? Will others need to assist with your plans? There are questions that need answering.

One of the decisions we must make is to have faith or live in doubt. It is a choice that we must make. If you think something is possible, it is. If you doubt you can do it, you probably will not. If you cannot decide what to believe, you have already begun the process of failing.

If you choose to live in faith, you must decide what it is that you choose to believe. I chose how I wanted to raise my family. I chose to believe that my plan would work. I chose not to abandon that plan. After 25 years, my choice seems to have paid off. This does not mean I made no mistakes. I just had to adjust a few things here and there to keep on track.

Making the right choices helps you achieve what you want. The Bible even says when you ask anything from God you must ask in faith without doubting. If you doubt, do not think you should receive anything from him.

Whether in business, relationships, or just in life itself, be confident of what you want. Be confident in your choices. I often hear that making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. That is true because you can always fine-tune things along the way. You cannot alter your direction if you are not going anywhere.

The Heat Index

“It is not just the heat. It is the humidity.” How many times have we heard this saying? Living in the south, you hear it almost daily most of the year. The other term we hear for a short time is the wind chill factor.  A formula determines what the temperature feels like to our bodies.  The National Weather Service came up with the formula used today.

I have no idea what 95° feels like because when it is 95°, the meteorologists tell me it feels like 110°. What does 110° feel like? I have no clue because if it gets to 110°, they will tell me it feels like something else. What type of scientific nonsense is this?

I wear a t-shirt outside, and my coworker wears an overcoat on the same day. I am certain that he does not agree with how I think the temperature feels.  My body tells me whether it is hot or cold. I do not need someone else to determine if I need a coat or a pair of shorts based on the weather.

I would love to have a job that tells people how it feels today. “Your dog died, and your car broke down, but it is going to feel great today.”  However, news stations pay good money to people telling us how the weather is going to feel.  Can I not just go outside and see what it feels like me?

We also allow others to do this in other areas of our lives. People tell us how we should think. Some tell us how we should feel. Others tell us what to do. When did we stop thinking, feeling and doing for ourselves?

When my dad died, some said I should be happy because he is in a better place. I would not consider my feelings as happy. He may be better off, but I am not thrilled that I will not see or hear him again until after I am gone. Sure, I miss him and go on with my happy life, but happy that he is dead is not an option to me.

When things have gone wrong in my life, some have told me I should be angry. What good does being angry do? I choose to move on and see the better things in life. In the same manner, I have heard people say, “Get over it.” Maybe that is how you feel, but you do not feel the way I do. Some people take longer to get over things. That is all right. Let them take their time.

Often people ask me how I can go through the things I have and keep a smile on my face. The answer is simple. I choose to enjoy life. That does not mean I am always happy, but I try to let the unhappy times be short.

What I am trying to say is do not let others tell you what to do or how to feel. It is your life. Others can influence you, but you have to make the choices and live with them. Choose wisely.

Leaving The Past Behind

Today is my dad’s 90^th birthday. We celebrated his life yesterday with a party of many friends and family in attendance. There was a slideshow running on the television sets that showed many old pictures.  I saw reminders of some good times as well as some bad hair days and some horrible wardrobe choices.  

This past week I have been thinking a lot about the past; the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes we get stuck in the past and forget to look upon today.

There is nothing wrong with remembering the past. I remember watching Married with Children and hearing Al Bundy talk about his glorious moment of scoring four touchdowns in a single high school football game. There is a big difference in remembering the past and living in the past. Al Bundy didn’t care for his present so instead of looking to improve his position in life and perhaps his future, he chose to dwell on past glories.

When we get married, many make the vow for better or for worse. That works right until the point things are no longer better and people decide their vows were just words with no meanings. We do not have to settle for the way things are but it takes work, desire, and a decision to make things better.

This post is not about marriage and divorce. This is about anyone’s past.

Many of us remember the good that we have done. Maybe we helped someone, gave a donation to a cause, or encouraged someone to do the right thing. Whatever the good is that we have done is not all there is.

In professional sports there is a saying, “what have you done for me lately.” It is great that we have good point in our past. However, they are in the past. There is a world of people that still need help. Remembering people with needs or praying for them is good, but there is so much more that we can do. We can do those things but we also must feed the hungry, give drink t the thirsty, invite those who have no place to stay and be hospitable to those who are not like us. We can donate clothes to those who have nothing. Some people just want someone to talk to or a visit from someone, even from someone that they do not know. I applaud the good that has been done. What are we going to do today?

 There is also a matter of those who have made poor choices. I know I have.  I also know that if I went back, I would be the same person and probably make the same choices again. It is not that I would want to make those choices. I just know how I am. I choose not to live with regrets. Those choices have led me to be the person I am today. That doesn’t mean things could not have been better. Those choices, however, allowed me to make friends with people that I never would have met.  They have allowed me to live where I live. They have allowed me to gain skills that were previously unknown. Regrets hold us back. Look at where you are and be thankful that things are not as bad as they could have been. Be thankful for what you have. Accept the things that have happened and learn from them. Realize you have survived some bad choices. Move on to a brighter tomorrow by leaving the past behind.

People sometimes provide scars or have changed your past. Some may have been on purpose while others a matter of circumstance. We need to get past the scars and the hurts. Bitterness and hatred affect us not just emotionally but also physically. If we give up the right to hate or to be mad and choose to love and forgive, we would be much happier. The choice to do this is not always easy. I have people who have hurt me. Not living with anger makes my life much more enjoyable. I am at peace because of this choice. It doesn’t mean I should accept my position in life. It means the past is not a place worth dwelling and I choose to move forward.

I will make wrong choices. I will also make right ones. Whatever will happen will happen. I may remember the past, but I will not live there. The future is too bright.