Day 28: A Light in the Dark

Cynicism is something that this world has too much of. This world sure can feel pretty full of despair. On the news you hear about nothing but celebrities, war, shootings and debt. At least it seems like it. Every once in a while you will hear of something that cheers you some, but it's definitely in the minority. Everyone has days where the clouds don't seem to want to leave, and you can't seem to shake off the gloom over your head.


Find somebody to encourage today. Even though you may not feel so great yourself, try to help someone else out. We all know how good it feels to know that someone else cares, and encouragement on a bad day can work wonders. Life can be dark sometimes, but when we get a good breath of fresh air, and a moment in the light, it makes all the difference. We all have the power to do this for someone else. Psalm 46 says,  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold." With God on our side, we have nothing to fear in this world. He is our source of strength, which he gives to us to be  lights to others. We are not here to be cynical and pessimistic, but instead to spread word of the hope that we have. 

"A word of encouragement during failure is worth an hour of praise after success." 

Day 26: The Golden Rule

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. ~Matthew 7:12

It's one of the greatest principles ever taught, but one of the hardest to actually learn. It's one that really tests your measure of self-control and your ability to treat others with respect. Living in a family of ten should've given me adequate practice, and I ought to be a master of the Golden Rule, but I am quite a failure at it. Most of the time I let my selfish whims get the best of me.

Trying to practice the Golden Rule in everything is extremely difficult, and the ability is reserved for those in the world who got a larger slice of the perfect pie, but that does not mean that you should not try at all. Imagine a world where everyone treated everyone else with the same kind of care and respect that we treat ourselves with. We, as flawed humans, are incapable of always treating others with that kind of respect, and it shows us how much need of a savior we have. All of our shortcomings do, and there is nothing we could do by ourselves. I have plenty of opportunities to practice, but I don't. You must truly have a desire to practice it, otherwise you will never succeed.

This corrupt world is full of people who think that they are better than others. Where else would racism, classes, and all manner of inequality and evil treatment of others come from? We all do it.Some more than others, but we are all guilty of putting ourselves before others, or degrading them by what we say and do. If the golden rule was law, then there would be very little need for any other. The Golden Rule is the foundation of civility that a society should be built on. It's rather interesting that the golden rule is taught by the main religions of the world, yet finding someone who truly lives by it is very difficult. Learn to treat others how you would like to be treated, put others before yourself and you have everything to gain. Even though you probably will never be able to always live by this rule, it is at least our duty to try, and trying is all that can be asked.

"Time is but the stream that I go a-fishing in." ~Henry David Thoreau

    My friend Peter was a young man with high hopes and a bright future the day he was T-boned by a truck going 60-70 mph. When he left his home the morning of July 29, 2010, he had no idea that his life was about to be drastically changed. With injuries all over his body, hope for Peter's full recovery looked bleak at first, but after about five months he was able to return home to the care of his family. When I first heard, I was totally shocked. I couldn't believe that the guy I had been debating with just a few weeks earlier, was in ICU with a high risk of brain damage. Life is unpredictable, and many of us take for granted the time that we have. Every day, an average of 115 people die in car accidents, and with the average death rate of 150,000 people per day, who knows, anyone could be next. Death has quite a schedule for today, so just pray that you're not on it. 

     Yeah, that is a scary thought, but we know that our future is in the hands of God. Our duty is to be thankful, and not waste the time that we have been given. Many times I have found myself bored, and unsatisfied with my situation, thinking about the next thing to I could look forward to. Benjamin Franklin said, "Lost time is never found again. You may delay, but time will not" What you do with the time you have is up to you, but time moves along for everyone, and there is no reason to lay around killing it. C.S. Lewis said, "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." 

      So many people think that they don't have enough time, but time is something that we always want more of, but we rarely know how to use. When you waste time, you waste life, and life is a gift given to us by God. Psalm 39:4-5 says, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!"

       Boredom is simply a state of mind. We can choose to be bored or dissatisfied, but remember that time waits for no one. The more of it you kill, the less life you have to live. Minutes don't seem like much, but minutes turn to hours, hours turn to days, and days to years. Time is given to us freely, and yet it is more valuable than gold. Life is unpredictable, so don't waste it while you have it. 

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. " 

~James 4:14

"We are time's subjects, and time bids be gone."

~William Shakespeare 

"If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'll finally fall in love
If today was your last day..."

~Nickleback

Day 18: Excuses, excuses

My dad doesn't like it when we have our five good reasons why we didn't do this or that, and I can't blame him. My bro's and I are all extremely talented at wheedling our ways out of dropped responsibilities,.. I hope we have gotten a little more responsible over time, but yeah, we've had our share of excuse making. Usually, our excuses are partially valid, but that doesn't mean we tried our best. Responsibility requires loyalty and faithfulness, and that's what excuses free us from. Learning responsibility early is a good thing and I'm thankful my parents have tried to make us responsible, even though we can be rather irre-so.. 


I think responsibilities greatest enemy is procrastination, something that gives me a lot of trouble. I can find a way to put anything off, and no matter how many times I heard about "pokey" who always put everything off, I find myself following in his cartoon footsteps. Thankfully, I have an excuse for every time I don't get something done, because I'm just awesome like that. 


Luke 16:10 says, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." 


I like the quote, "Excuses are the nails to build a house of failure." As long as you're excusing your way out of mistakes, you won't learn to accept them and improve. I really don't think I should be writing this blog post. 

"Bad men excuse their faults; good men abandon them."~Anonymous

Day #6: A Flame and a Sword

A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use. ~Washington Irving


I live in a rather large family, with seven other brothers and sisters, and all of us know how to push each other's buttons. In fact, we've become very skilled at using our mouths to rile a sibling that needs riling, and usually, our efforts are rewarded with a pleasant yelling match. 


The human race has been created with the ability of great good, and great evil. James 3:6 says, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Yes, a simple muscle as small as the tongue has the ability to give life, or bring death.  From the 11th, to 20th centuries, duels between two men were a common occurrence, and would often occur when one man would challenge another to a fight, in defense of his honor. Most of the time, it was started by one man simply insulting another. Personally, I would let someone call me anything they wanted before I would risk my life trying to defend my honor, but to each his own I guess. The point is, what we say has the power to change and affect a lot, and we, as Christians, are in this world to be a light to the darkness. To use our tongues to bring peace, instead of violence or destruction. It is given to us as a tool, and like most tools, our tongue is not to blame for what it says. What we say comes from our hearts, and our minds, and once we learn how to control our feelings and thoughts, then we will have control of our tongues. Matthew 15:11 tells us,  "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." 


It is very easy to give in to the desire to use our tongues for harm, but this is the nature of man. We must learn self-control, and remember the power of our tongues. One of the most harmful ways that we can use our tongues is to gossip. I have felt the pain and destruction that gossiping can bring and I would urge you to do your best, to not give your two cents behind someone else's back. I like quotes,  "Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip." ~Richard Steele


Nothing we say is insignificant, whether it be a simple, "How are you?", or a long-winded blog post, we will give account for it all.  


"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." ~Matthew 12:36