Author Eric Hoffer writes: "The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, BORN OF A VAGUE FEAR WE ARE WASTING OUR LIFE. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else--we are the busiest people in the world."
I've 'sat with' with many men and women (some pastors) that have expressed the same concern: "a vague fear of wasting their life." Some of these people you and I know quite well. It seems the pastors, however measured today, are especially prone to forego their personal 'Jesus time'. It's not that they actually plan to forget but more that they forget to plan. After all, we are all human!
I've heard it said hundreds of times from the pulpit AND from friends. It usually goes like this: "People think all I do is sit and read the Bible. Truth is, there's hardly time." Then the person and/or pastor realizes their own solution: and that is, CHANGE.
Sadly, people (and pastors) are too busy watching the last nights crime-drama on TV. They justify it by saying, "It's amazing graphics! I just want to see how they do all that stuff!"
If it wasn't so serious it would be quite comical, because "How they do all that stuff" is part of THE ORIGINAL SIN!! Consider this: "Pssst! Hey Eve! Look at this!" Yup! the Master of Distraction gets us all caught up in the proverbial art of the drama. Then, we go to bed with graphic crime scenes in our head (rhymes). The next morning we are TOO TIRED to wake EARLY for some Jesus time/direction!
We would ALL do better if we turned off the TV, laptop etc., retire early and PLAN to rise early if that's what it takes. If we don't, the next thing we know......."PSSST! Hey! (your name here). Yeah, you! Come here. Look at this!!!" And then we are out the door....busy! Then we worry...we MIGHT be wasting our life. Life's nets of distraction, ARE well, ....attractive! It's normal and especially easy for ALL of us to skip a moment with God. Although MAKING time to talk to God is absolutely necessary, a quick prayer as we drive down the highway and/or local byways is STILL a prayer and beneficial. It makes a difference! Don't listen to the demonic whispers that say, "You're wasting your life!" ~~~Pray /\
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Changing The View
It was a blessing to attend a Christian boarding high school. It was a co-ed school and each dormitory employed a Dean. I remember the Dean of Men as being an especially helpful and Christian man. One specific trait was that he was especially tidy. It was his style to be clean and neatly pressed and he appreciated the school looking tidy as well. During a dorm evening-worships it was common to hear him especially emphasize: "If we all pitch-in and pick-up trash, the school would be cleaner and always presentable." It wasn't rocket-science and the school wasn't especially untidy but some young men seemed to have a knack for littering. Of course this trash-tossing habit tends to spoil the view of many. One bad peach DOES spoil (eventually) the whole basket. One wind-strewn Windscript (school paper) DOES spoil the view!
A day after emphasizing to us the need to stop and pick-up papers and trash, a few of us were in the hallway chatting with the Dean. There on the floor, just 20 ft. from us sat a half page of notebook paper. The Dean walked over and picked it up, walked to his desk, opened his wallet and taped a $5.00 bill to the paper. He then walked over to floor and laid the paper (money-side down) on the floor! He advised, "None of you guys touch this. Let's see who will do a good deed and be rewarded!"
Several guys walked by the legal tender 'trash'. Some men stood by it. One guy stepped on it. Everybody was caught-up in their own world; their own zone. Their VIEW was barely beyond their own noses. Five dollars might not seem like a lot but when the possibility of receiving an unexpected gift happens, it tends to spice up your day!
As we all watched, the excitement grew within us. Somebody surely would remember the Dean's litter emphasis!! But NOBODY took the time to bend down and do a good deed. When it seemed as if the trash would remain on the floor and the money undiscovered, a rather quiet, unassuming guy strolled by, bent down, grabbed the paper and turned it over. The look on his face was absolute joy! The Dean said, "That's yours. Keep it. Thanks for cleaning up the view."
Thirty plus years later I am still casually picking up pieces of trash all in the effort of improving the view. (I always turn it over.)
Yesterday, I drove to the grocery store, parked and walked across the parking lot. On the ground was a rectangular 3 X 5 piece of paper. Yes, I bent down and picked it up.....turned it over. It was a lottery scratch-off ticket that HAD NOT been scratched!!! It read, "Scratch and win up to $100,000.00!!!! I've never purchased a lottery scratch-off ticket but it didn't take me long to start **scratching!!!
After my visit to the grocery store, I drove to the park to go for a jog. I picked up some scattered pieces of paper on the ground (after all these years, it's a habit) and jogged to the next trash-bin, opened it and there sat $7.00 screaming, "ME! ME! Take ME!"
Although I encourage ALL to "Keep Your Head Up"! I also encourage everyone to watch where you are stepping AND clean up just around YOU! You never know how you will be rewarded!
Thanks Dean! You taught me to change my view AND the view of many others!!
~Pray /\
~Stefan
**No. I didn't win a dime!! But.... my view continues to change!!!
A day after emphasizing to us the need to stop and pick-up papers and trash, a few of us were in the hallway chatting with the Dean. There on the floor, just 20 ft. from us sat a half page of notebook paper. The Dean walked over and picked it up, walked to his desk, opened his wallet and taped a $5.00 bill to the paper. He then walked over to floor and laid the paper (money-side down) on the floor! He advised, "None of you guys touch this. Let's see who will do a good deed and be rewarded!"
Several guys walked by the legal tender 'trash'. Some men stood by it. One guy stepped on it. Everybody was caught-up in their own world; their own zone. Their VIEW was barely beyond their own noses. Five dollars might not seem like a lot but when the possibility of receiving an unexpected gift happens, it tends to spice up your day!
As we all watched, the excitement grew within us. Somebody surely would remember the Dean's litter emphasis!! But NOBODY took the time to bend down and do a good deed. When it seemed as if the trash would remain on the floor and the money undiscovered, a rather quiet, unassuming guy strolled by, bent down, grabbed the paper and turned it over. The look on his face was absolute joy! The Dean said, "That's yours. Keep it. Thanks for cleaning up the view."
Thirty plus years later I am still casually picking up pieces of trash all in the effort of improving the view. (I always turn it over.)
Yesterday, I drove to the grocery store, parked and walked across the parking lot. On the ground was a rectangular 3 X 5 piece of paper. Yes, I bent down and picked it up.....turned it over. It was a lottery scratch-off ticket that HAD NOT been scratched!!! It read, "Scratch and win up to $100,000.00!!!! I've never purchased a lottery scratch-off ticket but it didn't take me long to start **scratching!!!
After my visit to the grocery store, I drove to the park to go for a jog. I picked up some scattered pieces of paper on the ground (after all these years, it's a habit) and jogged to the next trash-bin, opened it and there sat $7.00 screaming, "ME! ME! Take ME!"
Although I encourage ALL to "Keep Your Head Up"! I also encourage everyone to watch where you are stepping AND clean up just around YOU! You never know how you will be rewarded!
Thanks Dean! You taught me to change my view AND the view of many others!!
~Pray /\
~Stefan
**No. I didn't win a dime!! But.... my view continues to change!!!
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