A man who had failed badly, said to me one day “Who would have thought that life would turn out this way?” When we start out in life we have big plans and dreams. Look out world here I come!
We know all the answers. We haven’t had many disappointments or setbacks yet. Life is going to be a breeze.
Then come the tests. Perhaps they come in your family or career or parents or sickness or some other crisis. Life begins to unravel and our dreams and plans begin to crumble.
Maybe now discouragement begins to set in and we think, “What is the use?” Our trust in people begins to disappear. Our future is unclear, at the best. My life has become a mess.
Then we may turn to family or friends for sympathy or advice. But, the influence is not good. Hope again begins to disappear. Our decisions are not good. We make more bad choices.
In all of this, you know you are a better person than this. Now you begin to fall into the bitter state. You want revenge or just to get even. Your world has come apart.
This is the picture of many people I meet and talk to every day. They are blamers and victims who have given up on life. This is not a very nice picture, but it is true. Drugs, alcohol and divorce are not the answer. But there is an answer and a way to turn your set- backs into come–backs. It will, however, take major changes and determination to overcome.
Here is something to think about. Life is short, and eternity is forever. Thinking about that may encourage us to make some changes.
First, you may have to change to new influences in your life; new friends and new ways to spend your free time.
Second, take inventory of your life. Not what you have lost but what you have left. How old are you? What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Do you want to be a victim of your circumstances or do you want to be an over-comer? You must decide.
Third, seek out a good Bible preaching church; one that teaches the truth to help you find your way in this world. Join a small group of Christians and let this influence your decisions and life. Let God help you build a life of success and fulfillment.
Last, but not least, commit your life to a worthy cause. Get your mind off of self and help others. This time in history is the best time for us because it is our time. We have no second life. One life is enough if we live it right.
When your life is over, what have you really accomplished?
Chaplain Bud
Christian Church at Cogan Station
(570) 998-2989
There is nothing drearier than a rainy day, especially in the fall. You feel colder than the temperature around you. It slows down our motivation, and we just want to stay home.
The weather is something mankind cannot control. God and nature are in charge of the weather. It’s a good thing because we would probably mess it up too.
But, there are things we can control, the heat in our houses for example. However, some people like the house real warm, while others like it cool. This we can control but few agree what the temperature should be. We are people with different minds.
We can’t control what other people do or think. This can be a problem too. Because we all have our ideas of behavior patterns, etc. Why is it this way? It has to do with our upbringing and the culture concerning what is acceptable and not acceptable. And each culture thinks they are the only ones who are right.
We can’t control how others dress and talk. This is also frustrating to some people. Our dress code does send a message of who we are and how we think. Like it or not we are judged by how we dress, as much as how we talk.
Control is what we all like. We think because we are in control, we can control the outcome. In some cases, this is true but not always.
The world has too many uncertainties. Each day can bring the unthinkable, regardless of our plans. Death, sickness, crisis of many kinds, accidents, weather, changes in the economy, politics, and on it goes. We walk among uncertainties every day, yet we are the eternal optimists.
I said all that to say this; life has few guarantees. Does that make life wrong or bad? No, it does not; in fact that makes it more exciting. Because this body or this life, however long you live, is the only one you get. And one life is enough if you live it right.
The one thing that is very certain and you can take it to the bank, is that we will all die sometime. Some younger and some older, but we will all die. We cannot escape this in spite of our medical and technological knowledge. It is certain.
Now, knowing these facts, consider how important everyday is to you. Don’t waste one day because you can’t get it back.
Here is another fact. Mankind is different from all God’s creations, because we have a soul and spirit. When we die they are under God’s control, not ours. God has prepared a place called Heaven for those who chose to obey Him in this life and are born again. For others who chose not to obey God, He has prepared a place for them too. It’s in punishment for our disobedience. In this life time we make our choice where will be our final resting place for the soul and the spirit.
Yes, this world has much we can control and can’t control. But take advantage of what you can control while you have time. Don’t waste this life. It’s too important.
Chaplain Bud
How we spend our days, is really how we spend our lives. And, we only have one life to spend.
Here is the real question: Does your life have meaning?
Why or Why not?
Meaning is what you build your life around. Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties; of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you; out of the values and understandings and out of the things you believe in; out of the things and people you love, and out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something.
The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into a pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does then success or failure is of less account.
Too many people live their lives without true meaning. You have to build meaning into your life, and you build it through commitment. Your identity is what you are committed to.
As you look at your life, what are you committed to? What takes most of your energy and time? What fulfills you the most? Is it your family, your job, your title, your success, your materialism, your friends, your faith, etc. This is where you are getting your meaning whether you understand it or not.
A wasted life is the greatest waste of all because you only get one. You only get one shot at getting it right. Yet thousands of people are misable everyday because they have no meaning and are wasting their days. Life will pay you exactly what you are willing to sacrifice and work for.
My life has real meaning because of my faith in God. My faith brings real meaning to life, to my family, my career, and all my relationships. Through my faith I have learned the very important principles for having a life that is fulfilling and has meaning.
Each of us must find our own meaning and purpose in life. When I find people with good attitudes, they have found true meaning. Happy married people, or people happy in their careers, or successful business people, they have found true meaning.
Our lives are really like seasons. The springtime is our youth; our learning time to prepare us for life. The summertime is our preparing and planting time. We marry, bring children into the world, earn a living, and sometimes waste these good years. It too is a learning time.
Then comes fall; it’s the reaping time. Reaping what we have sowed. To some the harvest is great and to others it’s bad or no crop at all. Then the wintertime; the time we realize the truth. Did my life have meaning? Am I a victim of a wasted life or has life been good for me?
As long as you are breathing there is hope. If you need to make changes, do it. Find true meaning in your life before it is too late.
Chaplain Bud