the ideal day to learn when to walk away and when to run.
“No temptation has over taken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB
A once-popular song contains the phrase, “Know when to walk away, know when to run.”
While the use of the phrase in the song wasn’t speaking to the issue of temptation, this is actually excellent advice for each one of us and it is very important we understand its meaning.
Every person faces temptation. The type and severity may differ, but we all are confronted with it, and there is no sin in the temptation itself. How we deal with it differs from person to person, but we must each determine for ourselves how best to do that. Some temptations may be “little” ones that we are strong enough to simply walk away from. Others may present a greater challenge and we may find it necessary to run away.
As Paul tried to teach the members of the Church in Corinth, “God…will provide the way of escape….” He will be there to provide us with the strength that we need and the speed that we need to quickly and safely remove ourselves from the reach of temptation’s grasp.
But we need to learn to turn to God first when we are tempted.
Evil is very seductive. Evil comes to us wrapped in attractive packages. Evil presents itself as harmless. Evil has one objective and one objective only, and that is to get each of us to succumb to its temptation and compromise our honor, our integrity, our character, and our relationships with our spouses, families, friends and – of the utmost importance – God.
When Jesus’ brother, James, wrote to Jewish Christians who lived outside of Palestine, he was very clear in stating the potential for disaster when we don’t walk, or run, away from temptation.
“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15 NIV).
When we walk – or run – away from temptation and ultimately, sin, we actually turn towards God. The more we focus on God; the more we ask for His strength; the more we proclaim our faith and love of the Lord and all He stands for, the less we will be threatened by the seductive nature of evil and the temptations that exist all around us.
The more we learn about the power of God, the easier it is to recognize those times when we can feel safe simply walking away, or when we had better run.
“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” Mark 9:24 NIV
When Christ first began His mission on earth, He certainly had His work cut out for Him. After all, people were expecting a king, and He gave them a carpenter.
“Unbelief” was the belief of the day.
“Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. And His sisters live right here among us.’ They were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.” (Mark 6:3 NLT).
Christ found it necessary to include miracles along with His teaching to demonstrate that He was, indeed, who He said He was. Of course, the very nature of Christ was miraculous and He did not have to conjure up magic potions or say magic words to heal the sick and the lame or to cast out evil spirits. The faith of people – their belief – grew steadily as He walked the countryside and talked to the people He encountered.
He helped people to overcome their ‘unbelief.’ He helped people to believe in Him.
The problem for many people today is that their expectations are not realistic. Christ does not walk the earth today. He is present and He is among us in Spirit, of course, but He does not physically walk the earth healing people and casting out demons.
But do not for one moment think that He can no longer help us overcome any “unbelief,” or doubt, that we may have.
When Christ lived among us, His actions and His words eventually formed the basis for the entire New Testament of the Bible. It is rich in eyewitness accounts of the miracles and the work done by Christ as He brought His message to as many people as He could. The advantage that we have over all the people of His day is enormous. While we cannot physically share in the incredible privilege of walking next to Christ and watching Him teach and heal the sick and lame, we can relive those moments time and time again by picking up the Bible and traveling the countryside with Christ.
When our belief needs a boost, we can obtain it through the wonderful God-breathed words found in the recounting of Christ’s life, and in the retelling of the circumstances of His death and His resurrection.
What an honor it would have been to be in His presence and witness firsthand the tremendous impact that He had on people. But through our faith we are saved and have gained the right to sit with Him one day, and by turning to the stories of His life, His death, and His resurrection to help reinforce our belief in the power and the glory of Christ our Lord, we will remain strong and true in that faith.
The help we need each day lies within the pages of the book that tells His story. Open it today and get a boost for your belief.
“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.” 2 Peter 1:10 NLT
What is it that God has called us to do?
What have we been chosen for?
Two seemingly difficult questions that are not all that complicated if we will simply take the time to look at the talents and abilities that God has given us and then pray for His guidance in using them according to His will, and to achieve His purpose.
The vast majority of us here on earth are just “regular” people. We are not world leaders or world famous. We are just the average people next door trying to do the best for our families while serving the Lord. We know that God is important but, as is the case in many instances, He is sometimes relegated to the back burner because we have taken on too many responsibilities.
Something has to give, and it is usually our relationship with God that suffers. When things do slow down enough for us to consider the matter, many of us find ourselves asking, “Am I doing enough?”
First of all, we need to do everything that we do with the right attitude. Even our “regular” jobs should be done with God in mind.
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Ephesians 6:7 NLT).
If we can bring ourselves to do that, we will have taken a big step towards “doing enough,” because if God is in our minds and hearts while we work, we can be sure that people will notice a happiness, peacefulness and joy of spirit that might cause them to inquire, affording us the opportunity to tell them that, “God makes me this way.”
One important fact to consider is this: If we are asking the question of ourselves, we are showing concern and that is another step towards “doing enough.” When we are constantly looking for ways to serve God, serve our fellow man, and we use our gifts and talents – no matter how great or small – in service to both, we will find ourselves feeling more and more fulfilled.
Rather than trying to “do enough,” we will simply always be striving to do more.
You see, God has no requirements, minimums or quotas. He wants us to use His lessons and our hearts to determine how to serve. Among the good advice Paul gave to the Romans was, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (Romans 12:11 NLT).
This does not mean we can never just sit back and relax. It simply means that our relaxation should mean something because it has come about as a result of our work to serve God, spread His message, and help those around us.
The easiest way to know is this: When we don’t have to ask ourselves if we are doing enough, we probably are.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
God cannot make this promise without me believing that it applies even in this disease. My hope is in the Lord, and in that hope lies a spectacularly bright future. That said, there is nothing in that promise that says it will be a long future or that complete healing is in that future.
So without complete healing or a very long life, where does the potential for ‘spectacular’ lie?
Let’s face it. Cancer, in all of its ugly, vicious, forms (and there are many) simply carries with it an unbelievable amount of pain, suffering, and death.
The number of new cases of just the top 5 most common types of cancer expected this year are staggering:
Lung (2.09 million cases)
Breast (2.09 million cases)
Colorectal (1.80 million cases)
Prostate (1.28 million cases)
Skin cancer (non-melanoma) (1.04 million cases)
Stomach (1.03 million cases)
That’s over 10 million people diagnosed just with these types of cancer who will be told, “You have cancer.” and will hear, “You’re going to die.”
This year.
And those words will affect, change, and impact the lives of many millions more. Friends, family, loved ones, co-workers, fellow church members. How do all these people find any sort of hope or future in those words, let alone a ‘spectacular’ one?
This is how
“But I’ve just been told I have cancer! How am I supposed to trust God? I simply don’t understand! Why me?”
Our relationship with God is not fully developed, or demonstrated, when the sun is shining in our lives and all is good in our little corner of the world, and if anyone thinks that having a good relationship with God guarantees that, then perhaps you’d best stop listening to the ‘prosperity’ gospel preachers, and start reading the Bible.
Trusting God when a spouse has died suddenly, or a child has committed suicide is tough.
Trusting God when your marriage falls apart or you’ve just been told you have cancer is tough.
Trusting God when you lose your job and your entire ‘world’ seems like it is crashing down around you is tough.
Trusting God when stories are read about atrocities committed towards women, children, or the elderly is tough.
Sometimes, trusting God is tough because we try to understand something.
Well, I am here to tell you, “Let go of that particular piece of rope, and start hanging on to God, and God alone.”
Can we have moments of doubt and insecurity?
Absolutely.
Can we even pray for death as I did several weeks ago?
Go ahead.
The fact that I am still alive is not a sign that God didn’t hear my prayer or that He ignored it, because He does neither. He heard it and He answered it, just not in the manner I wanted Him to at that moment in time, and thank goodness His wisdom is so much greater than mine, because out of the darkness of those moments came the light containing the hope. And in that hope lies the future, and it will definitely be a spectacular one because He is in charge, and He has a plan, and all I have to do is pay attention.
And TRUST Him.
And not feel like I have to understand everything because I never, ever will.
My future here on earth may not be particularly long, but it is full of opportunities to serve God and to glorify His name.
It is full of opportunities to help others to find their way to Him and the salvation He holds out to us all through His Son, Jesus Christ.
And it is full of opportunities to praise Him, because He is worthy of all of our praise, and to thank Him for the spectacular hope and future ahead for me if only I will trust Him and not always try to make sense of it all.
Whatever trials and tribulations you are facing, and no matter what you may be suffering through, God has a plan for you, and it is a good one. Just make sure you always trust more, and try to understand less.
God bless you all, and thank you for putting up with me.
a wonderful day for considering what we are willing to give up.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.” Galatians 5:24 NLT
What a beautiful statement Paul makes here.
Which begets the question, “What are we willing to give up to belong to Christ?”
If we are going to “nail the passions and desires of [our] sinful nature to His cross,” we probably need to look at what, exactly, constitutes our “sinful nature.”
Let’s face the reality of the situation: Many of us have grown quite comfortable with that sinful nature.
So comfortable, in fact, that in many cases, we don’t even recognize some of our behavior as being sinful. So much sin has been legitimized in society and has been thrust upon us as “our right” or “legal behavior” that many of us fail to realize that simply because man says something is permissible doesn’t mean that God agrees.
To be sure, in today’s world God disagrees often.
Take profanity, for instance. There was a time when profanity was not allowed on television. Time, lawsuits, challenges and the relaxing of standards has changed all of that and profanity, from the ‘mild’ to the ‘wild’ is available for all to hear, to learn and to repeat. If it’s on TV it must be ok, right? Wrong! While society’s position on profanity has changed, God’s position is the same today as it was yesterday, and as it will be tomorrow.
“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” (Matthew 15:11 NLT).
And, writing to the Colossians, Paul said, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.” (Colossians 3:8 NIV).
Are we ready to nail profanity to the cross? How about all those other things on Paul’s list? Are we ready to give them up as well and nail them to the cross? Do we allow pornography into our lives because society has accepted it? Do we commit adultery because “everyone else does?” Do we gossip or speak maliciously of others? Do we turn a blind eye to someone in need?
To nail the passions and desires of our sinful natures to the cross of Christ, we must be willing to give up the things that we do, the things that we say, and the thoughts that we have that occur as a result of those passions and desires.
It is important to note that being a Christian is not a one way street.
It is not just about what we are willing to give up. It is also about the things we are able to receive as a result of giving up our sinful passions and desires. After we have stripped ourselves of sin we are instructed to, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.” (Colossians 3:10 NLT).
And for that, it is worth giving up a lot of things that are worthless.
“But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!” Psalm 69:29
6/13/20
That shirt about sums up my thoughts on this disease and its treatment at this point. If you’re looking for any comic relief from this post, I’m afraid that you’re likely going to be disappointed.
I’ll try, though.
I have completed my 7 chemotherapy sessions, and I have to admit, it was not the struggle for me that it is for so many. My last session was a week ago, and aside from a little irregularity (don’t worry, I won’t go into any more detail than that) and losing the hair on my legs (yes, only my legs, not that I had a lot to lose on my head) I came through relatively unscathed.
That is not the case for countless others, and the list of potential side effects we have to sign before chemo begins is enough to make one break out in a cold sweat. One of my dear friends lost every hair on his body, went from about 165 down to 113 pounds, and turned yellow from jaundice.
Geesh. Talk about showing off, eh?
Seriously, chemo can have devastating effects and I am grateful to God for the fact that I was spared any significant physical discomfort or changes.
The radiation on the other hand……..
6/21/20
The second half of the 12th (after what would be my last radiation treatment) through the 16th were the most difficult days of treatment so far, and they actually came after it ended. Actually, my last radiation treatment was scheduled for Monday, June 15th, but I called the radiologist in the morning and told her I simply could not force myself back up on the table. If it hadn’t been for that 2 day break, I probably would have made it, but after lying on the couch and in bed for 2 days, totally unable to consume anything, liquid OR solid, I just couldn’t bring myself to voluntarily ‘cook’ anything inside of me any further.
The doctor was OK with that. In fact, she said, “That’s OK, I’m amazed you made it this far.”
An interesting statement, but one that makes sense. I think the protocol specifies the maximum amount of exposure that they are allowed to subject anyone to, and then they tell you that is the number of treatments you are set up for, knowing full well that you will “throw in the towel” before the end.
So why not just tell the patient that he or she is being set up for 34 sessions, but if they are experiencing too much discomfort, quitting anytime after, say, 27 is OK?
Because people, myself included, would probably quit at the low number, because by that time, things are beginning to get very uncomfortable. Now, the Doctor and staff are not sadists, deriving pleasure from their patients’ pain, but like the last 5 sit-ups that burn and cause intense discomfort, those final treatments probably do the most good of all of them.
Let’s face it, they have one objective, and that is to kill the cancer cells. Unfortunately, with radiation, there is a lot of collateral damage, albeit much of it only temporary (although ‘temporary’ can seem like forever.)
My inability to eat or drink last week found me at the Infusion Center (where I received my chemo and where I will go for my immunotherapy) on Monday and Tuesday receiving fluids my body desperately needed. Tuesday began there, but ended in Urgent Care after my heart rate was irregular. I received more fluids, but also got an EKG and all sorts of blood work done and after several hours and making the acquaintance of a whole bunch of new medical staff, I was sent on my way.
During those several days, any attempt to eat or drink even the tiniest amount created an intense pain in my chest that felt like someone lit a match inside me when I tried to swallow. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate that pain as a 12. I communicated that to my radiologist, who contacted my oncologist, who called me and said he was going to prescribe a strong liquid narcotic to help numb me so I could begin taking in much needed protein and fluids. I picked that up as I left Urgent Care Tuesday evening.
And I prayed.
I prayed for relief from the pain.
“You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’”
Lamentations 3:56
And of course God never closes His ears to our voices.
Even when we pray for death, which I did numerous times in the 1st couple of weeks following the last treatment. God didn’t close His ears to my voice, He simply chose another answer for me, and that was to give me what I needed to hang on and be grateful He chose to ignore my plea for permanent release.
7/21/2020
So, here we are a full month down the road.
Why did I stop writing about the pain in the detail in which I started? Because I am grateful, and I realized just how grateful I am, leaving me a little bit ashamed (ok, maybe a lot?) of whining and complaining in the first place, and a tad embarrassed for actually praying for death, even though they were pretty fervent prayers in the heat of the moment.
I realized that God is still sovereign over all, and He had things under control, I simply needed to trust Him and, as we all know, trusting God can be a considerable challenge at times, but we must learn to hold on to that trust until our fingers bleed, and in the end we will remember the words God spoke:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
So, one month later am I pain free? Oh, were it only so, but, alas, that is most definitely not the case. However, I am healing inside, albeit ever so slowly, but today I can actually function more effectively at work and at home. I have a new student in Mission Muffins whose faith and joy in the Lord is so great and whose fervent prayers to start the day bring tears of joy and inspiration to my eyes, and I find that I am able to work through whatever discomfort I feel to help him work to glorify God.
The act of eating is still a challenge. Actually, the act of swallowing is where the challenge comes in. There is pain and discomfort with every swallow, but it diminishes and I am finally regaining strength.
Considering I wanted to die – literally – a month ago, I’d say God’s grace has proven, once again, to be so much more than sufficient.
Pain and suffering are a fact of life in this fallen world, and sometimes that pain can be quite severe. God will help us to take some of the focus off of ourselves. Try and imagine the suffering that Christ endured for US, and let us not ever forget the millions of people who suffer to the same degree, or greater, than we do, every single day.
I know that the prayers of many people have been heard by the Lord, and He has answered those prayers by propping me up thus far and seeing me through the worst. Is it over? Heck no. Is there more to come, perhaps even worse? Oh, goodness, I hate to think that’s true, but I don’t doubt it for a second.
But for now, I will just give prayers of thanks to the Father.
Thanks for Him, for all of you, for the card writers and the prayer warriors, and most of all for His gift of Jesus Christ.
And as I face each day and an uncertain future, I will remember that,
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 ESV
“During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery, went up to God.” Exodus 2:23 NIV
Children are dependent upon their parents for love, guidance, discipline (although they may not care for it), protection and many other things, according to their ages and stages of development. No matter how old our children may get, they are always our children, and they are always dependent upon us for something, even when we reach old age.
As they have grown, and even after they have grown, we have encouraged them to cry out to us when they need help. From the earliest stages when the “crying out” was actual crying, complete with tears, we have responded out of love, concern and our sense of responsibility. As they grew older, perhaps the “crying out” was in the form of an email or a phone call.
Our relationship with God should be no different.
We are all His children no matter how big, old or self-reliant we become and we all should learn to cry out to the Lord when we need Him. Just as He heard the Israelites crying out in the land of Egypt, He will hear us no matter where we are.
Understanding how God responds to us is something that is developed over time, as we build a relationship with Him and grow comfortable with the fact that He may not always respond immediately, or even in the manner we would like. The closer we are to Him, the better our appreciation for His responses no matter when they come, or how they come.
One thing is certain: God loves us all and nothing stands in the way when we cry out in need.
“Lord, You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely You will hear their cries and comfort them.” (Psalm 10:17 NLT).
Unfortunately, many people only cry out to the Lord when they are in serious trouble. Often, the trouble is of their own making. Still, God hears and He responds. The problem is, when that is the only time we cry out, we are often not paying attention and can very easily miss the significance of the Lord’s response. In fact, some people may conveniently forget that they did, in fact, cry out for God’s help in the first place and place the credit for fixing the situation with themselves, instead of thanking God for His help.
While God would never ignore one of His children who is in distress, our primary focus should be on learning why He is always available to us when we need Him, and thanking Him for that very fact.
Building a relationship with God is the most important thing we can ever do, and it will help us understand why He is always there when we cry out to Him.
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”Genesis 4:8 NIV
One of the first lessons God tries to teach us in the Bible is about the evil and destructive power of jealousy.
How sad it must have been for God that not only did the first man and woman on earth make the perfection of God’s creation imperfect by committing the first sin, but their first born son committed the very first murder.
God knew of Cain’s jealousy of his brother, Abel, and tried to forewarn him. “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’” (Genesis 4:6-7 NIV).
Most of us are familiar with the Latin proverb, “Forewarned is forearmed.” It is important to pay attention to what we are taught. We all must learn a lesson from the failure of the third person created by God to listen to a clear warning: the “green eye” of jealousy, as it is commonly referred to, “sees” things in a way that inflames us, enrages us, and causes us to act impulsively in ways that can interfere with our lives and relationships, at best, and destroy lives and relationships at worst.
The significance of Cain’s jealousy, and the extreme nature of his response cannot be ignored. Certainly God was right when He said, “sin is crouching at your door.”
It is likely that we have all known someone who has exhibited extreme jealousy. Perhaps it is us, or our spouse. Many of us have been witness to, or a recipient of, false and unreasonable accusations, and we have all read about the tragedies that can accompany a jealous rage. The impulsive nature of people under the influence of a rage such as this can – and does – have results that can change the course of many lives – or end them.
Just think of the impact that Cain’s inability to “subdue sin” had on the world. How different would things be if Cain had been happy for his brother, instead of being jealous? How would the absence of jealousy have changed our world? Without the first murder, would there have ever been another? Possibly – maybe even probably. But we will never know. One thing is certain: if Cain had not murdered Abel, we would not have such a vivid lesson to learn from about controlling jealousy.
It is a lesson we could have done without.
Use the gift of today to eliminate your “green eye,” even if you have to poke it with a stick.
“Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”Psalm 34:5 NLT
Hospital emergency rooms all over the world are open 24 hours a day, ready to receive those who need help with a physical emergency. Ambulances, too, are available to transport victims of accidents or those who suffer major medical problems. Police and fire departments stand ready to respond when someone threatens our safety or fire breaks out and threatens our homes and our lives. 24 hour hotlines are also available to help us in times of emotional crisis.
Millions of people around the world make themselves available and put themselves at risk, to help and protect us around the clock. Each one of us owes all of these people our thanks and appreciation. The world is a safer, better place for their efforts on our behalf.
It is important that we teach our children, as well as our elderly relatives, how to reach out for help in situations that require the services of those listed above.
Most important, for our spiritual well-being, we have God.
When someone is in spiritual crisis, it is equally as important that they know where to turn. We may know to turn to God through prayer and reading the Bible when looking for help for our specific problem, but it is important that we teach others as well. The Bible itself contains a bounty of wisdom, words of conciliation, and support for any situation that might arise at any time, night or day.
A wonderful source within the Bible is the book of Psalms. For instance, when we feel afraid, we can turn to Psalms 3, 4, 56, 91, and others.
If we are facing temptation, Psalms 38, and 141 stand ready to fortify us with encouragement such as, “Don’t let me drift towards evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.” (Psalm 141:4 NLT).
If we feel depressed, Psalms 27, 42, 88 and 143, stand ready to come to our aid.
“Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.” (Psalm 143:7 NLT).
No matter what we are facing, be it persecution, old age, sorrow, criticism, verbal cruelty, the book of Psalms stands ready and waiting. It can also help us to offer prayers to God. Prayers of confession can be found in Psalms 6 and 51. Prayers of faith in Psalms 16 and 23.
“I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from You.’” (Psalm 16:2 NLT).
Knowing where to find help for our spiritual needs is as important as knowing to call 911 when we have a physical emergency. Sharing the knowledge of where to go for help is something that is an obligation, but it should also be our great joy.
Use the gift of today to teach someone where to find the help they need.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”Proverb 19:21 NIV
God created each one of us for a reason. Since we do not come into this life with a certificate engraved with that purpose, we must look to God for help in discovering what it may be.
In his gospel, John said, “God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except thru Him.” (John 1:3 NLT).
This means that we only exist because God created us. If we spend any time at all reading the Bible, as we should, we know that God put each one of us here with the full expectation that our lives would have significance. Just as He placed His Son among us who lived a life that was full of significance, He placed each one of us here to follow His example.
Can any of us live a life as significant as that of Christ?
Of course not. However, if we take advantage of every opportunity to spread the Good News to others; if we fill our lives with purpose and meaning, like Christ; if we spend our time trying to make life better for someone who has nothing to eat, no clothes to wear or nowhere to live; if we devote the talents and abilities that God has given us – no matter how great or how seemingly small they may be – to the care and comfort of others, like Christ; then we will leave this earth knowing that we have succeeded in our search for significance.
“But I have lived a long, sinful life and I think I may be too old to live a life of significance.”
If this statement sounds like it could be coming from you, it is important for you to understand that if your heart is pulling you to seek a purpose; to find meaning; to discover a path that will lead to a more self-less, less self-indulgent life, then the time is not too late.
In fact, the time is perfect. God has placed no age limit on significance. We are never too young, or too old to begin our search.
So much of what swirls around us in daily life is insignificant. Much of it is frivolous, meaningless, and serves no purpose other than to indulge, entertain and arouse us. When we seek significance in our lives, we add tremendous value to it. We make everything around us more enjoyable because we discover the real joy that comes with purpose. Suddenly we are happy from the inside out instead of pursuing insignificant self-indulgent external things that only provide us with a pleasure that is shallow and short-lived.
Ask God daily to help in your search for significance. Ask Him to lead you to His purpose for you.
It is never too late to search for significance in our lives.
The After-Oakdale Chronicles 