The past month my Pastor has been teaching on different examples of relationships in the bible. He covered relationships from the relationship of David and Saul’s daughter to Abraham and Sarai. The relationship of Parent to child, spouse to spouse, and friendships were the topics that were derived from the bible for the month of february.
In the bible class on March 4, 2010 he spoke about life partners. He spoke about the different ways people are around other people. He gave the examples that people around for seasons, reasons, and lifetimes. This was very interesting to me because as humans we generally keep people around past the time that that they were supposed to be.
The person who is around for a reason is just there to teach a lesson and that is it. They are supposed to be let go once you get the lesson. The season person also teaches a lesson, but is around to help you understand the lesson. Also, they are not meant to endure a lifelong partnership with you. There are signs when to let both of these people exit. When they are causing more harm than good is a good time for them to exit. Every time you try to keep them around past their time it becomes a greater burden of frustration on you.
It should not be that big of burden to have a person in your life. Though there may be hurting with the lifetime person there is a common understanding to know why they are there and they allow you to be the best you. A life term person is trust worthy, and you are secure with the place that you have with them. You and this person allow each other to make mistakes and finally You all are with each other at your worst.
I challenge you to examine every person around you, and really dissect the relationship and see why they are there!
The best way to move on is to face the dilemma head on. This step is crucial to a successful future. While making the journey of life you trip and sometimes you stumble. The trick is to know where you want to go and keep moving towards it. The test is keeping your eyes focused forward and not look to the comfort of the past rest station.
The walking process is done by placing one foot in front of the other. This seems simple in context but its hard when you have stone after stone sometimes being thrown at your feet. In an effort to avoid those your feet get tangled and you inadvertently stumble or come crashing to the ground. If the vision is focused forward then you realize that you have no other choice but to get where you have to go. Many times you get stuck on that area of the journey. If your vision is focused forward your inner man tugs on you and tells the outer its time to move.
Knowing where your eyes are focused can become a challenge. Mirages of the final destination seem to appear rather frequently when you are on the verge of the destination. The mirage usually has a stone that you trip and fall on when you are diving to what you assume is a proper resting place on the way to your promise.
Just like a mirage you fail to find what the picture showed. These mirages are overcome by each persons own triumph and past failures. Your past is your greatest teacher. In football there is a block called "the cut" block. This block essentially takes the defensive players legs out so that he can not keep with his pursuit to the Quarterback or ball carrier.
The cut block can be defeated by keeping your eyes up, putting your hands down and your outside foot back to get around. This same thing can be done in life to get around those stones that are thrown at your feet while on the journey of life.
In essence be aware of your past so that you don't keep getting tripped up by the same mirage and stone. The way you look forward determines how far you look. I charge you to look forward and and keep moving and build your innerman so it is determined to move inspite of!
Love stinks!
The way most people love each other is really odd. Women and Men are verbally and physically abusive to each other. Now I like I little spunk or attitude just as any man has their own preference to. On the other hand, when attitude turns to pots and pans, late night verbal assaults, and voices with decibels high enough to pierce the antique china, is just foolish.
People loving each other and the only way they can make up is sex. “NO”, I yell! This can’t possibly be love. I think this just keeps you in the stupor. This most definitely is not love that’s more like lust or some other foolishness. Let me back track for a second. In my marriage I will most definitely be having sex with my wife. This most definitely is not a bash against sex. I haven’t been fully delivered so I cannot bash anybody for doing the same things I do. I would then be hypocritical, I despise hypocrites. With that said, there is more to love than the physical or the feelings of sex.
Love is these questions. Does she kiss me when I know my breathe stinks? (Laughing at myself) Is my lover encouraging my dreams? Is my lover warning me of traps that are set for me? Am I willing to push her forward even if I have to hold back? Do I care enough about her feelings to not intentionally hurt them? I realize Love is a reciprocal feeling. I also think that Love is an attachment to the inner beauty of a person. The morning smile the person has. The drive you want your partner to have so that it syncs to yours. There is a vast number of more things that people know when true love is around.
Love is portrayed in such a negative light on many occasions that I am not sure that I even want it to come around me. I see on a daily basis men and women and women in several “committed” relationships at once. I’m personally too selfish and lazy to want anybody who is taken and to have more than one relationship. I know me and I am too bad with time management to have more than one relationship. See that’s something that my wife will either have to accept or pray to change. (Laughing) Ironically a part of me applauds those that have the time management skills to do it. See God Knew what he was doing by making my time management skills the way they are.
I know love to be a great and genuine emotion, when it’s on television. I think that what I want is what so many men quietly long for and refuse to yield to. I think that what I really need to do is seek God. I know love is praying for your partner when all the chips are down and flowing the right way. I think of love as Russian roulette a good portion time. Follow this theory. The gun is has one bullet and you spin the barrel and close it and fire. The first shot could be eternal love. It could also be a miss. Then you open the chamber or barrel and put another bullet in and shoot. The bullets are relationships that are either meaningful or wrong. NO relationship is detrimental if you learn and leave. So you are continuing to load your gun, you are shooting and your loading your gun with these bullets. The bullets are also lessons you have taken from the past. Then finally you pull the trigger and you are surrounded with what I would like to call Love Eternal!
Maybe it’s me or should I stop Loving?
This is possibly going to be my only title that is a true description of what I'm going to talk about.
In recent conversations I have been asked to listen and let the other person speak. This is not a good trait to have. Only because I might miss someone telling me that they a large lump sum for me. Also, a lack of listening skills is running rampant like Adrian Peterson over his oppoents. I have realized that there is a wealth of vital information that is to be grasped. Throughout life the information comes to us in many forms whether in a pamphlets or from the mouth of babes. Americans as a whole do not listen because if we did there would be less children being born with AIDS, less underage mothers and dead beat fathers.
I don't always practice the art of listening because I generally feel that my view is right. In business listening is a key fundamental because you can win over clients because you know exactly what they want. How many people say to themselves “if I would have listened to my mama I wouldn’t be here”!
What is some advice you wish you had listened to?