- Not The Only One!
- Post # 122
- 29 Feb 24
- ” The Hardest Thing”
- Howdy,
- Thanks for doing the weekly check-in thing.. I believe that most of us have encountered something that we thought was hard, difficult , or experienced something that we wished could have been above our pay grade.☺️☺️ We can be honest here and say that we wished it on someone else. We may believe that they are some how more equipped or accustomed to some of life’s more difficult transitions. If we are being completely honest, then we may want to admit that there was a time or two that we wished something bad on someone, even if we framed it as them getting a taste of their own medicine ☺️☺️.
- Going in , I know that we all have different temperaments. Temperaments will determine what we consider and determine is specifically hard for each of us. Some people face everything in life head on and the things that they seem to navigate so seamlessly , would make others crumble. Yeah!, it kind of starts in our brains, and all to often we discount the things that we talk ourselves into or out of ☺️☺️. If we tell ourselves that its more than we can handle, than it usually is. The mind is a battlefield, that we again, all to often are willing to give into self doubt and fear. If we think of it in terms of athleticism, we have seen certain QBs make certain throws that only a select few can make. Perhaps it’s a receiver or a basketball player who will contort their bodies in ways that leads to shear amazement. Everyone is not capable of doing this, and that’s why many of them garner such large paychecks to amaze the masses☺️☺️. Again for them, a gift or talent and for the rest of us, hard to difficult to the seemingly impossible. A gymnast would stick a landing after a routine , that for me might lead to broken bones or just to confirm that gravity is real and is in full effect ☺️☺️.
- So let’s talk about some hard things in life. At the top of the list for me is the loss of loved ones. This doesn’t have to apply only to death, but primarily. If you have never ended a close relationship for whatever reason, then consider yourself blessed and lucky, if it applies in your world ☺️☺️. Most have experienced the ravaging of divorce or a friendship, or maybe it was a job that you had worked for many years and now they have decided to move on from You, for whatever reason….hard right? Sometimes it’s in the simplest of things that we find difficult to digest. Here is one for me .I was recently on the beach one morning, observing the most beautiful of sunrises. I mean they are all just amazing and full of splendor, if we will just take the time to notice. So, this particular morning, there was this woman on the beach, who was taking in all of its fullness and glory and she began to sing the praises of the sunrise , as if it had appointed itself a time to rise and shine. ☺️☺️ As she went on and on about the sunrise, it reminded me of how the Egyptians use to worship the sun, and saw it as a god. Her reverence was correct, but misplaced. It made me think of all of the things in life that we are amazed by and heap praises to or on and just completely miss the big picture. We worship the sun and things like it opposed to the person who hung the sun there in the first place. I think it’s a contextual viewpoint that keeps us from realizing how small and insignificant we truly are. Maybe the sun isn’t the best example, but while it’s amazing and beautiful, it doesn’t require anything from us , other than remembering to bring a rain jacket or to apply sun screen☺️☺️. However it is no less a thing, much like an automobile or a house, it’s usually something that we have dominion over much like a pet. If we have dominion, then we exercise control over and is therefore the master of it or in the driver’s seat, perse. As I carried on a brief conversation with this person on the beach, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking that surely she knows better than to worship the sunrise or any other created thing, but perhaps not so much!
- Ok, many of you are thinking, no harm, no foul, she isn’t hurting anyone or anything and just leave the poor woman be!. That my friend, is the nail on the head and the hardest thing. How do we go through life and watch people go down certain roads in life and not tell them that there is a bridge out , just a head. How do we sleep with ourselves? I’m afraid that the answer to that question is all to easily. First up, none of us were born as believers, actually the complete opposite of that. We were all born into sin, which makes us all sinners. I think another’s hard thing is that the longer we walk with God, the harder it becomes to remember what it was like before we allowed God into our life. He cleans us up and transforms our lives and we look totally different from the person we were when we first encountered God. We all had similar beginnings, we may not have been on a beach worshipping the sun, but we were all doing our own thing, whatever that was , without reverence or Respect towards God. It may be hard to remember that once upon a time, we were exactly where they find themselves. So incase I’m not being clear, the hardest thing is to leave people where we find them. Let’s just put some feet to this, so that I don’t have to walk it alone ☺️. If any of you guys out there have kids, then this will probably hit home. I have a son who is a “tester”. He has to test things out for himself. Oh yes! , he’s one of those it may be true for others, but I am somehow exempt or an exception. ☺️☺️ Depending on what it is, that may be true or not so much!☺️. I’m going to be broad and vague, so that you can customize it for Yourself and your situation. You have a child, adult or otherwise, and you see them making what you believe or know to be a critical laps in judgment. Maybe they are taking a career path, or surrounding themselves with a friend group , that you could see as being problematic for whatever reason, just knowing your own offspring ☺️☺️. Perhaps it’s a relationship where you can clearly see that they aren’t being treated well, based on how the person speaks to them, behaves or treats them, and you know in your heart of hearts that this isn’t going to get better or end well .☺️ You know that they are selling themselves short and they are just happy that someone is saying those three little magic words, and down the road they will ring so hallow. You are aware of the possible pain that they may be setting themselves up for and you just wish that they just didn’t already have all of the incorrect answers☺️☺️. Ok, so I’m by myself here? Your kid is with someone and all you can pray for is that they don’t reproduce together ☺️. I’m not going further in on that one☺️☺️.
- Perhaps it’s some lifestyle choice of smoking and drinking, or recreational drugs. There is a season for everything, so maybe, just maybe there is a season for partying ☺️☺️. You may have to stand idly by while they figure it out or be a ” tester” for themselves and maybe you have weighed in or maybe just dodged the bullet. Love says that we don’t avoid the hard things, but we need to be on the record, and not just so down the road we can say I told you so…..please don’t do that one…not helpful in the least ☺️☺️. I know that these are the conversations that sometimes leads to family splits. Again another hard thing, but while we often seek the path of least resistance, we never take the the time to extrapolate the ripple effects years down the road from here. It’s truly hard to watch our kids go their own way. And when I talk about them being with the wrong person, job , or friendships, it’s not about someone or thing not being good enough for your precious little one, but just the wrong fit based on you sometimes knowing them better than they know themselves ☺️☺️
- I’m by know means suggesting that you throw a live grenade in what is already often a volatile situation.☺️ Another hard thing and that is you need to respect other people’s choices. If someone tells you that they want to go live under a bridge, well that’s there right and option. When it comes to loving people, you can’t circumvent the respect. Love is bound up in Respect. You can respect someone without loving them, but You can’t love, truly love someone without respecting them.
- I wish that I could tell you that the further we go along that things get somehow easier or less hard, but that’s just not the way life usually works. Next up hard thing is learning to hold your tongue and not letting it get the best of you ☺️☺️. Oh!, how I have wished that there was a way to retrieve those words once they come out of your mouth, but no magic pill for that one☺️☺️. Sometimes it is as easy as state your case, Respect their choices and shut the hell up☺️☺️. Doing more than this can lead to something more catastrophic, and the live grenade might seem like child’s play☺️☺️. I remember when my ex and I got together and to say that her mother was not in favor of having biracial grandchildren was an understatement , that perspective cut her out from being a grandparent all together , she eventually came around ☺️☺️. It’s just amazing what grandkids can make us do☺️☺️☺️.
- I’m not done yet, so there must just be a few more hard things ☺️. If we can learn to control that tongue of ours, then the really hard thing shows up. It asks the question can we be genuine and transparent in our lives that we would be attractive enough for someone to listen to us as we tell them about the bridge being out just a head? I know first hand how Christians can be some of the biggest hypocrites on the face of the planet. It’s something that we can be oblivious to and often as we push through life with a Bible in one hand and a wrecking ball in the other, it’s something that we often don’t want to see, let alone own up to. Again no perfect people, but when you represent a King, people just naturally expect more☺️☺️. I’m not sure who’s quote it is, but your actions are screaming so loudly that I can’t hear a single word that You are saying. In other words, don’t just say that you love people, but demonstrate it with your actions, and if you aren’t sure what that looks like or how and where to get about that, start with a healthy dose of humility and serve someone. Respect other’s choices and yes, sometimes that means letting them drive off of the bridge if that’s their choice. Wait! , I know that last one sounded harsh, but it’s just a reality of life. Some people, sometimes will choose destruction and there is absolutely nothing you can do about that. I want to say that it’s Biblical. I know, I know!, how is that? Well when I look at scripture I see Jesus , I see His disciples, and then I see the crowds. The crowds were people who were intrigued by Jesus’s teaching and miracles and His healing power. They came, they saw and they disbelieve, or went unchanged. It’s the difference between auditing a class and taking a class for credit. It cost us nothing to audit a class, but to take a class for credit requires a level of commitment to doing the studying, the assignments, the labs , the homework and to prepare for test and quizzes. They at some point wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king over Israel, which He already was, but merely six days later, not even a full week later , and that very same crowd was screaming and shouting…crucify Him! We are a fickle bunch to say the least. I have admitted often , when I read scripture and try to connect with the characters, I frequently see myself on the wrong side of things. ☺️☺️
- I get and understand that sometimes we get to a point that seems to be glum or fruitless, or just lack positivity. I rarely like for that to be the place where we part ways. Life is just full of hard things and if we are once again honest they are usually things that fall outside of our control. All through out scripture there is this theme of planting and harvesting or reaping. We know that the in-between part it takes watering and fertilizing and other favorable conditions in the form of sunshine, and even with all off that , it’s still God who makes it grow, not us, or who tells the sun to shine ☺️☺️. All of that being said is to say that we need to do our part , and let God do the things that only God can do. Yes, live your faith out loud, but make sure that it’s genuine and can with stand the scrutiny that others will give it. Sounds like a recipe for disaster and falsehood or faking it, but that will be seen for what it is and be snuffed out quicker than you can blow out a match. ☺️☺️It’s an invitation to be authentic. If you are who you say that You are and God is who we know Him to be, then some of the hard things In life will become less of a struggle. The people on the edge of the bridge, God never said to follow your heart, in fact, He said that the heart is wicked and deceitful, and boy can I attest to that one ☺️☺️. And for the ” testers” , He never said to find your truth, but that He is The Truth, The Way, and The Life. We need to remember where God has brought us from. Let’s not forget our own personal history, when we are tempted to be none compassionate about people who are choosing to go their own way and to do their own thing, remember that we were once a sunrise worshiper ourselves ☺️☺️. Jesus died once for all people and we all need Jesus, even the ones who don’t think that they do or see a need for Him to transform their lives.
- Till Next Time ✌️ Peace!
- Sandy The Southerner
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