The Way Home
There have been 32 posts made on The Seed of Hope since its launch date of October 31, 2008. In regards to content, meaning, and message, I have felt really, really good about the majority of those posts. There have been a few that I thought were mediocre, and a couple that I really had to struggle with, for reasons I won’t bother with right now.
Of those 32, there was only one that I questioned mere seconds after I hit the “enter” key on this laptop to launch that particular post into cyberspace. The one to which I am referring, It’s all in how you do it, was made just last Monday, April 27, 2009.
If you missed it, I’ll go ahead and tell you that it was about relationships, money, and faith. The theme of the post was that you had to make a true, all-out commitment in each of these facets of life in order to have abundance in all three. The thing is, sometimes, in spite of our best efforts in two of them, we don’t get the results that we hoped for.
Relationships
Meaningful relationships, real relationships, are a two-way street. That is to say, both parties involved have to be willing to make concessions from time to time, to respect one another, to support one another, to value one another, to be committed to one another, and yes, to love one another.
Love in bloom is a beautiful thing! Life is good, anticipation is high, everything is just so right. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. But in a relationship, if only one side makes the concessions, respects, supports, values, and makes that all out commitment, love will die on the vine. If you are the one that is giving, and giving, and giving, OR, you are the one doing the taking, and taking, and taking, you need to know that without real change in this relationship, one of two things will most likely happen:
- The relationship won’t last.
- Someone is going to be miserable with his or her life, and everything in it.
Here’s the sad thing…..sometimes, in spite of an all–out commitment, and respect, and support, and value, and all of the good things that a person brings and gives, relationships fail.
Money
I was talking to Jackie (my wife) about today’s post, and I told her that I was going to make mention of the adage “You reap what you sow.” Jackie quickly pointed out that this was not just an adage; she felt sure that it was in the Bible, but couldn’t name the book, chapter, or verse. I logged on to the internet, went to www.biblegateway.com, typed in “you reap what you sow”, and clicked on the search button. There were six references in the Bible, and the one that I selected to give to you is this:
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Galatians 6:7
It’s easy to picture a criminal sitting behind bars for robbery, child abuse, or murder, and think “Well, he certainly got what he deserved.” Perhaps there is individual living in seclusion and loneliness because she didn’t respect anyone in her life. How about those convicted of murdering Jewish refugees in World War II? A man convicted for beating his wife?
All are classic examples of reaping what you sow, and easy to understand, right?
Now think about this…..there are thousands, millions, of people living in the world today that have never done wrong. They’ve lived clean lives, good lives, doing everything the “right” way. Honest people. Hard workers. Devoted husbands and wives. Dedicated parents. Christians “walking the walk.” Loving, caring, people. Good people.
Many of these same people are losing their jobs and their homes. People struggling to pay their bills, doing everything they can to provide for their children….doing everything they can to survive. People who in spite of their commitment, effort, and absolute dedication to moving forward in life, are finding themselves sliding backwards at an alarming rate. People who have worked for years with their sights fixed on retirement, only to see those retirement funds evaporate before their very eyes.
These are examples of reaping a crop that’s never been sown, and are not so easy to understand.
Faith
I’m going to offer you an analogy that has nothing to do with faith before I dive into this category. I don’t know that it is the most fitting of analogies, but it’s the best one I can think of at the moment!
Imagine driving home one night during a terrible storm. The wind is howling, thunder is clapping, and lightning is striking all around. It’s raining so hard that you can see no more than five feet ahead of you. You get the picture, right? It’s a really nasty night.
To make matters worse, you’re in an area that you’re not familiar with at all. Your friend that you were visiting suggested that you take the short cut to get home, assuring you that you’d have no problem finding the landmarks to look for at each turn. Besides, you have your GPS in the car, right?
So you’re driving home in this blinding storm, in an unfamiliar area, with no idea of where you are. You’re approaching a fork in the road and waiting for that irritating, yet comforting voice in your GPS to tell you which way to turn to get back home. And there’s no voice. Your GPS has quit working. The intersection is getting closer and closer. Make the right turn and you’re on your way to the comfort of home. Veer the wrong way and you move deeper into the storm.
There are a lot of mental “storms” in the world today. Relationships and careers (finances) are just two of a long list of problems that weigh on the minds of many of us. I chose these two topics because they are in direct relation to one another. If you’ve ever been in a struggling relationship, you know that is has a rippling effect on everything in your life, including your job. Likewise, if you’ve had career and/or money problems, you know what they can do to a relationship. If you are plagued by both at the same time, life can be a bit overwhelming.
I feel compelled to share something with you at this point. I speak from experience on both of these issues. Years ago I was in that one-way, hurtful relationship. And I’ve busted my tail all my life trying to make a buck, stuck in careers that gave me little or no satisfaction at all. The relationship made the job worse, and what I was earning certainly did nothing for the relationship I was in. One storm fueled the other. I often found myself wondering “Where do I go from here?” Do you find yourself asking the same question? Which way do you turn?
This way…
My humble advice for you today is the same as it was last week. Turn to Christ. Strengthen your relationship with God. You can visit last week’s post for a few suggestions on doing this.
Don’t just look to Christ. Don’t just walk towards Him. Run to Him, and ask Him to give you strength, wisdom, compassion, love, and all of the good that is in Him. He will give you all of that and more.
That GPS I was referring to earlier? It stands for the Global Positioning System, which is commonly used in automobiles for directions, a computerized road map if you will.
As your walk with God becomes stronger, your relationship with Him grows, and the spirituality within you awakens, you’ll recognize that you are guided by your own GPS; your God Positioning System. Just as in the storm I described for you earlier, there will be times in life that you will feel lost, alone, and uncertain as to where you should go next. You see, walking with Christ won’t protect you from the storms.
But you’ll come to understand and accept that God has you right where He wants you. There’s no need in questioning why you’re where you are, or how long you’ll be there. He knows the reason. Our limited vision can’t see what God has planned for us. His roadmap, His plan, is larger than anything we can comprehend. Have faith in Him; unwavering, unbending, unshakable faith. He will always help you to find your way home!
See you next Monday!
