In Need of Grace

Life’s Like This — Quite often we sail through life as if we are on cruise control, totally oblivious to the repercussions of our behavior. We have a mindset that we are going to do whatever we want to do no matter the personal consequences and without regard to how our behavior affects others. We don’t have to look very far to see the faults of others — we see them so often on the pages of our newspapers and plastered on the TV screens in our living rooms. But when it comes to seeing our own behavior, we are often short-sighted and clueless when our behavior is inappropriate. Our bad behavior can manifest itself in many ways. It may be the gesture you give to a passing motorist that cut you off on the freeway. It can be the way you snapped at a waitress when she got your order wrong. It can be your short temper that explodes in a fiery storm when you get upset with your spouse or children. Or it can be your lousy attitude that not only ruins your day but those who cross your path not knowing to tread carefully around you. It’s not that we are bad people — we are simply people that at times behave badly and find ourselves in need of God’s Grace.

Fortunately, grace, God’s unmerited favor, is always available for us to embrace and redeem ourselves in His eyes. But what if we extended grace to others? What if we chose to react differently to triggers that set off a chain of reactions that brought out the worst of us? What if we decided that we were going to do our best to reflect the character of Christ? How can making those choices change our behavior so that we are better able to cope with adversity and give us the peace that all of us want in life?

I believe it begins by learning to extend grace to ourselves, where we can learn to forgive ourselves for wrongs we have done to other people. If we cannot learn to forgive ourselves, then can we truly forgive others? So, when you do something wrong, go to God in prayer and ask Him to forgive you so you can rest assured that your sins are forgiven, even when you may think that whatever you did was unforgivable, know that God loves you and is there waiting to extend His grace to you. All you have to do to give the gift of grace to yourself is to tell yourself, “I forgive myself for what I did.” That’s all it takes, a simple statement, a simple prayer, and trust in God.

Coping With Loneliness

Life’s Like This — Sometimes, no matter how well adjusted we think we are, we can find ourselves experiencing the pain of loneliness. Loneliness does not discriminate, it doesn’t matter what your gender is, your occupation, relationship status, social status, or even how much wealth you have — loneliness can sap your energy and send you into the pits of depression. When we feel alone, we often feel isolated from others and find ourselves feeling lost because we lack the human companionship that is essential for self-esteem and personal fulfillment. As humans, we have an undeniable need for companionship, for someone to connect with, someone we can share our lives with — significant people that we can trust and confide in.

The Sanctity of Life

Life’s Like This — There is perhaps no more controversial issue during an election year than the issue of abortion. With the recent debacle between the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood, the American people are once again being asked to examine their values and the sanctity of life. This question has been and will probably always remain a divisive issue. But for me, the issue is clear. The pro-choice and right to life movements fall under the umbrella of the sancity of life and any decision to abort a fetus must be governed by morals founded in God’s Word. Unfortunately, we live in a world where our values are constantly being eroded and people want to prove to others that they are inclusive of choices that people embrace regardless of biblical and even scientific evidence.

Past, Present and Future

Life’s Like This — “To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny.” [Source, Alan Cohen] — So often we get caught up in a vicious cycle of regrets, often perceiving past mistakes as an indicator for future success. We sometimes think, if only I could go back and relive this part of my life, I would do things entirely different. But the truth is, our lives cannot be replayed as Bill Murray did in the movie Groundhog Day — our past is the past and we are stuck with it. We simply cannot go back in the past and change what has happened, but we do have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and create a new future, here in the present, by calling on the wisdom we gained from our life experiences. While it may at times be difficult to let go of the past, if we can muster up the courage to see beyond the past and look to the future with new hope and vision, then all sorts of possibilities can become a reality.

Let Pappy Pray

Life’s Like This — For those of us that embrace a belief in God, the act of praying should be a natural extension of our faith. It is difficult to have a relationship with God without invoking the power of prayer. Yet, even knowing that we were created by God and are meant to have a personal relationship with Him, we often neglect prayer as a daily part of our lives. To pray means to place our hopes, fears and concerns in a God that we cannot see. It means putting our trust and faith, and at times, our very lives, in His hands. There are so many reasons to pray, but perhaps the greatest reason is that it follows the example Jesus Christ set when he taught us to say, The Lord’s Prayer [Matthew, Ch:6, 9-13]. The act of praying is also a demonstration of our love for God. It is a way of exalting Him and recognizing that it is only by His love and grace that we are able to enjoy this gift of life. Quite often, we only turn to God when there is something terribly wrong in our lives — when we are facing a crisis and know of no other way to get through the crisis then by going to God in prayer. Prayer is a source of comfort and hope that we should all embrace as part of a loving relationship with God but there are other reasons to pray. The reasons for offering up prayers to God is as numerous as each soul, each life, that God created and placed on this earth. He loves each of us and wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. But to have a fruitful relationship with God, we need to take the time to talk with Him and to listen to what He wants to share with us. And in order to hear God, we need to have a heart and mind open and receptive to hearing His voice. Sometimes, the biggest impediment to talking to Him is because we are ashamed or embarrased to show others that we care about our relationship with God.

Pushing Your Buttons

Life’s Like This — There will always be people that will irritate you in the most frustrating manner. People who know how to push your buttons — buttons that can set off a chain-reaction of emotions that, if not caught in time and put in check, can quickly escalate and lead to consequences that can profoundly impact your life. Finding ways to avoid people that push your buttons would seem to be the best way of coping, but in reality, there will always be things in life that you have no control over and can cause you to react in a way that is childish or completely inappropriate. People are often unpredictable and that includes ourselves. We would like to be able to say we are in control of our emotions and behavior but when certain situations present themselves, we find that we are not as mature as we perhaps thought we were. It’s almost as if a little child is living within us who is fighting desperately to get someones attention and we refuse to stop our bad behavior until we are forced to by consequences imposed by society.

Courage to Change

Life’s Like This — Some people simply drift through life. Their choices, when they can muster the will to choose, tend to follow the course of least resistance. Finding the strength to follow the right path or the courage to simply do the right thing seems to be the furthest thing from their minds. It is often much easier to choose the road with the fewest bumps and grinds to get to the destination we want. And when we do encounter rough patches, we often complain about them rather than looking at them as an opportunity for personal growth and character building. Often, when we do make that difficult choice, when adversity slaps us in the face, we get discouraged and want to quit. The true test of one’s character is not only the choices one makes in life but how one responds to the consequences as a result of those choices. 

Facing Your Truth

Life’s Like This — Sometimes we go through life unsure of who we are or what our purpose is in life. It’s as if we are in a maze of confusion, not sure which path to take to lead us out of the darkness. We often stumble around trying to find our footing in one thing that would provide us with a source of comfort and stability from which to find meaning and purpose in our lives. For some of us, the journey is filled with what seems to be an unending series of disappointments or obstacles that keep us from achieving our goals. And for others, the winds of life promote smooth sailing where everything seems to fall perfectly in place. The story we each have unfolds in ways unique to our circumstances and quite often the choices we make in life. Sometimes the face of our truth is only unveiled after going through a series of misadventures that leaves us desperate for something from which to find hope.

Living For Christ

Life’s Like This — With all the temptations in this world, it is often difficult to live your life for Christ. There is probably no greater way to honor God than to live your life as a reflection of His love. If you profess to being a Christian, as I do, you have probably heard in countless sermons how we should repent and turn from our sins. I see Christians all around me, people that seem to be living Godly lives — people who are diligent in studying God’s Word, who by every appearance seem to be walking the walk, who are involved with numerous church ministries, that can quote scriptures as if they have photographic memory, are able to pray the most beautiful prayers, and that have a spiritual demeanor and countenance that reflects a true devotion to following Jesus Christ. To be honest, I find myself envious of these people — as much as I want to live my life for Christ, I find myself plagued with a sinful nature that is relentless in its attempts to seduce me with the temptations of life. As much as I want to break free of the bondage of my sins, the influences of the world and my personal weaknesses prevent me from truly honoring God in all that I do. And when I am caught up in sin, I often wonder if I am truly a Christian.  

Super Bowl of Life

Life’s Like This — There are many life lessons that can be learned from sports. As with any sport, football is one that provides an opportunity for both the participant and viewer to see first-hand the life skills needed to not only be successful in that sport, but also in life. Tomorrow, Super Bowl XLVI (46) is being played in Indianapolis. Of course the aim of the game is to win the Super Bowl and come away as the victor, the undisputed champion of a game that has become a sort of national holiday. For some people, the game of football is simply a game, one that pays millions of dollars to players to run around a field blocking, tackling, catching, and throwing a ball with the goal to get the most touchdowns. While that is the ultimate goal, football is much more than that. In my mind, as with any sport, it is how well you play the game. Just as in the game of life, there are certain attributes one needs to be successful. How well a player embraces those qualities is often the determining factor in his success. And in life, there are many attributes, similar to those in football, that we all need to be successful. Following are a few of those attributes: