Life Is So Short…Stop.

November 2, 2015November 1, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 8 Comments

Friday, some good friends of ours lost two of their nephews in a tragic car accident. Today, another family will be saying goodbye to their father, grandfather and husband, whom they lost suddenly about a week ago, and yet, another family just laid to rest their family matriarch, yesterday, after her sudden illness in just the last few days. There are several more I could mention who are going through a season of grief or who are just on the verge of it. Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.

Life is so short. It slows down for no one. Stop. Inhale. Breathe. Make the Moments Last. Cherish those you love longer. Treasure those around you, even when you feel like they’ll be there forever. Don’t let those memories be lost, simply, because you haven’t the time to remember. Don’t brush away the tears, simply, because you don’t want them to see. Pause and ponder. Look up and wonder. Gaze into the eyes of a child, and remember what matters most.

Sometimes, life can be a fierce reminder of what can be lost in an instant. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. We are never promised our next breath. This why it’s so important to savor the dimming light in a sunset, to treasure those last embers around the campfire. We never know what may be around the next bin or beyond the next horizon. How we handle “right now” may determine our regrets and our joys for tomorrow.

We can live our lives letting life happen, or we can choose to make life happen. We can roll on, allowing life to impact us in whatever fashion it comes, or we can choose to make an impact on the life around us. We can be a victim, or we can be the victor. What we do with the time we are given may very well become our anthem or our lament.

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share with you what King Solomon said about this in Ecclesiastes 3…

“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,

    And a time to die;

A time to plant,

    And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill,

    And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

    And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep,

    And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

    And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

    And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

    And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain,

    And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

    And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear,

    And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

    And a time to speak;

8 A time to love,

    And a time to hate;

A time of war,

    And a time of peace.    
…(14) I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever.“
From the wisest King who ever lived, we are given confirmation that time never stops; there are seasons for everything, and that whatever God does, that is what will last forever. So, I leave you with this question, ” What things or people do you hold so dear, and for whom are you living your life today?”

Choices We Make

August 20, 2015August 18, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Just like in the game of chess, you have no control over what others will do, but you can decide what you will do.

This is not a popular way of thinking in today’s society. Too many want to blame someone else for their problems, or they simply want to justify their poor choices. Fact of the matter is, aside from tragedy, you are never a victim of your circumstance. You have a choice. You make decisions. Even when it is a matter of “running out of time” to meet a deadline, you have made a choice to let the clock run out, by setting your priorities in a certain order, which have made room for your needs or for your desires.

Everyone has been given 24 hours in each day; each day has exactly 1440 minutes. The CEO of a corporation has no more, no less than you and me. We have no more, no less than the homeless person in downtown, urban America. We each have a choice how we will spend each and every day. Life doesn’t just run you over by accident. You make a choice everyday to either run life or let it run you. It is surely a rough place when life is running you. When this happens, it is not because you just “happen” to become a victim. You have chosen to become a victim, and you have chosen to let life run you over.

You may want to argue with me, but it is a fact. You have exactly what you have chosen to have in live, because you have what you value. If you value education, you have an education. If you value sports, you have a sports-centered life. If you value wealth, you have wealth. If you value family, you have a family. The list can go on and on. You have exactly what you value in life.

Yes, I understand, you can’t control others, and others can mess up your choices. That’s where tragedy is involved, as in a tragic car wreck which debilitates you; a spouse who decides to cheat and leave you, which changes your family dynamics; a child who dies unexpectedly, which drastically alters your course in life. I get it, and I’m definitely not trying to sound callous and hard hearted. I have had tragedies in my own life which have changed some of my original plans. I’m also not addressing tragedy in this post; however, I will say, there are too many success stories, even in the face of tragedy, to dwell on the possibility that you cannot arise from disaster, but I digress, that is a post for another day.

Simply put, if you don’t feel as if you can choose the things you want in life, I’d have to ask you, “Where have you placed your values?” If we can ever get real honest with ourselves on the answer to this simple question, we are able to assess exactly why we are where we are in life. When we can take the huge spotlight of Truth, and shine it on every decision we have made, we can truly evaluate the why’s of our situation in life.

This is a very difficult process for so many people, especially when the culture screams to us, “Everything bad in life must be someone else’s fault. It can’t possibly be because I have made bad choices for myself!” It’s a tense place to be when we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and realize we have royally messed up, and it may take a while, and a lot of hard work, to get back to where we want to be. However, if we can ever get to this point, we will realize that success, and all our dreams, are really possible! We might just have to rearrange our priorities, and apply a little more effort, to make them happen; however, it is possible!

So, make a decision today. Don’t let life just run over you, and never choose to be a victim! Be a winner!! You can do it!! 😉

The Tree Grew ‘Round

October 26, 2014October 26, 2014 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Life is hard. It is what it is. There’s really no changing the way the earth spins on it’s axis or altering the person who lives in the house next door. You’re going to face hard times. I don’t care who you are, how much money you have, or how many people love you, you’re going to have disappointments in this life. You’re going to encounter obstacles in the road. It’s just the way it is, and if you haven’t had any troubles as of yet, well, just keep on living, because every elderly person on the planet can attest to this truth: Life is not always easy, and sometimes, we have to “weather through the storm.”

The question is not, “Will trials ever come?” The better question is, “What will I do when the rains do come?” If you can ever answer that question before the rains come, you will be much better suited to survive. It’s like building a shelter to be safe from the elements when you’re sleeping outside. If you build the shelter before you lie down to sleep, you’re sure to get some moments of restful sleep; however, if you never build the shelter, then, you’re left to survive whatever elements may come. The rains may come, but if you have a little shelter, it makes the night a little easier to endure.

Sometimes, in life, you’re just going to find yourself caught between a “rock and a hard place.” The rock won’t move, and the hard place won’t remove itself. Maybe it’s the day you woke up late for your new job, and your nine month old baby woke up with a stomach virus, or maybe you were laid off after just buying that brand new car. Maybe your mom has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and your dad began showing signs of dementia last month. Maybe your oldest son has been struggling with a hidden drug addiction, trying to sneak around, stealing money from your nightstand, and your youngest daughter has been bullied at the new school. Maybe your husband seems to be distant, and you just can’t seem to find enjoyment in any of the past delights you two once had. There are times in life when you wish it could be different. You find yourself between a rock and a hard place. You wonder what you’re going to do, how are you ever going to make it?

In that moment, you have a choice to make. You can choose to stop, to hesitate, to allow the circumstances, those hard things, to stunt your growth and keep you from reaching your destiny. You can let that rock hinder you from reaching your dreams. You can even “fold over” on top of yourself and never move beyond where you were in that moment of crisis. Or, you can choose to press forward. You can choose to be like the tree in this picture that refused to be dwarfed by the rock in the path. You can choose to allow those tough spots to make you stronger, more resilient to the pain. You can choose to find joy in the little things, blessings in those people who surround you in that moment of heartache, and even, just peace in the gentle breeze that blows or warmth in the sun that shines. You can choose to grow ’round that rock that crept into your path on your way to greatness.

We all have choices which hold us back from our destiny or propel us toward our dreams. It’s up to us to choose, and when we make that choice of forward determination, our lives will be better for it. Let’s be those whose “life tree” may have twists and turns, bends and curves, but whose branches still reach around those hard places up toward the sky.

Goal Setting: Blogging 201

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014 / The WheatandTares

Okay, so I’m starting a little late this week on Blogging 201, but I suppose it’s “better late than never!” 🙂

The questions presented are, “Why Do I Blog?” and “What Goals Do I Have for this Blog?” I suppose the summation of this answer can be found here. I began this blog, because, for years now, I have kept personal journals of random thoughts, endless “stories” about my days, and countless hopes and dreams about the future, as well as, separate journals of poems I have written over the years, and I felt it was maybe time to share these musings with others. I have endured some pain through the years, and I have enjoyed many days of laughter, too. I have learned many lessons through the sorrows and the joy, and I hope to be an inspiration to someone who searches for truth, an encouragement to someone who doubts and maybe even a ray of hope to someone who has lost all hope. … Do I have all the answers? Not by any stretch, but I do know I have found a Truth in whom I can believe, an everlasting Hope of which I can rest assured, and a Solid Rock upon which I can stand. I know that I have learned so much in my short years of living, and I’m still seeking for more…wisdom and moments of true life. I know I have a man with whom I am madly in love (as he is with me); we have two very lively boys with whom, on a daily basis, we cherish incredible adventures, and, regardless of the circumstances that may arise, we try to live in a place of contentment and peace. So, I blog in hopes of sharing these things which I have found to be anchors in my life, and I blog just for the “fun” of sharing with others a little bit about my findings in this adventure called life.

So, in stating all of this, I need to set some goals for this blog in order to reach beyond where I am today. I have heard it said, “A man with a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” (1) and “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” (2) These quotes are so true, and they are so easily “preached” to others; yet, when I began this blog, I was hesitant to state my goals for fear they would be seen as too lofty or to lowly by others. So, when I saw this as the first assignment of the Blogging 201, honestly, I hesitated to continue. Then, I rebuked my own laziness and decided this was a really good assignment for me, and so, here I am!

3 Goals to Accomplish by January 31, 2015:

1. Consistently post on my blog at least twice weekly.

2. Gain 100 followers by January 31, 2015.

3. Spend one hour each week visiting my followers’ blogs, reading their posts, and commenting on their work, from now until January 31, 2015.

Whew! That’s done. Now, it’s official! I’ve set 3 goals. Now, I must be persistent in reaching them…I feel like giving myself a high-five. Ha ha.

(3)