You may have been expecting a simple, happy-sappy post for the New Year but you will get no such thing from me. This will be the first of many "Problem" posts that I will give to you to so that you (society at large) can learn what you need to do to make your lives better and not have so many regrets. Heed my words, they are wise.
One of the main problems we face today in our American society is the Problem of the Now (PON). People are stupid and sacrifice their morals, dignity and decency for a moment of soulish pleasure. Our society has lost appreciation for longevity and the bigger picture.
There are many things that were given to us for enjoyment and pleasure but they have been abused much to our demise. Rather than enjoy a few splendid cocktails people get wasted which leads to many regretable acts, violence and general foolishness...not to mention the hangover. One could have fun with a few cheap hands of black jack but they go overboard and get addicted to gambling. There's no argument for drugs, they're just plain ridiculous and will only cause pain. Instead of the designed intimacy of sex within marriage physical pleasure has become a selfish, personal event that no longer has meaning or value.
One thing I hear to often (and sadly, from kids in schools where I sub) is "have an open mind," like that's some sort of excuse or reason to dabble in sin. It's said like it's a good thing, as if "having an open mind" has become the best virtue of our culture (granted there are many circumstances where it is indeed good to have an open mind ie. concerning cultural differences, racial equality, etc). Well I'm here to say that it's okay and good to have a CLOSED mind occasionally. You will thank yourself later, regretting doing something wrong is much worse than regretting not trying something.
The best thing you can do is to have a vision for the important things in life and a sense of the bigger picture. Grasping the bigger picture will keep you from using alcohol solely to get wasted and "escape" current circumstances. Having a vision for a pure wedding night will keep you from foolishly giving yourself away to fleeting situations that have no meaning. Knowing that true joy and pleasure come from honest, deep relationships (with God, family, friends, etc) and being a giving person will keep you from searching for those feelings in other dead end areas (ie. gambling, drugs, etc).
For this New Year my prayer is that we would all be more Closed minded and grasp the bigger picture and true joy that has been made available to us. It may seem like going for the immediate pleasure feels good (and it does...for a very short while) but in reality having patience and doing what is Right is what really feels the best. That's the way our world was designed and the sooner we all realize it and start living accordingly the better off we'll all be.
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4 comments:
Very wise indeed brother. We'll be praying with you. Good word for others as well as myself. Thanks for your thoughts.
Good post Dan! Very wise.
Good post Dan. What you've said is very true. You left out one thing (though it may be implied). Left all to our own will power, we are pretty weak and unable to live this way of life for any sustained period of time. Some people are better than others to be sure. God wants everyone to work hard to live for more than the "now" and he actually supplies the strength to do so. There have been very few times in my life that when I pray to ask God for the strength to live beyond the "now" when he hasn't given it to me.
Good post.
Groove you articulate a great point neh The Point, it is only by the grace of God that we can live in such a way. Our own human will is not enough to live a Godly life, it's only through His strength that we can avoid the temptations of our flesh.
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