Some Saturday Morning Thoughts
I woke up really early this morning, around 4:30 am, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I went ahead and got up, brewed a pot of coffee and sat down on the couch in front of the TV. It caused me to think about the times when I was a kid waking up so eager on Saturday morning to watch cartoons. As I mentioned in THIS post, because of cable television and DVD's, kids don't know what it's like to have to wait a whole week to see cartoons, they can see them anytime they like, 24-7. Not so when I was a young'n.
I remember being about 10-years old, waking up really early in the morning before the rooster crowed. (Yes, we had roosters that crowed every morning.) I would get out of bed and very quietly, so's not to wake up mom and dad, tip-toe into the living room to watch cartoons. It didn't matter what time I went to bed the night before, I was always up by 6:00 am or earlier so I could see my favorites. I remember having to patiently wait for the U.S. Farm Report to end so I could watch JOT the DOT. I always felt close to JOT because he would get himself into trouble all of the time and it reminded me a lot of my own life. Although, I don't think JOT got his hind-end busted as many times as I did!
I suppose JOT the DOT wouldn't be very popular with kids nowadays. It is too simple. Today's kids think everything has to be hi-tech with lots of loud music and action. I fear that children have lost part of their childhood by being introduced to such stuff so early in life. They say that times change and we have to change with them, but is that really true? I am of the opinion that we force this change on ourselves. It's that attitude that we have of thinking we have to have it all and we have to have it right now. I can look at my own children and see where I have failed as a parent. You can go into any of their rooms and you'll find a computer, television, telephone, video game consoles, and DVD's. Yet they still want more. How did it become this way? When I was a kid, your parent's would have had to be millionaires before you would have such things. I am by no means a millionaire, in fact, according to today's standards I am in the lower class income bracket. It sickens me sometimes. Do you ever dream of just selling off everything you have and moving away to the middle of nowhere? With today's economic conditions, that may not even be an option anymore. Things have really gotten bad. People are being forced to walk away from their homes and move into small apartments because they can no longer afford to pay the mortgage and upkeep on their houses. Putting your house up for sale on the market doesn't work either. Nobody is buying. I know several people who have tried to sell their homes but can't. Sadly, the American dream has turned into the American nightmare.
Despite the gloomy outlook, we can't just throw in the towel and give up. We must do as Paul says and "press toward the mark." I'm not talking about pressing toward the hope of buying things or living in large nice homes. I'm talking about pressing towards a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If people only realized that most of the problems in their lives can be attributed to not having a relationship with Jesus. I'm not saying that if you follow Jesus all your troubles will be over, but they way those troubles effect your life will be severely altered. I can't even imagine trying to make it in today's world without having Christ to lean on, to talk to, to receive comfort from. I've not always had a close walk with Him. I remember what it was like when those troubles and trials hit and I felt so alone. There was a time when my wife and I were not attending church, and definitely not living Christian lives, and I can tell you without a doubt that those were the most unsatisfying times of our lives.
I didn't really intend for this to be a "preaching" post, it just sort of turned that way. I hope each person that reads this has a personal relationship with Christ. If you don't, I encourage you to seek God. If you don't attend church (which is not a requirement for Salvation) I do think you would benefit to find a place of worship. You will draw strength from other believers and it helps in your daily walk. Try reading the Bible and praying. So many people tell me that they "just don't understand the Bible." I used to be one of those people. That was my excuse for not reading the Bible. That's just it, it's just an excuse. If you really want to understand something, you will put forth effort. It wasn't until I really started reading, concentrating, and praying, that I found a love and desire for God's Word. Trust me, if you will try, you will understand. Things will begin to open up for you. There are millions of free sources online to help you study and understand God's Word. Check them out, compare them, and come up with your own decisions. Here are a few resources that I personally use and can recommend:
0 comments:
Post a Comment