Skip to main content

The ‘If only’ trap, Ecclesiastes 11:4

‘Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.’ Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT Author Betty Mahalik says in this day and age we’re surrounded by messages that scream, ‘My life would be perfect if only I’d a different job…house…car…nose…spouse…bank account (you fill in the blank). Or if I could be like some celebrity whose life appears well ordered and perfect. Well this week I stopped playing “my life would be perfect if,” and started playing “my perfect life”. What’s the difference? Three things: 1) Being in the present; 2) An attitude of gratitude; 3) Taking action with what’s available now…When we’re caught up in the “my life would be perfect if” trap, we lose touch with the present and can no longer practise gratitude. Think about it: it’s difficult to be grateful for what you don’t have…and what you don’t have is always somewhere in “future-ville”. Look around you…do you have a roof over your head and food to eat? A few good friends or close relationships? Then appreciate them…You’re probably sitting there thinking “Yes, but I want more money, a better relationship, more time to travel, to be thinner, happier, or whatever”…stop focusing on what you lack and start focusing on what you’ve already got.’ The Bible says, ‘Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.’ If you demand perfection-or-nothing, you’ll keep ending up with nothing. The fact that ‘God…made us what we are’ (Ephesians 2:10 TLB), means while our best is always commendable, none of us will attain perfection this side of heaven. And that’s okay, because Christ has clothed us in His righteousness and made us ‘complete in him’ (Colossians 2:10 KJV).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A TEACHER’S TRIBUTE TO STUDENTS

Teaching is a passion, and my experience as a teacher has been beautiful, emotional and fulfilling. Over the years, I’ve watched the student – teacher equation evolve: From Guru, as all-knowing to Guru as friend and equal, as someone who doesn’t always know the best. Today’s teacher and the learner are partners in the process of teaching and learning. We inspire, motivate and learn from each other; if I don’t know, I can admit it to my students. The teacher is only a facilitator; one who will help the student grow, become a self-learner. The teacher is only one of many sources. Not infrequently, there is a role reversal. With children being so tech-savy, often I am the student and they are my teachers. Has teaching changes the way I think ? Yes, most certainly. My students have shown me how to manage time. I marvel at how deftly they juggle sports, academics, dance, and theatre, for instance. I have learnt how to accept failure as I see my students taking success and failure with equan...
16 comments
Read more

What Causes Conflict, Colossians 3:13

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.” Colossians 3:13 (NIV) You probably don’t like conflict. Most people try to avoid it as much as possible! But conflict is inevitable in life—because no one is perfect. But if you want to build a better future and pursue your purpose, God calls you to “bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone” (Colossians 3:13 NIV). Before you can learn healthy ways to respond to conflict, you need to know the common causes of conflict. In Nehemiah 5, you find four common causes: 1. Unmet basic needs. Unmet needs can be physical, emotional, relational, or financial. In Nehemiah’s time, it was a physical need: People were hungry. They were working to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem but encountered a famine. The people said, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive” (Nehemiah 5:2 NLT). 2. Falling behind. When you feel like you’re not making any prog...
Post a Comment
Read more

GOD'S TIMING, Matthew 26:39-42. 27:45-46

Matthew 26:39-42. 27:45-46 "My God , my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:46. Jesus agonized for hours in prayer and pleading, "Let this cup pass from Me ". But the Father's answer was "No ". To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening. When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.
Post a Comment
Read more