Recently, I was invited to give a life lesson speech to a
group of students at a local Jr. High School, in the small southern town of Dry
Prong, Louisiana. Of course, I haven’t been in an 8th grade
classroom for several decades and I am concerned it is way out of my league. I truly
believe God has hidden my comfort zone somewhere and I really need it back.
Under obedience to our Lord I have agreed to stand before this new generation
of fifteen year old kids.
So, this morning on my walk with God I asked Him; “What
exactly would you have me say to a bunch of teenagers Lord? Oh, and by the way, the last time I was in 8th
grade it didn’t go so well. Will you
help me feel comfortable?”
So as I was looking for the ‘Burning Bush’ the Lord showed
me I need to get on their level and talk with them; not at them.
When I was fifteen all I could think about was getting my
first truck, or which girl was the prettiest in the school. Did I have a chance
on going steady with her or did I need to set my sites on the silky haired
blond girl in home room. I felt there were so many decisions back then and I
had so little time to make up my mind; so I thought.
My thoughts to next week baseball tryouts and wondering how
many guys will try to take away my position on shortstop. Maybe I’ll be the ace
pitcher, but then my thoughts went to the new guy who throws a good curve ball.
Quickly, my mind drifted to hearing a couple friends were going fishing after
school today replaced by the test tomorrow.
In my youthful wisdom I thought “I’ll wing it.”
When I finally listened to God He put key words; Priorities and Responsibilities to share with the 8th graders.
The Lord instructed me to share that our priorities usually start
changing as we get older. Instead of making a huge decision on what kind of
chrome rims would look good on your car, you’re wondering, how can I pay this
doctor bill for my first newborn baby?
Unfortunately, some people will never learn. Their
priorities seem to be frozen in time. This can bring on all sorts of trouble. Next,
life throws poverty, bad credit, divorce, broken homes, and drug and alcohol
addiction. Families experiencing this always have to struggle, just to make it
through this life.
You know, people who choose to not take on adult responsibilities,
set goals, get a job or just plainly has no motivation eventually become a
burden on their families and society. I just described a sluggard or what most
call a lazy person. With this mentality you could actually give them a million
dollars and within a few short years they would land right back where they were.
There are so many examples of this with instant lottery millionaires.
That doesn’t mean everyone that’s experiencing poverty is a
sluggard. Sometimes no matter how hard you try; things just happen. People get
hurt or sick and you just can’t avoid life’s challenges. But, sometimes a tough
life makes you stronger, or gives you a drive to try harder to climb up. This
will make a person appreciate the simple joys of life and hold dear to his
family after experiencing lean times. I
have always felt that the test of someone’s true character is how they react
during adversity.
You can even become a victim of poverty by making a wrong
decisions. Through my years of turning left when I should have gone right has
led me in a direction of hard times and trouble as it would anyone else. I
really don’t think there’s a secret formula for making all of the right
decisions.
Research and or guidance is usually a good starting point as well as
humility or the mindfulness to listen to others who have more experience than
yourself. When in doubt back away, ask for help, and rethink some of the
choices you are about to make. Try to imagine are all of the possible outcomes.
If you are totally alone and face a decision you’re unsure of it I have always
found solace in seeking the Lord through prayer. Don’t be bashful, ask God for
guidance. Sometimes even after we pray and ask God for the right choice our own
desires takes over and we still make the wrong choices. You might see your
mistake within minutes and sometimes it might take years to see you made the
wrong decision.
Here’s the kicker, a lot of people will blame God for their
mistakes. “I prayed and God allowed this to happen, blab, blab, blab.” Here’s a
thought for that; whatever the outcome of a wrong decision. God will use it to either
grow you spiritually or draw you closer to Him or if you’re hard hearted, He
might allow you to wallow in your troubles for years. In short, bad things can
work out for the good, and we don’t always see ‘The Burning Bush’.
God led me to have
the kids participate in an exercise, pretending they all are authors writing a
book. The character in their book is awesomely designed in their image. The love
their character and want to make sure he or she stays safe and completely out
of harm’s way. However the character in their story comes to a crossroad and if
this character turns left it will be sure chaos and heartache. To the right, this
person will experience sudden death. Now keep in mind you the writer are in
complete control. What will you do? So I would have them write in the story having
their character go straight ahead and is stay completely safe. Awesome out come
right?
Then I had them fantasize for a bit longer about their story.
I had them write another story similar to the first, but this time their
character has a free will and actually knows the are the writer, but doesn’t
like them writing certain things in the story or simply doesn’t like them being
in command of the ending of the story. Their character can only see what’s
directly in front of them and not what you the writer can see on the last page
or even the dangers that are just several chapters or even pages as the story
continues.
Your character is now standing at the cross road trying to
make a decision. As the author of your story you can hope with all your heart that
they make the right choice. You might even give them a map or leave clues or
maybe even a sign with warnings of the dangers. One final try with maybe a soft
still voice, “I love you, please go
straight.”
Suddenly your character folds the map that you gave them and
tosses it on the ground, chooses to look away from the signs, close their ears
not wanting to hear your voice and eventually turns to the right. It saddens
your heart as you watch their destruction and the ultimately the end of your characters
story. What a shame, as it could have been a series with generations of
characters and many wonderful stories.
Let’s talk about free will and how this story relates to having
a relationship with God!
God is really the author and we are the characters and He
has provided us with the guidelines of life through His written roadmap, the
Bible. Oh yea, here’s the big one; He has provided us with His Holy Spirit to
guide us. It’s just our desires mixed with pride that blinds us and covers our
ears and shades our eyes. We don’t look for ‘The Burning Bush’.
You know God gives us the free will to write our own story in
life. Don’t go through life without the leadership and guidance of our Maker. With
major decisions of Life, be still and know that he is God!
By the way, the visit with this 8th grade class
was very rewarding for me personally.
God gave me the words to share with them and hopefully I used His gift
to make a difference in their life.
However, I will tell you that because I accepted God’s direction and
used His guidance; I was rewarded greatly for listening to His command.
More about Russell L.
Martin:
Using his life experience and firm belief in Jesus the Son
of God, Russell L. Martin was inspired to share an incredible tale of what it
could be like to be in a personal relationship with your protecting Angel; thus
became the birth of “Scars of My Guardian Angel”.
In addition to “Scars of My Guardian Angel”, a 312 page
Christian novel, Russell L. Martin written 13 wonderful Christian songs, that
he and his wife share in local churches around their community. “Scars of My Guardian Angel” is the first
book of The Portal Series. The book is
receiving rave reviews from readers leaving them with a strong desire for book
two of The Portal Series: Bloodline of the Scrolls.
For more information about Russell L. Martin visit, https://www.russellmartinauthor.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment