The Envious Eagle

I once heard the fable of an eagle who was envious of another eagle who was larger and could fly much higher than he could. The only way to be the best eagle again was to have the larger eagle killed. So one day the eagle went to a bow hunter and showed him the great prize he could have if he shot down the eagle flying so high. The hunter agreed to but needed a feather for his arrow. The eagle obliged, giving him one of his feathers. The hunter shot an arrow that sailed high and straight, but fell short since the eagle was so high. The eagle again gave him a feather to try again. Again he failed. This continued on until the eagle had no more feathers to give and he, himself couldn’t fly. When the hunter saw the dilemma he saw his prize and turned and shot the eagle sitting beside him. The moral of the story was when you envy the only person you hurt is yourself.

Love does not envy. Envy goes beyond simple jealousy. It is the desire to have what someone else has no matter what the cost. Kind David did this when he lusted after Bathsheba and then had her husband killed to cover his sin and gain his prize. Cain did this when he killed Abel. Ahab did this when he had Naboth killed to obtain Naboth’s vineyard for his wife.

The opposite of envy is to be content. Contentment means that I can be happy with what I have no matter what everyone else around me has. I don’t have to have a house as big as yours. I can drive an older car while you’re in a newer one. I will not wish you harm because you are better off than I am. I will not wish ill on you because of your success.

Love means you want the best for others. You want them to succeed. You want them to be happy.

Two men were once stranded on a dessert island. In order to co-exist they divided the island in half and they lived separately. The two men knew their only hope was to pray. The first day they prayed for food. The next morning one man had an abundance of food and the other had only enough to sustain his life. The next day they prayed for shelter. The man who had all the food was given a grand place to live while the other was stuck to living under a tree. After a week the first man prayed for a wife and it was granted to him. The other man remained alone on barren soil with little shelter. Finally the first man prayed for a ship to come by and take his wife and him away from the island. The next day the ship arrived and the man and wife boarded the ship and decided to leave the other man behind.

As the ship sailed a voice came from heaven, “Where is your shipmate that was on the island with you?” The man said that the he did not deserve to be saved, which was obvious by none of his prayers being answered. “On the contrary,” the voice came back, “while you asked for food, shelter and a wife, he prayed that all of your prayers would be answered. It was his prayers that gave you what you had not yours.”

Love does not envy means we want the best for those we love and would do nothing to cause harm.

Love is Kind

It’s interesting that “Love is Kind” follows “Love is Patient”. Several years ago a study was done by a TV program on how people respond behind someone at a red light that doesn’t go. In the study they had someone stop a car at a red light and wait for someone to come up behind them. When the light turned green the test car remained in position and did not move. They did this in three areas of the country, South, East Coast and West Coast. They started in a city in the South. The car behind waited through two red lights before just going around the car in front. On the West Coast the car behind waited through one light then honked their horn when the light changed green again. On the East Coast the car behind honked their horn as soon as the light turned. Patience and kindness often work together. I think that’s why Paul probably put them together.

Four years ago while I was making some hospital visits I went by the room of an older lady whose son was dying from AIDS. It was sad to see him wasting away and his mother with eyes swollen from tears watching him slowly dying. There wasn’t anything I could do for him but pray. Instead of just saying the prayer I reached out and took his hand. It was a surprise to his mother since most people were afraid to touch someone with a disease such as this. Not long after the young man died.

A couple of months ago his mother came up to me after Bible class. “I still remember and thank you for when you came to the hospital; took my son’s hand and prayed with us.”

It was a simple gesture, but an act of kindness that she cherished four years later. Kindness is one thing that can be given away and doesn’t have to cost us a dime. I remember the time that one of the ladies at church was too short for her feet to reach the floor. One of the men of the congregation saw this and decided to do something about it. The next time she came to worship there was a stool for her to rest her feet upon. She never knew who put it there.

We recently stayed at a hotel in San Antonio. As we left the first morning we left $5 for the maid and thanked her for doing so well in cleaning our room. We came back later that day and as we were leaving a housekeeper stopped us and asked if we were room so and so. We said we were and she proceeded to thank us for the gift.

Kindness may just be saying thank you to a waiter or waitress who serves you at a restaurant. It may be picking up merchandise on the floor of a store and returning it to the shelf. It may be holding a door open for someone or passing up a parking place so the people behind you can have it even if you have to walk an extra distance yourself. It may be waiting patiently as a new person is trained at the cash register or simply telling someone you appreciate how they helped you.

The writer of proverbs wrote, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” A kind word can make a person’s day. It can give them hope that life is better than they thought.

The story is told of Abraham Lincoln visiting a battlefield hospital during the Civil War. He approached the bed of a soldier who was dying and who did not recognize Lincoln. The young man asked Lincoln to write a note to his parents expressing his love to them and his family. The young man weak and dying could say very little so Lincoln concluded the letter, “written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.”

The young man asked to see the letter and upon seeing Lincoln’s name apologized for not recognizing his commander in chief. Lincoln then asked if there was anything else he could do. He requested that Lincoln hold his hand during his final moments of life. Lincoln sat holding the young man’s hand until sunrise when the young man passed away. It was a simple act of kindness from the most powerful man in the country for someone he had known less than 24 hours.

Simple acts of kindness are free to give and valuable to receive.

So today, hold a hand, open a door, and say thank you, praise good work, smile and share the gift of kindness with everyone you meet.

Next Week: Love Does Not Envy

Love is Patient

I was feeling really good when I drove into the bank drive-in. There were six lanes open with two cars in each. As I drove up one car went on through so I pulled behind the single car. Fifteen minutes later I was still sitting in the same spot. All the other lanes had fulfilled the needs of the two cars in line and were now servicing the second influx of vehicles. By the time I moved up after twenty minutes of waiting I had seen more than a dozen other cars come and go and I think the leaves start to change on a tree or two.

 

So I decided from that point on to do a study of cars in the bank drive-in and see if there was a way to tell which line to choose. Through months of study I found out there are certain vehicles you avoid. 

1. Never get behind a pick-up with more than just the driver if it’s a man. This is probably a construction crew and each man wants to cash his check and they must all be done separately. Each man in the pick-up equals a car and a half. The half is because it takes longer to do cash transaction than a deposit.
2. Never pull up behind a mini-van driven by a woman with kids inside. This is a mother who is probably frustrated with everything that is going on and will probably not have her deposit slip ready. And when she’s done she’ll have to send the carrier back because all the kids will want a sucker.
3. Never pull up behind an automobile with a business sign on the side. These are normally business people who don’t want to go through the commercial line. Their deposits are usually large and take up the time of two or three cars.
4. Never get behind a full size vehicle with someone with gray hair. I fit the gray hair part but don’t drive a full size vehicle by the way. These are usually older people who need help filling out their deposit slip. In addition they don’t trust the teller so they make sure to turn off their engine and count all the cash before they leave. It also takes longer to get the driver’s license back in their wallet.
5. Never, ever pull up behind someone who is shaking his head. This means he knows what he wants and why he’s here. He’s done his duty by filling out his deposit slip, added everything correctly and just wants to get through. He’s shaking his head because the teller is new and has no idea what he or she is doing and wonders why the person on the driver license picture has different color hair. 

So having all this knowledge I pulled into the drive-in, studied the situation and pulled up behind a vehicle that met my new criteria and proceeded to wait while all the other cars in all the other lanes went through before I did. It was at that moment I realized I needed to work on the one factor I had left out; my lack of patience.

 

Patience is a virtue that almost everyone struggles with at some time or another. It’s used 25 times in the New Testament and self-control another 5 times. The lack of patience is a result of our worrying about things or in many cases just being in too big a hurry. It comes mostly because we put ourselves in a tight schedule and leave no room for enjoying life around us.

 

Several years ago I heard a song by AGAPE that has always stuck with me:

Have Patience, Have Patience 

Don’t be in such a hurry 

When you get impatient 

You only start to worry 

Remember, Remember 

That God is patient too 

And think of all the times when others 

Have to wait on you. 

 

Now when I sit in line at the bank drive-in I tune to XM Radio Classics and listen to a story while I wait. When I sit in a doctor’s office for two hours past my appointment time I carry a book to read. When I stand in a long grocery line I laugh at the tabloid headlines and watch how people react and tell myself, “I use to be one of those”. I’ve learned to give myself an extra hour or two if I’m driving through Dallas on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 during football season.

 

But most of all I’ve learned to be more patient with people. They may not move as fast as I want them to, but that’s okay, sometimes I move slowly myself. They may have a hard time with change when I want it to happen more quickly, but sometimes it takes me longer also. Everyone moves at his own pace and I have to be patient with those all around me that are moving at different speeds whether faster or slower.

 

Paul said “Love is Patient”. He said that because people are more important than the entire hullabaloo that goes on around us. Learning to be patient forces us to be more aware of the world around us. Learning to be patient forces us to realize that people are people just like us who have good days as well as bad. Learning to be patient is an act of love.

 

So next time you feel a little impatience coming on remember the last line of the little song above, “And think of all the times when others have to wait on you.”

 

Next Week: Love is Kind

 

The Legend of Gelert

Lying in a remote part of North Wales is a small community called Beddgelert with a population of only a few hundred. The one big attraction to tourists as they pass through the town is a well maintained grave. It’s the grave of a dog whose name was Gelert. On the monument is the story of how he came to rest in this place. Some call it fact while others call it a mere legend. Any way you look at it the tale inscribed upon the stone is a sad one.

"In the 13th century Llewelyn, prince of North Wales, had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, "The Faithful Hound", who was unaccountably absent.

On Llewelyn's return the truant, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son, and saw the infant's cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood.

The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side, thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry.

Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed, but nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain.

The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again. He buried Gelert here".

It reminds me of another incident. One in which a man was beaten, scourged and hung on a cross when all he was trying to do was save those who killed him.

However, the monument left behind is not made of granite, but of flesh and blood. His followers, the church, stands as a reminder that we, His heirs, live because of Him.

“For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Birds in the Church Building

Yesterday there was a bird flying around in the church building. It was just a common ordinary sparrow, but it reminds me of many other birds that I’ve seen in our building. Most of them come flying through during worship. Here are a few I’ve seen lately.

Punctual Late Landers

Capistrano has nothing on this type swallow that always or invariably lands in the services about 8-10 minutes late. It is uncanny how they can do it consistently and not be a second off! Mother Nature has perhaps provided them with a timing system that defies man’s description. It is too bad that it cannot be set up about 15 minutes so they could arrive on time. But alas! Nothing can be done; it seems, to hurry them up.

Scarlet Throated Blabber Beaks

A bird found in almost any church building during services. He roosts any place and is unconcerned about the rights and desires of others. His head swings to the right or left but seldom toward the front. His throat has the identifiable scarlet color from much chatter, and you will notice the smallness of his ears for he seldom listens.

Flocking Scribble Scratchers

When the sermon is of a serious nature, these strange fowls begin to scribble and scratch with pencil and pad writing notes hurriedly to each other in order to distract those nearest. They seldom speak though’ they are animated and make funny faces. They are known by the groups in which they congregate. It can be told where they have nested after services are completed because the janitor has to remove the trash from the general area. Color them purple with rage.

Roaming-Eyed Rifflers

This strange visitor to places of worship is not content with that which is transpiring but compulsively allows his eyes to roam about. Some varieties count bricks on the wall, cracks in the plaster, and panes in the windows or holes in the ceiling tile. Another variety (for which the group finds its distinctive name) is the riffler of song books. This type also has a deep interest in some dusty book of the Old Testament. A strange breed the Roaming-Eyed Riffler.

Chirping Beep Tweeters

This is a relatively new variety of fowl. They are almost unrecognizable but for the faint sounds that come from where they nest. The interesting thing is that most have distinctively different sounds: Some beep, some chirp, some buzz while others are completely silent. They are distinctive however in that though they sit perfectly still while their eyes are constantly moving up and down, but rarely forward with the tips of their wings moving at a rapid pace. Occasionally one will turn and interact with a Scarlet Throated Blabber Beak.

When you enter into worship with God, where are you really? Are you there communing with Him or are you flying around here and there like so many of these birds?

Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Oh! By the way there is one other bird in worship with which I have no qualms.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;

If you must be a bird in worship, be an Eagle!

Memories of Yesteryear

I'm a nostalgic person. Kathy and I both like to go to flea markets, garage sales and antique stores searching for treasures from the past. Sometimes they'll be things I can sell on EBay but mostly it's stuff we like from the "old days". Most cost a buck or two, some less, some a little more. I don't live in the past but I like the memories that things can bring. So here's a little test of a few things for those moving on in years. See if they bring back thoughts from years ago...

1. Use _____ the foaming cleanser. Gets out stains even bleach can't reach.

2. You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with _________.

3. Let _________ put you in the driver's seat.

4. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is. _____________  ____________.

5. See the USA from your _______________.

6. Oh, I wish I were an ________ _________ __________.

7. I'd walk a mile for a ____________.

8. ____________, a little dab a do ya...

9. Cigars, Cigarettes, ______________.

10. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____________ makes the very best......cho....colate.

11. The best of waking up is _____________ in your cup.

12. A Guy -- Who Drives -- His Car -- Wide Open -- Is not thinkin' -- he's just hopin' -- ______ ______

13. I want my __________.

14. _______ soap, the soap that floats.

15. Does she or doesn't she? _____________

16. You can trust your car to the man who wears the star. The big bright ____________ star.

17. The breakfast of champions.  __________

18. I love _______ it's rich and choclaty

19 All the kids in the neighborhood say __________ ______ ______ are triple good

20. Mother's love it. Kid's ask for it by name. _______________

Things change. Every generation looks back at those things that remind them of their youth. We go to class reunions to see old friends who we may or may not recognize in a crowd as we once would. We watch old movies with people of different clothing styles and hairdos, we listen to old songs with words that only our generation relates to and visit places from our past that are overgrown with what were once small plants and in need of repair. Life goes on.

The one constant that every generation shares however is Jesus Christ. Worship styles may change. Buildings look more modern. Communication methods are different. It's not the same place our parents drug us to when we were little.

But inside with the unseen it is different. "Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday, Today and 

Forever." With this we have no need to look back, only forward.

1. Ajax 2. Pepsodent 3. Hertz 4. Alka-Seltzer 5. Chevrolet 6. Oscar Meyer Weiner 7. Camel 8. Brylcream 9. Tiparillos 10. N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles 11. Folger's 12. Burma Shave 13. Mapo 14. Ivory 15. Clairol 16. Texaco 17. Wheaties 18. Bosco 19. Tootsie Roll Pops 20. Ovaltine

He's Dead Now: The Man Who Hated Christians

He’s dead now: the man who hated Christians. He’s dead now: the man who sought to destroy the church and all for which it stands. He’s dead now: the man who threatened innocent men and women throughout the world. He’s dead now: the man whose followers obeyed his every command, murdering those whom they were directed to kill. He’s dead now: the man who didn’t care if he killed men or women. He’s dead now: the man who watched while thousands of men, women and children were brutally killed. He’s dead now: the leader who let everyone else perform his dirty work. He’s dead now: the man that many attempted to kill but he always eluded them. Yes, he’s dead now.

Oh, you’ll see him again: on the day we all stand before God to face our fate for eternity. And on that day I have no doubt that God will look at this man, the murderer, the Christian killer, the man who the world feared and say, “Come in my good and faithful servant”. And with wonderment we’ll step aside and watch as Saul of Tarsus, better known as Paul moves forward to stand side by side with those he at one time stood by and watched being murdered.

I did not hate Osama Bin Laden. I hated what he stood for and what he did. I believe he deserved to be punished for the atrocities and crimes he committed. I’m glad he’s not around to continue his leadership of an extremist group bent on destroying innocent people. He was an evil man with evil motives. The world is better off without his influence.

But you know what. Angels would have been rejoicing in heaven if he had turned as Paul did and changed his life. Can you imagine the impact on the world if the one who was the persecutor of Christianity had become the protector of Christianity?

It’s happened before. A man named Jake Deshazer was a prisoner of war in Japan and hated the Japanese, until one day he read the Word of God and decided that after the war he’d go back to Japan and teach them about Christ. It happened before. A man named Mitsuo Fuchida, an atheist who hated America. He led the attack on Pearl Harbor that killed thousands of Americans. Then one day he picked up a brochure written by Jake Deshazer that introduced him to the love of Christ. He was converted and became a spokesman for the cause of Christ until the day of his death. It happened before when a man named Stephen while being stoned to death by his enemies fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." It happened before when a man nailed to a wooden cross looked down on a crowd that hated him and said “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” It’s happened many times before. God enters a man’s heart and changes him dramatically.

There are numerous things that we as Christians are taught to do. One of the hardest is found in the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:

5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I can think of nothing harder than to love those that hate me. Not only am I asked to love them but I’m also asked to pray for them. So I will. I’ll pray that they come “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…” As I pray I’ll remember the words of Peter when he said, “that God is not willing for any to perish”. Praying for them does not mean you accept what they stand for and what they do. It simply means you care for their soul just like the Savior cared for yours.

Two men are dead now: Two men who murdered men and women because they were Christians. Two men are dead now: Two men who hated and were hated. Two men are dead now: but, one remains dead while one lives on because of a changed life when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

In his words what changed him from being a persecutor to a protector are simply:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Minton Special

Life was simple while I was growing up in small town Plano, Texas. At the turn of the 1950’s decade Plano had reached a population of 3,695. It was small town America and a wonderful place to grow up. Summers were lazy and easy going. As a kid the guys had Little League baseball as the only organized activity. Otherwise it was a scrub baseball game behind the old high school, swimming in the Texas shaped pool at the edge of town just on the west side of Hwy 75 known as the Central Expressway or maybe a tackle football game in the lot behind Billy Don’s house.

It would be another year before Six Flags Over Texas would open it’s gates in 1961. It was that same year, 1961, that a baseball team was formed bearing the name, Washington Senators. It would be another 10 years before they moved to Arlington as the Texas Rangers. In the fall of 1960 football would make its way to Dallas which lay 20 miles and 30 minutes south of Plano. On the old highway half the trip would still be in the country or sparsely populated areas. For 50 cents local football players could get general admission tickets to watch the games of the new NFL, Dallas Cowboys. They were so poorly attended at times you could move to a seat between the 40 and 50 yard line after halftime.

At the Minton household Sunday nights were mostly family time in front of our black and white TV. Mom would ask what we wanted to eat and most of the time we’d yell out “the Minton Special”. It was a simple meal. She’d take a plate and line the outside with half slices of bologna, salami, pickle-loaf or olive loaf, several slices of cheese and what we called “Liberace” crackers. “Liberace” crackers were a sweet club cracker that was sponsor on his TV show. In the middle would be pickles and olives and at times carrots or celery. Then we’d all sit down and enjoy an evening of “Gunsmoke” and “Cheyenne” or maybe it was “Bonanza” and “Have Gun Will Travel” while enjoying our sumptuous meal. Life was simple.

A while back when our kids came up for a visit we went to Frontier Texas. While going around with our granddaughter she wanted to punch every button and see what would light up. She had a ball and it was fun for me seeing her have so much fun doing something so simple.

Today is different, however, for most people. There’s soccer practice, baseball practice, volleyball, karate lessons, dancing lessons, cheerleader practice etc. Families are torn going this way and that and by the time they are home at night they are so tired that time is spent with the kids in one room and the parents in another. Meals are quick and fast. One eats in her room watching TV while another eats his in front of a video game. Another is busy “texting” or playing games on their I-Phone. Mom and dad plop down somewhere watching a reality show and just enjoying the peace and quiet. The fast paced world has worn everyone out.

Gone is the art of catching fireflies in jars or lying on the grass just gazing up at the stars. Gone in many families is family time where you just sit around together in the same room and enjoy just being together, eating together and laughing together. Our cell phones are rarely turned off and we constantly check our email to see if someone is trying to contact us with a life or death situation. As a result we have lost much of the togetherness that is healthy for families.

James wrote, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We never know what God has planned for us the next day or the next. Before we know it it’s passed us by and we often live in the regrets of “I wish I had”.

Love your family while you can. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Slow down. Go into the kitchen, make yourself a “Minton Special” then sit down with your family in the den, turn off your cell phones, shut down your computer, put your land line phone on silent, change the settings on your TV to eliminate the color and watch “The Wonderful World of Color” in black and white.

“Put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

A Thought on Kevin Na's 16 at Valero



Photo from pga.com

27 year old Kevin Na knocked in a four foot putt on the 9th hole of the Valero Open today. It was the last in an accumulation of 16 strokes and penalties. Not a good hole for the young man, however it was one better than Chris Gane’s 17 on the 18th hole of the 2003 Diageo Championship and two shy of John Daly’s 18 in 1998 at Bay Hill. Unfortunately, it was all caught on camera since Na was the feature player of the day.

I read several blogs, accounts and comments today about this terrible hole. I guess what really bothers me is how many people out there really seem to enjoy someone else’s struggles. Some people seemed to relish the chance to say “I could do better than that!” He’s been made fun of, second-guessed, put down and laughed at by a lot of people on the internet.

As I watched the replay I was impressed by Kevin; not his golf on this hole or his decision making, but how he handled the situation. I’ve watched other golfers curse a blue streak, break clubs and even walk off in disgust and frustration. Kevin however for the most part kept his cool. He did rush a few shots and drop his club when he hit the drive for the second time into the trees. But, I saw his integrity when he said he thought the ball came back and hit his pant leg. That one cost him an extra shot. Then as he finally got out of the trees with his 13th shot he came out smiling. He then proceeded to shoot 3 under par on the back nine.

I see nothing funny in laughing at people’s struggles. Every one of us has made embarrassing and stupid mistakes in life. We’ve all made bad decisions. We’ve all been in situations where we’d like a “do over”. We’ve all been embarrassed by something we’ve done in life. The only difference is that Kevin’s was caught on film. How would we feel if our bad days were filmed for everyone else to see?

Making fun of people when they are down is simply trying to find a way to make us look better. If we can somehow make others look bad or point out their weaknesses it somehow raises our stature.

Paul wrote to the church in Thessolonica to “encourage each other and build each other up”. Of all the articles I happen to read they all dwelt on the 16 strokes on hole number 9. Not one of them talked about how he kept his cool and came back with that 3 under par on the back nine. I hope his fellow golfers took time to place a hand on his shoulder and encourage him.

Kevin Na will probably not make the cut tomorrow, but I also doubt that he’ll ever shoot anywhere close to another 16.

Next time before we judge someone, we should look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What if that were me? How would I want to be treated?” And then remember that little saying we have been taught all our lives, “Do unto others, what you would have them do unto you.”

A Light in the Fog



Image courtesy of /www.freefoto.com



The fog was thick as Sam slid into the driver's seat of  his car and began driving home from work. It was so thick in fact that he could only see a few feet ahead. As he crept slowly along he was able to spot the taillights of a car in front of him. “This guy is moving pretty well, I’ll just follow him until we get out of this mess.” He thought to himself. The two moved slowly down the road turning corners and making progress. Then all of a sudden the car in front came to a full quick stop. “Crash!” Sam’s car plowed into the back of the one in front.

Sam was furious. He exited his car and yelled at the guy in front. “Why did you stop all of a sudden like that?” You knew I was behind you! The man who had exited his car quietly turned to Sam and said, “I don’t know where you were going mister, but I’m in my own driveway!”

Life has many directions and turns that make it difficult. At times we get lost and look for direction from different sources. Sometimes the direction we go is the right way. Then again, there are times we make bad decisions. There are times we follow the wrong crowd.

One of the biggest decisions we make is who we are going to be around. With what type of people do we associate? Are they people of integrity and good character who will help us in life? Are they people who are lost themselves? Are they people out for the good of others or people out for only what they can get for themselves?

The tough part is that we are often in a fog. We feel we’re okay when we really can’t see what is happening around us. Then we crash and it’s not until then that we realize the mistake we’ve made. Fortunately, most of the time we can recover and get back on the right road, but often the damage has been done and is difficult to repair.

There is one light, however, that we can always depend on to lead us in the right direction; One light that will help us through the twists and turns we cannot see in the fog; One light that can bring us safely home.

That light is Jesus who simply said, “I am the light of the world”.

So next time you feel that your life is in the middle of a fog, look for the true light. If we follow him we receive the promise that “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

So now, back out of the driveway and get back on the road, but his time watch out who you''re following.