I have recently talked with two friends at length about books we could all write about our lives. It could very well be that we would be the only ones interested in our individual writings but to listen to my friends I would say, maybe not. Neither of my friends are Christians. They are both about the same age as me and both have backgrounds in law enforcement. Their lives have been very interesting and I learned much just by listening to them.
When we read God's word we often read about the lives of individuals. Especially in the Old Testament we read about some very flawed individuals and yet many of them helped to change the world in a positive way. Abraham, Moses, Noah, Joseph, Joshua and many others, were not perfect and yet God used them to influence nations. Sometimes when we read blogs like this or when we look at other social media, we might tend to snicker under our breath at the arrogance of some people. We wonder whether the writers actually have the life experiences to say anything meaningful. One person I know writes blogs on a regular basis but his underlying tone is often one of bitterness. He has been hurt by church leaders and his mission in life seems to be to slam everything that is opposed to his views. While he does this, he elevates others and fails to realize that the very thing that kept getting him in trouble continues to this day: putting church leaders on pedestals. They almost all eventually become his victims on his blogs. His life story is one that I have learned from however: don't look for position through men. Only God promotes!
When we consider our lives the ones we should be influencing are our children. Even if they make poor decisions, will they be able to look at you and see an example of perseverance? Will they see someone that trusts in the Lord even when things become difficult? Will they see a person of faith? Will they see someone that loves unconditionally? They will always see our flaws no matter how hard we try to hide them but will they see our character and integrity?
I have seen things in my life that I don't want my children to see. I have experienced disappointment and I have experienced betrayal. Those are things that can make you cynical if you choose to allow that to happen. We always have a choice.
I was recently introduced to something called Geni. It is a website that allows you to research your family tree and it has been fascinating to discover relatives I never knew I had. Discovering ancestors that were Christians has been a real blessing. A while ago I found out that my grandfather had (I believe it is still there) an organ in his home and it was common for the village to gather for church in their home on Sunday morning. My cousin once told me that KGB records show that he died on a cattle train to Siberia during WW ll. He was singing hymns for 3 days until they found him dead. This was actually in the records produced to my cousin, a cousin that is not a believer. He died because he was not given food or water. He died September 24, 1941, exactly 13 years before my birth. I don't believe in coincidence!
Our life story is still being written and if you are reading this you still have an opportunity to impact the lives of others in a positive way. Don't waste that time God has given you.
