GETTING IT WRONG

Have you ever done something and realized (sometimes
immediately) that you made the wrong decision? Most probably you have, I think
it is part of being human.

Sometimes the bad decisions are obvious, glaring things that
stand out for all to see, sometimes, they are things of which only you are
aware.

I started thinking about this when I read an article that
told that bubble pack was originally marked at wall paper. I honestly can't see
how they ever thought that would work, but then I'm looking at it from a
background that says, "bubble pack is used to pack stuff."

As I do a quick review of my life, I can quickly find many
things that I made the wrong decisions about. Now, I could dwell on those
things and worry about them and let them control my life and make me miserable,
but I'm not going to do that. I choose to focus on the good stuff.

I've known some folks in my life, who have done nothing but
remember their wrong decisions. They worry about them to the point that they
come to believe that they have no worth; no value even to God. How could God
possibly forgive them if they can't forgive themselves?

If you are a fan of the Anne of Green Gables books and
movies, you may remember one scene where Anne comments that "Everyday is
brand new, free of mistakes." What a wonderful concept and one that is so
true.

In 1 John 1: 8-9
we read, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not
living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."
(NLT)

Honestly, this is my favorite (at least one of them)
scripture in the Bible. In this scripture we find hope when we make the wrong
decisions. We find promise that we can start over fresh with each new day. What
does it take? Admitting we messed up and believing what God says, when he says
he will "cleanse" us.

It seems sometimes that I work overtime at getting it wrong
in my life; I think the wrong things, say the wrong things and do the wrong
things. But our God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."

You see, it's God's love that brings us forgiveness when we
get it wrong in life; it's our responsibility to accept that forgiveness and
get on with living for him.

Often Communicate We Don't Well!

When we lived in Africa we tried, (emphasis on tried) to learn the
languages of the local people. We were successful to a limited extent, but we
understood that often we spoke as a small child might as we tried to communicate.

 

You probably noted that the
title of this article is somewhat mixed up, but what is the best way to say
what I am trying to say? (1) Often communicate we don't well, (2) We don't
communicated well, often, (3) or, Far too often we fail to communicate clearly?

Our world is in a huge
transition in communication at the present. Things are in flux, or undergoing
changes, which it always has since time began. Admittedly, those of us of
"the mature generation," may have more difficulty than those who are younger
in adapting to the transition. Personally, I still have refused to embrace
"text messages,"

"chat rooms" and such (I'm still stuck on emails and blogs). I
understand that makes me quite "Old Fashioned" and out of touch in
some folks minds. I know that I will eventually be dragged into the modern
world if text messages, but honestly, I don't want to spend that much time
learning a new language (text shorthand). I can envision being involved in
something like the following incident.

It seems that on a cold
winter day a husband received this text message from his wife: "Windows
frozen." Having had to deal with the problem of the windows in his
car being frozen shut in the past he replied with a text message that said:
"pour some lukewarm water over it." A short while later his
wife sent him another text message that read, "Now the computer is really messed
up."

How we communicate with one
another is important, whether we do it face to face, by text, email or over the
telephone. Through the years I have made my fair share of mistakes in trying to
communicate, but failed in the trying. Thankfully, those with whom I "miss
communicate," have been very forgiving.

Where am I going with this?
The goal of these thoughts is to cause you to consider how we communicate with
God. We can't email or text message God, it takes a real heart to heart
conversation to communicate with him. There are no short cuts, no
abbreviations, no way to get around talking with him and expressing our love,
our thanks and the needs of our heart.

I understand that for some
folks, all they know is some prayer they have been taught to repeat. They
really don't know how to think freely and communicate from the heart with God.
It's really not that hard if we stop and think about what God tells us he wants
from us in His Word. You say, "I don't know how to pray." God
speaking though his servant Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."  (NLT)

It's a simple process, pray
for and about everything. Share like you are sharing with your best friend.
Tell God what we need and thank him for all he has done, tell him what is going
on in you life, about your struggles and your successes. Communication doesn't
get any easier than that.

Books by Russ Lawson @
http://www.lulu.com/russlawson