My Moment of Truth

We are often told to do just do our best. But often we find doing our best can lead to an extreme situation where we try to get things so right that it really hinders our progress in whatever project we attempt. This is where we have to realize there is a middle ground. I have to confess that I got the idea for this article from a radio sermon by Adrian Rogers. It was a good message. But I’ll try to attack it maybe from a little different angle.

I think we’ve all probably done this to some degree. And, really, it’s possible to try to get things too perfect in almost any area of our lives. I know I had that problem just when I decided to start this blog. I kept thinking to myself, “Well, I’d really like to get started, but this part isn’t quite right or I’d like to figure out how this works first and I don’t know what to do if this happens.” As you can see, I ended up not worrying about it being too perfect. But, actually, I received some rather sage advice from a friend who told me to basically just get started. So, that’s what I did. Now, I’m off and rolling.

One of the things I discovered once I did that was that you end up just learning some things as you go. Not all your questions are answered up front, at the beginning. It turns out you need to leave yourself room to learn as you go. Huh, who knew? Of course, this was a good learning experience for me. And, honestly, I’m about as guilty as any when it comes to being a perfectionist.

There are really three outcomes I can think of when someone is a perfectionist. One is, the person who starts a project and eventually gets finished, but the process is so long and agonizing that it’s not really feasible, or practical, for them to try to repeat the process. The second is the person who starts the project but then never finishes because it all just becomes too difficult so they just give up. And the third is the person who never gets started because they already anticipate their perfectionism. So, they just think they will never finish it right anyway. So, why even get started on it? I’ve found myself in this last category too many times.

Anyone have any advice here? No, just kidding. I think I know what to do. It’s just a matter of doing it. Probably the best thing you can do to remedy this is to change your mind set at the beginning. Recognize that nothing is ever going to be perfect in this world. Many-a-motivation are ruined by people’s own pie-in-the-sky expectations. There, that should take some pressure off. This probably takes half the pressure off anyway.

Another thing is just doing the best job you know how to do. Pretty simple, right? This isn’t rocket science, I know. Sometimes, though we need to be told these things. Just give it your best effort. You’ve heard it said, “You only fail when you stop trying.” Well, it’s really true. So, you don’t have to fear failure if you just never give up.

…Let’s go deeper

So, you’ve guessed it. I’ve got some more to add on this topic. I’d like to point out one main thing here at the outset. I think our view of God is often skewed and we have a misperception of his expectations. We often align our view of God’s expectations with the person who we looked up to, or respected, the most when we were growing up. Some may have been good examples and some weren’t. But we have to remember our view of God should be reflected by what his word says. The Bible says in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that he should lie.” So, he has already, in that verse, separated himself from anyone else you looked up to. Because we know we can trust him.

In the Bible it also says that he told Abraham in Genesis 17:1, “…walk before me and be thou perfect”. Now, was he expecting Abraham to never make a mistake? No, we know that he did. I believe what God was asking for here was a perfect heart. I believe that’s what he wants from every one of us. That’s a different thing from never making a mistake. You see what that means is his goal is for us to be pure in heart. This happens as we allow him to change us from within. A yielded vessel unto him. That’s what Abraham was. And as we do that, God will show us the areas in our hearts that aren’t right and areas where we need to work on.

Life seems levitra samples free tough for a teenage boy because of peer pressure. The different companies are providing the names of their production and delivers the medicine with free on line levitra of cost. It is estimated by the UK Health Centre that 80% of men will profit with better and stronger erection, enhanced sexual drive and sexual desire in most men of middle age who are the inhabitants of developed countries. india tadalafil tablets Casodex tablets contain the active ingredient http://robertrobb.com/research-university-oligopoly-wins-a-round/ cialis price bicalutamide, which is a type of fat. What are these areas? Well, they can be jealousy, pride, bitterness, lust, or any number of other things. The point is this process starts when we start our new life in him. He gives us a new heart when we are born again. So, then we can start living a new way instead of the old way we had been living. New life with a new purpose. And it’s a good life he has given us. Not always easy. But definitely worth it! And the best part is, we always know he is there with us in everything. His word says in Hebrew 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

So, this kind of changes our view of perfection, doesn’t it? We found out that perfection in the natural sense isn’t attainable anyway. But the perfection God is looking for is attainable when we are yielded to him. Good to know, isn’t it?

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

Genesis 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

We often run into difficult situations in life. Difficult situations are often easier just to avoid than to face them head on. Sometimes we think we should say or do something. But what’s the first question we ask before we ever try to address something controversial, or seemingly so? That’s right, “What will people think?” Especially us people-pleasers like myself. Because we’re not sure how people might respond or what people might think. And, my gosh, if someone were to think of us as anything less than exemplary, well, that would just be just unacceptable! Yeah, I know you’ve probably never been guilty of this. So, it’s probably just me—insert sarcasm here.

Anyway, I’ve found myself in this frame of mind more times than I care to count. The thing is, I’ve often found, on the rare occasion I did do something that required me to step out of my comfort zone, that the consequences weren’t nearly as dire as I expected. They were just manufactured in my mind. So, some of this comes down to fear. You know, False-Evidence-Appearing-Real. Yeah…thanks…but no I didn’t come up with that. I’m not exactly sure where I got it from. I just know I can’t take credit for it. Anyway, the funny thing is, this is exactly what fear often ends up being. It’s like a dog with no teeth. It can’t hurt you. Really! The more I would learn and understand this, the better off I would be.

But let’s say for instance that even if your confrontation or, whatever action you feel you should take, is not well received. Should that keep you from doing that thing? Well, I would say, “No”. Now, I understand there are times where you shouldn’t needlessly antagonize someone. Or, you shouldn’t make a “goof” out of yourself for no reason. So, don’t go paint your house purple with yellow polka-dots just to prove you don’t care what people think. On second thought, maybe you should care just a little what people think. But, the point being, that there sometimes are repercussions to what we say and do. And we let these things determine whether we say or do that thing. That shouldn’t be.

So, how to overcome this? Well, one thing I’ve found helpful is just to remember that False-Evidence-Appearing-Real thing. Because if you put that fear into its proper context you are bringing that thing back down into the realm of the real world. When you do that then that thing seems conquerable. The next thing to remember is that we might have to incorporate just a little aspect of another thing called ‘courage’. Yeah, I know. But, you can do it. Trust me.

So, is that it? Well, not quite.

 

…Let’s go deeper

…Let’s go deeper—Actions aren’t contingent on the response received

So, I really want to focus on one main Bible verse today that applies to this. Yeah…no…I know…no, I’m not slacking. Trust me. Because this one verse covers a lot of ground. OK, I’ll maybe add some others later on. But, the verse is this, John 12:43: “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God”. Yeah, that’s it. What does that mean you ask? Well, it’s interesting because in the context of this verse Jesus is in the midst of the Chief priests and Pharisees. And this verse is referring to the Chief priests. It says that some of them believed on Jesus but were afraid because they were in the presence the Pharisees, so they didn’t confess him.

It helps the men to check out address now sildenafil prescription get longer erection throughout the love making session. Get the video buy levitra australia down on your computer and enjoy it. So for the best and effective results and most of the treating options provide negative check it right here now buy line viagra side effects which are dangerous for the human body. If a girl has purchase viagra from canada no interest in sex or having proper intercourse with his partner. That really gets me thinking. How often are we in a situation where we could make a stand for Jesus but don’t take the opportunity? I have to ask myself this. And referring to the first part of this post, what am I really afraid of? The stands we make here will matter for eternity. What we do here and now will matter forever. Not just for ourselves, but for a whole lot of other people as well. And how do we get started. Well, I would say just start somewhere. It doesn’t even have to be something big. Start somewhere and go from there. Maybe it’s just a political stand for something that goes against the Bible. Maybe you just need to ask a family member where they stand with Jesus. Often getting started is the hardest part.

Another thing about this verse that really stands out to me is just the example Jesus is here for us. It’s the perfect example of complete opposites. Jesus is our best and only example here on Earth. And in this verse Jesus demonstrates the complete opposite of the Chief Priests. He loved the praise of ‘God’ more than the praise of ‘men’. Jesus said that he always does those things that please the Father. So, if I want an example for putting this into practice, I can look no better place than Him. When you look at the life of Jesus he was always about the Father’s business. Regardless of the repercussions. He did what was pleasing to the Father. He was obedient. The Bible says in Philippians 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” And we can all be thankful he did. The power of what he did on the cross is what washes away our sins when we believe on him.

So, having said all that, I’ll say it again. That verse covers a lot of ground. So, just remember to be more bold. And we also know that “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) See, there’s another Bible verse for ya!

John 12:43: “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

Philippians 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Wow, what a depressing title. Yeah, I know. But go along with me on this. It might be good for us to think this through first.

I was recently thinking that maybe I need to make some changes. The reason being is that I often find I am so focused on the end result that I am totally missing just enjoying the process. I seem to be so looking forward to getting to where I want to be that I forget about just enjoying the journey. In other words, I trample over the roses just to get to the destination. Maybe it’s partly because I’m a guy. The reality is, though, that there is very little of our lives that are ‘mountaintop experiences’. And this is not mean to discount those. But of all the experiences in life, probably less than ten percent of those involve the experience of ecstatic elation you get when you accomplish your end goal. Shooting the winning shot in a basketball game, getting a promotion, or finishing a 26.2 mile marathon run. These are all great experiences. The downside is that they just don’t happen all that often. And for some of us they may happen a lot less than we would like.

I suppose it’s a matter of balance. Yeah, balance. But the only balanced part of my life may be my lack of balance. So, I’m equally imbalanced across the entire spectrum of my life. Good job…..Yeah, not really.

Actually, balance is really simple. Yet, as simple as balance is, it always seems difficult to implement. It’s one of those things—it’s simple, but it’s not easy. You see simple and easy aren’t the same thing. They sound similar but are different in practice. Simple means it’s simple in theory but somehow becomes more complex in practice. There are a lot of things like this in life. The idea of exercising every day is really simple. Yet, we all know that putting that into practice is way different than actually doing it. The good news, however, is that they become a lot easier over time once you get into the habit. You remember the Nike slogan ‘Just do it’? Good advice. However, that simple slogan seems to skip over the complexities of that, doesn’t it? But, maybe that’s the point. Just do it! Some things you have to just do regardless of your feelings. Because when you keep doing those things over and over again you eventually get to the destination. Success belongs to the plodders, right?

    So, now this is getting somewhere. Finding a way to get to that destination. But what about all that in-between time? That plodding, that dreariness of everyday existence. What do we do with that? Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be dreary. And from what I can tell, we should be enjoying that as well. Why not find a way to enjoy that trip to the gym every day, that trip to the grocery store, or going to work every day? Wait…..what was that last one? Oh, work? I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. Yeah, well…..why not enjoy your work? Even if it’s not the job you want to have, you can find a way to enjoy the one you have right now. Do the best you can at every stage of life. That’s seems to be what successful people do.

There was a speech given by Ashton Kutcher earlier this year that he gave at the Teen Choice Awards. You might have heard about it. And in that speech he said, “I’ve never had a job in my life that I was better than.” WOW! That’s quite a statement. Now, you can say what you want about Ashton Kutcher. But if everybody in life implemented just that mindset into their everyday life it would change their entire outlook.

The way I’ve discovered to put this into practice is to just enjoy the little things. If I’m going for a run I listen to music on my phone that I enjoy. If I’m going to work I engage with my co-workers more. Even at the grocery store I can engage in conversation with the cashier. So, these everyday little things don’t have to be drudgery. They can actually be enjoyable. This is about attitude as well. But now we’re getting into an entirely different topic. I’ll maybe write about that later.

Anyway, the good news is, after depressing you at the beginning, there’s always something you can look forward to. Keep that big, ultimate goal in the distance. But, just don’t forget to enjoy that time in between. Because, really, that’s where life is lived. But there has to be more to it than that….        

…Let’s go deeper    

So, is that it? Is that all there is? Not quite. There’s another aspect to this. There’s a number of scripture verses that could apply to this topic. But there are two verses that come to mind. One is Colossians 3:23: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”; The other verse is Philippians 4:12 where Paul said: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
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So, the first verse, (Colossians 3:23) demonstrates for me that there is a deeper purpose for everything I do. Since I am going about my daily activities with a purpose in my mind, it makes the tasks I’m doing more meaningful, and therefore, more endurable. So, seeing it in this light, there are no mid-life crises, no wondering about, “why am I doing this meaningless task day after day”? Because there is a bigger purpose, or goal, in mind as long as those tasks are pleasing to God. This gives me fuel for the day and powers me through the day.

The second verse, (Philippians 4:12) demonstrates something else. When I think about this verse I think about spiritual maturity. I believe that at this point in Paul’s life he had grown and matured in his walk with God. He had experienced the low times, and God was still there. He had experienced the high times, and God was still there. He had grown in his confidence and faith in God. I can go about my day with a trust in God at a level that is such that my enjoyment of life is really not circumstantial. And, as a Christian, I have this peace and joy in my heart that is so real that it supersedes the outside world. We can dwell in that peace and joy.

I’d like to introduce one more verse here, if I may. This seems to want to flow into Psalm 91:1-2: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” And then going down to verse 7: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” Now, this would apply more to situations where you are going through dire circumstances. I guess those would be our valley experiences. These are never fun. But we can know, that even in these circumstances we can rest in the knowledge that he is still there with me; strengthening me, and helping me get through to the other side.

So, it’s good to know that our circumstances may change, but our God doesn’t. Think on that!

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, a unto the Lord, and not unto men;”

Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

    

    Well, this is my inaugural post as I start my new blog. This post is just meant to explain my blog and some of the things I will talk about on here.

    The name of my blog probably explains a lot of what I’m going to discuss here. The main thing that I’ve noticed recently is that we have a lot of people talking about tolerance or politically correct or whatever you want to call it. It seems, though, that in that effort a lot of lines have gotten blurred and then everything starts to run together until no one knows what’s what anymore. Like a painting that everyone could tell what it was before, until someone threw a bucket of water on it and all the colors just started to run together. And now nobody knows what it means. I believe in this day and age what we need more than ever is just to be told the truth. Because, really, what else is there?

    In everything in life there are many falsehoods, but only one truth. We can just look at the natural world and see this is the case. If I throw something into the air I know that it will eventually come back down to the Earth. I know that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. I know that the Earth revolves around the Sun. All of these things are without dispute. We need to start to question why we don’t believe there are clearly defined truths in moral matters, spiritual matters, civil matters, interpersonal matters. So, what is the truth? Can I really just arbitrarily decide what is true in all of these areas? Am I the master of my own universe? Are there really many truths? Because if there are then that would go against the very definition of truth, wouldn’t it? I mean, one of the defining characteristics of truth is that it’s exclusive. How can one thing be true and the exact opposite be true at the same time? That would be chaos. And in that instance our world couldn’t really exist. The reality is we live in a world of clearly defined truths. They’re all around us. We can’t escape them. Yet we can live a life in denial of them.

    So, if we know there is a truth, then why does it matter? What’s the difference? Well, we can tell from natural things that it matters. A plant only grows if it has oxygen, sunlight and water. I can’t just say to the plant, “Grow, plant!”, and then deny it these three things it needs to grow. I know that going to work gives me the right to a paycheck. I know that if I want groceries I have to go to the store and buy them. These things are all very much common sense. But if I live in denial of all these things that I know to be true, I will very much suffer the negative consequences of that denial. So, that’s why truth matters. We somehow forgot along the way that truth matters. And this is when your life truly has power. When you are living a life in line with the truth. Because then you’re engaged, you’re on the train track, you’re chugging down the rail, you’re on a mission and you know exactly where you’re going! That’s why truth matters!

Postmodernism, moral relativism, ‘what’s right for you may not be right for me’; they have all had their day. Let’s just find out what the truth is. Let’s give truth a chance.
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Just to explain my blog; on the main page I plan to have a post where I will discuss some current event, an idea, some anecdote or happening in my life and how truth applies or how it applies to the truth. Then, at the bottom of that page I will have a link called ‘…Let’s go deeper’. On this page I will take what I’ve just said on the main page further. I will have Bible verses and scripture references that apply to these areas. Now, you can gain some understanding and some good insight from the main page. But I would strongly encourage you to click through to the ‘…Lets’ go deeper’ section, as I believe this is where you’ll find the real gold nuggets. The source of truth—God’s Word.

Anyway, thank you for reading my blog. I’ll plan to have a post on here five days a week; Monday through Friday. I appreciate you stopping to read and contemplate these things with me. Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at purelife25@icloud.com.

 

Appreciably, Bradley Kallas