Life’s Twists and Turns

Not All Paths Are Straight

 

I posted on Facebook yesterday about how life is full of twist and turns and no matter how jacked up the path we are on is keep moving forward. Okay, that’s not exactly how the post went but I really do need to elaborate on the nub of a post that it was. Bottom line, people are hurting. If you think that I’m lying, all you need to do is watch the news for one night or listen to your neighbor whose relationship with God is lacking (sadly, a lot of people who do have a relationship with Christ are hurting as well but walk as if they don’t and look down on others). I also call this *Faking* Why? Because the life we live is portrayed quite differently than what God sees. This happens when we refuse to deal with the real issues in life and cover them up with the lifestyle we live or pretend to live.

When are we going to get real with ourselves? More importantly, when are we going to get real with God? It is true, life’s path is filled with twists and turns and pot holes and detour signs. But it is not about those twist and turns that is important. What is important is how we react to those twists and bumps in the road that matters. We can not go for long faking people out like we have it all together when issues on the inside of us has us three seconds away from a nervous breakdown or some violent tendency. In fact, the very bumps in the road are designed to shake us up for that very reason, to acknowledge we have a problem in a particular area. Oh, if we are living a “perfect” life with no apparent problems we do so without Christ.

I beg to differ, I’m a sinner with real problems and issues and Jesus Christ came for people just like me. However, His hands are tied based on how much I am willing to give of myself. See, God knows exactly what’s wrong with me but the problem is not what God knows, it’s about what I know (or don’t). Point blank, the sooner I accept that I have a problem the sooner the problem can be dealt with. I know a whole lot of you know exactly what I’m talking about because this is one of the first things they talk about in AA or drug programs. It’s no different with God. Only with God, he goes much deeper all the way to the tip of the root and not just the root.

Calvin has dealt with some major mountains in his life. Don’t worry I am not writing another book through this blog post on what God has brought me through. But I will say it has been very painful dealing with some of the generational curses in my life dating who knows how far back in my family line. Sex addiction, my attitude on life, anger, and bitterness  are some of the majors. Compassion for people, the way I think about myself, and selfishness are some of the minors (actually selfishness might be one of the majors). Anyway, all of these things are all wrapped up in one word: Fear.

Fear is the one four letter word that destroys people faster than Superman can catch bullets. Once again you do not have to believe me on this but I guarantee a gang member or drug dealer is not going to come out and tell you he is afraid of you the reason why he shot you over something trivial such as a fight or the money he lost over a bad drug deal. Think about that for a second, yes, it is out of fear that we do anything negative.

We lie because we are afraid of getting in trouble. We cheat on our spouse because we are afraid of losing something we thought we had like “game” (stupid, but this is a generational curse). We kill because we are afraid of what the other person might take from us. I could go on, but the bottom line is fear drives us to hate which is completely opposite of love. This is what the twists and turns in the road of life is for to come clean of all of that negative crap that’s ruining people’s lives including our own. The problem is we can’t do it without Jesus. And for all you people who don’t believe Jesus is the only way, keep watching the news. You are the very reason they air such garbage because you refuse to believe. And once again, you don’t have to believe me…we will see.

Don’t let the twist and turns of life slow you down. Instead embrace them flow with them and let them make you stronger without feeling defeated. Turn your situation into Christ and let Him be over everything. Find Jesus Christ in the picture above and keep moving forward. You might have to search and examine your life for the true meaning of the twist and turns but at the end of the day, keep moving forward. Keep Christ in the picture.

 

 

What I Learned from being Homeless

Some people may look at adversity in life as having bad luck. However, adversity is necessary in life and it allows us to grow and reach deeper within ourselves for strength. Adversity builds our character and suffering makes us strong.

For instance, take a young man named Calvin who lost his home and material possessions. One night he looked over at his wife in the front seat of their pick-up truck, and then watched his six month old little girl fall asleep in her lap. Their other two children ages one and three were finally asleep in the back seat of the truck as they sat in a McDonald’s parking lot in Dallas Texas. He had lost his job and his wife was not working and they did not have any other place to go. After staying in several hotel rooms, they quickly ran out of money and had to live in a homeless shelter.

Living in a homeless shelter humbled them and gave them a new perspective on life. They worked in the kitchen of the shelter and served meals for other homeless people. The shelter had a faith based program that allowed Calvin and his wife to join in order to cope with the struggles of being in a homeless situation. The program taught them in every situation there is hope, and set backs are only temporary.

Calvin, being the leader in his house, could have giving up completely after he lost his job and a roof from over his families head. But instead, he spoke to his wife and said, “God is a God who strengthens us and turns our adversity into victory.” As a result of persecution, Christians found themselves building and clinging harder to their faith in God (Luke, A.D. 63). They found adversity led them closer to God, and it was no different with Calvin and his family, because affliction was not leading them away from their faith it was strengthening it.

They spent nine months in the homeless shelter going through their program, learning about a different lifestyle and learning about other people. But most importantly, they learned a great deal about themselves. Calvin and his wife never had a wealthy lifestyle, but being homeless and living in a homeless shelter gave them a new perspective on life. And it taught them respect for themselves and respect for other people.

In essence, being in a homeless situation was teaching them humility and making them stronger. It was teaching them to persevere even when the outlook seemed hopeless and endless. That homelessness was not the end of life but a new beginning, a beginning of renewed faith in God and themselves. Looking back they realized being homeless made them stronger people and their suffering made them equally strong. Some people say that adversity is the result of having bad luck. But in the eyes of Calvin and his family, adversity did not have anything to do with having bad luck. Instead, they saw adversity as a teacher building their character and their struggle as a weapon making them stronger.