Get Wisdom

     “Wisdom is the principal thing” is what David taught Solomon as a young boy. David wanted Solomon to know that seeking God’s wisdom was the most important choice he could make. Solomon learned this lesson very well. Solomon chose wisdom over all else.

     We should also make God’s wisdom our first choice. We don’t have to be like Solomon and wait for God to appear to us; we can boldly ask Him for wisdom today through prayer. God will grant our request. I never followed this practice as a youngster. I simply made the assumption that everything would go according to the plans I had in my own mind.

Sometimes, we have to wait on the promises of God. The people of Israel waited forty years in the wilderness for their promise. (Joshua 5:6) Remember that God’s timing is not our timing. While we sit and ponder on today, God has already seen today and has made provision for tomorrow. In fact He has seen a thousand tomorrows. We must learn patience. God may have seemed slow to the people of Israel as they faced persecution everyday and longed to be delivered. God is not slow. He is just not on our timetable.

     Patience allows God to work His perfect work in you, allowing trials to purify character and develop patience. We may never know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. If we remain patient through our rocky road experiences, we will find that in the end we will be much better and much stronger, ready to face the next obstacle. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain, but we should have a positive outlook because of what trials can produce in our lives. James tells us to turn our hardships into a time of learning, knowing that tough times can teach us patience.

      We have to learn to rest in the Lord, committing ourselves to Him and not being anxious for anything. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to entrust everything to Him: our families, jobs, possessions—all to His control and guidance. There has to be a belief that He can care for us better than we can take care of ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us, never having anger, worry or fear. When these emotions (anger, worry and fear) take over, they can become very destructive. They reveal that we lack faith.

     When a person dwells on past problems, they will become anxious and angry, but if you concentrate on God and His goodness, you will find peace.

I love my children (Two little girls); they are my inspiration and my motivation. They are one of the main reasons that I wake up in the morning. According to my wife I spoil my children. My personal opinion to the matter is that a father should spoil his children. Why would I want them to leave home to find love, peace and happiness? I have some very sweet children but like all children they can sometimes stretch me to the point in which I have to take my own personal timeout.

I am like the Pied Piper, when I come into the home my children bombard me with questions and they want to be a part of whatever I am doing. Under normal circumstances I enjoy having them around. I recently had some painting to do and they helped (Kind of). I installed a new microwave in the kitchen and they helped me again (Sort of). They may not be actual helpers but we have fun spending this quality time together. What I really enjoy the most is when we cuddle up on the couch to watch one of their favorite movies. These memories will last a lifetime.

However, There is a point in this relationship where I draw the line. What is that you may be asking of this man who “Loves” his children? I draw the line when my darling dears decide that my bedroom is now their own. I draw the line when they decide to knock on my bedroom door at 3:00 AM just so they can crawl in our bed (Not because of a boogieman).

My lovely wife, who enjoys spending countless hours in our bedroom, reading, talking on the phone and fumbling with her laptop, has established the problem here. Because of this my children come into our bedroom to socialize with my wife. They start off asking a few questions and before long they turn our room into a playground. My wife thinks I have no clue as to what is going on because when I am home she tells the children they have to “Get Out!” I am a smart man and I know better. I know that my little one’s are way too comfortable in our bedroom. If they had been banned on a regular basis, they would stop at the door and enquire as to whether or not they could enter (This was how things worked when I was a boy). Even my oldest daughter (College Student) comes into my room and flops on the bed to talk with the wife.

I would like to believe that this will soon pass but if history repeats itself (and it normally does) I guess I will just have to live with this situation. I love my children but I want my bedroom back!

Before we begin to embark on the festive holiday season, I want to be the first to say thank you for your support and encouragement. You comments and words of wisdom have inspired me to reach higher, obtaining all that is within my reach. I understand that I must first encourage myself but I also want to make those of you that believe in me happy. This past year may have brought with it various challenges but with God on our side we are going to make and it on that I am most certain. You may ask how can I be so certain, because Scripture says, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken…” God is the source in which we should all lean on. His wings will continue to cover us and carry us in this quest for more. I pray that blessing will be bestowed upon you this Thanksgiving and that your families will prosper in the coming season. Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone wants to be part of the “in” crowd; In fact most of us are persuaded in this direction. When a person tries to become part of the “in” crowd the quickly find themselves following trends and people. We are all individuals God created us that way. Never follow but learn to lead, even if you don’t think you have leader type qualities, know that there is a leader inside of you waiting to come out. Throughout history many unassuming individuals have stepped up to the plate and have become great leaders. Know that you are the leader of the pack, even if you have a fear of failing; have no fear. First of all with God all things are possible, and as human no one is perfect. Former President George Bush was quoted as saying “I’ve made mistakes in my life, but I’m proud to tell you I’ve learned from my mistakes. That’s the role of a leader – to share wisdom, to share experience with people who are looking for someone to lead.” Like him or not George W. learned the values of a leader. The point here is that once you learn to trust in yourself people will want to know what you know.

Note: (For more on this topic see my book entitled “Fear, Folly & Purpose…The keys to making the right decisions available anywhere Christian books are sold)

Some people are never satisfied, you give them inch they want to take the whole mile, you give them a smile and they try to take that as well. These individuals are excessive or overly compulsive, they are never satisfied with simply staying in their own lane. This type of behavior is one that can cause bitter relations with friends and family, even worse it can cause bitter relation in your own psyche.

Some people will spend their entire life trying to find something that pleases them. These same people will spend eternity searching for some type of self-pleasure, never realizing that the consumption of stuff will never satisfy. Some may not agree saying that, “Money can buy happiness.” You do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that money is simply a means to get what you want but it will never bring internal peace and happiness.

 People must first learn how to love themselves. Once this is done they will then begin to appreciate the things that surround them. As a Christian I look to God for direction and inner solitude. God is my source for everything He is my energy and in Him I have decided to place my faith.  In God one can find all of the peace or pleasure that their heart desires. Never let the idea of having stuff control your emotions. Learn to love yourself first at that point you will find that things a re of no consequence to you.

This week’s blog is being brought to you by way of my new study. The piano has been moved and progression has begun. I have some things to work out but all in all I am ready. The hindrance the piano caused can only be explained as one of being misled and confused. During the time that the piano dwelled in its place I became complacent. I decided to live with this obstruction instead of moving it and making room for progression. The fact that I can now sit here in comfort, in seclusion alone with my thoughts is amazing. The inspiration that accompanies that I am obtaining based on my surroundings are nothing to be upset about either. I am looking forward to have a very good time dwelling in my new place of refuge. In fact my new book has begun and it is being made possible simply because I have created a place that I can call my own. I said it before and I will say it again, “Move that Piano because obstruction can cause hindrances.”

There is an old saying that says, “Something that is old can become new again.” The fashion world has embarrassed this statement and will regurgitate a fashion design over and over again. They seem to understand the human mind enough to know that if something is packaged or presented just a little bit different than it can be constituted as new. For example, I love wristwatches, I always have and more than likely my love for them will continue until I am old and gone. To my point, one day while visiting my local jeweler I made mention to the fact that I would love to have a “Patek Philippe” watch. This watch is considered the “crème-de-la-crème” of the watch world. Several days later the jeweler contacted me to tell me that one of her customers had an old Patek Philippe watch that belonged to his father that he wanted to sell. I was overjoyed and promptly made my way to the jeweler to purchase the watch. The watch was old and I could tell that it was not taken care of; basically the presentation of the piece caused me to almost say no. However, I know the value that a piece of this nature has if only it could be reconditioned. Long story short, I purchased the watch for pennies on the dollar, had it reconditioned and to my surprise, the value of the watch quadrupled!

What is the point of this tale? Well my point is this. When something is presented in a bad way many of us will not accept it, even though we know it may have some value or merit. When something is presented in a bad way our minds will subconsciously shut down refusing to embrace the information. Then someone comes along and presents this same information to you in a new and exciting way all of a sudden it begins to spark new interest in you thought patterns. Now the information has value, substance and merit. What is old has now become new! Always look beyond the surface of a thing; shallow thinking will only hinder you. Imagine if I had decided to say “No” to the Patek Philippe watch, I would have left something very valuable sitting on the table. (Think about it).