1 Corinthians 15:34
King James Version
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not;
for some have not the knowledge of God:
I speak this to your shame.
It's all been said --
"You are young."
"You have a whole future ahead of you."
"Make the right choices."
"Follow after your father's footsteps."
"Do the right thing."
"Make us proud."
And do you?
Do you follow their footsteps?
Do you want to duplicate it?
Do you do the right thing?
Do you know what the right thing is?
Or would you rather do it your way?
And what would that way be?
Would you rather find out for yourself?
No matter how long it may take?
I did the latter.
I found out for myself.
And found out the hard way.
No one taught me about money.
I knew how to earn; I just didn't know how to save.
No one taught me about relationships.
I didn't get into painful ones, but I caused many pain.
No one taught me about the right career to take.
I did whatever decent job was offered, to learn from.
No one taught me about the world.
I had to find out my way, the hard way, through every experience.
Give yourself a pat on the back if you chose the hard way.
No matter if it seemed smart at the time.
Which is finding things out
for yourself.
Every person finds a process for himself.
That he may learn whatever he wants to learn.
Or experience whatever he wants to experience.
He may create it, or stumble upon it, or search for it.
Sometimes, it will be given him, or thrown at him.
Weird, but those things happen.
It's not the wrong way.
It's just a different way.
It's not pride.
It's just curiosity.
It's tough.
But it can be an adventure.
It's not for the weak-kneed.
You've got to have a tough, unshakeable "inner" core.
It's not a short cut.
More often than not, it's a long cut.
It's not for those who like things easy.
You need to think independently of others.
Finding things out for yourself takes courage.
Trying to see what fits, what works, what you're cut out for.
And speedily making adjustments along the way.
With the mistakes you'll be making, you need to be "on your feet".
You'll need to make quick adjustments.
That you may survive your own mistakes.
And miscalculations.
Some days, you're "winging" it.
Most days, you need to get creative.
You need to be confident in self, and what you're looking for.
Standing by your beliefs, principles taught by your parents.
With no illusion that the world offers you any assurances.
You are as a lamb, among wolves.
We all go through that stage.
Some say life is like riding a bicycle.
Keep pedaling, or you'll fall off.
Well, I don't know how to ride a bike.
For the life of me, I can't seem to get it.
Anyway, I fell flat on my face, many times.
Without riding a bike.
But I would just get up, and dust myself off.
Analyzing where I could have gone wrong.
Making the necessary "adjustments".
And simply keep going.
Maybe even heading in a new direction.
Obviously, if something doesn't work, why would you keep at it?
Life isn't fun if you're not learning.
If you're bored, you can harm yourself, and others.
You'll be a danger to everyone, most of all to yourself.
Many have been "damaged" by boredom.
They've lost the zest for life, love, and laughter.
They've lost hope, and childlike curiosity.
The light had gone out of their eyes.
Well I didn't want that route.
Never did, never could, never would.
My head was forever brimming with ideas
My eyes were forever shining with curiosity.
My heart, and mind, forever experimenting with "combinations".
My soul ever eager to learn.
Where people socialized, I didn't need to.
My whole being was alive, with stuff to do.
I had a whole lab in my head.
When you try it your way, prepare for the following:
You've got no map.
You're on your own.
You'll make tons of mistakes.
You have to own up to those mistakes.
You have to bear the shame of ignorance, or failure.
You will have many humbling moments.
You will have lots of hits and misses.
It may cost you, more than a buck, or two.
It may cost you everything you've got.
Money was not as important as keeping my family.
I never bartered my folks for anything.
They were priceless.
Life will test your mettle.
Be ready for it.
Experiencing things, first hand, is truly invaluable.
It makes the lessons stick.
You'll have a whole PhD of life experiences.
Which school cannot teach you.
Which parents may not have gone through.
Which friends may not have experienced.
Which your boss may have no idea about.
It may all be new to you, and others.
In truth?
The world will keep many things from you.
It doesn't want you to find out.
But find out I did.
The hard way.
The long way.
But the sure way.
And you will see what I found, as you continue to read.
Consider EVERYTHING in your life as valuable.
As a RICH source of lessons.
Honor your own experiences.
Great, or small.
Happy, or painful.
Sweet, or sour.
Sublime, or mundane.
Mentally "file" it for "future use".
For you surely will.
Maybe, even for work.
Which, in all probability, is TEACHING.
I mean, what else are you gonna do with all that "knowledge"?
Or that breadth of experiences?
Keep it?
Hoard it?
Lock it up?
Nope, you gotta share your experiences.
That others may learn from it, too.
That others may be warned, if need be.
Should they care to listen.
Even as you know they'll have to find their own way, too.
And have their own sets of experiences.
When you've got sufficient mileage to your years, teach the young.
Give them your BEST knowledge.
Give them the reality of life.
As I give you, through our blogs and books.
Life teaches you more than a thing, or two.
Pain, misery, and shame, teach you most of all.
Without failure, how can you sufficiently learn?
How can you ever be an effective teacher, if it's all "theory"?
You must have lived it.
That makes you authentic, believable, credible.
Even if your experiences seem impossible.
Even outrageous.
Just be real.
Be true.
LEARN, every chance you can get.
If you're an observant child, you've got an edge.
If you learn your lessons once, you've got a greater edge.
If you listen to the right person, you've got the greatest edge.
It you're a naturally curious person, you're unstoppable.
But who's the RIGHT person to learn from?
Is it your dad?
Your mom?
Your friend?
Your grandpa?
Your grandma?
Your husband?
Your wife?
Your boyfriend?
Your girlfriend?
Your colleague?
Your boss?
Truth be told?
We all learn from each other.
Listen, and learn, from people.
Let them tell you of their own stories.
Make time to listen, and listen well.
We all have a story to tell.
But who can tell us the RIGHT thing?
Who can lead us to the RIGHT path?
Who's got ALL the answers, to ALL our questions?
Who's got the DEFINITIVE answers?
Who can back themselves up 100%?
Who's got our back?
Who can we rely on with all our heart?
Who can we trust?
Have we found such a person, or persons, in the world?
Are they reliable, trustworthy, true, solid, sure, steady?
Have they given us the answers we seek?
If you've found such a person, or persons, I'm happy for you.
But more often than not, we're all disappointed and disillusioned.
Why?
Because we're all "flesh".
We're not perfect.
Only JESUS is.
1 Peter 2:21-22
King James Version
21 For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example,
that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth:
And that's how all my "learning the hard way" ended.
GOD finally took pity on me.
He saw I had exhausted all my "combinations".
Nothing worked anymore, so I surrendered.
I was kaput, dumbfounded, broke.
He knew I was ready for His knowledge.
My experiences had served me, to a point.
This time, I was ready to listen to GOD's story.
After I repented of my sins.
GOD had my COMPLETE attention.
So, I sat at His feet.
In rapt attention.
As always, He saved the BEST for last.
As reward, He made me born again in 2019.
Such a long journey for me, but so very worth it.
That's what happens when you try to find out for yourself.
Not relying on what the world tells you.
But sifting through everything yourself.
Waiting for what's real.
It wasn't easy.
It took long.
But who cares?
Important thing is the destination.
Of having arrived.
And finally knowing TRUTH.
What happened the day GOD made me born again?
RIGHT AWAY, He led me to Bible prophecy.
RIGHT AWAY, He led me to Scripture.
RIGHT AWAY, His SPIRIT started guiding me.
RIGHT AWAY, SPIRIT started teaching me about JESUS.
Making me understand the Bible pretty easily.
Wonder, of all wonders -- in my case.
I'm the first one in shock, and in awe.
In one day, we started making up for lost time.
It will have been 59 months tomorrow.
Yes, I count the months of being born again.
I always like to chart my progress.
I'm nearly FIVE years into this.
And I haven't looked back.
For my search is over.
I actually got it pretty easy.
Even if I chose the "hard" way.
Of finding things out for myself.
JESUS got the HARDEST HIT for all of us.
He absorbed ALL shock, and sin.
He died for our sins.
My "hard way" is nothing compared to the LORD's.
It cost Him His precious, precious life.
He gave us the promise of ETERNAL LIFE.
He gave us the ABSOLUTE answers we sought.
He offered us SALVATION.
He showed the WAY.
As I look upon it now, GOD didn't say,
"MY WAY, or the highway."
He just let me be.
He let me find out.
He let me make mistakes.
He let me form conclusions.
He let me research all I wanted.
He let me find out, to the point of exhaustion.
In the end, His way was the HIGH WAY.
Isaiah 35:8-9
King James Version
8 And an highway shall be there,
and a way,
and it shall be called The way of holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it;
but it shall be for those:
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon,
it shall not be found there;
but the redeemed shall walk there:
Keep at it, dear children.
Even if you deliberately chose the hard way.
Or unknowingly found it was the hard way you chose.
GOD watches over you ALL the time.
GOD loves us all.
John 3:16-17
King James Version
16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world through him
might be saved.
Romans 5:8
King James Version
8 But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Galatians 3:28-29
King James Version
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female:
for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise.
Remain diligent in your SEARCH for self, and truth.
After all, that's what compels us to search anyway.
Only through some goal can you keep at it.
Every single day.
To have a sense of self.
A sense of purpose.
Truth we can believe in.
People we can believe in.
A life worth living.
A life that matters.
I found mine.
THANKS to the LORD!
You will find it through JESUS, too!
2 Peter 3:13-14
King James Version
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that ye look for such things,
be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless.
You may not know it, but your search is towards ONE thing.
You're actually seeking GOD, even if you don't know it yet.
And that's always a good thing.
GOD rewards the diligent.
Galatians 6:9
King James Version
9 And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
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