Archive for July, 2021

I hope you’re ready for some tough love…

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13

Take a moment to marinate on what you see on social media amongst your nieces, nephews, your own children, …ultimately, the younger generation. There is a solid reason why may of you choose to not follow them or they choose not follow you. It is not a lack of love and desire to be distant. It is about a gap in age groups which also should offer a gap in maturity, It is true, it happens. You don’t want to be on there with the younger teenagers venting and complaining about how hard life is when they have truly not even yet experienced life…am I right?…You know I am.

Now, take a moment to marinate on what your peers are posting, your brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers, and even yourself…

At this point, is it really much different than the younger generation? Sad to say, it rarely is. Social media has become flooded with nonsense and complaining about life and problems. Yes, life has problems…that will never change. If you got it in your head that life would be easy, so sad how misguided you have been. And for all my fellow Christians out there with this idea that the Christians are being attacked and persecuted…This has truly gotten out of hand…not only are they not nearly as persecuted as they once were, but if you are well read in the Bible, you should be aware that being a Christian was never said to be easy… Just ask Peter. But taking things to the level that we sit and complain and bicker and attack one another on social media when we are so bold and brave behind a keyboard is not hwta God intended for us. That is not serving Him.

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalm 55:22

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.” Isaiah 41:10

Getting on social media whether you are a Christian or not and venting all of your problems is not the way… unless you are 15…. That is what you do when you are a child. It is time to grow up and get past all of this. Sadly, I look at some of my family members who happen to be in the younger generation and they are not posting all the whining… It is coming more from the older crowd than the younger which is just so sad.

Let’s take an opportunity to allow ourselves to marinate with our thoughts and then try counting our blessings before we begin to get online and vent and point fingers. It just doesn’t do any good doing things that way.

“Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream.” -Colin Powell

That’s real talk right there… I meant to get this posted the other day but it just didn’t happen… My apologies to those who were anticipating it and thanks to all who have stayed tuned in…

Let’s get down to it…

Who is you surround yourself with is so much more important than people tend to understand. I have literally posted things before about people minding their circle, and these were not always received well. People made comments about me being superficial or only carrying about money or not having my priorities right… This is all laughable to me.
The kicker was those who were so quick to defend their station in life stating things like “material possessions aren’t important to me” or “I’m happy with my friends and don’t need more out of life as I have all I want”

Those are cute “Hallmark” answers but they’re all meaningless. If they were true, they wouldn’t need to be said. There are many things in life that must be explained but lots of things shouldn’t have to be and when they are, they tend be explained just as a sense of overcompensation for a need of validity. Or just because the particular individual needs to reassure (or lie to) themselves. It is sad to see such a lack of self awareness but it is a common situation.

It is human nature to to correct the cognitive dissonance one has in their own mind by continuing to try to convince themselves that what they have is what they want….obviously.

So, we’ll move on from that for now… I can divulge more on that in a later blog.

Tonight, I want to give some tips on your circle. Of course there are people in our lives that have just happened to be there out of convenience…. a college friend, an old co-worker, a random acquaintance… People that otherwise you may have little even in common with, but they tend to stay there just because they have been there for so long. This is not a bad thing… It is a part of life. The problem is when this becomes the norm. When all of your primary circle are merely people who have positioned themselves there only by accident and with no intention of growth.

This is where things may begin to touch a nerve with some of you…if it does, GOOD. You are obviously the one I am speaking to.

Your circle should begin to become smaller as you grow older and wiser…but not just smaller, but should begin to be a circle with intent. You should be positioning yourself in a spot with those around you who want to lift you up and propel you forward, not those who wish to stifle you because you are different. Those in my main circle may not all think like me or have similar goals in their lives but what they do have is an unending level of support for me and where I am going. Some of them are going to give all they can to help me get where I’m going. Some are going to join me on my journey. The others may not be on a similar path as me, but they have my back, one hundred, and will always support me. That is the way it should be, and you could ask any one of them, they all know with out question, that I will ride with them to the end and beyond.

I bring something to the table with them and they all know that we in it together. I am a firm believer that God did not out us here to walk this world alone… He had intention and that intention involved community. But who is in that community is where I get a little more particular about the situation. You have to be mindful about who you surround yourself with.

So to end back at the quote from the beginning, those who are intended for your circle are those who will help push you towards more than you ever thought you would be going after while others… will smother and crush your spirit and motivation towards all the greatness that you are heading towards. Some will do it because they can’t understand what you are going after and others are bitter about their own situation…

No matter the reason or even if it is subconscious, they aren’t the problem because they aren’t in control. You are, and you choose to allow them to push you forward or break you down.