We have all been there…
You know, those places where your knees knock and butterfly’s swarm. Even though you may be in the wings, and on a completely different stage than others, the feelings are all alive as if it were the very first time.
Sometimes these moments show up as the “first time…”.
Remember when you asked out a potential first date? Or the one you will eventually marry? Remember that first speech in grade school? Or, reading that book report or poem you had to read/quote aloud, or that speech by memory?
Life is full of scary places. But nothing should come as a surprise. We move through life, step by step, and face those future stages prepared.
Why can we be successful? How do we face these scary times? Because we have taken all the interim steps that lead us the right way.
Life is full of scary places. Nothing should come as a surprise. We move through life, step by step, and face those future stages prepared. Why? How? Because we have taken the interim steps that lead us forward! Click To TweetRemembering When…
I remember the day my flight instructor had me pull over to the tower and he got out… uh oh… I know what this means! He gives me last minute instructions for flying the very first time by myself! Pilot in Command! No One There To Walk Me Through! It would never have happened without proper training and consideration of my skill set! Still, I prayed as I challenged myself to do my teacher proud! And, not make a bad enough mistake that would produce bad results.
Equally, I remember the first time I preached in front of a crowd. Nervous, sure, but not ready for my voice to act weird. It was stressful! But I was not stressed that first time I drove the car by my lonesome (spin the tires a little bit)… and this was before I had my learners permit. We practiced in the drive way, yard, and sitting next to my parents for a long time mimicking their moves!
I remember walking into that delivery room when my son and daughter were born, and it is as fresh a memory as when I walked down the aisle at our home wedding. These memories prepared me for speaking at my first wedding, and yes, even at my funeral.
More importantly, the burden was on my shoulders to make sure I prepared others for their own future. Was I successful? Time will always tell, just like it tells with career choices.
Have you ever made a mistake and realized that if you had simply slowed down, thought about it, prayed, contemplated, whatever, then the scary moment is simply an easy step?
Preparing for the Future
All stages of life can be scary. But the scariest of all might be that last stage of life as you prepare for eternity. How you choose to live will often affect how you stand on the stage of your last moments. Will you remember all the choices that could have made this moment different? Better?
I was reading about an English lady who recently went to Sweden where she could legally end her life. She was 75 and in basically good health. She just did not want to age into her potential frail period and be a burden or talked about. She made her choice and will exist with the consequences of her selection.
How would you like to know you made the correct choice? Or the wrong choice… There’s no time like the present to start preparing for that future moment.
Here’s My Thought Today
Moses was speaking some of his last words to Israel. They were approaching their second opportunity to cross over into the promised land. A good choice would produce life, a poor choice would produce death.
“I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you
life or death, blessings or curses.
Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 (GW)
Choose. Make your choice. Do it wisely. Consider what’s next if you make the wrong choice. It’s offered to you to choose, only, make sure you are making the right choice.