The Independence Day Celebration has ended. According to the news, not everyone is happy. I suspect that’s normal for any holiday in today’s world. You can’t please all the people all the time. Quit trying.
Still, yesterday was far from perfect for all of us.
It’s a crazy and mixed-up world we are living in. Polarization. Red and Blue. Hard-liners against go with the flow. Draw that line in the sand, and let’s see where others stand. Guns. Abortion. EPA. Rights vs. Privilege. Attitudes. Politics. Why do we even care what name-brand people care about? Do you? Surely not me. My voice may not be as strong as theirs. My opinions matter as much as anyone living on my street or across the tracks. Even in the privileged rank of those who have vs. those who have not.
This morning, sitting at my keyboard and thinking about this last weekend, I’ve concluded that we are stressing and struggling with new laws that are just a blip on the radar. Give life some time to handle the world, and we’ll see a bounce-back, rebound, and change all over again.
What do you want for your New Day?
My New Day
I believe in Heaven. According to Pew Research, among those that are Christians, 92% believe in Heaven, and 79% believe in Hell. Those numbers drop by a massive slide for those Agnostic (26/14) and Atheist (3/1). If non-Christians are correct, then I have nothing to worry about. If they are wrong, they have much to worry about.
This foundation sets my standards of living each day.
I’m far from perfect, and mistakes are all mine. I will not blame anyone or anything else. My attitudes belong to me, and I’m not obliged to change them just because we are on different sides of the coin of life.
Still, I’m a growing and adapting person. My views on life, in general, are changed by leaps and bounds through the years and across the miles. More so since when I became part of the voting constituency. Life is not easy for most of us. The more you have, the more you worry about maintaining what you own. The less you have, the very act of “getting through the day” is a victory celebrated every day you live.
I was blessed to awake to peace and quiet this morning. As in, no “bombs” next door is fondly called “fireworks.” My Gunny boy was struggling through the sounds and light show by my new neighbors. Chewy just laid out in the yard, unaffected. Byrd and Bear romped around as a kid would when the sparkles hit the night sky. Nukka? Well, she’s been afraid for 12 years and knows how to hide from the beast called celebration.
Your Choice
If you spend much time with any set of books that speak about guidelines, you will always find there is a choice. The consequences of any choice include the results that may be good or bad. Flip the coin, heads, or tails. Hit the light switch, on or off. Turn onto a road, left or right.
Do you get the picture? You get to choose whether you have a direction in mind or not.
God spoke to Israel with a choice for them to make as they prepared for their new life.
“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today;
and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God,
but turn aside from the way which I command you today,
to go after other gods which you have not known.
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NKJV
Down one set of choices, you will find blessings. Choose differently, and you will find a curse. Since it’s God’s plan and you are part of his structure, wouldn’t you choose the path of blessing instead?
This choice includes our direction, as well as how we speak. It’s your choice, but the Bible also has something to say about this.
But no man can tame the tongue.
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our God and Father,
and with it we curse men,
who have been made in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
James 3:8-10 NKJV
Our choice comes from many regions, but it’s really about our minds and how we think about things. Solomon says it simply, “As a man thinks in his heart…so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). Feed your heart with egregious thoughts, and you become that type of person. Fill with love and care, and then you’ve learned the value of “Ditto.” You replicate what you think about the most!
In the mid-’70s, I worked for an oil tool company and frequently used a program called “Ditto.” It was meant to duplicate a card deck, and later it was upgraded (I think) to duplicate a digital file. You would wrap the “JCL” (Job Control Language) around the deck of cards, read it into the card reader, and wait for the newly punched cards to appear in the output tray. Most of the time, it worked! Sometimes the card reader misreads, and sometimes the card punch is miss punched…
Regardless. It’s all about the choices you make at every intersection of life. What’s your pleasure?
It's A New Day: If you spend much time with any set of books that speak about guidelines, you will always find there is a choice. The consequences of any choice include the results that may be good or bad. Flip the coin, heads, or tails Click To Tweet