Satisfaction or Distraction?

 

            There is a path before each one of us which is surrounded by numberless decisions, all of which will determine how we proceed in life, how we succeed or fail and how we treat others. Each one of these decisions can be interpreted by either love for self, seeking for empty distraction, pleasure, and vanity. The other path is that of choosing what is good, is true, is right, and is beautiful. How we define these things is founded on what we determine is the ultimate authority in our lives.

               Do we look to ourselves, to our limited knowledge, to our limited wisdom, and to our limited experience to make these decisions, or do we look to others who have proven themselves as wise and experienced. Again, how we see others, how we interpret their advice and guidance will be founded on what we believe to be foundationally true.

               In the same way that we should be criticizing ourselves, we should be understanding how others think, speak, and live. Are you and are they focused on what is genuinely true, good, and beautiful, or are you and they distracted by the emptiness of the pleasures of the world? While lemonade and gasoline may look similar, if you pour one in your gas tank on your vehicle, it will provide you the means for travel but if you pour the other you will destroy your means of travel.

               Appearances can be deceiving, the story we tell ourselves and the story we tell others, may be true, may be deceit, and in many cases, we present ourselves in the best possible light, rather than being honest about the true nature of our heart and soul. What you put into yourself will directly impact the quality of your thoughts, the quality of your words, and the quality of your actions.

               The quality of our lives and the path we travel are determined by what we put into ourselves. If you find yourself struggling with falling into the path of empty distraction, find someone who has wisdom and honest experience to help you redirect yourself toward the pursuit of goodness and truth. We can be easily deceived by their words, but we can easily interpret their actions and how they treat others. Remembering to acknowledge that people will always present themselves in the best possible light by using their words to impress you.

               Finding someone who is wise, experienced and godly is a difficult endeavor. These things can be seen in their actions not necessarily their words. Another error that can be made is that of trusting someone else to suggest someone in whom to find guidance. It is a rare occurrence to find someone who genuinely cares about you, and is thrilled at the possibility of helping you find the path to holiness.

Personal Critique

 

            There are a few different types of knowledge. There is the knowledge that we know about ourselves, the knowledge that others think they know about us, the knowledge that others know about us, and the knowledge we think we know about others. In all of these situations, dishonesty is a genuine possibility. We try to convince ourselves that we are good people, downplaying the horrible and devastating reality of sin and corruption in our lives.

               It is a common situation for someone to try to convince themselves that their sins, their weaknesses, and their corruption is not that bad. And at the same time, they look upon other people, at other people’s sins, weaknesses, and corruptions and impose judgment upon them, considering them worse than themselves.

               Far too often people will look upon others, condemn them for their sins, and forget that all sin is contrary to human nature, is destructive to what man is intended to be, and is anti-life, regardless of the sin. The best response to observing and considering sin is that all sin is opposite to the path the Christian is to be walking.

               In all honesty, each person needs to be extremely self-critical, and unrelenting in his judgment against himself. He needs to consider all men better than himself and not make excuses as to why his sin is less important than the sins of those around him.

               Analyze yourself, be critical of yourself, and be forgiving of others, considering them better than you. Only you know what goes on inside your thoughts and heart. You do not know what others are thinking, feeling, or considering when they are home alone or when they are struggling with something. We can look at someone and wonder why they think, speak, or do the things they do. This takes place because we don’t know the details of their life, their upbringing, or their current social/family situation.

               Learn to be sympathetic, learn to be forgiving, and learn to judge only yourself.

The Foundation of Deception

 

           

            Many people spend a great deal of time, energy and money in an effort to direct their lives the way that want their life to progress. The trouble with this approach is the presumption that we think we know best, usually basing our desired path on what we find most appealing, most satisfying, and often times, what is easy.

               There is an interesting balance that is taking place in all of this. Someone will work very hard to convince themselves that some things are true and some things are not true. In short, this is about deception. We deceive ourselves and we attempt to deceive others. The sad fact is that we know our weaknesses, our sins, and the true state of our heart and soul.

               It is safe to say that most people are concerned about what others think about them. They will lie to themselves and they will lie to others to create a picture that they and others will find appealing. When it comes down to it, self-deception and the deception of others is about selfishness.

               It is wise to step back from your current path, question what it is that you are doing, what you are saying, and the image you are trying to create of yourself. It is also wise to find others who are wiser than you, more experienced than you, and are willing to be honest with you about how you are living your life.

Do not presume that you know best, do not think that you are beyond reproach. Learn to critically assess yourself, work to find the best in others, and honestly recognize your weaknesses, your sins, and work on these rather than criticizing others for their sins. The man who is critical with himself is the man who will find the path to holiness. Do not downplay your sins but rather acknowledge them for what they are, and what they are doing to you and the purity of your heart and soul.