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.