Today’s scripture: Proverbs 29:1-9 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (John Seksay):
He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
I would like to think that there comes a time in everyone’s life when they realize that they are making bad decisions and need to change their assumptions about life. It’s the stuff of literature, of movies, of motivational speakers and nonprofit organizations. We all like to think that a seemingly lost and clueless person can, and will, change their life path given the right opportunity, the right support, and the magic moment of realization. The list of support groups and aid organizations seems to grow every year. Yet the papers are frequently headlined by the stories of young lives snuffed out by abuse or self-destructive behavior.
I found this one of the hardest lessons I learned in my own recovery. I grew up in a troubled family where alcohol was too often the trigger for chaos and violence. It left me scarred in ways that carried over into my own adult life and family. I had to work very hard (and still do) to maintain the spiritual balance that leads away from the fate described above. The lessons are hard, but not as punishing as the consequences of NOT learning. The alcoholic parent in my family never recovered; the drinking was part of the health problems that aged him prematurely and led to his death at a relatively young age. I am now as old as he was when he died, yet I am successfully retired and looking at potential decades of enjoying the fruits earned by the disciplines learned from my experiences. He never made it to a point where he could stop working or be at peace with the demons that haunted him.
This was the hardest lesson. A person who is destroying themselves has the right to keep destroying themselves because we are not able to control them as we would like. Not all our love, not all our compassion, not all the resources summoned by one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in history can change the mindset of a person who is not open to change. It is the ultimate irony that, despite my belief in an All-Powerful Creator, the Creator is only capable of affecting my life up to the point I allow. I am the sole arbiter of change in my life. I don’t get to pick my circumstances; I do get to pick how I let them affect me by the decisions I make in response to life’s challenges.
Jesus saves, but only if I let him!
Thought for the Day: Am I willing to admit I am not always the best Master for my own soul? Am I open to releasing the chains that my own attitudes place on me?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.