In a time span of just a little over a month there are three well known holidays that get a great deal of attention. Between the last Thursday of November and the first day of January we consider all we have to be thankful for, spend time with family, and list aspirations of self-improvement for the upcoming year. I am thankful for the gift of Jesus which has allowed me to have a fresh start. That pretty much sums up three holidays in one sentence!
At any rate, after all the wonderful festivities of Christmas Day have passed, the next celebratory event comes in only one week on New Year's Eve. New Year's is often a time when resolutions are made. One of my resolutions, as I stated in the last blog post was to actually spend a little more time writing on this blog.
A couple of things came togehter in my mind the last few days which I felt were coming together for this post. A chain of events - if you would...
1. A Book I Read
A while back I read a book called Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World by Craig Groeschel. I found it to be a very easy read that spoke to me on many different levels. This is not meant to be a book review but the gist of the book helps to provide some inspiration for dealing with all the toxic things in life and keeping yourself healthy on the inside.
In the book there is a quote on page 198 (*I have the Kindle version so I am not 100% sure if that matches the print copy. It also indicates location 2168 on the Kindle)
The Bible says clearly and directly, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'" (1Cor. 15:33). I'm guessing Paul began with "do not be misled" because when it comes to hanging out with the wrong kind of people, so many of us can become misled, then tolerant, then corrupted by those around us.The passage goes on to give some examples of folks who meant to do well by perhaps witnessing to them about Christ but in the end fell away themselves. The message here is to know when to get out of certain situations. The book later points us to genesis 39:12 which gives the example of Joseph running away from Potiphar's wife when she made a move on him. Joseph knew when to get away.
2. A Commercial I Watched
I later thought of a commercial where one thing leads to something else in a crazy and humorous chain of events. The message is to basically not allow the first thing to happen by having cable. Instead, get DirectTV and these things won't happen to you. Ha Ha
Here is the video for you.
Certainly, I think the events portrayed in this commercial are a bit extreme but nonetheless, they do have their foundation in a very real cause and effect relationship that every one of us has experienced. The things we say and do have consequences and we need to know when to step away.
3. A Resolution I Made
Yay! So another year has gone by. The idea of having a fresh start is one that I like to have and starting a new year seems like a good time to do that, right? I resolved to spend more time blogging on this particular blog. I have been more active on my other blog and even started a third one but this one has been neglected for five years. This post is part of my attempt to follow through.
As I thought of resolutions for the new year - thoughts of the often portrayed method of celebration at this time of year also came to mind. I really hate to generalize because I know that not everyone celebrates the same way but it is also very difficult to escape the way media portrays American culture. Even in our celebration of things it is important to know when to step away.
Some Thoughts
So I am thinking of these things as it relates to making good choices or to making some aspect of my life better - and I figure that is what I should make my post on. I would love for people to think of ways they can make improvements in their lives or to make better choices going forward. There is still time. Start by making some good choices today!
Some Questions
- Can you think of a time when one thing led to another for you that ended up badly?
- Do you know when to step away?
- Are you able to identify those things that are toxic in your life?
That third one is so tough, isn't it? Sometimes we don't know what is toxic unless we have experienced a little bit of cleanliness first. It is so much like the saying "You don't know what you don't know".
- What steps are you taking to reduce the levels of toxicity in your life?
- What are your resolutions?
- Can you think of a time when one thing led to another for you that ended up for the better?
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| It gets better |
Over time, I hope to share with you how one thing led to another in my life for the better.
Have an awesome day!
