never say never

there is a verse in proverbs that i always think of when i catch myself saying never; "in his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps" proverbs 16:9. GOD's decision for our future is already planned. HE has already given you the will to choose between right and wrong on how you lead your life. there is truth to the saying with age comes wisdom. not that every decision is correct or wrong, but the ability to realize that you could learn something from that decision.

before i had my first child i remember saying what i wouldn't do - that never happened. i found out that children change everything whether you want them to or not. you live completely for your child. this can be very trying, but so worth it because you have a little miracle. plus, you're dealing with a little human being that is going to have as many passions as you.

GOD challenges us to become the person HE wants us to be; a reflection of HIMSELF. one of my favorite quotes is "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" by albert einstein. my temper is this way. i think that by losing my temper that i am getting my point across; this only makes the other person defensive. what do i gain from it; nothing. i can't say that i will never lose my temper again, but i can learn to take a breather or walk away when i know that it is about to erupt.

GOD gives us the rules in the bible, right there in black and white. the problem i have is when we distort those rules to be tolerant, or "fake" with another individual. i hate saying this, but i think christians can be the biggest culprits in this. we tend to forget our own demons and think that we are "perfect" in our journeys. i like christians that are honest about their failures and have humility in what they are struggling with; because it makes them human. i like the fact that they know this about themselves and they continually pray to GOD for HIM to guide them on how to solve it.

paul is my favorite of GOD's chosen. he was a murderer, a liar, and a tyrant. he became a true man of GOD on the road to damascus. i'm sure those that were being taught, or being rebuked by him pointed out those sins. i'm also sure that he was never a hypocrite about what he had done; he showed humility in his mistakes. thousands of years later we are still learning from paul and the truths that GOD gave him; what a blessing!

we all have issues and to say that we never have them is a lie. to say that we can never change is a lie. look at paul and what GOD did for him. to say that there isn't a GOD and a devil; well, i don't know if we should take that risk. never say never.

"no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM." 1 corinthians 2:9