John Harrell's Blog, page 8

Mistakes

Making mistakes is unavoidable. No decent person does it on purpose, but mistakes happen. Mistakes can be something we said or did, or it could be mistaken identity. But the question is, what do we do with it when we make a mistake?

Mistakes are learning tools. We learn what doesn’t work so we try to not make the same mistake again. When learning algebra, you go down a lot of wrong paths but eventually figure it out. This helps to form your mind and actually helps develop critical thinking.

There are those who like to throw out past in our faces, but only to remind us of everything we have done wrong. Those types of people are very small. They are insecure in themselves, so they try to make others feel insecure, too. Stay away from them, even if they are family members. They have their own issues to sort through and you can’t help them.

Keep your eyes on your future, not your mistakes of the past. You learned from them. That’s all. You live in the present moment.

Don’t allow the past to prevent you from trying something new. There’s a lot of life left to live…

In Preparation

Every experience we have in life prepares us for something else. We don’t have the privilege to know what it’s preparing us for. Just know that it is.

Many years ago I had an experience in an al anon meeting that changed me. In an instant, I released all judgment of other people. This has freed me to see through people as they are, not just look at them with prejudice and misunderstanding. That moment in my life was awe-inspiring.

My al anon moment prepared me to go into prisons and share my life story. Many of the inmates open up and talk about what’s happened in their lives. You hear some things that are heartbreaking. Very sick people do horrible things to others, leaving the victim broken and living with a deep and constant pain.

When you are going through darkness, please remember that it can be used for good. It’s getting you prepared for a purpose, a purpose that will benefit mankind in ways we cannot imagine.

Just keep going…

From Those Who Came Before Us

When you are young, you tend to be full of yourself. No one can tell you anything because you know what’s best. And typically you aren’t shy about offering others your “wisdom” and advice, whether people want it or not.

With age comes experience and some wisdom. Years of living and learning have taught you to be open minded about much of life’s experiences. Life is a great teacher. Sometimes the lessons are hard, even harsh. But you learn that you will get through your darkest days if you don’t give up.

I encourage you to seek out the life stories of older, probably much wiser men and women. You can learn a lot from them. Their experiences will help shape your best thinking.

Don’t brush off the old people. You will be one yourself one day…

The Quiet Good

There are a lot of good people in this world. In today’s “look at me” culture you gotta look hard to find them. But they are there.

I have seen single women work two and three jobs to provide for their family. They aren’t looking for attention. They are just trying to make it. Yet, the example they set for their children is inspiring.

There are 37 documented miracles that Jesus performed, including restoring eyesight to the blind, exorcising demonic spirits from adults and children, and he turned water into wine. Yet, he told the recipient of his supernatural intervention to keep quiet about it. Jesus didn’t do a single miracle that benefited himself, only others.

I encourage you to go about your work quietly, staying under the radar. Help others when you are able. Just be good…

David and Goliath

David was a small shepherd who would one day be King. Goliath was a freakishly tall, powerful and strong Philistine fighter. They were mismatched in every way except one, the most important one.

Every day, Goliath would taunt the Hebrew army, daring anyone to come battle him. No one took the challenge until David showed up with his sling and five stones in his pouch. Now Goliath was insulted which fueled his rage.

David was enraged that this pagan would insult his people, and, more importantly, his God. David yelled, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…and all the earth will know there is a God in Heaven.”

One shot is all it took. It’s estimated that the stone hit Goliath in his forehead traveling at around 180 mph. David took Goliaths own sword and cut his head off! And the Philistines ran.

When you are facing impossible obstacles, challenges and setbacks, remember that God is on your side. He wants us to succeed and when we do, give him the credit and glory.

Never underestimate the unlimited power of the God of the Universe. He is good…

Yes or No

There are a lot of things we aren’t going to understand on this side of eternity. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why did my life go left instead of right? Why am I even here?

God doesn’t owe us an explanation. The truth is, if he explained things to us we wouldn’t understand. Look at your own life. If ten years ago you had been given the opportunity to look at your life today, it wouldn’t make sense how you arrived here.

God is good and he is just. We just need to trust him. This includes trusting God during the shitty times in life. It’s easy to trust when everything is going well. He has been with us during every moment of our life, no matter what we were going through.

My encouragement to you is to say YES to whatever brings you closer to God. Say no to the things (and the people) who keep you apart from him. Look for God’s influence and direction in your life and other people’s lives. It’s there…

Look Beyond What You Can See

In The Book of Genesis we learn the story of Joseph. Joseph was a young dreamer who had a good heart. His older brothers sold him to some Midianite traders who sold Joseph to an officer of Pharaohs in Egypt. His brothers faked his death and thought they were rid of their troublesome brother, the “dreamer.”

Joseph was a righteous man and did well In Pharaohs eyes. God opened Joseph’s eyes to interpret dreams which saved Egypt during a long drought. The Egyptians had food while the rest of the world was starving. Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy food, not knowing that it was their little brother who would be the one selling it to them.

Through a series of fascinating events, Joseph and his entire family were reunited. Joseph informed his brothers that “what they intended for harm, God intended for good.” The story is worth reading. You can find it in Genesis, Chapters 37-50.

The story of Joseph, and many others, is a great reminder that God is always working in our lives. We do not see it, but it’s happening.

God didn’t create us and then forget about us. He’s working…

Miracles Happen Every Day

In several instances, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath which, in doing so, sent the religious leaders into orbit. You see, it was against the law to do work on the Sabbath. Healing someone was considered to be work.

There was a lot at play here. First off, Jesus created the Sabbath and was in control of it. Further, by doing good on this day in particular he showed his mercy and compassion for mankind. Jesus is at work all the time, not just six days per week.

We can get confused about religion. In its essence, religion is a set of beliefs. We believe and have faith in someone we can’t really see. Or can we?

While Jesus was among us, he performed incredible miracles. He wasn’t showing off, and he never did a miracle that benefited him. He was demonstrating the character of God. And miracles continue happening today. Childbirth is a miracle. So is the position of the sun.

Slow down and take a look around. Miracles are everywhere. In fact, you are a living miracle. Don’t take it for granted…

Moral Majority

The Moral Majority was a political movement in the late twentieth century that officially disbanded around 1989. The party was founded in the name of Christianity, but over time became more religious than Christian. In the world of politics it’s easy to be divisive. This party took division off the rails.

Not everything about the Moral Majority was bad, though. Having a moral compass and doing what’s right is a good thing. Oftentimes taking a stand on morals will get you banned or at least ostracized. When legalistic religion crosses paths with imperfect people in any society, conflict is bound to happen.

Christianity is comprised of imperfect people trying to emulate the only perfect person who ever lived. We fall short, we try again, then we keep trying.

If the majority of people lived morally responsible lives, society and culture would improve. Selfishness would lessen and our focus would be on others more than ourselves.

People are important. All people. It’s always a good time to be conscious of the needs of others. When we do this, we become more Christ-like and less like ourselves…

Hanging Out With Jesus

Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to hang around with Jesus? Reading about him in Scripture gives us an idea, yet I wonder what he was like.

I’m sure Jesus had remarkable presence, and I bet he had a wonderful sense of humor. Jesus couldn’t have been serious all the time because if he was, no one would want to be around him for very long. Little children flocked to him. Kids don’t approach people who make them feel unsafe. Children have great instincts.

And Jesus was a rebel, a real badass. He didn’t mince words when calling out hypocrisy, even among the religious scholars. Doing something like this in Jesus’ time could get you kicked out of the synagogue.

One day we will all meet Jesus. Until then, let’s just try to be like him…