Chris Vonada's Blog, page 14

Carol’s Gems: May – The Emerald

Today’s post, “Carol’s Gems: May – The Emerald”, is a monthly series on birthstones from one of my favorite blogger friends, Carol Peterson. Carol is a writer with a heart for encouragement, sharing parables of faith at her blog From Carol’s Quill and making learning exciting in Fun with Finance and other teacher resource books.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for the month of May is the emerald. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The gorgeous green emerald symbolizes rebirth, reminding us of Jesus’ resurrection as well as our rebirth into God’s family when we come to Christ.

Several healing properties have been mythically associated with the emerald. The one that makes me smile is that gazing upon an emerald soothes the eyes. Well, of course it does. It’s just that beautiful. As is our Lord when we gaze upon Him.

Ancient Greeks and Romans, associated emeralds with Aphrodite/Venus—their goddess of love. Our Heavenly Father—the one true God of love—proved His love by the physical act of becoming human and dying for our sake. In Christian symbolism then, the emerald stands for rebirth in Christ, faith and hope and love.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Sort of makes you want to go find an emerald and gaze upon its beauty, doesn’t it?

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of May.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the extravagant beauty you have spread throughout this world. Thank you for even hiding bits of your glory underneath the surface of the world for us to find and enjoy. Thank you that everything in the universe provides us with an opportunity to thank you and exclaim your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? This is the final post in the Carol’s Gems series. Have you followed the monthly birthstone blogs? Which birthstone most reminds you of Jesus?

Who’s Running The Restaurant?

Photo courtesy of Muy Yum at flickr.com

When I was growing up and while I was in college I worked in a few restaurants. It was funny trying to figure out who really ran a restaurant. It was a lesson in perspective. It seemed to depended on what time of day it was…

Early in the day, like in the morning, the owner ran the restaurant. He signed the paychecks, and brought it all together.
Later on, the restaurant manager ran the restaurant. He answered the phone, booked the reservations and big parties, and dealt with any customer complaints or issues.
At night, the chef ran the restaurant. Ultimately, the chef controls the flow in the restaurant at night. He’s the one making the food and striving for perfection with each dish prepared. He also figures out how to deliver 4 different meals to the same table at the same time.

My point in this post is this: In any restaurant, there are at least 3 key players… the owner, manager and the chef. No one person can fulfill all three of these posts at any one time, unless the restaurant is very small.

So who is running the restaurant? If you thought it may be someone else, you would be correct. Ultimately, the customer drives business, right? They’re the ones who flock in to order the Dover Sole when it’s offered as a special, request a certain waiter and table for a special occasion year after year, and tell 2 friends… who tell 2 friends… and so on… and so on… whoa, wait! That was a shampoo commercial, right? Anyway, I think you get the picture…

The restaurant business is demand driven and service oriented. It’s all about the right location, menu and vibe. A recent survey of the success rate of startup restaurants suggests that one in four is going to fail. That’s high enough to make bankers hesitant to lend to these operations. Their experience tells them that, as a whole, restaurants are risky business. They’re saying that 25% of the loans they make go south.

The 3 key people involved with running the restaurant look to each other for support as a team to make it happen. If they nailed down the location, menu and vibe they’ve got a chance. A solid business plan and financial backing gives them an ever greater opportunity. Then, imagine the customers came too! Yep yep yep, that’s success! But even with all of that there aren’t any guarantees. The bankers have found, like we all know in life, that sometimes our greatest disappointments come from expectations that aren’t met. In our world that continually changes we can count on one thing with absolute certainty:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Yesterday I paused to focus on all of the people and blessings that I have today to be thankful for. I’m so thankful for my family; a strong, healthy relationship with a beautiful, loving woman; the gift of writing; and many more. I’m most thankful for what Jesus did for me so I can have a relationship with Him. I’m thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, and for His guidance. God’s word is as relevant today as it was so long ago when it was written.

Who’s running the restaurant? Ultimately, it all comes back to Him. Praise God for another glorious day! And so many excellent restaurants to choose from

Late-Night TV And The Fall Of Man

Late night TV has long been a place to unwind and laugh a little at the events of the day. One of my favorite all-time late nighters was Johnny Carson. He reigned for 30 years as the host of The Tonight Show. A very popular skit that Carson repeated was called “Carnac the Magnificent”. Johnny played a mystic from the east who had a knack for coming up with unseen answers to unknown questions. You can check it out by watching this short and very funny video…

It still cracks me up to watch some of the old Johnny footage on YouTube. Some days I can’t help but want to lighten up a day and stressful situation. Finding humor is a relief to me. I mostly laugh at myself and my own shortcomings. I think Carson was sort of the same way, and that was his draw to so many people of the time.

I got to thinking about this recently… did God plan the fall of man? It seems sort of confusing to think that He would. Why would He set us up for failure? It would seem that if He knew everything that He could have averted a lot of trouble for us by having some other plan than the fall

Here’s the kicker to the whole God thing: We don’t know all that much about what the future holds. Sure, there’s the book of Revelation. It seems sort of out there. I’m sure that many people thought that the prophets were sort of out there too, when they shared their thoughts and visions.

God is good and knows exactly what He’s doing…

Here’s a bit about the prophet Jeremiah and his call from God…

The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you int he womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

God knew what we would do before we were born. He also calls us as individuals to help Him complete His work…

The Lord said to him, “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” Jeremiah 1:7-8

How? Read His Word.

The Lord, speaking to another prophet, Isaiah… “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…” Isaiah 55:1

He further declares, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (v. 9)… “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (v. 11)

Still confused if He knows what He’s doing?

Our God is a great and holy one. Through Him we can accomplish good and amazing miracles.

At the end of the day it helps to keep things in perspective and follow God’s lead. I’m pretty sure that His hand is in what’s happening here every day, like the Holy Spirit surely lives in those who believe.

Maybe think of late night TV as resilience to buffer our day.

Pray, then hit the hay and rest up for another glorious day

Making Wise Decisions – A Guest Post By Terrie Thorpe

This is a guest post by Terrie Thorpe: author, blogger and writer of Christian Living articles. Her books  “Am I Really Saved? Answering Questions of Christians” and “Footsteps of Jesus – Becoming a Disciple” are geared toward new Christians and those who have lost their way. Enjoys hiking, gardening, reading and sharing Jesus with the world! Please visit her blog, Light for the Journey often!

We make literally thousands of decisions a day never fully comprehending how those choices affect future events. Sometimes we feel we are just going through the motions of everyday life; going to school or work.  In one moment, our paths cross with another person and we are changed.  We like to believe that we are the masters of our own destiny, when in fact we are on a course overseen by a loving God.

Do you seek to learn which way the Lord is leading you?

The Lord designed us for a special mission yet, there are times when we have made a wrong decision.  The path we are on is way out of sequence with our purpose. At the right time something fantastic will occur and change our direction. These special encounters are known as divine appointments or divine interventions. Those seemly random events that appear to mean nothing but in hindsight, they expose a purpose and relevance to a current situation.

The Bibles describes many of these course corrections, which effected people and the course of nations. Some changes were for the good and other events, were not so good. One good story is found in book of Ruth.

A family from Bethlehem left their home because of a famine and moved to Moab. During their stay, the husband died and the two sons married Moabite women, which was forbidden by their Law. When the sons died, it left three widows. The Lord has a special heart for taking care of widows as the story unfolds.

Naomi, the mother was deeply distressed, she had lost everything, there was no way that she could provide for her widowed daughters or herself. She learned that the famine had passed in Bethlehem, so she decided to go home. On the way, Naomi realized the problems she would face with her Moabite daughters. So she decided to send them back to their families, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi.

“Ruth replied, ‘Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” (Ruth 1:16-17 NLT).

Ruth had made a noble choice to honor Naomi by fully submitting her life to serve Naomi and the God of Israel. The Lord was pleased with Ruth’s desire to stay with Naomi, which kept her on the right path. Naomi was once well off, but returned penniless and sent Ruth to find food for them. She carefully instructed Ruth on the customs of the land.

What were the odds Ruth would begin working in a field owned by relative? Could this be considered chance that she caught the eye and the heart of the one who would be her kinsman redeemer? No, the Lord honors those who honor him. Because Ruth chose to honor and love Naomi, who could offer her nothing, she was given a special place in lineage of Jesus.

Ruth married Boaz, the owner of the field and an eligible relative. Their son was Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse who in turn was the father of David. Even though she was considered an outsider to the Jewish faith, God can graft in anyone he chooses.

How about you, do you think there is a master plan for your life? Do you think that things just happen?  Do you step out in faith, like Ruth not sure of the end result?

The only way we will find purpose and meaning is to trust the Lord to guide us to our destiny.

“For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

 

How To Build Consensus In Everyday Life

Consensus building fosters better relationships, interpersonal connection and unity.

Consensus building is a “buzz word” in our work lives. Some of our leaders have a gift for doing this, gathering groups of people with conflicting opinions on complex issues and helping them reach agreement on a fair compromise to future direction. Working in the environmental field we got to see this process in action in many situations. I was personally involved in a technical advisory group in Jacksonville, appointed to a board by a local trade organization to help local regulators and stakeholders reach consensus on changing wastewater regulations.

At the end of the day, building consensus in our lives leads to self-respect and garnering the respect of others. First, let’s look at the process of how consensus is built in the professional world. Then we can look at an idea of how to apply it to our daily lives, and discuss the implications of using this process to build respect in one-on-one relationships, and within groups.

Typically, an issue is identified and stakeholders are gathered. A discussion ensues, and concerns are identified. A collaborative proposal is drawn up on each issue, and a determination of consensus is sought. If true unanimity is not reached, the process either continues, a pseudo form of consensus is reached, or the group may disband, typically in frustration. Obviously the stakeholders have to want to participate – if they don’t come to the table, there’s not much hope for a process like this to work. I’ve left out considerable detail on this process, but that’s the jist of it.

Fortunately, we can take this simplified version of consensus building and easily apply it to our personal relationships. The consensus process is directly applicable to our personal lives as it shares a desirable and important outcome: Consensus building, as opposed to an adversarial process, is a collaborative and cooperative process that fosters better relationships, interpersonal connection and unity.

Recall I’ve stressed the importance of surrounding ourselves with like-minded people. That may look quite differently for each of us. Remember, that thing about the 4 circles? When we think of the church today, we consider it to be one body. That doesn’t mean that everybody has to agree on every single issue. That would be impossible. My point of view will not always be shared by everyone here today on Planet Earth. Similarly, one congregation may not always agree with the rest. However, we should be able to get along and show each other respect, right? Whether you’re a church person or not, most of what I’m sharing with you here can be applied in your daily life. The people we find in the inner circles are critical to making sound decisions in our daily walk.

We generally share the opinions and habits of our closest friends. Consider your 5 closest friends and you’ll find out a lot about yourself and how you’re living your life. Settling into a groove in these relationships, these close associates tend to influence us, taking us down or building us up. We also may at times influence them, in the same manner.

Carefully consider what’s at stake…

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Proverbs 27:12

Building consensus in our daily life is much more than just surrounding ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear. I once had a friend who would seek advice of her friend who would most likely tell her the desired answer. Similarly, she would hang out with different people depending on how she chose to behave on that particular evening. If you’ve thought through these close associates they will help keep you accountable to your morals and values. This should be fairly consistent.

Church people, as a group, are like families. They’re typically fairly dysfunctional. What we learn in a healthy organization, be it a work environment, church or even in our families, is that:

we all have to learn to deal with and relate to people who are different than us,
showing respect to others will help you in all of your relationships, and
there are many thoughts that we could debate that, in the big picture of eternity, aren’t really all that relevant.

Remember our list from 1 Peter…

Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble, be a blessing, love life, do good, seek peace and pursue it, and do it all with gentleness and respect.

Consensus is reached in our everyday life when we are wooed to agreement, either within ourselves, with another person or within a group, on a course of action to take at a crossroad.

Reaching consensus within ourselves could be overcoming indecisiveness, that feeling of being torn between two or more possibilities. This may be achieved with the assistance of close friend or spouse. Or, we often have to come to agreement with a significant other, about parenting or financial issues. Finally, we may find ourselves being transformed by a group of people who come together to discuss a Bible verse. Here, I’ll throw out a specific example:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:1-5

These verse suggest we should look out for each other. That’s a good thing. Recognize there is a fine line between admonishment, or helping a brother out, and self-servitude. Maybe think of that line as the boundary of respect. In relationships, we often should try to:

carefully consider our motives so that we’re not acting out of jealousy, hatred or selfish ambition.
choose our words carefully to make sure that we are always building up, showing positive interest in and encouragement to those people only when we are in a place to help out.

The Lord will honor those who choose to honor Him. Your words and actions send out an important message to the people around you. Be sure to choose them wisely, just like you would the people in your close relationships, and you will be well on the way to living a life centered on respect. Remember the concept of building consensus. Respect and consensus will bring positive changes in your personal relationships.

How important do you think consensus is within your close, personal relationships?

Do you often consult close personal friends or your spouse when faced with a challenging dilemma?

Building Your Content: How Adventure Runs Through My Life

Always up for an adventure…

This week I was looking through my blog at some of the material that I’ve written over the past 3+ years. When you write about life in general, over time you come up with quite a variety. That’s fun, in a lot of ways. I’ve learned quite a bit about God, life, and myself. Well, I’m in the process of finalizing my third book, “All Sorts And Conditions Of People: The 7 Essentials Of Extraordinary Relationships.” You can read more about my forthcoming book at the link, this post isn’t really about that. As I was reflecting on the material that I have crunched out to date, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts on building your content, and two miracles that God has accomplished in this short season of my life:

- First of all, I had no idea that I was capable of writing. Please don’t take me wrong, I don’t think that I’m super great at it now or destined to be the next guest on Oprah. But it is a pretty cool part of my testimony, that I never had a knack for writing until some friends pointed it out to me that God had given me this gift. I’m really thankful for that, for those wonderful people who genuinely cared so much about me that they took an interest, and for God for giving me this somewhere in the midst of my life. To me, it was so pronounced that I would compare it to Jesus giving sight to a blind man who had never seen before. Yep, that powerful. Well, close anyway. And it started after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, little more than 10 years ago…

- Two central themes in my life seem to be passion and adventure. I have to be passionate about something for it to stick around for very long. When I think about what I would describe as fun it would be adventurous. It doesn’t have to be as zany as living on the “Lost” island. My sweetheart will tell you that creating something delicious in the kitchen on Saturday night is ALWAYS a fun time together, and a sort of adventure. I guess in my little world it’s sort of like getting my ya-yas out. As far as my writing is concerned, I’ve enjoyed just sharing with you my adventure, and learning how to write along the way.

Passion and adventure… 007 is that kind of guy. He’s passionate about his work, and he is always on some sort of adventure. That’s why I dig the Bond movies, and many others like Indian Jones, Mowgli the man cub, and, of course, you know that Gump is into the passion and adventure… about his running, and life!

If you read some of the material written by what we call “the author’s authors” – you know, those authors who are making it by telling other want-to-be authors about how to do it… if you read their stuff they’ll tell you how you can write a book one blog post at a time. It’s true. I’ve done it, at least in part, with all of my books.

With that said I want to let you in on another miracle that God has worked in my life over this season: The relationships book that I’m finalizing, there is some material that I started writing last year with a specific goal of including it in my book. There is also material that I will be including that I wrote 3 years ago that fits perfectly. While I never intended to include Gump in this work, Forrest fits to a T, as you will soon see.

Why?

Well, because I followed His lead in faith, and did what my friends suggested…

Write.

Just write.

“Maybe I’m amazed at the way you help me sing my song…” Paul. You know, the other one

It’s like understanding the signs of the times, as mentioned in 1 Chronicles 12:32, to help unify God’s people. And hearing His voice, following and knowing how to respond…

“… He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. After He has gathered his own flock, He walks ahead of them, and they follow Him because they know His voice.” John 10:3-4 They may be shaken, but not stirred!

The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships: Trust

Yahoo! Today’s post is the final in this series, The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships: Trust.

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Stephen Covey

If I can’t trust you and you don’t trust me our relationship is pre-determined to be pretty shallow.

I hope to share with you today why and how you should be very interested in building trust in your most treasured relationships…

Trust… what exactly is it?

Today I’m honored to be continuing this series as a guest at Carol Peterson’s blog, I hope you’ll follow the link here to Carol’s blog and to the 11th and final post in the series, The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships – Trust .

I’ve created a page compiling the links to the previous months’ building blocks too, you can catch up over here.

Carol Peterson is a writer with a heart for encouragement, sharing parables of faith on her blog From Carol’s Quill and making learning fun in Fun with Finance and other teacher resource books.

What To Do With All Of Those Rocks?

“Sometimes in life there just aren’t enough rocks” – Forrest Gump

Those were Forrest’s words of wisdom upon reflection of Jenny’s rage of anger at her past as they stumbled upon the old house were Jenny was raised. Jenny unloaded every stone in sight on the structure, busting out a window in the process before slumping down in exhaustion to sob, maybe on that day once and for all relieved. Jenny’s childhood, from the glimpse that we saw in the movie, wasn’t all that wonderful. I’m guessing that her youth had a residual impact on her life, her pattern of running away from reality and years of reluctance to take the next positive step in the direction of God’s destiny and will for her life… a wonderful, albeit short, love that she would recognize and share with Forrest and their young offspring, little gumpster.

Last weekend we went to St. Augustine and my sweetheart sang with her chorale group in the Cathedral Basilica. It was a special experience, hearing them sing at this amazing venue filled with history. Before the concert I had a few minutes and wandered around outside. I came across a monument in a courtyard that I hadn’t noticed before, a vestige to Andrew Young and a group of civil rights demonstrators that were brutally attacked in response to a peaceful march. As we know well, St. Augustine is a city shrouded in history. It’s a fun place to go exploring, there always seems to be something new to discover in this old place – it’s filled with life lessons and legends.

As Jenny and Forrest would both tell you, if they were real people, the past isn’t always filled with the best of the best. We all have experiences good and bad that form our memories. We learn valuable lessons from both… and it’s how we use them that is omnipotent.

What to do with all of those rocks?

Well, the oppressors in St. Augustine wielded clubs instead of rocks. Just the same, when they laid them down in recognition that a new era was upon us, their symbolism was much the same as those who were throwing stones. Jenny stopped throwing rocks on that day when she remembered her childhood home and came face to face with its shattered memories. In the Bible, we’ve read about those who stood ready to keep on throwing stones… and how Jesus persuaded them to reconsider.

The Bible is filled with both symbolism and history. The book of Ecclesiastes is a philosophical search for the meaning of life, and how it is all meaningless without God. This literary gem is often attributed to King Solomon, the man who had everything. His struggle in Ecclesiastes is with mortality, but we can apply the same important lesson to just about anything. Struggles within ourselves or those we see in the form of public demonstrations are much the same. There is something that makes us want to throw the stone, and until we reckon with the root of the problem we’re destined to repeat history. Unfortunately, it’s often not so much who throws the first stone as the last. Solomon’s writing offers just one answer…

What to do with all of those rocks…

Rock cairn, or monument
(photo by planetc1 on Flickr)

Well, you may be upset with me for the simplicity of this message but I hope that it will at least provoke some thought, and not make you want to throw rocks at me. It’s basically the same message as “bury the hatchet” – go, and construct a monument. When we take the stone and build a monument with them we can start to let go. Healing takes place, and we can soldier on.

What to do with all of those rocks?

Turn it over to God. But that isn’t as satisfying as hurling rocks in a rage? Do it anyway. It may take a very long time for God to heal that hurt within you, but give it to Him and He will work a miracle every time… and in His perfect time and way. Some of the monuments that you build with your rocks in life will be larger than others. You may build some of them for a long period of time… but every time you do it you will see God’s promises in the end result.

Remember, the sturdy house was built upon a rock. You’re never going to change the past, but you can build a better life by firming up its foundation. Let God give you a hand, you will be thankful.

Stretched To Transparency

Keep Stretching…

I’m on the road today, back to Pennsylvania, the state where I was born… in a manner of speaking, since I’m writing at Jon Stolpe’s “Stretched” blog! Of course, rubber bands came to mind, as did being stretched for sharing the Gospel, all about Jesus with everyone who will listen.

If you’re not staying stretched to transparency, you’re not living. (Click To Tweet)

I’ll share with you a cool Bible verse, Jesus speaking about how you can live your life now to the fullest AND be with Him for eternity, too! Not possible, you say? Check it out by following this link over to Jon Stolpe’s Stretched Blog.

Jon is an interesting guy, a Christ-follower, husband, dad, son, uncle, engineer, runner, chicken farmer, gardener, saxophone player, operations manager, adventurer, and the list goes on…. please visit his place often!

Caught In The Undertow

Can you read the waves in the ocean, and life?

I love to swim and play in the ocean. I guess I must have  been born that way, like some dogs are called “water dogs”. Having grown up in Vero Beach, Florida, my brother and I spent a lot of time at the beach. We would play in the waves for hours on end, riding our rafts all the way to the shore whenever we caught a good wave. I remember packing up the car with rafts, blankets, towels, food and drink, and lotion, and then the satisfaction of arriving at the beach for a good wave day; it was exhilarating!

On several occasions while riding the waves I recall being caught in an undertow. Usually when this happened it was sort of fun, like riding a big wave on my raft and being out of control for just a fraction of time. It often made me giggle. Maybe that’s just my love of adventure, I don’t know. Being caught in the undertow was sort of funny too, the first few times it happened, as I was able to overcome the feeling of being out of control quickly. Well, that all changed when I experienced a strong undertow that took me to the bottom and tossed me around until I was almost out of breath. That was scary, not knowing when it would end and I would be able to overtake the strong ocean current.

Fortunately, on the occasions when this happened, I was always able to resurface and swim to safety. I quickly realized when this happens that we’re very much on our own. Sure, there were other people in the ocean, my brother was nearby, and my watchful parents we’re on the beach, but when you’re caught in the undertow and resurface a considerable distance from where you started, you quickly realize the power of the ocean’s waves. Then you realize that you really are on your own, and that there is always a possibility that help wouldn’t reach you in time to save you.

Sometimes in life we make decisions that have a pronounced, long-term effect. The Bible tells of how our decisions affect the generations to come, at times carrying over to several generations later. I know, that ‘s Old Testament stuff. I’m not sure if it’s a generational curse, or the learned behavior that parents pass on to their offspring, but there is some validity to this thought. The decisions that I make will definitely have an after effect not only on my life, but on my family for quite some time.

Playing in the ocean as a kid was lots of fun. I’m thankful for those wonderful memories with my family. I did learn to respect the ocean, and the undertow. There were days when we looked at the waves and didn’t go in. Much later in my journey I learned the appropriate adage, “live to conquer another day”.

When the Bible tells us to guard our heart, we should take heed of this sound advice. It’s just like standing on the beach, looking at the ocean, and deciding whether to grab my raft and hit the waves, or live to conquer another… there are some days when it’s going to be giggly fun, and others when I should be cautious. How do I know the difference:

- Learn to read the waves. Ok, so the life parallel is to not stray too far from familiar territory when in a foreign land, take it slow when getting to know people, learn from my past and be sure to avoid making the same mistakes.

- Learn my own strengths and weaknesses. While my older brother may have been able to go out further in the ocean, or he may have been able to ride larger waves, I had to respect that he was older and more experienced than me. Furthermore, he was a stronger swimmer. I’ve learned a few things about my weaknesses, for example that I’ve been way too open and trusting with people (yep, just a wee bit gullible). I need to seek guidance from other people who I know I can trust and depend on. Often.

I’m thankful that my parents spent lots of time with us and took us to the beach. Their protective nature and respect for the ocean taught me to learn not only about its beauty and strength, but also my own limitations. So now I’m wondering… how can I be sure to pass this on to my daughters, and to my grandchildren? Am I being cognizant of my decisions now, and how they affect future generations? Am I giving my offspring an opportunity to learn, while staying involved enough to recognize where I may want to offer some assistance, or advice?

What decisions do we make that affect the emotional and psychological health of our heart?

Have you ever made decisions that you feel with affect the lives of your future generations?