The Encourager

There seems to be some real power that imparts from one person to another through encouragement. Sometimes it can greatly tip the scales in the favor of a person even when they do not realize it. I think some people were born with that special talent given by God just to keep those around them going. I read many books and have watched many films where someone is in a particular situation or crises and there always seems to be someone around at the right time to give a word of encouragement to the one most in need of it. Maybe a greenhorn in combat is given a slap on the back by his Sergeant and a small word that tells him he is doing good even when nothing good appears to be happening and that young greenhorn has his fear subside and replaced with confidence that helps him trust in his ability and training better. Or even the other night,  I was watching The South Carolina versus Kentucky game and saw the Old ball coach talking with one of his injured players and slap him on the shoulders to encourage him. I could not hear what was said but I could read it on the coach and player’s face. It will be okay! It seemed to me that the coach needed more encouragement at the moment than the injured player but I respected the fact that he took time out of his own predicament to encourage one of his players. I wonder if the player thought so or was he so discouraged by his injury that he didn’t notice? Sometimes as human beings we really do get caught up in despair and do not recognize the encouragements that we receive from that special someone who thinks enough of us to say something kind and get us moving along in the right direction when we are down by circumstances. Sometimes we realize much later when our source of encouragement is no longer around. What a sad feeling it is when you realize this later when you no longer have a cheerleader on the sidelines of your life. I have heard many biblical speculations on the subject of Eve being a helpmeet to Adam. I have heard it described as a domestic partner, a life partner that aids her husband with his every day needs. I think a helpmeet is really intended to be an encourager. The one who keeps you motivated and is there to push you on to be the best you can be within yourself.  I really think it is true I believe, when the statement is made that behind every good man is a great woman. Nothing replaces having someone to pick you up when you are feeling down or to motivate you when you feel you just can’t go on. 

I wonder about the past and the Future.

I wonder about the past, all the broken roads Ive followed. I know they brought me here where I am. But sometimes I wonder where I would be if I turned the other way. Is our past part of our present or is it the road map guiding us to the future. I think of hard times and broken hearts. Those who helped along the way but silently slipped out as if they were never here. Is life a journey to a destination predetermined or is it only a pass or fail test based on our decisions. Am i a test for another? Is there a reaction to me in others test or simply a stopping point or bump in the road of their journey. Who will be on the road ahead? Will they be the ones I want to see or help me along my travels, or will they be opportunities for failure or advancement? How much longer is this road I travel? Will the ones I love be with me at it's end or will I pass or fail alone?

Men Need To Man Up

Today was very trying to say the least. It started off nicely enough because I managed to rotate my sleep pattern to fit my off nights and I woke early for a nice Friday off. I checked the comments on my blog and enjoyed them. No Virus or Hacking attempts. That is always good. I then jumped on face book where my brother had towed the line of my blog and I had to spend a little while defending him from those who believe you must be a weakling if you believe in the bible. That was quite disgusting. Then I got my children up for school and my youngest missed the bus. According to her my string of curse words was a sign of me going “Psycho”. Well, Okay! The rest of my day went decent enough until time for my son to be taken to baseball practice. We get a flat tire in my oldest daughter’s car and pull into a Kangaroo. No problem, I change flats all the time at work on the side of the interstate with cars passing me at 80 MPH plus within 3 feet of me. Well, I find the little donut in Amber’s car, but there is no jack or tire tool. Great! A Good Samaritan will help right? My wife asks a man at the pump if he had a jack we could use. He tells her that his car was bought two days ago and he really did not want to look to find his jack. Well thank you half man! Another rejection for help and my son and I started off walking for home. I was seething inside thinking that is just how the world is these days that people are selfish and unwilling to help. My 13 year-old son said “Well, people are probably afraid to help others these days”. What would he know? He is only 13, as if he grew up 3 decades ago. But I said yes, you’re probably right. It didn’t help much I was still seething thinking of how wimpy we American’s have become. It isn’t a good idea to think on politics when your walking because you are broke down somewhere. But I kept thinking that men just don’t seem to be men anymore. Either they are selfish and too self concerned to lend a hand to help someone out or Isaac is right. It could just be fear. Fear over what? It wasn’t like it was midnight on the interstate. Brother that is just weak. The thought hit me that this is the reason we have to pay police officer’s to do the defending of other’s because there are just not enough courageous men out there that will intervene when trouble comes our way. Hell, even boy scouts walk old women across the street. Or at least they use to. Do they still do that anymore? I would rather think men were still men, but only preoccupied with there own problems to stop and help another without having to be paid to do so like I am. So on we went towards the house and on the way Isaac convinces me against my better judgment to take a short cut across this neighborhood to get to mine. He reassured me three times he knew the way. Wrong! I have never hiked so many paved hills in my life. I had been telling myself I needed to get in shape and exercise but right now was not the time. After we came upon a street we were on about 30 minutes before I realized we were back tracking. Yes, I almost had an aneurism when I found we had come full circle. Isaac was waiting on me to go “Psycho” as Abbie likes to say, but I kept the cursing to myself and my splendid luck. Finally, I called my wife and told her the embarrassing story of were we were not and suggested she walk home with Abbie. After another half hour of pulling hills with my fat butt in tow my wife called and said her friend Kelly Sawtell saw her and took her to get the other car. Anyway, once we were back to the car with a flat, my wife drove up with the car and we got the jack out. I started to remove the lugs but the tire tool did not fit the size of lugs on the car. I rubbed my hands through my sweaty hair in frustration when a man approached and offered his jack. It did not fit either, so he gave me a ratchet tool and we found the right size socket. I started using it and felt that it would break. I told him this and he assured me to try, that it didn’t matter if it broke. It broke! I felt bad and that was my last chance. The man said he was the Pastor of Helena United Methodist church and offered to call people in his congregation to see who could help. I declined the offer and thanked him for our imposing and his time trying to help. He was a nice gentleman and apparently unafraid to help. I don’t know, maybe Methodist are more manly than the Baptist and Catholics in the area? But anyway, this Methodist preacher was the only one willing to help and it meant a lot to me. I still think men today need to man up and grow some whether it is to help another or stand up for their country that is under siege or to protect at least their own families. I have no doubt the Methodist preacher would. So this was my day and enough of my bad attitude and a poor Friday. Let the storms roll on that are coming. At least my family and friends are safe tonight. Thank God for that! 

Sometimes I Just Sit and Wonder

I think about my life and what it means or think about what it is supposed to mean. Is it a test? Am I just an experiment to see what I will do in any given situation? Am I just like a mouse that has been placed in a box filled with a maze of pathways to choose with nothing but my own brain and its storage of experiences to guide me through the next opening in the maze, only to hope I choose the right path? I am but one person, one body in the world of so many people at a specific period of time. I am Just one in billions who each have their own paths to travel. I have responsibilities to others, my family, my children, my bosses, my employees. All of whom depend upon me. Every conversation that comes from my mouth effects all those who are around me. My chosen words and actions cause the reactions I get from each and every person I come across in this life. Experience as mentioned before causes me to be careful to choose my words with those around me. Why? Is it for just my own selfish desires or conveniences which words I choose to speak to those around me? Do I consider some better than others and speak kinder to them while being less careful with those I feel May not benefit me as much? Or do I have deeper and more pure motives that cause me to treat others as I myself would want to be treated in order to be a benefit to those whom paths I cross? I always take measure of my life and its purpose and yet I always seem to be unsatisfied with the results of what I see. Is it again selfishness that I am not where I feel I could have been at this point in time, or do I feel pride that I am in better circumstances than others I see around me? Could it be that it may not be pride I feel but gratefulness that I have more than others may have? Or is it as it seems most of the time that I feel I do not have as much in my possession as others do around me? I think sometimes of all the people I have hurt in one way or another, some out of meanness and some out ignorance. Maybe a few I have hurt have been out of jealousy? Why do all these people cross my path and some stay but so many seem to go away? Are these same people merely traveling their own path in search of what meaning life has to them? Could it be that I am one of those people who simply do not offer as much benefit to their own lives and they move onward to other places and people? Sometimes I wonder what affect my life will have had in other people’s lives long after I reach the end of this maze. Will I be remembered by those who remain? Will I have left an impression on them that they may have benefited from or will my passing be of no consequence to their lives at all? I wonder if my life will have touched enough people in a positive giving way that will leave those behind with something to pass on for others to benefit. Has God given me life in order to offer a chance for me to do good for others? Or has God given me life as an experiment of failure to which opportunities were given but I failed to see them and let the selfish desires cloud my way, or the heartaches and troubles cause me to lose heart? When I think deeply like this it always seems to make me feel yet again unworthy or incapable due to the many wrong decisions or failures whether through ignorance or fault. At last, I see that I am imperfect and in need of God’s help when things are going good and especially when I am simply just being me and make a total mess of things. Thank God that He is merciful. Even for those like me.