A Blind Eye?

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Ever heard the phrase “Just turn a blind eye?”  Well, what exactly does that mean and what is the effect of having turned it?  To turn a blind eye simply means to overlook some infraction or injustice that to the onlooker may not be that significant.  It implies to see only what you want to see.

Unfortunately, this has been the mode of operation during the past several decades here in America for many involved in politics, business, healthcare or other areas of our modern society.  Many have overlooked petty thievery of office supplies by coworkers who took a few “extras” home.  Others have overlooked the cash paid to workers that did not have the required taxes deducted by their employer.  Several have chosen not to see the infractions of infidelity made by leaders who were elected to stand up for family values.  Some businesses have chosen not to see the impact of poorly constructed products or policies that have gouged or taken advantage of their customers.  Still others every day have closed their eye or even eyes to the injustices around the world so long as they don’t affect them personally. 

What happens, however, the minute an injustice does affect someone personally?  They complain about it, they scream and holler if necessary, they draw attention to it, but if others continue to turn their blind eye to the situation then nothing more happens.  Its usually only when many are affected that their combined complaints, screams and hollering finally draws the attention of those who can not help but see their plight and begin to address it so that things can quite down and get back to business as usual (which is another great topic for a different blog).

Here is an interesting thought to ponder:  Several centuries ago, physically blinding your enemy was the chosen method of victorious kings to ensure that the enemy would not be able to rise up again and combat them.  Even if they did, now the enemy would be at a tremendous disadvantage and would be easily conquerable once again.

Well, I have news for you and here it is:  We have an enemy of our souls!  Yes that is right, the devil, satan, the evil one or whatever you want to call him is out to destroy us.  He’s is waging war on us and trying to blind us. 

However, the good news, as scripture tells us, is that we are not unaware of his strategy.  “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2-Corinthians 2:11 KJV)  That simply means, if we are observant, we can tell what he is up to and his biggest tactic is that he wants us to destroy ourselves because the truth of the matter is that he can’t do it himself.  In other words, he is stifled in his attempts because of our free will.  However, if he can cause us to surrender our free will or the power to choose, then he can begin to influence us in ways that suit him.

One of the greatest ways we surrender our power to choose is simply not to choose.  When we know of something we should do that would set situations right or would be the right thing to do but we choose not to do it or even choose to do nothing, we have sinned and surrendered our free will.  “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”  (James 4:17 KJV)

Did you also know that over time, this type of blindness leads to other sensory losses and eventual disheartenment?  While it may be true that the physically blind develop heightened senses such as smell and touch, it is only when they make the concentrated effort to do so in order to make up for the loss of sight.  On the other hand, if nothing is done to compensate for the impaired vision, the opposite is true, the other senses become dull and as a result, a depression or disheartening emotion takes over through an attitude of “woe is me” or “nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen,” which becomes self-defeating.  When we get to this stage, it’s as if the enemy has won the battle.

If you have been defeated in this battle for your soul, let me encourage you that one battle does not a war make.  A war is usually made up of several battles and scrimmages.  Therefore, take heart and begin to fight back.  It’s time to open up both eyes and see things as they are.  Its time to take a clear look and focus on getting things back in order to make things right.  You can choose today to make a difference.  You can be the one to stand up, scream and holler about someone else’s injustice and not just your own.  If you and I do, then our collective voices will begin to prevail.  It won’t take much just open that blind eye and begin to see the need all around you.

God Bless! – Rick

http://www.LivingThePromiseMinistries.com

A Myriad Of Options

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Are you feeling like you’re running out of options?  Maybe you are.  It could be an oxymoron in our society to say that someone is running out of options.  After all, the word option simply means choices and to imply that you might be running out of them can border on the ridiculous.

Our society is geared on having a myriad (plenty) of options to choose from.  In fact a friend of mine and I were talking today about how car companies offer what seems to be endless options and features when purchasing a vehicle.  The sheer number of choices they provide can make your head spin and cause you to question if you are getting not only what you want but what you need (see the earlier topic on Need VS Want).  Also, I can think of many sitcoms that have played upon the Starbucks idea of having even your morning coffee with numerous options available that it becomes a tongue twister just to order your favorite morning beverage.  What would we do without so many choices?

Yet in spite of all the availability we encounter around us, we can often get to the point in our lives where we feel like we have run out of options?  Why is this?

First of all, I believe the multitude of options only serves to create confusion for us especially when it comes to our decision making ability.  When a person becomes confused or bewildered about a decision that must be made, they tend to shut down beginning with the trivial.  It is natural to want to exclude from our decision making process the things that really don’t matter so we can concentrate on the bigger picture when making an important decision.  However, when so many options are staring us in the face it becomes harder and harder to decide what is trivial.  Therefore, we will usually take an easier approach of all or nothing.  That is what the car companies are betting on anyway and hence the reason they have incorporated a strategy of option overload.

But, with the all or nothing mentality we adopt in the face of complex options, when we choose nothing, what we really are saying is that we want someone else to make the choice for us.  This strategy works well for companies who want to control what we think or in politics when one party may want to manipulate the outcome.

Therefore, we can quickly see that neither strategy works well for making important decisions.  So what do we do?  Well, to begin with, we need to strip away the trivial, but herein lies the twist, how can we do that, if we are overwhelmed or confused?  The answer is: we can’t, only God can.

God will begin to allow our options to appear to run out on us, so that we can begin to regain focus.  He is hoping that by providing a limited view that we will be able to see Him in our midst and ask Him for wisdom when making our decisions.  He has a plan for our lives that involves only the best possible outcomes, if we will trust and obey Him.  This does not mean the process of moving through the experience will always be pleasant to get to the outcome.  In other words, He may allow you to experience what another friend of mine experienced by having breast cancer in order to realize their need for Him.  While the outcome has been positive (they are cancer free for several years now) because they have a greater appreciation for life and for God, the process was not at all pleasant.

What is also important to note is that when God does begin to hold back some of our previous options, this can be very strange for us because, as I previously mentioned, we have become accustomed to having them available.  If we don’t understand why God allows this in our lives, then we can become frustrated, bitter or even depressed and it’s in those moments we begin to see and feel only that we have run out of options and we become panicked and wonder what to do now.  It’s also in those moments of panic that we can make some very foolish or even hurtful decisions.  That is why it is so important to understand that we need God in these moments to lead and comfort us.

I would encourage you today to pause for a moment and consider that maybe you are feeling like you have run out of options simply because God is trying to get your attention.  Also, I would like to share with you that whenever you feel low, depressed or confused that there is always, and yes I mean ALWAYS, one more option available to you and that is to call upon God and ask for His guidance.

Just remember this (it happens to be my favorite part of scripture, which I repeat to myself over and over again):  “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…” 1-Corinthians 14:33 (KJV).  And if God isn’t the one bringing about confusion to your life, then maybe you should ask who is and why?

God Bless!

Choose

All day long, we are faced with choices to make.  Some are easy involving very little thought, yet others are hard involving much contemplation.  No matter what the choice is before us, I hope we realize that not making a choice is in fact a choice within it’s self.  It is a choice to suffer the consequences, whatever they may be.  In fact, it is a choice in favor of risk.

 Since we as human beings overall tend to reduce our risks, this choice always puzzles me.  Sure, some of us like certain amounts of risk.  For example, some are comfortable with a high level of risk (i.e. skydivers) and some are made uneasy with any risk at all.  Hence, our society has developed whole industries revolved around the management of risk in people’s lives and we tend to call it insurance.

 No matter the level of risk you’re willing to accept, we will all face one question we have to make a choice about.  Is there a God or not?  By not choosing to answer that question for ourselves, we are deciding to play spiritual roulette and we will suffer the consequences accordingly.

 If we choose to answer that question with a statement of “No” then we have bluntly decided we can accept the risks, if we’re wrong.

If we answer the question with a resounding “Yes”, then we have chosen to minimize a certain amount of risk.  But, in order to reduce our risk further, the next step is to learn as much about this God we think exists.  The more we learn, the more our risk level decreases.  However, if we encounter points of conflicting terms (where what we’ve learned does not jive with what is going on around or in us) then our insurability has taken a hit and our risk level increases again.  Ask any insurance agent if they will insure a smoker against getting cancer.  Even if they do, the premiums will be quite high because we have learned that some cancers are caused by smoking.

So, if you’re like me, a person who likes to reduce his risks by getting the best insurance available, then I encourage you to be sure you find out as much as you can about your God, while we are here between the dash.  After all, we are all faced with the same choice – so its time to choose!  (See Joshua 24:15)