Skip to main content

“You make decisions today as if today is isolated from tomorrow.”

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Over this weekend Irene came to visit us here on Long Island.  We knew she was coming.  All week we had followed her on TV.  I became close friends with the people on The Weather Channel and NBC Channel 4 New York City.

Now we had some decisions to make on Saturday that affected us on Sunday when Irene was on the Island.  Sunday was not the time to go to the grocery store because they were all boarded up and closed.  We were almost too late on Saturday for some things and we never did find extra flashlights. 

I find this fact also true in my task of trying to lose weight.  I may really want those vanilla cream filled donuts from Dunkin Donuts and I may convince myself that eating them won’t affect me but when I get on the scale the next morning I know the truth.  What I eat today will affect my weight tomorrow.

So much of life is like that.  What I decide to do today will affect me tomorrow.  What I buy today will affect what I can buy tomorrow. What I save today will affect my quality of life tomorrow.  What I decide to do on my weekends can affect my week.  

But we live in a time of critical shifts in our values and attitudes.   George Barna is his book Futurecast says that we used to embrace delayed gratification and now we embrace instant gratification.  That value can bring great fun and enjoyment in the moment but great consequences in the future.  The problems we are having in our economy right now shows the dangers of living with this value in mind.

Somehow we need to think as adults.  As kids we lived with the comfort that dad and mom were there to take care of our childish messes but as adults we must now realize that dad and mom are no longer responsible to take care of us.  We now must be responsible for our choices today and how they affect our life tomorrow.  This is such an important lesson to be learned.

Well I’m glad Irene has moved on.  I’m also glad that I made some decision on Saturday that helped in my living through Hurricane Irene’s visit to Long Island on Sunday.  There were some good lessons to be learned.

What about you?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

  A thought by Max Lucado from his book,  You Are Never Alone  (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   We all have storms in our lives, don't we? Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher." John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing. "If only Jesu

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind