How Does Being Accountable Reflect Maturity?

There is a reason that unhealthy choices culminate in someone’s becoming a victim of a fractured relationship. Being perplexed when a relationship fails is acceptable but placing the blame entirely on others only delays what’s inescapable.

What this does is delay accountability that must be faced. The more inclined a person is to make excuses for failure, the greater the probability for repeating bad choices. The pathway to healing must be by way of true sorrow and accountability.

An attitude that reflects accountability for bad choices says, “I am to blame, and I will make amends instead of making excuses and blaming others.” Being accountable is the pathway to integrity and relationships that are healthy. So it’s okay to ask, “What did I do to cause this suffering and pain?” If this is an honest question, God will make answers available that will change your life. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart!                  

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Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were  better and another worse.

~Galatians 5:25-26 The Message

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Is Self-blame Closely Related to Worrying?

As a consequence for not being adequately prepared, a college student may imagine the fallout from having failed a major exam. Should the student blame himself or herself for elevating other activities above preparing for the test? Worry is often connected with self-blame and therefore justified.

Self-blame is closely followed by blaming others for life’s problems. Imaginary conversations with oneself and others is common in attempting to justify and manage our failures. Worry is, in fact, an unproductive means for seeking solutions to unsolvable problems we have created.

Worry steals time and energy that should be directed toward  learning valuable lessons God is willing to teach you. Listen to God’s word from Psalm 34:4. “I sought the Lord and he answered and delivered me.” Trusting in God gives you confidence to go forward and face the future knowing that you are not alone. Believe God is with you.      

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Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

~Proverbs 3:5-6 The Message

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What Prepares Us to Leave Home Permanently?

I love Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, a story about a young man whose choices resulted in a personal crisis. This young man wanted to be free from all the restraints he believed were keeping him from experiencing the world he imagined was waiting for him. Does this sound familiar?

Most people leave home to go to college, go to work, or get married, but this young man was leaving home with immature objectives. His immaturity blinded him to the realities that awaited him from an assortment of so-called new friends. He had no idea how easily he could be separated from his inheritance.

Wake-up calls come from many sources to help us change what leads to hardships. God does not delight when we fail or when we suffer humiliation. He provides opportunities for us to change the direction our life has taken. So trust in the Lord and do what is right and he will give you the desires of your heart that fit his purpose.        

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Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

~Proverbs 3:5-6 The Message

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Trust God's Voice

Research has determined that a fetus has developed the capacity to hear sounds outside the mother’s womb a few months after conception. A newborn baby can distinguish the mother's voice from all others. The baby's voice, expressed by crying, is also identifiable to its mother. The voice then becomes a significant mark of a person's identity.

Throughout the history of God's relationship with people, it's been his hushed, soft voice that has been the link for understanding and responding to his call. Another voice, like that of temptation, is influential as it becomes a source of suffering for those who submit to its cutting edge.

The voice of temptation is ingenious in its appeal as it entices you to respond. Even so, the voice of the Holy Spirit countermands temptation’s voice of deception. Listen to Psalm 95:7’s appeal to your heart: “Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart.” The most important thing you can do is trust the loving voice of God.  

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Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you  on track.

~Proverbs 3:5-6 The Message

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Enacting Productive Change

Being resolute to enact serious changes is required as we realize more than a makeover is needed to fix bad choices. A college freshman spent the fall semester celebrating life away from home but then had to learn the meaning of academic probation. Developing explicit study habits and attending class saved his college career.

Most people enact specific values to live by while others use vague guidelines to determine their conduct. Values help each person stay focused. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will guide your path” is a commitment of loyalty and faithfulness.

Frances Scott Key penned these words as our nation faced a pivotal transformation: “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto – 'In God Is Our Trust.'" So change can be enacted as we apply "In God We Trust" irrefutably to our lives. May this give you strength and hope.                             

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Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.

~Isaiah 12:2 Christian Standard Bible

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Faith's Priority ~ 2020 Vision of Trust in God

Do you believe on this New Year's Day that the new year can offer a fresh start for your life? If so, have you promised to make lifestyle changes to ensure that a fresh start has a chance for success? Your fresh start has a chance for a positive outcome and success provided you inaugurate Christian faith’s priorities into the action to be taken. 

What do Christian faith’s priorities include? Trusting in God to give you wisdom to choose what to include in your fresh start will determine if your journey will be successful. Trust is essential for activating faith that keeps you on the path when the way grows narrow and distractions abound.

What is an essential faith priority that holds you steady when the way becomes filled with obstacles? Essential is a heartfelt belief that the presence of God will keep you from falling away or giving up when it’s impossible to see what lies ahead. God promises never to leave or abandon you regardless of what you encounter, so keep pressing onward. God keeps his promises.  Happy New Year! 

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Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

~Psalm 143:8 New International Version

You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.

Trust in the Lord forever; he will always protect us.

~Isaiah 26:3-4 Good News Bible

We Can Trust God...What about Others?

Disappointment is unavoidable when an apology isn’t forthcoming from someone you’ve trusted but has caused you pain and suffering. Withholding trust for a person who does not honor personal boundaries, who betrays commitments, is both normal and necessary. Trust and confidence flourish or decline, based on behaviors and personalities.

Trust is a complex word, in that it connotes confidence and faith as well as beliefs and values. To dishonor boundaries is indicative of betrayal, and it questions whether trust can be continued or ever regained. To continue to trust after continuous betrayals is dangerous to one’s health and well-being.

          While trust is not easily regained, it’s important to communicate a willingness to do so wherever promises and efforts exist to change negative behaviors and attitudes that would promote distrust. God is patient with us as we struggle to mature and become more like Christ Jesus. To bring glory to God by fulfilling his purposes for us is a goal worthy of all our efforts. 

Endure: Don't Give In or Give Up - Part 2

Endurance is, in truth, a test of values, especially where competing values cause conflict. A book called Values and Teaching, identifies most people as believing in prolonging life. However, place that ideal in a situation where someone is suffering from unbearable pain, caused by an incurable disease, and wishes to die…

Thank God most of us do not face that choice, but other situations where values collide make choosing unpleasant. You appreciate rules for driving safely, and although you need to be on time for work, you're late. You cherish being a patient, kind person, but someone is using you to their advantage. Your integrity depends on choosing your actions wisely.

A man explained he had a chance to reconcile with his ex-wife. He wanted to do right by his family and please God, but lack of trust blocked the pathway. God’s word teaches you to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding, and he will guide your path." This is God’s choice for all believers. 

At a Crossroads? Get Out of the Rut and Reach Higher - Part 2

Mapping the brain continues to be an objective of scientists who research this magnificent, mysterious part of our body. Mapping the brain helps doctors diagnose, treat, and heal physical and mental disorders. The brain seems so complex, we tend to give it little consideration. The reason is, we’re busy making needed pathways through the difficulties and complexities of life.

It’s on these pathways that we come to a crossroads where circumstances require us to choose what is possible or impossible. After fifteen years of marriage a husband presented his wife with a divorce decree, due in part to her withdrawal of affection. While there was no stated reason for the withdrawal, he was firm in seeking the divorce.

Help for managing shock, hurt, and confusion at a crossroads is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." What clearer map could you choose to follow?

Stress Management: God's Gift of Insight - Part 3

Have you wondered how children growing up in the same home can turn out so differently? Even when troubled families expose children to chaos and  violence, some manage to sidestep the dysfunction to establish successful lives. They have unique insight on how to avoid enmeshments that leave others in a state of hopelessness.

Gaining insight is a lifetime endeavor and becomes a lifeline for every stage of life. A man described how his eighty-year-old father had keen insight for managing the issues and stress of aging. Insight enables a person to withstand the turbulence and unpredictability of life. Insight builds competence for asking difficult questions and accepting hard answers.

One important insight is knowing God gives us peace when the stressors of life could be overwhelming. Proverbs points out the way. "Follow the steps of the godly and stay on the right path, for only the righteous enjoy life to the fullest." So search for godly role models and remember, Jesus challenges us to come and learn from him.