Some 2,500 years ago a Greek philosopher said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Change and transitions are as inevitable as taxes and death. We cannot stop the onward march of our lives even if we want.
There is the story about a young man who was walking home on a very dark and moonless night and decided to take a shortcut. This shortcut took him directly through the local cemetery. As he crept through the graveyard, he fell into a deep open grave. It was so dark in the grave he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.
Many people search for happiness in their lives. If you don’t mind a little “reverse psychology” today, keep reading. You will find a prescription for attaining unhappiness.
One of my favorite passages in scripture is from the 43rd chapter of Isaiah. It says in part, The Lord says, “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (43:1)
(Dear Readers, I have written this article in the anticipation it may be published before the Thanksgiving Holiday. If it is not, please be gentle with any criticism. Thanks! Mark)
Before I retired, I remember attending worship with a different congregation while on vacation. I remember the pastor spoke very eloquently about a very fitting topic: being judgmental toward others. As I reflected on that sermon, even today I felt the preacher was right on track and got me thinking.
When I was a young child, my blond hair was nearly white. My blue eyes shown bluer when I wore blue shirts. My teeth were a bit crooked. And one ear didn’t have creases like most ears do.
There is a story of how several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. She took the boy’s name and room number and was told, “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I’d be grateful if you could help him with his homework, so he doesn’t fall behind the others.”
