Hardest Lessons To Learn

Common Sense Commentary: There are many very difficult lessons to learn in life.  Here are a few of the most common.

Nothing is Perfect!
Including you, your spouse, your children, your relatives, friends, house, car, job, boss, employees, or Pastor.  Nor are your body, face, hair or clothes. However, so many of us, for various reasons maybe, are dissatisfied with imperfection in all these imperfect things. It is a kind of innate curse.  It causes so many people to be unhappy with themselves and practically every other thing and person around them.  Husbands and wives constantly trying to perfect themselves and each other and the kids and ad infinitum.... him too. They make everybody else miserable in addition to their own dissatisfaction with imperfection.  How many divorces have I dealt with where one or the other of a couples could not stop being critical of the other's human imperfections.  It destroys children's self image and causes a lifetime of dissatisfaction.  Stop it!   We must all strive to do and be our best...NOT perfection.  If God's word doesn't speak to it, leave it alone.  Stop trading one imperfect thing for another, or worse imperfect thing.  Trading cars, houses, jobs, friends, spouses ... expecting perfection... which is impossible.

Stop eating BEFORE you feel full!
Eating habits are habits ... good or bad.  Dump the bad ones, one at a time, and load-up on the good ones, one at a time.  Get your potato off that couch and shape up...for your sake, your health's sake, your self image's sake, your testimony's sake, for your life.

Your in-come must exceed your out-go!
"Living within our means" is something this generation must learn all over again,
which our parents and grand parents were forced to do to survive.  Now it is our turn.  The easy fruit is picked and the tree cut down for fire wood. Frugality is a way of life... for the rest of your lives. Learn it now.  Others will wake up too late and have to trade that vacation home for a bag of groceries.  Stop spending your life for stuff you can't afford and don't need.  Conservative frugality is like tithing and eating and sleeping, it is not a temporary experiment or a futile shot in the dark ... at the dark.  It is a way of life which honors you, your family and God. If you tithe and have learned this lesson and can afford it, do what you wish. You are steward of what God has given to you.  I am not speaking to you.

Nothing is EVER exactly what it appears to be.
It may be better or it may be worse or it may be opposite of it's appearance. This includes you and me.  I try to be transparent but to be transparent, I must be honest; I am not transparent.  I do not always look... what I feel, or think .  I do not always say exactly what I think or reveal my innermost heart and self to the world or to anyone but God.  There is no use trying to leave our thoughts unspoken, to Him.  He knows us all in minute detail without us saying a word.  "...Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart". 1 Sam.16:7.  We are not capable of judging a person, thing or event without knowing the unseen facts relating to them, which God sees clearly. We have all experienced those times when we were thoroughly convinced of something that turned out wrong.  When the truth slapped us in the face, we didn't want to hear it.  We had committed ourselves to a false conclusion and our pride cried out, "Don't confuse me with facts, I know what I believe." Embarrassing.

Hear both sides of the story!
This is a hard one.  Who doesn't want to believe their child's or friend's side of the story... instead of the teacher's or a stranger's side?  We are certain our little angel would not lie about that lying little devil next door. We know, for sure, our spouse wouldn't lie to us.... probably ... maybe.  As Groucho Marx said, "Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?" God's word teaches us not to be "respecters of persons".  "For there is no respect of persons with God."  Rom.2:11.  It is wrong to always believe a friend or family member and presume the guilt or dishonesty of those they are in conflict with ... without knowing both sides of the disagreement. Loyalty must not overlook Justice and Truth.

You will reap what you sow! 
 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gal.6:7. Sow good, reap good. Sow bad, reap bad. I always happens... in time.
Human nature has a peculiar twist to it.  People do and say things, with a period at the end as if that tiny black spot ends the sentence or action and all consequences, repercussions, and nuclear fall out.  If we speak explosive words and ignite a fuse action to an atomic device, we are subject to a minimum of equal reaction and possibly a life changing or life ending detonation.  Sow a little West Texas, dust devil and reap a mile wide tornado. "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind...." Hosea 8:7.  On the good seed side,  Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.  Lk.6:38. Yes, we will reap what we sow, only bigger. RB