Does life happen in moment by moment time lapses? Are there moments that stand apart from everything else? Can a moment in life change your future, destiny, your kids life, and your legacy?
Or is life more of a melding together of small decisions and undercurrents that lead to the pivitol times? Is it like a tree where we see the growth but we don't see the roots system and the growth that happens below?
I have a hard time seeing random acts anymore in life, I have a hard time seeing stand alone events. Maybe on the surface they seem isolated but when looking at the back story and the small insignificant moments leading to the crescendo most of the time there is an important story that led to these moments.
Does this make everymoment in life equally important? Does this mean that what small acts of kindness or hate can have an even bigger effect long term?
Can the laziness, short cuts, or integrity make lasting impacts?
If I cheat someone of time, or money, have lack of patience, or show love and grace to someone not deserving it have long term effects?
If I turn the other cheek, or gossip? If I allow my tiredness, moodiness, and stress effect others, or if I choose compassion toward others?
The small choices in attitude and action play out both in who we are as people and the actions that will proceed major decisions.
It is easy right to use lack of sleep as an excuse. Not sleeping well,with Kyle getting us up regularly is starting to wear on all of us. General stress of life is a built in reason to excuse behavior and attitude, but life has so little to do with what we go through, rather it is my day to day response.
Over the last five years I have taught life skills in a maximum security prison, and one of the concepts that come up over and over is don't wait to change who you are until you enter the free world. Who each and every prisoner is is not going to change due to circumstances. Who I am is not going to change if I get good night sleep or not.
Sure extenuating circumstances bring out who we are, but the stress of life can not define me. It may bring to light the imperfections but the "major moments" of life expose the roots of my tree.
In the Bible there is a great analogy of a farmer pruning his vineyard and his grape vines. I recently heard that they can prune up to 90% of a grape vine to make it healthy and grow. The anology is the fruit that we are to be growing is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control.
As we encounter difficulties and every day mundane living we have the opportunities to grow our vines. Do we see the right kind of fruit? Are we producing health or is it sickly?
As I continue today my desire is to continue to grow and be the person God intends and wants me to be. The hard part is not taking short cuts.
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