Curtis Reeves will face a grand jury early next year for killing Central Florida teen Chad Oulson because he was texting in a movie theater. I thought I would write a note of caution to racists, misanthropes, child abusers, republicans, democrats, terrorists, the arrogant, the sad, the bitter the angry and those who have had to endure an unexpected loss or death, everywhere.
People who do not study the Bible do themselves a great disservice. There is a reason why it has been the best-selling book of all time. From the time it was first published it has been the primary source of inspiration for all the great thinkers, philosophers, musicians, artists, architects and writers.
It speaks to the human condition and explains the why, the how and wherefore of things. It is primarily a book about love, mercy and forgiveness but it also depicts the harsh realities of life and the thoroughly unpleasant consequences of sin. It is a stark reminder of the adage—things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.
The book of Genesis chapter 4 beginning with verse 2, states, “But Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought the first born of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, why are you angry and why is your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you but you must rule over it.”
Later on in the chapter, the Bible records that Cain killed his brother Abel while they were alone in a field.
Why?
He could not control life.
He could not manipulate God.
He could not manage the circumstances.
He could not rule his own spirit.
However, somebody was to blame for his shame, his failure and unhappiness and somebody should pay. Therefore, he destroyed the person nearest to him deceived by the misguided notion that it would solve his problem and ease his pain.
Therein lies the root cause of our unhappiness and the seed of our discontent. From the beginning of time until the end of the age, all wrongful acts, all emotional upheavals and all human misery have their foundation in one or all of the above factors. Nevertheless, we continue along our destructive path with foolhardy persistence to our profound disappointment, frustration, anger and regret.
“A man without self control is like a city broken into and without walls.” Prov. 25:28
If you think about it, that is the genesis of spousal abuse, child abuse or mistreatment of any human being. The perpetrator is unhappy and unsatisfied with the way life has turned out so he tortures and terrorizes his loved ones with the ominous statement, “See, look what you made me do.” Regrettably, at the end of the day, after much grief and sorrow his life is still unfulfilled.
In order to pass through this life somewhat intact, sane, happy and uncondemned, you must become fully acquainted with the statement of Francis of Assisi, “Lord grant me the courage to change the things that I can, the serenity to accept the things that I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference. So that I may live a reasonably happy life in this world and a supremely happy one in the next.”
Life is not always going to follow your game plan.
This world is not designed for your total and complete happiness.
You cannot demand from life, you can only accept the hand and play the game with the cards that you have been dealt.
I am not saying that you should lie down and allow life to run roughshod over you.
You prepare, you resist, you fight, you make an effort and you are faithful; but in the end when you have done all you can do, that’s all you can do. You must let go and let God make the next move.
You cannot continue beating your head against a stone wall or whipping a dead horse.
What has gone wrong in the morning cannot come right in the evening. You must deal with it as it is, not how you think and feel it should be.
You must allow the wheat and tares to grow together until the day of the harvest.
You cannot be there, if you are here. You must work with that which you possess.
You ponder the path of your steps and remain keenly aware of your surroundings. Wherever you find yourself you must be all in and labor diligently within the confines of your existence.
Standing at the foot of the mountain, gazing at the sky, doing nothing, bemoaning your lot in life, wishing and hoping that you were at the top of the summit is not the answer. You must work with all your might at the bottom to ensure that you have the stamina and wherewithal to ascend to the top and remain there.
Take a page out of the life of Joseph in the Old Testament. If you find yourself in a pit, you must stop digging, screaming and yelling for help, use whatever means necessary to get above ground.
If you find yourself in Potiphar’s house, you become an exemplary employee. Through no fault of your own, life may go south on you and you land in a prison. Distinguish yourself and place yourself in the good graces of the chief jailer. Meanwhile, the eye of God does not grow dim and he will orchestrate events so that you end up in the palace as a reward for your patience and faithfulness.
Yes, I know you were meant to fly and soar among the heavens but before you climb to the roof and leap off, make the necessary arrangements on the floor. Obtain some wings before gravity rudely reminds you as you come crashing down to earth---“that’s life.”
Yes, I agree you were created to be and expect the best but as you are waiting to realize your destiny you must learn to work with ‘’good” to become “better” so you are mature and wise enough to handle “best” if and when you finally get there.
In whatever position or situation you find yourself, you must learn to be content.
Habakkuk puts it very succinctly, “though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olives fail and the fields yield no food, the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
You may never control a situation or life, you can only control your reaction to it.
You make the choice to be happy or not.
A gentleman told me years ago, “I do not have bad days. As long as I wake up and my feet hit the floor, that’s a good day for me. There is no such thing as the wrong side of the bed for me.”
The wisest man who ever lived says life is nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit.
You exercise.
You count the calories and eat right.
You struggle and fight, put down and lift up.
You scrimp and save, cut corners and budget.
You amass great wealth.
You do everything right and in your power to ensure that you get on top of life and in the final analysis you still lose the battle. It is sheer folly to even consider that you will be victorious and you only delay the inevitable.
Resign yourself to this unassailable fact—life- it will get the better of you someday. You are not going to determine the conditions of your interaction with it nor dictate the terms of your exit.
No matter how much we resist, we must all complete the circle of life.
We were created from dust.
One day we and all our hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals and prejudices will end up - you guessed it - in the dust.
V. Knowles is a husband and father with an interest in penning issues that serve to uplift mankind. He melds his love for Classic literature, The Bible and pop culture - as sordid as it may be - into highly relatable columns of truth, faith and justice. Hence the name: Just Thinking. If he's not buried in a book or penning his next column, you may find him pinned to his sectional watching a good old Country and Western flick.
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