"But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."

                                                                                                       Psalm 73:2-3

"And of the children of Issachar who understood the times, to know what Israel should do."

                                                                                                                             1 Chron. 12:32

 

   

Three primary sources of unhappiness and dissatisfaction in the world are:

A) people do not know who they are

B) they do not appreciate what they have

C) they do not recognize the seasons

 

 Most people live in the world of I "woulda" "shouda" "coulda" or "if only."

 

 

That does not work.

There are five things that you can cry blood or sweat bullets over and they will not change:

The time you were born.

The place you were born.

The family in which you were born.

The race or culture in which you were born.

The mistakes you have made.

 

Two recent television specials spurred my thinking about this simple but most intriguing subject.

 

One covered the exploits of Nik Wallenda, the seemingly fearless tight rope walker and artist.

 

While preparing for the stunt of crossing a tightrope between two high standing buildings of the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, his father incurred a medical emergency and had to be rushed to the hospital. Nik considered cancellation of the event but ultimately decided to go ahead with the performance.

 

While atop that highwire, he said he dared not allow his mind to wander or be distracted with circumstances over which he had no control. He had to concentrate totally on where he was and what he was doing since one misstep would mean certain death.

 

There once lived in the Bahamas a famous calypso singer called George Symonette who recorded a song with the following lyrics:

 

                           "She left me behind with 8 babies to mind,

                            and a house in good order to keep,

                            while she was out having a good time,

                            I had to rock those 8 babies to sleep,

                            singing aiee,oee. rock a bye baby

                           your mother will come to you bye and bye."

 

The point of those somewhat unrelated incidents is,"things have gone bad already." Fretting about them is not going to change a thing.

 

Not focusing on the "now" could only make matters worse.

 

Your father is sick.

Your spouse has proven to be unfaithful.

Your illegitimate child, the unfortunate result of that unwise one night stand, is already born.

You are stuck in that lousy job with the crazy boss.

People are inconsiderate and unfair.

 

It is what it is.

 

You must deal with it.

 

Longing for yesterday or looking for tomorrow will only create contempt for today.

The past might have been good, the future may be better but you will never know unless you "unwrap" and appreciate the present.

Today is all you have.

Today is where you live.

 

The children of Israel missed the Promised Land and died in the wilderness because they kept yearning backwards for the onions, garlic and leeks of Egypt.

 

They never warmed up to Moses, the pastor, if you will, of the church of "what's happening now."

 

The man who told them the Egyptians you see today, you will see them no more forever.

 

They could never come to terms with a God who told Moses my name is "I AM THAT I AM."

 

The one who told Moses to employ what he had at hand or in his own hand.

 

With their minds firmly rooted and connected with, "what was,” they always had difficulty dealing with a God who only concerns himself with, "what is."

 

Recounted in the Bible is the story of a master who called his three servants together. To one he gave five talents, to another two and to the last he presented one talent.

 

They were to go out into to the world, use their gifts to profit therewith as there would be a reckoning and settling of accounts upon the master's return.

 

Those with five and two talents respectively doubled their investments.

 

The slothful servant with one talent buried his gift, thereby doing nothing to improve his bequest.

 

Upon the master's return he applauded the efforts of the profitable servants but scolded and chastised mightily the lack of diligence of the lazy servant.

 

Then, he ordered him cast out into utter darkness, his one talent seized and deeded to the owner of five talents.

 

You must use and profit thereby that which you have received.

 

The other television story was a documentary Dark Girls on OWN. It focused on dark complexioned girls worldwide who have a "problem" with skin pigmentation.

 

They regard the condition as a shortcoming, an impediment and an obstacle.

 

Regrettably, too, the world around them reinforces that negative attitude.

 

In fact, in many societies they are regarded as "untouchables" and less than human.        

 

In our efforts to feel superior and belittle the other guy, we human beings do terrible things to each other.

 

They reluctantly inhabit their bodies as if God or their parents made a mistake.

 

Indeed, Nadinola and purveyors of skin bleaching creams have made billions in attempts to correct this perceived error and injustice.

 

You cannot be what you are not.

 

You will not turn into a white man or woman if you were born black.

If you are unable to sing you should not record an album.

If you suck at basketball, you do not go one on one with Lebron James.

In other words as Dirty Harry so aptly put it," a man must understand his limitations."

 

Comedian W C Fields joked,"try,try and try again, if it does not work, quit, no sense being a darn fool about it."

 

Ponder again the words of Francis of Assisi:

 

"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

courage to change the things that I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference."

 

One of the principal causes of mental illness is that people do not come to grips with reality, refuse to understand a situation and will not accept the truth.

 

Life will inevitably teach you that it does not follow your specifications or read your instruction manual.

 

It will not wait until you stand on your feet or get your act together.

 

With a "cracked mirror" view of life, you will always appear incomplete and the grass will always look greener on the other side.

 

Happiness, you say, is just a stone's throw away, if only I could but scale that white picket fence.

 

My wife is an arts lover, teaches art and has the soul of an artist. Like the artist, she admires creativity, thrives in spontaneity and abhors a regimented, ordered lifestyle.

 

My mother in law lives with us, is touched with dementia and is a diabetic patient.

 

She must receive insulin shots twice daily at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

 

In addition, she forgets and misplaces things.

 

Therefore, for my wife and I, for our own sanity and peace of mind, reality demands, like it or not, "change or die."

 

You cannot control a circumstance, you can only control your response to it.

 

The answer, my friends, for all of us is found in the lyrics of the hymn.

                                                                                

"One day at a time sweet Jesus is all I am asking from you teach me today and every day what I have to do. Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never be mine."

 

Whatever you are doing and wherever He has placed you, "you have to be all in."

 

You must roll with with the punches, bend with the breeze or be uprooted and become "roadkill" on the highway of life.

 

Whether you are a red rose, white carnation or a blackberry, you must trust our Father, the faithful husbandman, the master gardener that he knows best.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

You must bloom in the soil wherein you are planted.