The Lesson

I don’t mean to be crude, but sometimes life sucks. I don’t know why things happen like they do, but there is always a lesson to learn. The question I have to deal with is: What now?

One of my fatal flaws is that I believe people will do the right thing. I believe them when they say they are doing something in my behalf. I believe them when they tell me that they are going to do it when they say they will do it. I believe that they have no hidden agenda. How stupid is that? Pretty naive, huh? Shouldn’t I have learned that lesson by now? Apparently not.

The lesson for me is that I have to start paying attention to red flags and gut checks. I have a bad habit of thinking the best even when people are manipulating me. I know God must be shaking His head when I don’t pay attention to the warning signs. Maybe I need some new glasses…at least spiritually.

I don’t want to be a skeptic and always suspect the worst in others, but somehow I have to get to the point where I can see the red flags and listen to the gut checks. I need to be able to see people for who they are, not who they say they are. It really bums me out how some people seem to have no conscience and do whatever they need to do to benefit themselves at the expense of others. It is particularly tragic when these people claim to have morals and scruples. Is it any wonder that some people scoff at people of faith?

It reminds me that I have to be a man of my word…always. Lord, help me to be someone who is authentic. Help me to be a giver…not a taker. Help me to love others the way You do, and help me to forgive those who have wronged me. Help me do what is right, not what’s convenient or just benefits me. Most of all, help me learn the lesson.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

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