| My faith is a huge part of my life. You could almost say it’s the only part because everything else I have in my life has been born from my faith in God. Like anything in life, if you want to find success in your relationship with God, you need to put the time and effort in. So recently I’ve decided to get up a little earlier – while my wife and kids are still sleeping – and spend some quiet time in meditative prayer. Well, the other day as I was offering up all my worries, I had a revelation. God desires action, not anxiety. It’s such a simple statement, but it can have a profound impact on your life if you decide to actually live what it means. There’s no use in fruitless worrying and anxiety. But that doesn’t mean you can just forget about these things that plague your mind. For some things, the only action we can take is prayer. But that’s ok because not only do we know that prayer is powerful, but it removes the anxiety because we know that God is a loving father who will take care of us. But there are other things for which action is required of us. Have you ever heard of the joke about the guy who got stuck in a flood? A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe. “Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast.” “No,” says the preacher. “I have faith in the Lord. He will save me.” Still the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication when another guy zips up in a motorboat. “Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here. The levee’s gonna break any minute.” Once again, the preacher is unmoved. “I shall remain. The Lord will see me through.” After a while, the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is up there clinging to the cross when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone. “Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance.” Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him. And, predictably, he drowns. A pious man, the preacher goes to heaven. After a while, he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, “Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn’t you deliver me from that flood?” God shakes his head. “What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter.” God presents us with opportunities all the time. But there’s a two-step process that’s involved in cooperating with these gifts that God gives us. First, you need to recognize the opportunity. This isn’t always an easy thing to do. God desires action while we tend to be lazy so we’re usually always looking for the easy button. That’s not how God works. Second, you have to actually take action. Consistent action. Decisive action. Massive action. Are you going to make some mistakes along the way? You betcha. But they’re not really mistakes. They are opportunities God gives us to learn. So why am I bringing all of this up now? The new year is just a couple of days away. And New Year’s resolutions sort of tick me off. Most of the time it’s all just a bunch of good intentions with no real plan of action. Do yourself a favor. Figure out how you want your life to be different in 2023 and set a goal. Then set into motion actionable steps that will help you get there. To your success, Ernie “All Action, No Anxiety” Vargas | The Probate Fox |
December 30
God Tried to Save Him but He Decided to Drown Instead
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