Influences

We have an open pavilion that provides cover for our two cars. It sits near our house. It is convenient to step from house to automobiles. There is a bird nest in the pavilion. Mr. and Mrs. Robin have raised their feathered family there for years. We can always tell when there is a family being raised in the nest, for there will be a generous amount of “evidence” splattered on the hood and running down the side of the car. So, the practice is to just leave the car part of the way out from under the pavilion to give the family a little space. When that family is grown and gone, it will be okay to pull all the way into the shelter of the pavilion. We are influenced and make adjustments in our lives by the activities of others. Here is another item. One time I used a shower body wash out of a bottle instead of a bar of soap. I squeezed out a generous amount on my rag, but for the life of me, I could not get a good lather up to wash in the shower. That happened more than once. I concluded that body wash was not for me. I will just stick to using a bar of soap, and, I did that for years, operating under the premise that body wash won’t cut it. I did hear some others say that they used body wash, even preferring to use it. And here is another item. For years I did not drink cold water. You think, “No cold water! That’s crazy!” Well, it was not a fetish to me. I just did not require it. The only time I would drink cold water was in a restaurant, when they would bring out that tall glass of ice filled water. I would just sip it a little. That was it. There have been changes and adjustments in my life. After the bird gets the family raised, we just park under the pavilion as we normally do. Barb bought some body wash one day and I tried it, and I love it – lathers up, smells real good, too! Now, I love the bottles of cold water I grab out of the refrigerator on a daily basis. We are all influenced by people, practices, ideas, and experiences that play out in our daily lives for years. Often these things, rob of good things. It is the same in our spiritual life. We are often influenced by people, practices, ideas, doctrines, and experiences, or lack of experience. These influences actually lord over us and dictate to us how we live and what we can have or not have. Through the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, God has already provided for us to have and experience good things – forgiveness, healing, and fullness of life in every way. Change your thinking, and take the good things God offers you, and enjoy life more.

Menu