my thoughts

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Being Free In The Western World May Not Be As You Think

I’ve come to believe that we here in North America – Canada anyway – are not as free as we think we are.

being free in the western world may not be as you think

On the surface it seems like we can say and do what we want … within legal limits, of course. 

In fact, there are more freedoms now for some things than ever before. Marijuana is now legal – that’s a new freedom. But at one time they put cocaine in Coca Cola and that was legal! 

… Maybe there are tradeoffs.

Still, I can go where I please and can say what I want. … But can I?

Can I express my opinion or will my ideas and actions be considered by some to be wrong, even against the law … to the extent that I keep them to myself for fear of being fined, constrained or even arrested?

I saw a video the other day that really disturbed me. 

A reporter – some call him a personality; I’ll call him a citizen – was walking alongside a Federal Minister asking questions. He had a camera crew with him and a microphone in his hand. The Minister was walking fast and wasn’t answering his questions. 

Suddenly a man dressed in black stepped up and blocked the citizen with the microphone. The citizen had his head turned and didn’t see this man step up and they bumped into each other. The man in black then grabbed the citizen and told him he was under arrest for assaulting an officer. The man in black was a police officer of some kind.

I’ve seen this move before in basketball; it’s called a pick. A player will stop and block an opposing player so his teammate with the ball can get around the opposing player.

That’s what happened in the video. The officer set a pick on the citizen and the minister walked around them both. The citizen was arrested for committing a foul. 

The only problem here was the officer was moving and moved into the citizen to set the pick. In a legal pick, the blocker must first have his feet planted and be stationary. In my observation, the guy committing the foul was the man in black. He should have been arrested … or the reporter should have been given two free questions to ask the Minister. 

I heard later that, after the reporter was arrested, they dropped the charges … and for good reason: it was all on video. (You can watch the video here.)

There was no assault; there was just a poorly executed basketball move to stop an annoying citizen (reporter) from carrying out his assignment. 

We believe we are free and, in fact, have rights to express ourselves in a legal way. But we are not as free as we think. 

Apparently, an annoying citizen can be arrested for asking questions that an elected member of Parliament does not feel particularly inclined to answer.

If you’re a person of influence or power, it goes with the territory that you’ll be stopped and asked questions, regardless of whether you want to answer or not.

Just ask any celebrity or sports personality. They don’t have people arrested when they’re asked questions they don’t like. 

Sadly, someone else can deem our expression as wrong and even illegal.  

… Which leaves us thinking twice about how we express ourselves and our freedom.

Here’s the thing: Many people think that to give your life to Christ is to give up your freedom to make decisions for yourself. But none of us are free to make our own decisions and think as we want. A Christian simply chooses to place his freedom under God’s rule. And we all place ourselves under those who were elected to rule over us, regardless of whether we think it’s good or not. One thing we can be sure of is that God has our best interests in mind.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When have you felt you couldn’t express your opinion? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Circumstances Should Dictate Our Actions

In order to be successful in our pursuits, or even protect against harm, we need to understand the circumstances we live in.

circumstances should dictate our actions

It’s one thing to be blindsided by something you didn’t see coming, but, if you are unaware or not paying attention to the circumstances, you will not see what’s coming. Then your reaction or actions will be out of step with reality.

This can apply to even the weather.

If you are unaware of the outdoor temperature, it’s very possible that you will not be dressed properly for going outside.

That may be a minor inconvenience in the summer, but in the winter it’s a lot more serious. You definitely want to be wearing the right coat when the temps dip below 0 Celsius, or wearing boots if there is a foot of snow outside.

To be caught unaware of these circumstances would be a mistake you wouldn’t want to make again.

On the other hand, if you have a rare collection of baseball cards and don’t understand that card collection is a hot fad at the time, you will probably miss out on getting as much for those baseball cards as you could have.

I’m beginning to wonder if some people in real estate right now are not paying attention to the circumstances they are in. They’re not in tune with the signs of the times.

My son is looking to buy a condo right now. Some might say it’s not a good time, but sometimes your circumstances force the issue.

He’s looked at a lot of homes and has put offers on a few. What he’s finding is the sellers all want more than what they are asking. 

I don’t blame the sellers because who wouldn’t want to get more than your asking price? But the economic circumstances we find ourselves in right now might not accommodate that kind of thinking or selling practice.

Some sellers set a price but don’t want to settle for anything less than way over what they are asking. Then there are other sellers who set a low asking price and take bids on a certain day. They are hoping for a bidding war that will drive up the price of what they get. 

However, we don’t live in that world right now. That’s not reality.

Twice now my son has placed the best offer on one of these bidding listings. Once he was the best offer between a whopping total of two bids. The other time he was the only bid. He didn’t get either one of the homes. And because what the owners really wanted was a figure far above the asking price. 

It seems that some real estate agents and their clients still believe the circumstances are like they were during covid.

The other night ended with two unhappy groups and a lot of wasted energy, hope and expectation.  

You have to know your circumstances.

Here’s the thing: We can see the world struggling environmentally, struggling to find peace between countries, struggling to solve world economic and health concerns through a one-size-fits-all controlled system.

Thousands of years ago the Bible predicted it all, but also gave a hope in the midst of it all. That hope is Jesus Christ and, by having our faith in Him, no matter what happens to this world we can share eternity with Him in heaven. Be aware of the circumstances and act appropriately.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What circumstances have you been ignoring lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I May Have Left It Too Late Again

I looked out the window this morning and thought, “I may have left it too late”.

I may have left it too late again

I wanted to cut my grass one more time this fall. I don’t like it being too long through the winter. 

Today is a bright, sunny day and, though the temperatures are a little lower than what I’d like, it would be a good day to cut the grass.

However, there is one problem with that plan: we have leaves all over our lawn. My idea of one more quick cut before the snow flies is a good one, but first I’ll have to spend an hour vacuuming up the dead leaves.

If I had done it two weeks ago there would have been very little clean up to do first and it would have been much warmer outside. But I kept saying to myself, “the front yard doesn’t really need it yet, even though the back yard could use the cut now”. 

Well, four days ago I noticed that the front yard could use a mow. The grass was looking a little fuzzy, like the hair on your head does just before you go get a haircut. 

The thing is for the last four days the weather has been a little overcast and rainy – not optimal for getting out there with my lawnmower. 

This morning, however, with how sunny it is, I’m considering doing the task. I realize that the longer I leave the leaf problem, it will only get worse since our tree still has about sixty percent of its leaves hanging on for dear life. Many haven’t even changed colour yet. 

But that extra work of getting rid of the leaves before I cut the grass is creating a dilemma of whether to cut or not. I’m wondering if I’ve missed my window. Maybe I should just let the grass go until spring.  

I remember when I was a kid and it was my turn to cut the grass in the backyard. The task would take an hour and a half; there was never a time I wanted to do it. I would look at the lawn and think, “maybe I’ll wait till tomorrow”. 

I always left it too late and then paid for it. I ended up spending two hours cutting the grass because it was so long. 

I hated that task, but when I left it too late, I hated it even more.

You would think that so many years later I would have learned my lesson and not put off the things I should do … but here I am, considering if I’ve left it too late. 

I think I have one more window today and tomorrow before it rains again. 

I have a few other things that I need to attend to first. … I hope in the spring I won’t be shaking my head and muttering that I left it too late again.

Here’s the thing: Often we have adequate time to get something done, accomplished or settled. But how quickly that time goes. Concerning your relationship with God, don’t make the mistake and think you have lots of time. Be sure you have a relationship with Jesus Christ now. You don’t want to miss your window and for eternity shake your head that you left it too late.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you most prone to leaving until it is too late? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Instructions – Are They Really For Everyone?

When assembling anything, following instructions is optional for some people and not for others.

instructions - are they really for everyone

I personally am one who likes to follow the instructions. 

I don’t want to be that guy who puts something together and has a handful of nuts and bolts left over. It looks like it’s finished, but will it work or will it fall apart? 

There are the companies that just use pictures for a manual and leave you a little confused. 

More than once while building a “KALLAX” or a “BILLY” from IKEA I had to take something apart because I had put the wrong piece in place.

I, for one, just want clear easy-to-follow instructions that guide me to the assembled product. 

Then there are those who you expect to be able to do things without instructions, like the person who maybe had built that product a hundred times and can do it in the dark, blindfolded with only one wrench. That guy is the expert.

We don’t expect the expert to follow the instructions. We expect him to just go at it and get the job done. 

I remember watching a friend do the Rubik’s cube back when it first came out. The guy could solve it in a matter of seconds. His hands flew as he spun the cube and made little adjustments. Then, all of a sudden, each side was all one colour. 

I was fascinated at his skill and knowledge. I had complete confidence in him to solve the cube in any state of mess.

We figure the experts know what they are doing and can do it without having to follow the instruction manual step by step. 

Well, this week we had to get a new stove for the cottage. It runs on propane and the range we got had to be converted from natural gas to propane.

I watched a bunch of YouTube instruction videos on how to make the conversion. But I decided that I didn’t want to take the chance of blowing Lily up while she was cooking spaghetti or something. 

I called in an expert, someone who is trained in working with gas. However, I think this person may not have done too many stove conversions before. 

I got a little nervous when she opened the manual and started reading it like I would have done. 

To be honest, I was not confident that she would be able to do the job until right near the end. 

But the expert was able to finish the job … even though it cost me more than it should have in labour. 

If she wasn’t an expert before, she is now. I guess it was a good thing we had the instructions for her to follow.

Here’s the thing: Most people go through life trying to figure out what their life is all about. Along the way they discover their skills and gifts, their passions and aptitudes. Some try to figure out the purpose of life and their purpose in it. We can try to figure that out on our own, but we have an instruction manual given to us that will guide us to it. It’s called the Bible, God’s instruction manual for us. I encourage you to use it. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How are you at following instructions? Do you welcome them or resist them? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Neediest One In The Family May Be You

It takes a lot of wisdom to deal with the neediest one in the house … and someone can always claim that title.

the neediest one in the the family may be you

When two people get married, the title of “neediest” switches between the couple depending on the situation. 

But when that couple has their first child, that child becomes the neediest person in the family. Period. And that position doesn’t change until another little one enters the family. Then, of course, the new child becomes the neediest. 

There are the diapers, clean ups, feedings – it really doesn’t stop. Just making sure you have everything in the “go bag” is exhausting. 

Babies are dependent on their parents for everything … or, if you’re lucky, on the grandparents sometimes. 

Kids are needy. That’s a fact.

Children pretty much trade needy positions back and forth throughout their growing years.

Even when you reach the stage that they are no longer under your roof, that doesn’t mean one of them won’t be the neediest – one of them will. It just looks a little different and costs more … just kidding, well, maybe I’m not. 

Lily and I have been in this empty nest stage for many years and we have gotten very used to it. Sure, we were there to help our kids set up their first homes, making purchases, packing and unpacking boxes, renting vans, driving long distances.

However, the neediness of the persons in our family has steadily gone down over the years. 

Since I’ve retired, though, I’ve noticed Lily has become more needy. She somehow needs more help in the kitchen, help with laundry, help with cleaning and on it goes. 

But there is now a new neediest one in our home. And this guy is by far the neediest of them all. 

His name is Martin. You’d think that with a name like Martin he would be an engineer or a doctor or something. Martin is neither; he’s a dog. He’s a nice dog, but man is he needy.

For the last two weeks we have been dog-sitting for our daughter and son-in-law while they’ve been on vacation. 

Martin is a well-behaved dog, but he is also a rescue dog which brings a whole other level of neediness to the situation. 

This guy needs petting and loving 24/7. And we found out early that if you give him all the attention he wants, he becomes demanding about it. 

We’ve had to back off a bit. 

But still, he is by far the neediest one in the family now. 

He’s shedding so much that Lily’s got the vacuum on high alert. He needs walks every day, food and treats. But since he can’t get food out of the cupboard, we even have to set his food down for him.

The little fellow runs like a gazelle and wants to be chased in the backyard every time we let him out. 

Oh, and Martin even needs us to pick up after he does his thing. I didn’t sign up for that part. 

We love the guy, but he sure is needy – the neediest one in the family.

I don’t see it changing any time soon.

Here’s the thing: We all have long lists of things we need and want. I wonder if God has the same thoughts about me as I have about Martin: “I love you, man, but you are the neediest guy I know.” Thankfully, God expects us to depend on Him, to need Him. If we think we don’t need God, then we foolishly have placed ourselves in the position of God in our lives. Since we obviously can not secure our own forgiveness or eternity, being needy is a good position to be in. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to depend on God for? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Least Possible Will Not Meet The Requirements

Sometimes we do the least possible to meet the requirements or demands. 

the least possible will not meet the requirements

Some people are more prone to this than others, but inside all of us there is probably an area of our lives where we do the bare minimum. 

I remember a time when our son was in a church kids’ program where the kids got rewarded for memorizing Bible verses. Each week he sat down with an adult to recite the verse or verses he’d learned that week.

One evening I was helping him with his verses. He was learning the verse but before he had really mastered it, he said to me, “That’s good, Dad.”

I commented, “What do you mean, ‘that’s good’? You don’t know the verse well enough yet.” 

His reply was immediate: “Well, I make sure I tell my verse to so-and-so and she likes me. I get three helps and I can do it with three helps.” 

“Wow!”, was all I could come up with.

My son knew what it would take to get his reward and he was not going to do any more than that.

He’s not the only one. We all have propensity to do the minimum to get or meet the grade, the requirement, the standard.

There have been instances when I had to present something at a meeting and hadn’t spent much time working on it. I looked at what I could present and, though it wasn’t complete, I was able to give enough information to bide me enough time to complete the assignment for the next meeting. 

I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there at one time or another. 

I guess what bugs me is not those isolated times where we are in a pinch and just need to get by. What bugs me are those who live their life by this code and, on a daily basis, will do the least possible to meet the requirements.

I think my garbage man is that kind of guy.

Each week we put our compost bin out to the curb. So often some of what I put out gets left behind. 

In the winter it’s not the end of the world because stuff stays frozen. But now that the warmer weather is here, that bin can get quite smelly because our compost consists solely of kitchen scraps. 

It’s just Lily and I at home so we usually only have a couple of small bags in our compost bin. I couldn’t figure out how the guy could not get it all each week. They have hooks on their trucks to turn those bins upside down and dump everything out of them.

But each week there is a bag left at the bottom of the bin. 

This week I watched the guy and now I know. 

He opened the lid, stuck his hand in the bin and took out the first bag he could reach. He would have needed a longer arm to get the bag at the bottom. … But it’s faster than using the truck’s hooks.

Technically he took the compost, but he didn’t get it all. He did the least possible.

Here’s the thing: There are some people who believe they can do the least possible with God. They might say, “I try to do good things”, or “I prayed a prayer”, or “I believe in Jesus”. But without following Christ with your whole heart, you are merely doing the least possible to meet the requirements. The thing is God knows it all; we don’t fool Him. Put your faith in Christ and follow Him with your whole heart. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where have you been guilty of doing the least possible? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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Old Tech – Do You Really Need It Anymore?

When is a good time to get rid of your old tech? The answer: maybe never. I know that’s not something my wife, Lily, wants to hear. 

old tech - do you really need it anymore

I still have an old eMac computer that dates back to 2002 taking up space in our basement. Lily would jump at the chance to get rid of it. 

I have older tech than that as well. I have an old one-button Mac mouse that dates back to the late 80’s or early 90’s. That item I keep just in case I ever create an Apple shrine in the house … but we won’t mention that idea to Lily.

I will admit that saving old tech sort of goes against my pattern recently.

Over the last six months, we have purged a lot of stuff from our house. When I retired back in October, I got rid of a lot of books, paper and files. We got rid of a big desk and a slew of other things we didn’t need and were no longer going to use. 

But I have a tendency to keep most of my old technology.  

For instance I have an old floppy drive that hadn’t been used for more than fifteen years. However, it came in handy during my fall purge. I was able to get information off of dozens of floppies before I tossed them in the garbage. 

No one uses VCRs anymore but I still have one. And I used it recently to get the contents off some old VHS tapes and then digitize them into a usable format for the modern world.

This process was a true testimony to the importance of keeping old tech around. 

I used my VCR to play the VHS tapes. Then I hooked up a 23-year-old camcorder to record the tape to digital format. Once I’d done that, I used my old 2009 MacBook Pro to download the digital recording into an old movie editing software. I needed the old Mac because it is the only computer I own that still has a FireWire port on it.

I felt like McGyver … only I wasn’t using sticks, rocks, rubber bands and sulphur to make an explosive device.

But if you really want to know why you shouldn’t throw out old tech, it’s because your spouse still needs it. They don’t think they need it, but they do. 

Yesterday Lily came from visiting her Mom and handed me a 16G iPod Touch from 2007. She simply said, “This was my Mom’s. Can you see what’s on it?”

Well, there is no way I could find out what was on that iPod without charging it. And it hadn’t been charged for five years or more. 

In order to charge the iPod, I needed a 30-pin connection. I haven’t used one of those for years. That connection goes back three iPads ago and to a 2010 iPhone for me.

But I still had the connector.

I charged the iPod and gave the information to my wife. … You’re welcome!

Here’s the thing: Today there are many people who are saying the past is not important, and perhaps even harmful. There are those who say the Old Testament of the Bible should not be used, that we should bury it. Many people today don’t think we need to pay attention to some passages anymore. But the Bible is God’s word. It’s true, it’s right, and it is old. There may be unpleasant passages in it, but don’t dismiss them or this book. It is God’s word to us. Read it, memorize it, know it and live by it. I’m sure God would say, “You’re welcome.”

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What old tech have you kept around? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Too Quiet Is Something We Don’t Experience Much

We all need a little quiet time in our lives but sometimes it can be too quiet.

too quiet is something we don't experience much

This past week my wife, Lily, went out of town for a few days to help her mother. That meant I had to fend for myself for four days. I’m not much of a cook so Lily left me with enough leftovers and quick meal options to cover most of my meals. 

She likes to do that so that I don’t have any excuses for going out to eat. She knows I don’t need much of a reason to grab a burger or a pizza from one of my familiar spots. 

And she doesn’t like me spending the money … or maybe it’s that she doesn’t like that I’m eating out without her. 

There is nothing new with this routine, but there’s something different this time. 

It’s way more quiet this time, or perhaps I should say it’s quiet for longer this time. 

You see, any time Lily has gone away for an extended period of time, I’ve been working. Most of my days were spent working at the office. I was out of the house and busy during the day. 

Even my evenings were filled with meetings and events. 

But now that I’m retired, I don’t have an office to go to. I’m just in the house all day long and it’s quiet – too quiet.

Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind the quiet. In fact, even when I was working, I needed quiet to work. 

Being blessed with a touch of ADD, I didn’t need anything to distract me when I studied. So quiet was what I looked for.

One time I had a staff member whose office was beside mine. In the mornings when I would be working on a sermon, he would play music. It wasn’t that his music was bad or anything, but he had a woofer that kept pounding the beat. I couldn’t really hear the tune or the instruments, but the constant boom, boom, boom I did hear. 

That was enough to distract me so that I couldn’t focus on what I was studying. I often took my laptop and went into the sanctuary where it was quiet. 

I like quiet and I need quiet. But what I’m finding is that quiet without being highly focussed for long portions of the day is maybe a little too quiet. 

I may have to resort to doing random shopping for things I don’t know I need. Maybe I should start drinking coffee so I can pop into Tim Hortons and grab a cup in a noisy environment. 

Last night I listened to a sermon while I played pool for an hour.

My big fear is that if it’s too quiet for too long I’ll start talking out loud to myself. … I could use different voices and accents and talk about nothing just so that it wouldn’t be too quiet. 

Here’s the thing: Most of us will try to limit the amount of quiet in our lives so we don’t experience too much quiet. But to hear God speak to us we need quiet. In fact, many people don’t experience God in their lives because they are never quiet long enough to really get in touch with Him. Try some quiet time and focus your mind on God. Prepare with reading scripture, journaling your thoughts and prayer. See if God speaks to you out of your quietness.

That Life!

Paul

Question: How could you add a little quiet to your life? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Climate Change Could Be More Descriptive

The thing about climate change is that it keeps on changing. 

Climate change could be more descriptive

Even what we call it has changed. We used to call it “global warming”, but somewhere along the line it got switched to “climate change” … which is more vague that the term, “global warming”. At least with that name we knew something was happening continually over a long period of time. 

Our climate has always changed, so those who think this is a better name are fooling themselves. 

In Calgary, climate change can happen in a moment’s notice. There they are known to say, “If you don’t like the weather now, just wait a few minutes.” 

In Kingston, about twenty years ago, our family went down to the waterfront to celebrate Canada Day. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and it was about 25°C. We were all in shorts and T-shirts. 

That was at 2 pm. By 9 pm the temperature dropped 20 degrees to a brisk 5°C. 

Talk about climate change. Our pre-teen kids had no meat on their bones in those days and they were frozen. They were huddling up to Lily and I who were also chilled right through. 

That was July 1st – not your normal summer weather for Kingston. 

In some places around the world the climate stays relatively the same, but they still have climate change. They might not experience the spring, summer, fall and winter we do, but they have a rainy season and a hot season. 

I’m just saying, the term doesn’t really describe anything different than what we have always experienced. 

But times are changing, that is for sure. 

We recently spent a week in Palm Springs, which is a desert town in California. All you have to say is “California” and “desert” and you know it’s going to be hot. 

But it wasn’t. The temperatures only made it to 20°C twice all week. 

While we were away, there were a couple of days the early morning temperature in Palm Springs was the same as the high back in Kingston. 

Interestingly, when we got home after our week away, we had no snow in Kingston and the temperatures were above 0°C. … No worries though, that climate change thing kicked in after we got home and we had a foot of snow on our driveway by midweek. 

I’d like to say that climate change is happening again but it looks like this dump of snow will stick around for at least a week.

I understand that what is meant by climate change is overall erratic and unusual weather patterns across the world. But you have to admit that it’s not a very creative or clear name for what’s happening. 

Maybe they should pick a new name using AI (artificial intelligence). I recently read that a brewing company asked an AI chatbot to come up with a beer recipe. Apparently the recipe was good because they named it Robo beer. 

What name might a chatbot choose for climate change?

Here’s the thing: For us, change is normal. Change is always happening. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy or enjoyable. Often change is difficult and uncomfortable; many times we plain don’t like it. The thing about God is that He doesn’t change. You can count on Him. He will be the same no matter what happens, no matter how you change. You can always find a constant in God. And why is this important? – He loves you and cares for you and that never changes. Trust Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What unwanted change is happening in your life right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Getting Old Is Not Just A State Of Mind

I think I figured out a new way to tell that you are getting old … and it has nothing to do with counting wrinkles or loss of hair.

getting old is not just a state of mind

I know that some people might be thinking, “Well, if it’s not those things, it must be all the aches and pains, or the mystery ailment that can’t be explained.” 

These are all traditional signs that we might be aging, but I just discovered a new one. 

From the earliest memory that I have, I always had a long list of things I wanted for Christmas. 

When the Sears Christmas catalogue came out, I would scour it for ideas of toys that I could put on my Christmas list. That “wish book” was always a good source of inspiration for the dreams that would keep me awake on Christmas Eve. 

My son, Mike, also loved that Sears catalogue. 

When he was quite young, I came home from work one day and my wife, Lily, handed me the catalogue. All she said was, “Take a look at what your son wants for Christmas.” 

I began combing through the pages, starting at the toy section. He had circled every single toy in the book! Literally, there was not one toy that Sears sold that he didn’t want. 

On the one hand, it made it pretty easy for Santa to come up with a present for him. But on the other hand, how indiscriminate can one be?

… And maybe that is one of the signs of youth. There is no consideration for cost, size, use, even appropriateness. They just want it. 

Not that I should pick on my son too much – I’ll do it anyway – but there was a time when we were at Disney World and he saw some venders selling turkey legs. Then he saw people eating those turkey legs. 

He wanted one bad! 

Those hunks of meat were about a third of his body mass. They reminded me a little of the ribs that Fred Flintstone ordered at the drive through in the closing credits of each episode. The ribs were so big that they tipped over his foot-driven car. 

Well, there was no stopping Mike from wanting a turkey leg. And when he did get it, it became a community exercise in eating it. We all had to have some just to put a dent in it.

I guess what I’m saying is that when you are young, you want lots! 

But there comes a time when you don’t want as much … maybe because you have so much. 

When Christmas comes around and older people are asked what they want for Christmas, they all have the same answer: “I don’t know; I don’t need anything.”

I never thought I would get to that stage in life where I wouldn’t have an answer to the question of what I wanted for Christmas. But this year, I don’t know what I want. I don’t really need anything. 

… Wow! I guess I’m old now.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes the desire for material things is so great that we overlook or don’t even realize the other needs we have in our lives. We can be so fixated on and striving for what we see that we don’t consider our spiritual needs. There are two wants or needs that we all have – whether we realize it or not. We have the need to understand our purpose and the need to know our eventual destiny. The only answers to both those needs come from God in Christ Jesus. Receive His gift of salvation and He will meet those two great needs. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you hoping for this Christmas? Leave you comment and questions below. 

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