we have all the answers....

at the end of every year i sit and look back over the things that have happened and i always feel that i should have done better.  i am sure everyone knows that feeling. "dang it, why did i do that?  i am i ever going to learn?"  and the truth is that we do.  as we grow older and have more and more life experiences we do learn what situations to avoid and the things that are going to inevitably lead us to trouble.

so how do we avoid making mistakes with things that we have not experienced or "new" situations that are presented to us.  i have learned that the answers are always there, in most cases we chose not to listen to them however.  a small example;  a couple of months ago God sent a particular book my way. "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge.  there are a number of things that John touches on but the one that i want to concentrate on is his persistence that we NEED to get out and into the open.  go out into the wilderness and really take it all in, let the majesty of it all heal you, be humbled by all the awe inspiring things that God has created for you.  this is not the first time that this message has come my way.  i can remember when i was a kid watching the movie "City Slickers" and even at a young age i really appreciated the secondary message that the outdoors can be extremely healing. 

so why didn't i hear it?  why was i still searching even though i had the answers to the questions; "how do i let go of all the drama, heal myself, and concentrate on what is really important?"  why wasn't i listening?  maybe i didn't know how.  more likely than that i didn't hear it because i didn't trust myself and didn't have the confidence too even if i wanted to.  never the less i understand now and i know now what it is that i need to untie all the "knots in my rope."  so what changed, what was it that finally opened my eyes and ears?  practical application.  you can not read a book like John's and not put it into action and expect to get the advantages out of it that were intended by it's writing.  this is true of MANY books.  oh there are books that you can read and enjoy without ever having to leave the comfort of your couch to do so, and i like those.  but for me the really good ones are the ones you have to get off your ass and put some effort into in order to REALLY experience them. 

i can think of one book that i need to do this more with, and in doing so i am sure that any possible mistake or hairy situations that comes my way will be handled with ease.  the Bible.  don't get me wrong, i am not a Bible thumpper or brow beater.  trust me i have my flaws, just the other day i jumped out of my truck in traffic and almost whipped someones ass for something that could have been let go if i were a different person.  nor am i trying to cram my agenda down anyone else's throat.  what i am saying is that the answers are there and if we are willing to listen the mistakes we do make will become fewer and fewer.