Yesterday, as I sat quietly inside working away at the daily business of Downing Ministries, I heard the buzz of lawn mowers off in the distance, a typical sound for Wednesday, and continued on with the task at hand. Suddenly, I was jolted from concentration by a very hard something that bounced off some part of the house; thankfully, not a window! The mowing never stopped, and I'm still not 100% sure what got flung or where or what it hit. I only know that it most definitely did!
As I gathered myself and determined that there was no way to know if the flying object hit my house, the neighbors house, or if it even hit a house at all, the thought occurred to me that life is a lot like the act of mowing. The person doing the mowing pushes or rides the machine all over the place basically oblivious to the consequences of their actions, except for the shorter grass which is their intended goal. In this example, think of mowing as decision making. We all know individuals who make choices and decisions based on what they feel at the moment with only their agenda and their wants in mind. They run over, chop down, sling, fling, break, crack, chip or otherwise mar relationships, other people's confidence, careers, dreams, and in some cases physical bodies, with no regard for the affect their behaviors and choices have on those closest to them. Just like the lawn mower throwing rocks or debris, there are consequences to poor choices and bad decisions. Unfortunately, those often reach far beyond the decision maker him or herself.
Proverbs 17:6 says, "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." Insert whatever is appropriate for in your case... "The glory of the employees is their boss." "The glory of the wife is her husband." "The glory of church parishioners is their pastor." "The glory of the students is their teacher." The list of associations is endless, but one truth runs parallel through them all; if we're walking through life oblivious to how our decisions affect everyone else, we're not going to be anybody's glory and will surely fall well short of Luke 6:31. "Do to others what you would have them do to you."
As I gathered myself and determined that there was no way to know if the flying object hit my house, the neighbors house, or if it even hit a house at all, the thought occurred to me that life is a lot like the act of mowing. The person doing the mowing pushes or rides the machine all over the place basically oblivious to the consequences of their actions, except for the shorter grass which is their intended goal. In this example, think of mowing as decision making. We all know individuals who make choices and decisions based on what they feel at the moment with only their agenda and their wants in mind. They run over, chop down, sling, fling, break, crack, chip or otherwise mar relationships, other people's confidence, careers, dreams, and in some cases physical bodies, with no regard for the affect their behaviors and choices have on those closest to them. Just like the lawn mower throwing rocks or debris, there are consequences to poor choices and bad decisions. Unfortunately, those often reach far beyond the decision maker him or herself.
Proverbs 17:6 says, "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." Insert whatever is appropriate for in your case... "The glory of the employees is their boss." "The glory of the wife is her husband." "The glory of church parishioners is their pastor." "The glory of the students is their teacher." The list of associations is endless, but one truth runs parallel through them all; if we're walking through life oblivious to how our decisions affect everyone else, we're not going to be anybody's glory and will surely fall well short of Luke 6:31. "Do to others what you would have them do to you."
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