Our emotions get in the way or our reason. I find myself "emoting" sometimes when it is not necessary. During those times I pray and read the Word until the emotion leaves and the reason returns.
When reason returns I am reminded how much Christ suffered for me and that I too would suffer because of my love for Him.
Because He suffered my sins have been no longer accounted to me, and with that comes many forms of persecution.
Isaiah 1:18
"18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
John 15:18
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
For the sake of us old foggies who grew up during a time when we were taught proper English and punctuation, not to mention speech principles, could all those under the age of 30 please, slow down your speech and enunciate your words so that they can be understood?
My intention is not to be critical but rather to instruct. I was at a doctors' office recently and the nurse spoke so fast with such slurring of her words that I had to assert twice, that I could not understand her. At first I think she thought I meant that I didn't understand her instructions and repeated them to me. After a couple of times like this I finally had to explain that she needed to slow down and pronounce her words more clearly.
At first I used the word "enunciate", she looked puzzled as though she didn't understand what the word meant so I changed to another word "pronounce."
The sad thing is that so many young people have been allowed, in school and by parents, to practice a lazy form of communication so long, that they don't know something is wrong. Somewhere along the way, teachers and parents permitted this laziness in speech.
I have to assume that many students never had to get in front of the class and give a report, when grading was based on diction as well as content.
Sadly the easier we are on the children, with the intent on becoming their pals, the less the children will learn. We must stop attempting to be friends with students and become their instructors requiring excellence in everything they do, making them redo anything that does not measure up, while requiring things to be done on time.
I have also met many young people who do not understand the concept of being on time. They show up to things when they feel like it, unless it is a formal occasion where everyone must be on time to participate, such as a wedding or doctor appointment. This shows me that they can be on time if they really want to.
Young people have been taught by example and lack of incentive to only do that which gets them by, while courting an attitude that no one else really matters.
I was attracted to a couple of books that someone recommended to me because of a conversation we had on this subject. The books are "Weapons of Mass Instruction" and "Dumbing Us Down" by a man named "Gatto." I have yet to finish the books, but the point is well taken, that our educational system is producing drones, being indoctrinated in liberal thinking while withholding needed instruction in important skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic.
The best thing any parent can do for their children now, is to remove them from public institutions or never enter them in first place. The longer they go to these places the more corrupt they become, learning to think as they are told to think rather than being taught how to think for themselves.
The young people believe they are thinking for themselves when in fact they are parroting what their teachers have fed them day after day. When we realize that teachers spend much more time with our children than we do, we have to believer their influence is much greater. When we send our children to be taught by others, our children elevate those "professionals", as they see it, above their parents.
Never in the Word of God do we see the concept of a "public school", where the children go to learn in mass. We are also taught by the public school system that everyone should have the ability to attend college, even if their natural bent does not show they would be interested in that form of education.
College provides an education for certain skills, but many other forms of education can be much more beneficial without the immense cost that is required for one to go to college.
I am a fan of apprenticeship, the young adult has the opportunity to work one on one with a person or group of people to learn a skill that will make them a decent living.
There are many jobs that do not require college that can bring in good wages if one is willing to start at the bottom and work their way up as they show diligence and excellence.
I realize that there are occupations that require a college degree to be hired, but there are so many more that do not. If a person has lots of money, or will earn it to go to college then I say go for it, as long as you are not going into debt to do it and you have a particular skill you are going for, otherwise look for the natural bent in your interests and go for that through programs you can afford.
If we could just teach diligence to our young people and respect for the principles of God, we would see so many youth blossom.
Provebs 6:6-11
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
Proverbs 10:4
"A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."
Proverbs 12:24
"The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor."
2 Peter 1:5-7
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."
ABOVE ALL, SEEK THE LORD FOR YOUR CALLING AND OBEY HIS PRINCIPLES IN ALL YOU DO AND HE WILL GUIDE YOU.
Isaiah 58:11
""And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."
God will make us successful in whatever He has for us, it may not mean lots of money, but our success will be spiritually and He will always give us enough materially.
