The scene is repeated over and over – Baccalaureate and Commencement exercises. Four years of study and effort has drawn to a conclusion. Another generation stands on a threshold – either further studies or entering a profession of choice. Is there a meaningful choice on the immediate horizon? Are there career opportunities for this graduating class? All of their goals and aspirations – will they find a place where they can and will be fulfilled? Or – will they be met by indifference and become dismayed and disillusioned by an uncertain market-place? In an article – Celebrity College Dropouts – The Daily Caller inserts these words: “This week, many students will receive diplomas after toiling away for four years at college. While they’ll ride a transient, euphoric wave of accomplishment, graduates will soon enter a job market that could care less about their higher education. Meanwhile, a portion of the country’s wealthiest will go about business as usual, impervious to the wants of the recent college graduate. They, unlike the students mentioned, never attended college and were never affected by a market that particularly cared about their education.”
In the general milieu (an environment or setting) of the Nation, is there any possibility or opportunity that is free from duplicity and disillusionment? In a column appearing in One News Now on May 17, 2010 – Peter Heck wrote: “At this year's National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama chided Republicans and Democrats to not contaminate our political discussions with smears and slander. Civility is not a sign of weakness, he said. At times, it seems like we are unable to listen to one another, to have at once a serious and civil debate. This erosion of civility in the public square sows division and cynicism among our citizens. It poisons the well of public opinion…If we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we will become more polarized, more set in our ways. But if we choose to actively seek out information that challenges our assumptions and our beliefs, perhaps we can begin to understand where the people who disagree with us are coming from…At the prayer breakfast, President Obama lamented: "We become absorbed with our abstract arguments, our ideological disputes, our contests for power. And in this Tower of Babel, we lose the sound of God's voice. If the president truly seeks to encourage Americans to find their inner angels, my humble suggestion would be for him to try leading by example. This was said following his first year and a half in office in which he attempted to shun an entire news agency because they dared question him, demonized Rush Limbaugh, attempted to cut Fox News from the White House press pool, and had members of his staff orchestrating boycotts against cultural commentators who oppose his policies. Is this what seeking out information that challenges our assumptions means?"
It is essential to maintain one’s Spiritual moorings (elements providing stability or security) in the midst of duplicity and disillusionment. If the spiritual moorings are maintained, and if there is commitment in a viable relationship with the Lord, then the words of Isaiah 50:4-7 will encourage and give confidence: “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back…Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” The NLT states verse 7: “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.” Will it require effort and perseverance? Yes! Will there be challenges and difficulties? Yes! Will there be steep hills to climb along the way? Yes! It is important that one never take his/her eye off of the goal or waver in terms of commitment! Moses had his Red Sea - Esther had her “if I perish, I perish” moment - Daniel had his Lion’s Den - his three friends had their Fiery Furnace - Jonah had the Whale - Jesus Christ had The Cross! In our lives, we must learn to differentiate between mountains and bumps in the road. Never make mountains out of mole hills! Never focus on the circumstances and happenings – stay focused on the Sovereign Lord Who continues to be more than sufficient for all of your need! Consider these things with me!
In the general milieu (an environment or setting) of the Nation, is there any possibility or opportunity that is free from duplicity and disillusionment? In a column appearing in One News Now on May 17, 2010 – Peter Heck wrote: “At this year's National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama chided Republicans and Democrats to not contaminate our political discussions with smears and slander. Civility is not a sign of weakness, he said. At times, it seems like we are unable to listen to one another, to have at once a serious and civil debate. This erosion of civility in the public square sows division and cynicism among our citizens. It poisons the well of public opinion…If we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we will become more polarized, more set in our ways. But if we choose to actively seek out information that challenges our assumptions and our beliefs, perhaps we can begin to understand where the people who disagree with us are coming from…At the prayer breakfast, President Obama lamented: "We become absorbed with our abstract arguments, our ideological disputes, our contests for power. And in this Tower of Babel, we lose the sound of God's voice. If the president truly seeks to encourage Americans to find their inner angels, my humble suggestion would be for him to try leading by example. This was said following his first year and a half in office in which he attempted to shun an entire news agency because they dared question him, demonized Rush Limbaugh, attempted to cut Fox News from the White House press pool, and had members of his staff orchestrating boycotts against cultural commentators who oppose his policies. Is this what seeking out information that challenges our assumptions means?"
It is essential to maintain one’s Spiritual moorings (elements providing stability or security) in the midst of duplicity and disillusionment. If the spiritual moorings are maintained, and if there is commitment in a viable relationship with the Lord, then the words of Isaiah 50:4-7 will encourage and give confidence: “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back…Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” The NLT states verse 7: “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.” Will it require effort and perseverance? Yes! Will there be challenges and difficulties? Yes! Will there be steep hills to climb along the way? Yes! It is important that one never take his/her eye off of the goal or waver in terms of commitment! Moses had his Red Sea - Esther had her “if I perish, I perish” moment - Daniel had his Lion’s Den - his three friends had their Fiery Furnace - Jonah had the Whale - Jesus Christ had The Cross! In our lives, we must learn to differentiate between mountains and bumps in the road. Never make mountains out of mole hills! Never focus on the circumstances and happenings – stay focused on the Sovereign Lord Who continues to be more than sufficient for all of your need! Consider these things with me!
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