not alike in character or quality; differing; dissimilar: The two are different.
different
It’s Tuesday again, and you know what that means… today is Truth Be Told Tuesday. Thanks for checking in.
Seven Days.
It was seven days that Noah sat on his ark, the boat that took him over 80 years to build, before it rained. It rained so much it created the first flood known to mankind. In the Old Testament Job suffered greatly and was comforted by his friends in silence for seven days before they said a word.
Can you imagine your best of friend sitting with you for seven days without uttering a word?
I can’t even imagine seven minutes passing by without a word of encouragement being shared. And in the book of Genesis Moses shared with us that God created the earth and all of its inhabitants in seven days, actually six because he rested on the 7th.
In my “little” world over the past seven days one child, my daughter, informed me at bedtime she wasn’t tired because she hadn’t “yawned” all day. She was screaming as she shared her opinion with me.
Reese Olivia Christine Bailey (Nov. ’12)
Her older brother, Ryan, told me that he wasn’t going to college. I said; “yes you are.” He shot right back at me without hesitation; “fine, but I’m not going to high school then.”
And then there is my seventeen-year-old Bryce, the genius of the family. He shared with the family on Father’s Day that he couldn’t ever see himself living in “Tornado Valley.” I told him, “me either you idiot, there is no such thing as “Tornado Valley,” it is “Tornado Ally.” This is the same kid that is being recruited by Penn, Miami of Ohio, Dartmouth and Lehigh for football, the same kid that was offered a football scholarship to Kent State last week.
As I’ve said many times over, and it surely bares repeating; “my kids are dumber than a beg full of hammers.”
Ryan (5), Bryce (14), Me, Reese (8 mos), Logan (19), Austin (18), Addison (4)
As we reflect we soon realize a lot can happen in seven days. Good and bad.
A life can begin and end in seven days. Over the next seven days many people will lose their job, some will find out that they have cancer, and others will lose a loved one. Others will give-a-way their daughter, retire and begin their “dream” job.
Like I said, a lot can happen in seven days.
If you don’t believe me participate with me in a little study. Today purchase the USA Today and only read the front-page stories. After reading save the front-page compare it to The USA Today’s front page next Tuesday. As you will see, “things change.” What we thought was important a week ago is barely front-page news today. Some things remain on the front page but most everything has been passed by.
Our life is the same way.
The countless items we gave high priority to just last week aren’t important today, a disagreement with a spouse, a difference with a boss, or discontentment with a child’s behavior ultimately fad away.
Indeed there are front-page stories in our life that remain front-page news. The sting of a cancer diagnosis, the pain from an early loss of a loved one or the humiliation from being fired from a job often last more than seven days. Sometimes they can last a lifetime. But the non-newsworthy items I’m talking about have more to do with every day life challenges and our attitude towards them, and less about unbelievable tragedy or unexplainable loss.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
– Genesis 2:2
This past Saturday I ran into a very dear friend. As we we’re talking she said; “remember ‘Seven Days’ by Sting.” I said; “of course.” Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Sting and his album “Ten Summoner’s Tale”. She knew I played the song, and album, in my car and on local jukeboxes any chance I could get.
And as I reflected upon that time of my life when listening to that “CD” brought about so much satisfaction and pleasure I remembered how different my life was then. I remembered the chaos, the pain. I could see little kids sitting in the backseat of my car being shuffled around from one home to another. I remembered late nights and early mornings bellied up to a bar.
I remembered some excitement but far less peace and joy.
Every decision yelled that I was lost, and every defensive reply to the contrary displayed that I was the only one that didn’t know how lost I truly was. I was the guy with a lot of “potential”, and we all know what that guy looks like. He’s the guy that makes everyone shake his or her head and say; “he could do almost anything and he isn’t doing a thing, what a waste.” Walls of dysfunction were built and unlike the walls of Jericho it took more than seven days to tear them down.
Back then seven days seemed like seven years.
But things are different now.
The biggest change that has occurred in my life is that I’ve moved from being a “Sunday” morning Christian to an every day “Believer”. What I found is that if I want to experience true joy, true peace, true success I can’t entertain worshiping, praying and reading God’s word one day a week.
In the end, it’s impossible for me “not” to worship God seven days a week and try to worship him one day a week. Sunday can only be true worship if Monday through Saturday there is the experience, and acknowledgement, of His blessings in true “daily” worship.
In Sting’s song ‘Seven Days’ a hesitant David prepares to battle the Goliath his girlfriend identifies as his rival and in his mind he contemplates his “daily” options; “Monday, I could wait till Tuesday, If I make up my mind, Wednesday would be fine, Thursday’s on my mind, Friday give me time, Saturday could wait. But Sunday be too late.”
When it comes to worship, true worship, Sunday is too late.
Take some time over the next “seven days” and reflect on the blessings in your life. Remember where you were last week and what is now the front-page news of your life today. Did you see the hand of God writing the headline, or did you get lost reading your own op-ed piece? Who and what is your Goliath?
Who is your God?
Remember, God is bigger than your Goliath seven days a week. It’s never too late to embrace that fact.
That is my “Truth Be Told” for June 11, 2013 (tbtt . #10)
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Seven Days . Sting
. “Sting” – photo by Patti Hinton photography
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