Encouragement

Crossroads

by Darlene Kennedy
10/31/18
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I'd like you to take a journey with me. We are going to travel into the human mind where our thoughts, feelings, and emotions reside. Come along! It will be quite an eye-opener. 

The mind is a fascinating place to visit. However, it has three main attractions which beckon us to move in. In the case of two of them, buyer beware. You may want to research the neighborhood before getting comfortable. 

Let's begin, shall we? As we make our way into the recesses of the mind, we quickly find ourselves at a crossroads. Three paths lay before us. The signs identify them as Past, Present, and Future. Which way do we go? I'll leave it up to you to decide.  

The Past, you say? Okay. Let's see where it takes us. As we make our way deep into the interior of this path, it seems to be pretty broad. It looks well-traveled by the numerous footprints of others that have entered before us, but it is also fraught with numerous potholes, making it difficult to navigate. 

Signs along the way indicate the treacherous conditions that lay ahead. Regret, anger, abuse, emotional trauma, blame, jealousy, unforgiveness. This doesn't look like a path that anyone would want to linger on too long. We better turn back before we get lost in the mire of these thought patterns and emotions. Nothing good can come from spending valuable time in such a depressing, toxic environment.  

Let's go back to the crossroads and choose another path. I'll let you decide again. What do you think? Do you want to give the Future a try? Okay, let's head out. Hopefully, it will be a more pleasant journey. 

Well, at first glance, it does seem more hospitable. However, the signs along this path offer up mixed signals. On the one hand, hope, excitement, opportunities, happiness, love. But others indicate longing, fear, dread, angst, worry, problems, sickness, disease, poverty. 

Now what? The path is ending abruptly. It's a dead end that leads nowhere. Why? A sign marking the trail's end tells the story. It's all a mirage. None of these thoughts and emotions are based on reality. They haven't happened yet. They are just figments of our imagination. Walking this path is just one big waste of time. Whether a promise of good or bad, we can't live in a state of being that is yet in the future.  

I guess it's back to the crossroads. You don't have a great track record when it comes to choosing the right path. Let's hope the final path marked Today is the right one. Shall we begin? 

This path seems to be similar to the one marked Future, but with a major difference. It is a reality and offers choice. The possibilities for success or failure, hope or fear seem to be present, but we have the ability to decide what we want Today to be. We can control our thoughts, emotions, and feelings and create our story. I like this path. It is here that we can choose what thoughts we allow into our minds. Positive thoughts give birth to positive actions, which result in positive outcomes. I say we make this our permanent residence, what do you think? 

Let's make a decision to live in the present each and every day. No matter what we have experienced in the past, it can't be reversed. It would be nice if all of our memories were pleasant but, unfortunately, we have all endured bad experiences as well that often keep us from letting go and moving forward. No one is immune to unpleasant thoughts and reminders of the past. No one! As much as we would like to rewind and begin again, we can't go back. When I replay the actions of others that caused me pain or my own failings, shortcomings, and sins that I so deeply regret, I instantly remind myself that all of it brought me to where I am today and made me who I am today. I am stronger and wiser because of everything that has gone before. I've learned a lot, what to do, who to trust or not. I'm a better person today because of my yesterdays. I often take Wm. Paul Young's advice. "Live in the grace of today" from his TBN series "Restoring the Shack". 

Are you guilty of playing the what if game? What if I had done this or that, or what if I had never met that person, or made that decision? We can think of a million what-ifs and they can keep us in a turmoil if we entertain them. We need to let all that go. Let's make the decision today to bury the past and keep it buried. 

Now, what about those of us who live in the future? Certainly, we need to plan for tomorrow. I'm talking about fearing tomorrow., entertaining thoughts of dread, allowing imaginations of gloom and doom to dominate our minds, crowding out our today's. Tomorrow is always a day away, a day that will never arrive. Worrying about it cannot change a thing. We should never waste today on thoughts of what may never come to pass. Each moment is so precious, we need to stay in the present and embrace them with thankful hearts. 

The Bible tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7a. You may find this hard to believe but we can make our lives what we desire them to be by our thoughts. We can awaken each and every day with the mindset that we are going to be positive, upbeat, and joyful. We have the power to create our reality. We don't have to live in the Past or the Future. When you find yourself at the crossroads, and you will many times, always take the path marked "Today".  Psalms 118:24 tells us "This is the day which the LORD hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."