March 7th, 2005

"IF YOU KEEP CROSSING YOUR EYES,

THEY'RE GOING TO STICK THAT WAY!"

I spent the first ten years of my life in Enid, OK.  That was during a time when a kid could ride his bicycle or walk all over town and not have to worry about the dangers that lurked around the corner.  I had two older brothers.  Together, we were diligent in our efforts of being kids.  After all, that was our business!  What one didn’t think of, the other one did.  My brothers did their part in teaching me things.  Some of those “things” were less beneficial than others, like crossing our eyes, etc.  Nonetheless, we had a lot to accomplish! 

I remember the first time I heard that “my eyes might stick that way.”  I stopped dead in my tracks imagining what life would be like with my eyes permanently crossed.  Oh, it was a very sobering thought!  Thank God someone warned me!  

This may be a juvenile illustration, but we still play with little things in life that can hurt us.  For instance, in school, every child is tempted to cheat on a test.  If self-control is not exercised over that temptation, it will become easier and easier to succumb to it the next time and the next.  When left unchecked, this thought process goes into adult life where we justify cheating at work, cheating in marriage, cheating on income taxes, etc.

“IF YOU DON’T QUIT   (you fill in the blank)   IT’S GOING

TO STICK THAT WAY!”

What starts out to be a seemingly innocent compromise can cause permanent damage and scars.  What is that saying?  “A rut is a grave with the ends knocked out.”

Remember the movie “Groundhog Day?”  In it, Bill Murray plays a TV news reporter who has to relive Groundhog Day in Punxsatawney, PA over and over until he gets his lousy attitude toward life straightened out.  In my surveys, I haven’t found anyone who remembers exactly how many days it took, but it was a lot!  It was insanity!

You probably won’t find this definition in Webster’s, but I heard that “INSANITY” is doing the same thing over and over the same way every time, expecting different results.” 

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end, therein, is death.”  In Proverbs 12:15 it says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” 

Not too long ago, I was visiting with a friend at the racetrack.  He was sharing with me that he’s just about given up on finding a girlfriend that won’t cheat on him.  He’s building a wall around his heart to protect it from hurt, and creating a pattern of negative behavior and expectations.  Instead of seeking God’s heart for HIS plan for his life, he keeps going to the same places, doing the same things, expecting to find a lady that will be true to him.  The “rut” gets longer and deeper.  The message in his mind grows louder, “You’ll never find a faithful girlfriend!  All girls cheat!  You may as well settle for what you have.  Maybe you should give them a dose of their own medicine!”

The relational baggage gets heavier and heavier until the weight of it loads down to the point of causing physical stress and illnesses. 

You may be thinking, “But you don’t know how many times I’ve tried to quit _____!  I just can’t seem to do it!”

I have good and comforting news!  You stand in good company.  In the Bible, it tells that the Apostle Paul WAS a murderer.  (I Timothy 1:12-15)  Abraham WAS a liar. (Genesis chapter 20)  Moses WAS a murderer.  (Exodus 2:11-12)  King David WAS an adulterer AND a murderer.  (II Samuel chapter 11 & 12)  They and many other “greats” in the Bible “uncrossed their eyes” and looked to God for their help and strength.  God used each one of them mightily!  He’s a God of 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th chances!  He is always there with arms open wide when we are willing to run back to Him for help.

King David says it all in Psalms 121:1-2, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help?  My help comes from the Lord who made the heavens and the earth.” 

Paul tells us in Romans 7:14-25 about the conflict of his two natures.  One eye looking to God, wanting to please Him; the other, flirting with the temptations the world offers.  Paul offers a light at the end of the tunnel in I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man: and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Give heed to our heavenly Father when He says, “Uncross your eyes and look at Me!”  He promises He will reach down His mighty, right hand and hold you up when your steps are unsure.  He will set your feet upon The Rock – Jesus Christ, and give you a firm foundation, just like King David says in Psalm 40:1-4 

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon the rock making my footsteps firm.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord.  How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.” 

Linda Smiley

© 2005 TeamRFC