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One warm summer morning I glanced out of our breakfast nook window and saw a very strange sight. I was stunned to see a beautiful blue heron was walking across our backyard. They are unmistakable, with their extended curved neck, the long, pointed beak, the spindly legs and the blue and white stripes down the head and back. We see them regularly on our trips to the beach, but this was a long way from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

The stately bird pranced across the lot looking lost and confused, appearing unsure of where he was or how he got here. There is a creek not far from our house, and perhaps he was searching for water. Eventually he spread his massive wings and flapped off into the horizon. We never saw it again. We can only hope he found his way to more familiar surroundings.

There are many folks who wander around lost in life like that blue heron. We can do more than hope they find their way. We can point them to it.

One year we suspected there was a mouse in our basement. We set one of those sticky traps to catch it. The next day we found we had instead captured a snake! I wanted to kill it, but Sharon identified it as a bull snake, which is beneficial to people. Bull snakes eat rodents and insects.

So Sharon showed the snake mercy by cutting it out of the sticky trap and releasing it into the backyard. Hopefully, the little slithery varmint paid it forward by gobbling up many rats and mice and mosquitos.

Our lives have been spared as well. God showed us mercy by sending His son to die on the cross for our sins. We need to pay that incredible sacrifice forward also.

But I refuse to eat a rodent.

How long can you hold your breath? The world record was set by a Croatian skin diver who held his breath for 24 minutes and 37 seconds. Most of us can only hold out for somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds. After that, our lungs begin to ache. The heart begins to beat irregularly. Carbon dioxide begins to build up in your bloodstream, and your kidneys and liver go into stress. We can only last so long denying ourselves of air. We need it to survive.

The same is true of a relationship with God. We can deny ourselves of it, but you will only last for so long before you begin to feel psychological pain, and the world begins to break you down. Living under a Godly influence will give you tremendous relief.

You might even say it’s like a breath of fresh air.

You’re driving through town and you approach an intersection directed by a stop light. The light was green, but as you draw near, it changes to yellow. Yellow means you are supposed to slow down and prepare to stop. We all know this, but many of us (read me) can’t resist the temptation to speed up and try to make it through the intersection before the light turns red.

We know this is wrong, but we do it anyway. We do it because we get away with it time and again. There seem to be no repercussions for doing what we know is wrong. And that concept is easy to get used to. This can be a self-destructive mindset when applied to other aspects of our lives. Right and wrong do make a difference.

There will come a time when we are held accountable for our time here. God is the ultimate traffic cop.

I’m always amused by those TV ads for instant cash. They make it seem so easy to walk in and get all the money you need to get out from under your bills and debts, with even some spending money left over. They give the impression it’s free money.

It’s not. Of course, there’s never any mention of the fact you will eventually have to be accountable and pay the money back, and you will have to pay interest as well. Plus, if you are not able to pay it back on their schedule, the penalties add up so fast you may never get out from under the debt.

Kind of like the way we will all be held accountable for our lives one day. Best to settle your accounts with God now. Before he forecloses on you.

Artificial Intelligence has become an incredible thing. When I get in the car and pull out of the driveway, it tells me where I’m going and how long it will take to get there. When I turn on the TV, it tells me which shows I like to watch. When I type short essays such as this it corrects my spelling and suggests words to use. It will answer any trivia question I have, and anticipate what kind of posts I like to read on facebook.

The only thing it won’t tell me is the difference between right and wrong. Because it doesn’t know. We have to go to a different source for that. The bible has those answers.

And there’s nothing artificial about that intelligence.

My paternal grandfather divorced my grandmother before I was born. He moved far away and had no relationship with me whatsoever. I met him once for a few hours when I was sixteen years old. He was polite but didn’t indicate any kind of feelings for me. When he passed away I felt no sense of loss. You can’t lose what you never had.

I’m now at a stage of life where I am blessed to enjoy the company of my four grandchildren. I can’t imagine having no connection with them. They are part of my life. Part of me. I want to pass down so much of myself to them. I want to leave a legacy they will remember.

My grandfather passed on that chance. I’m in no position to judge. But it sure seems like a waste of life. Love is the only thing that endures. You get as much back as you give out.

You probably know someone who enjoys telling “fish stories”. The term comes from folks who exaggerate the details of their experiences to impress others, such as inflating the size of the proverbial fish that got away.

Even though we would never admit it, we all crave attention, and if it takes a little dramatization to achieve it, what’s the harm? It’s okay to tell a little fish story once in a while, so long as we remember that God always sees us the way we are.

Really, you don’t need to try to impress people. You have been created by a perfect God who made you precisely as you are supposed to be. There is a unique path you have been designed to walk and you have been given the ability to endure it. You will need God’s help to reach your destination, but you don’t have to tell Him a fish story to impress Him.

He already loves you. And you already have His attention. Don’t let Him be the one that got away.

Sugar and salt are the two ingredients that make food worth eating. Those are the flavors we crave. I’ve been on many different diets, but they all boil down to living without sugar and salt. I’ve tried any number of foods that have reduced or eliminated those two elements. They just taste bland. No flavor, no satisfaction. The anticipation of a good meal lacks the payoff, the reward.

God is the sugar and salt of life. Try living without Him, and the joy of your successes fades quickly. Your journey is bland and lacks a true goal. A spiritual relationship establishes meaning and purpose to the every day ups and downs of your existence.

If you’re having trouble figuring out why your life seems unfulfilling, try spicing it up with a little Godly sugar and salt. The flavor is to die for. Literally.

Folks like to use the outside of their houses and front lawns to make a statement. They might hang the American flag to show their patriotism. They may fly the banner of their favorite school or sports team to display their support. They might want you to know they are in favor of a political candidate. Landscaping businesses will stick a sign into the lawn promoting the job they just did mowing or fertilizing the property. Or maybe the homeowners want you to notice their house is for sale, and that it’s been newly renovated.

One of the reasons I love the Christmas season is because it is the time when many choose to make another statement. They demonstrate their faith by putting out nativity scenes and various spiritual figures.

Maybe that’s the kind of lawn declaration that should last year round.