Wisdom and Tact

I think wisdom and tact is something that I can always use more of in life. As the pressure turns up, passion increases, stress unfolds these two seem to often go by the wayside. See as I am learning more and more about myself these are definitely things I can work on. Instead of getting all worked up with life and letting my passion, frustration or others take flight immediately. I can step back take a deep breath and reevaluate the entire situation. See I used to laugh when I would see people as I would call it "shoot from the hip" my term for random knee jerk reactions. Yet as I am learning about myself I actually do this more than I could have imagined. I just do it in a different area of life and a little different way.
As I read Dan. 2 this morning it was a great reminder for my life.

14. When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15. He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16. At this Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

See Daniel didn't jump to defense, get all fired up, anxious or any other of the many things he could have done. Instead he spoke with "wisdom and tact" as he tried to understand the situation and then calmly went before the king and asked for time. Time, What a wise request. I guess I would have probably begged for more time also but what he did next I think is key. I couldn't imagine what I would do when faced with imminent death but when Daniel asked for time he then went to his friends to explain the situation and ask for prayer. He didn't face it alone he wanted the support of his friends in his community and the wisdom that only the Lord could grant.
Today this was just a great reminder for me to slow down, seek counsel, be patient and know that the wisdom that our Lord can grant is far surpassing any that I can ever come up with. I don't need to be hasty, harsh or urgent as that of King Nebuchadnezzar. Whom I think I am more apt these days to represent then Daniel. This is definitely a path that I don't want to continue down as don't want to become an animal grazing on all fours as he did as he kept down his path of destruction and didn't change his ways.
Change the only thing that is really constant in life.

The Boy that Touched my Heart

He touched my heart and that is an understatement. Gamachu at maybe age four had gained the nickname High Fiver before we actually knew his name but the impact he made on me in 2008 and in 2010 will leave a mark on my heart that will never go away. A kid that lined up to give everyone on the team five as we came and went to the job site became a joy in my life. Just looking back to 2008 when this tradition that seemed normal custom to us here in the US was started with a young boy thousands of miles away. You know though the biggest thing is that I pray he gains a relationship with our Lord and that I will one day see him again in Heaven one day. There is no garuntee that I will ever see him again although I would go back to Ethiopia just for that reason. A boy with so little in material things, but with so much joy in life and just interacting with us. See what makes this relationship even more important to me is that his father pictured here worked on our job site hauling water in those yellow barrels each day in 2010 but also he and his wife also worked on the site in 2008. See his father is a muslim but yet he is working on a job site that is winning kids, parents, and others around the rural area for the Lord. So I pray that it is only a matter of time that these relationships formed can lead to him also becoming a follower of Christ.

"What if His people PRAYED?"

Prayer has been something that has been put on my heart over the last month or so and I don’t really know why but I have been thinking a lot about it and then here comes everything with Haiti. I have friends that have been there multiple times, people I know are currently down there and many others sponsor children there through Compassion or World Vision. I need to be in prayer.

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
Ephesians 1:15-17

As I read this there are things that have stuck out to me now more than ever. See in verse 16 Paul states “ I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly”. Now I have been asking myself what do I really ever do constantly or nonstop. Because really that is what he is doing and being such a great man of God I have a lot I could learn from him and really should learn from him. Yet the only thing I seem to do constantly is to go, go and go or even think of what I should be doing now or could be doing next. Yet this theme that I have seemed to miss or has not challenged me before is all over the Bible.

As, I look forward to what is ahead I want to look at prayer as something that I do constantly and nonstop especially considering all that is going on in the world today I have to be spending time with Him constantly with no excuses getting in my way.