Do you ever wonder why certain people come into your life when they do?
I have found that the people who have come into and had the greatest impact on my life have done so at the most unexpected times.
Getting Over the Fear of “No”
Earlier in my professional life I had a fear of rejection.
I think it might have had to do with how I was trained at a large accounting firm that I previously worked for. At that firm, we were required to report every week how many new people we met, where we met them, and how successful we were in getting them as a new client. Not that I wasn’t able to talk to people; on the contrary, I am very personable and can talk to anyone in almost any situation. However, if we didn’t get them as a client, we had to explain why and what we could have done better. It got to the point where I started to really dislike reporting my activities because you had to explain why you weren’t always 100% successful.
God’s Plan For Us versus Man’s Free Will
I have had some people ask me how does one reconcile the seemingly conflicting views that God has a plan for us while we, as people, have free will and can choose to do whatever it is we want to do with our lives.
When it comes to faith related issues, there are many questions that we could spend a considerable amount of time exploring such as: why do bad things happen to good people, why is there war, why is there sickness…? However, in the instant case, there does seem to be a considerable conflict between the two ideas in question.
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
When my kids were younger often they would ask me for a toy, money to go out, or something else that there was some cost to. Sometimes, I would give them a hard time and tell them “God helps those who help themselves.” They would tell me that they were too young to get a job to earn money so, within reason, I would usually give them what it was they were asking for.
I have often wondered where the statement “God helps those who help themselves” came from. So one day I decided to try to find out. I had thought that this statement had come from somewhere in the bible but I was wrong. I found that it is actually attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
Simpler Times – Getting Back to Mayberry
Some of my favorite TV shows include The Waltons, Leave it to Beaver, and The Andy Griffith Show.
I am sure a psychologist probably would have a field day analyzing me through the types of TV shows that I like to watch. Regardless of what determination a psychologist might make of my TV choices, I think the reason why I like these shows is because they all represent a simpler time for living.