Oct 24, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
We all have choices to make. Some choices are not easy. Some take us down roads less traveled. Some choices require confronting and overcoming our fears. If many new graduates are like my niece, they are wondering how to come up with money for college. I remember when I was a high school grad wondering the same thing, some thirty years ago.
I never thought about not going to college. But it wasn’t obvious how I was going to afford it.
Even with loans, grants and work, it still appeared I would be short what would be required. With my mom’s help, I had enough money for the first semester, but would I be able to pay for the next?
Jesus might answer, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
My mom and I had witnessed the truth of those words many times. She and my dad divorced when I was ten years old. With no formal education or work experience, she managed to build a new life for both of us. She firmly trusted in God to provide whatever we needed. And along the way, she made a believer out of her daughter — me.
Prayer to God had always brought solutions in the past, even in financial matters. Why should I doubt now? Could I believe there might be a situation or condition when God had no control — where God was powerless?
The healings and teachings of Jesus recorded in the Bible had been a source of guidance to me all my childhood, and they still are. I read again about a man who was waiting at a pool called Bethesda. It was believed that, at a certain time, the water there was stirred by an angel. Tradition said that whoever got into the water right after the angel had visited the pool would be healed.
A crippled man had been waiting 38 years — probably most of his life — to enter the pool. But each year, he missed the perfect moment and others got to the water first. Still, he didn’t give up. And his hope was finally realized through Jesus. His healing came — but in an unexpected way.
This account, in John’s Gospel, gave me a new perspective on my worries about college expenses. Was I limiting my options? The man at Bethesda had thought the only way he could be healed was if he got into the pool at exactly the right time. Yet that wasn’t the “only way.” When Jesus redirected his faith from a pool of water to the Christ-power that uplifts and heals, the man found the freedom he had longed for.
Where was my faith, I asked myself? Was it tied only to loans and grants? To finding ample employment? Getting a scholarship? What were my options? Did I face an uncertain future?
What I learned from thinking about Jesus’ encounter with the man at the pool of Bethesda was that God is continuously sending me — and everyone — infinite possibilities. I needed to open my thought to them. Not define or limit the ways my needs could be met.
I could replace fear and uncertainty with the knowledge that God was governing my life. Affirm that God makes all things possible. Including a college education!
So I headed off to college on what some would call a leap of faith. But it was more like a confident and expectant trust that solutions would come, even though I couldn’t see them immediately. I focused on one semester at a time and worried less about the future.
As it turned out, it was semester by semester prayer that led the way to my college degree. And expenses were paid each semester in countless — sometimes unexpected — ways.
One unexpected solution came in the form of a note in my school mailbox. An anonymous donor had paid the remainder of my tuition that year. There were many loans, grants, scholarships and awards. Plus a variety of jobs — some of which gave me valuable experience that served me well in future endeavors.
My college years strengthened my trust in God, divine Love, who truly does meet every need. And I know this is true for my niece and other college-bound grads. Everyone. Maybe we just need to remind ourselves — His ways are infinite and sometimes quite unexpected.
Oct 24, 2007 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2007. All rights reserved.
We all face crossroads in our lives. We come to a fork in the road. And we make a choice. As the U.S. Memorial Day holiday approaches, I can’t help but reflect on a choice made by many in my family. The choice to serve the United States of America through the armed forces.
A choice made by my dad. Two of my brothers. My uncle, who lost a leg in World War II. My father-in-law. And currently my son-in-law. I have great respect and gratitude for all who have made such a choice. And I admire the reason for their choice — to protect and preserve peace and freedom not only for their country but for all humankind.
When I moved to Tioga, Texas, some 25 years ago now, I learned more about the town’s most famous son — Gene Autry. Many know Gene Autry as America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy. Particularly for his signature song, “Back in the Saddle Again.” But I wonder how many people know that this man made a choice at the height of his career, after World War II broke out, to join the Army Air Force and do his part.
I suspect most everyone remembers the choice Pat Tillman made in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, to give up a lucrative football career to become an Army Ranger. Sadly his choice resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of a fallen soldier.
Why do we build monuments or designate days for tribute and celebration?
Perhaps we need reminders of important events and people who have taught us invaluable lessons. Perhaps commemorating honorable actions of others encourages us to live in an honorable way as we go about our day to day.
There was an article published in the Boston Herald in 1898 at a time when there was strife between the United States and Spain. In the article, Mary Baker Eddy, then a world-known spiritual leader, made what I think is a profound statement: “The character and lives of men determine the peace, prosperity and life of nations.”
As I appreciate the dedicated characters and lives of our soldiers of old and today, I am beginning to consider how the choices I make in life impact others — in my family, in my community and nation and consequently, the world.
I have a choice in the way I think and in what I believe. I have a choice in what decisions I make and what actions I take. I have a choice in how I view my life. The old question whether I see the glass as half full or half empty exemplifies this choice.
Some choices are not easy. Some take us down roads less traveled. For me, one such choice was the decision to home-school our daughter.
Sometimes we can have doubts about the choices we make. We wonder if we’re doing the right thing. Making the best decision.
I’ve found examining motives provides a good basis for making choices. Christ Jesus taught how motives lead to good or bad decisions. When motives are sincere and unselfish, for example, our choices would be on a firm and solid basis. These choices lead to actions that are beneficial to yourself and others.
Our decision to home-school our daughter did turn out to be the best choice for her.
Some choices require confronting and overcoming our fears. I will be forever humbled by the Iraqi citizens who, despite threats and under great risk, voted. Who could forget the woman holding up her ink-stained finger, saying she felt like she had been reborn? Surely, the choice that she made, along with other citizens in her country, ultimately will bless their troubled nation.
I’ve not always made the best of choices and certainly have not always lived up to my own expectations for myself. Looking to models of good character and high ideals can help us make better choices in our life. Divinely impelled choices ally our hearts — and characters — with living more spiritually. More in line with the ultimate role model found in the life and works of Christ Jesus.
Certainly not all of us will serve our country in military duty. But maybe we all serve our country by our character and our lives. We all have choices to make that can build on the example of those who’ve given their lives for the peace, prosperity and life of our nation. Let’s make good ones.
Oct 17, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
I never discuss how I plan to vote in an election, nor do I reveal how I voted. Probably to the shock of my mother, I’m about to make an exception to my rule of thumb. For the record (and for my mom’s benefit), I consider myself a “moderate” American and consequently never vote a straight party ticket. When it comes to presidents, I have voted for every party possible during my 30-year voting record. My daughter calls me “an extreme nonpartisan.” She’s probably right.
President Gerald Ford’s passing has compelled me — as it has many others — to recall how his brief tenure in the office of president impacted my life.
He was the first presidential candidate to get my vote. It wasn’t a vote for a political party, nor was it a vote against the other candidate. For me, 18 years old and a freshman in college, it was a vote honoring the courage to do what was right, even if it was an unpopular decision. Since apparently only history sees the wisdom of such courage, I should not have been surprised when my presidential candidate lost the election.
At a time when many Americans became dismayed with the leadership in our country, I was reassured. Although I knew President Nixon had engaged in wrongdoing and illegal activities, I agreed with President Ford’s decision to pardon him. I didn’t have any basis for my agreement at that time, other than my enormous respect for President Ford. I felt that he could not be persuaded from acting on his highest sense of right — a good practice, I’ve discovered, in decision making.
No doubt, most of us have had to make, or will make, some difficult decisions in our lifetimes. I’ve read that a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. I’ve come to see every decision I’m confronted with as just that — an opportunity.
My best suggestion for getting advice on making a good decision is to take your opportunity to your Father-Mother God. He is also the best source for any courage required.
It turns out God already has equipped each of us with the spiritual sense needed for making good decisions. The apostle Paul wrote, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7). This “sound mind,” or spiritual sense, must surely include fairness, wisdom, compassion and integrity. If we utilize our spiritual sense in making decisions, we will be prompted toward right thinking and consequently make decisions that are not only good for us but good for all whom our decisions touch.
Living in a family of pilots all of my married life inspires what has been a helpful decision-making analogy for me. For any flight, a pilot considers and plans the best possible course of travel. But a good pilot is always prepared for the unexpected and ready to change course accordingly. It does no good and probably would lead to disastrous results if a pilot was so shocked by an unexpected storm in her path that she didn’t change her course and flew right into the storm. Or imagine a pilot faced with inclement weather. She becomes frustrated, disappointed or depressed that she has to change course and travel a path different from the route she had planned and so remains in a circling pattern. If she circles long enough going nowhere, the plane will run out of gas!
So I’ve learned there’s no need to avoid making decisions. The sooner decisions are made, the sooner I can continue moving forward on my life journey. At times, I’ve thought a change of course indicated a mistake in my initial decision. But now I realize that sometimes what’s right in one moment is not right in the next, and that’s OK. Trusting my highest sense of right in every circumstance has helped direct me to the best course of action.
I try to see all decisions as opportunities — never as difficulties that are too tough or hard, unexpected or unwanted. Keeping myself flexible and open to face whatever opportunities come my way has led to my greatest success stories.
Spiritual sense and seeking the divine perspective for every decision assure a powerful presence in consciousness that can lead and guide all of us in the best direction possible.
Oct 13, 2006 |
by Annette Bridges. © 2006. All rights reserved.
“The supreme purpose of history is a better world,” spoke former President, Herbert Hoover. If this is true, what happens when history is not recorded correctly or if we stop studying history? How can lessons be learned from the past that lead us toward a better world without study of uncompromised narratives of those lessons?
We’re living in an age when making informed decisions is of paramount importance. The months ahead are no exception. How to stabilize Iraq? How to continue to effectively fight the war on terrorism at home and abroad? And Americans continue to move closer to making the decision of whether to re-elect their current President or elect a new one.
Can an understanding of our history help us make present and future decisions?
In a recent interview with historian David McCullough, The Christian Science Monitor provided some startling information about American’s lack of historic knowledge. (“Not yet forgotten, the ‘greatest generation’ finally set in stone,” May 27, 2004) In fact, historians say that knowledge of the past has always been a weak area for Americans and asserted that such lapses are dangerous. McCullough said, “If people don’t know who we are or how we got to where we are at what cost or struggle, then they are going to place much less value on it all.” My concern is that without valuing knowledge of our past and the lessons it has taught us, how can we keep from repeating the same lessons and at what cost? How do we make progress?
This same article spoke of history being rewritten in textbooks that are leaving out important contexts for events or that are placing an emphasis on select aspects of historic accounts that shifts thought away from understanding the big picture. This type of biased recording of history could make true British author, CK Chesterton’s words, “We can be almost certain of being wrong about the future, if we are wrong about the past.”
What if the study of history was no longer part of the education of young Americans? I was stunned to learn that none of the top 50 U.S. colleges or universities now requires American history to graduate. How can the next generation of leaders be prepared to make wise decisions that not only impact the future of America but impact all of humanity, without a solid knowledge of our history?
Of course, I do believe a better world requires more than history recorded accurately and its study. I agree that lessons learned from our past, influences decisions we make today and tomorrow. Each step we take can be a building block to a secure future. Even when we think we have made a mistake. Mary Baker Eddy, a woman whose own history speaks to many people today about breaking through seemingly impossible barriers, offers this promise: “Experience is the victor, never the vanquished; and out of defeat comes the secret of victory. That to-morrow starts from to-day and is one day beyond it, robes the future with hope’s rainbow hues.”
But I think we also need a vision for the future. Eddy advises, “When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress.” Perhaps expectation is required to keep us moving forward, no matter how slow we must walk in order to reach our desired destination. Expectation helps us maintain confidence and confidence keeps us from retracing our steps. I’m not sure knowledge of our history alone would be sufficient.
And what is the desired destination for our world? What constitutes a better world?
In writing The Declaration of Independence, our forefathers perhaps have given the best answers for all times and for all peoples. Not outlining democracy as an end destination, but as ideals to be continuously perfected, practiced and implemented:
A world that believes all men and women are created equal.
A world that asserts all people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
A world where governments are instituted among men and women, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
But even our founding fathers didn’t think of everything. Certainly, the Constitution of the United States and The Bill of Rights has continued to be amended throughout our 228 year history.
Our history came with a great price. Let us not forget that price or the future may cost us more than we can afford. Yet, as I reflect on each milestone of progress the United States has struggled to achieve, I suddenly have much greater patience and expectation of a brighter tomorrow for us, Iraq, and other peoples of the world. Thanks to the history of America, I see the promise of a better world.
