So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.    Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭MSG

Happy Wednesday!  I hope your Wednesday is wonderful.  It is simply beautiful here and the weather is great.  I’m utilizing a late lunch to post.  I am so blessed to have three windows in my office.  I hope you will take advantage of your opportunities to make the world a better place today.

Have you ever looked around and thought “I don’t know what this world is coming to?”  I heard my grandmother use that phrase many times.  Have you wondered why so many people, especially young people, seem to lose their way?  I was in a meeting on Monday where a case worker shared a new program for helping young families with trauma.  I listened carefully at the statistics with a heavy heart.  There was an example provided of a young woman, who was abused and possibly on drugs.  She had lost her two young children, who were under the age of four, and she couldn’t have any more children.  The father of the children was in prison.  The case worker couldn’t figure out why the mother was not attending the counseling and classes, so the children could return home.  Finally, someone called the mother.  Her response was “I don’t have transportation.”  A person in the community purchased a bicycle for the mother and she never missed another class. It’s so easy think that the parents are evil, but that is not necessarily the case.  We are all products of our environment, and we continue the lessons we have learned.  Some of us break the mold in some ways, but still carry on what our parents have taught us in many ways.

On the way to work this morning I heard a sermon by the late Reverend Billy Graham.  He used an example of a little boy walking strangely through the snow.  The father asked the little boy “what are you doing son?”  The little boy said “walking in your steps Daddy”.  It is easy to forget that children learn from watching their parents and other adults in their lives.  Someone shared a story with me recently about a young boy.  He was supposed to sleepover at a friend’s house, but changed his mind and stayed home.  His parents did not know he was there.  That night he watched as his parents and other adults drank excessively and participated in unrestrained sexual activiy with other adult couples in the house.

If you don’t think this affects you and your family, you are wrong.  These same children and adults will interact with you, your children and grand children.  This is a world-wide problem.  Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by God, not conformed by the world. Just because the Internet or television shows indicate that certain behaviors are acceptable, doesn’t mean that they are.  You may think no one knows, but someone is always watching. The Bible tells us that if you are watching or thinking about things that are wrong and enjoying it, that’s just as bad. It’s up to Christians to share God’s love and walk the walk that they are talking.

So as you go through your life, think of the people who are modeling your behavior.  Think of the impacts you have on other people.  Are you making the world a better place or adding to it’s corruption?  Go to God for help.  He’s always there and He will bring out the best in you.

God bless you.