Don’t Stagnate, Learn a New Skill

stop hindering yourself from getting better…

'Servants, in everything obey those who are your masters on earth, not only with external service, as those who merely please people, but with sincerity of heart because of your fear of the Lord. ' Colossians 3:22

'And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ' Matthew 5:41

'To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper. ' Proverbs 19:8

'Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. ' Ecclesiastes 10:10

there were many times in my life that i slacked off, taking the opportunities i had for granted, did nothing more than what was required, became complacent. what i realized is that i punished myself, my family, even my future (though not guaranteed) because i didn’t want to do more than necessary.

i know that i could have done more in school. from waikiki elementary to kaimuki christian, i was just a mediocre student. then i went to st. louis school where my mom really worked hard to pay my tuition and i just did average work. left for freshman year at kaimuki high; when i got there i knew i was ahead of most, possibly the majority of the kids. not that the others were not as intelligent, just that the earlier educational opportunities gave me a competitive ‘advantage’.

i could have pushed myself, taken advantage of opportunities to get in higher level classes while an underclassman. did i, nope. i just cruised on by knowing i would get good grades without really trying. blew through 9th grade and got decent to good grades. from then it really went downhill because of my poor behavior, lack of discipline, had no structure, and alcohol and drugs had a grip on me and i would not let go.

then in my college years i was working to get and be better; i was for a short time. 2nd year into school my positive changes went south when getting back into heavy drugs. while learning new things did come easy, i relied on that for so long to get me as far as possible. unfortunately my comprehension and retention took a beating from the hard living and i barely made passing grades. had to take courses all over again which caused me to waste time and money. in the end i graduated with less than a 3.0. the crazy thing is, back then, i probably thought that was great.

in my adult professional life, i didn’t do much better. took the opportunities extended to me and just did whatever i needed to make $$, but not really earn it. definitely pretended from time to time to know more than i did and tricked others into trusting me. believed this lie so long that i accepted it as truth for a while. it’s only when you get caught that your story starts unraveling and people realize you don’t know squat and are surprised to have fallen for your crap.

what i do know is that God truly opened doors for me, poured out many blessings, and instead of doing my very best i just did what i wanted because i felt that was sufficient. more often than not, instead of getting better, learning a new skill, taking time to relearn or improve what i did know, i just skated by.

stealing, partying, surfing, and other stuff - basically getting nowhere in life was primarily what i was focused on. while it would be easy to just say i messed up because i had no father in my life, i still was responsible for my actions.

while most wouldn’t fault me because of my childhood, i shortchanged the life that the Lord was wanting for me, that then i could use the overflow to bless others. instead, i struggled to manage my life properly and certainly didn’t bring glory and honor to Him. while i did so verbally to my co-workers, friends, and family when things were good, by not doing my very best all the time i basically poopooed on what God had given me, even to the point of disrespecting Him.

instead of talking down to myself, that i can’t do this or that, not my strength, i’m too slow, and other crazy stuff i used to say about or tell myself, i try to see what i can do, what i need to learn, how can i get better, and actually go out there and get that knowledge and experience.

is it hard, sometimes, yet in the end you can gain so much more than you thought. even if it is a better way than how you do things now, it will allow you to grow, maximize your efforts/results while reducing the time you need to get it done. besides efficiency, you gain effectiveness.

that is how we honor God. don’t just be average because we are made in His image - He does not make junk, period. if we follow Jesus, we represent Jesus, so our work should exceed expectation. that is how God will bless what i/we do. keep striving to do my very best and be willing to learn, grow, accept feedback and criticism, and to change where needed without complaint.

dear Heavenly Father, thank you for helping me see that i was not living my life to its fullest potential in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus. that i just went on my ordinary self instead of the full life you had in store for me. i do not accept nor believe the lies the devil has said about me or have tried to make me feel. would you pour our your Holy Spirit on me, my family, fill our home with your Presence Lord. help me/us be the best version of ourselves that you already planned. help me not to be afraid to learn new things, improve what i already know, and to also eliminate anything that is not in alignment with you. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!