FACING THE MIRROR OF TRUTH
Proverbs 14:8 “The sensible man’s wisdom is to consider his own way, But fools are deceived by their own ignorance.”
Prudent people and wise expect better things of their lives, and are continuously evaluating their performance in life and personal character. They take time to learn from what they are doing and what they have done, whether good or bad, both in success or failure.
My dad used to always tell me that when things go wrong, the first place you need to be looking is at yourself. He taught me that when something goes wrong be quick to admit what you did, and to never make excuses. Excuses, usually is a way of displacing blame from the place where it really and truthfully belongs. Taking personal responsibility for our lives is the first step towards adulthood and maturity. However, that process continues throughout our entire lives. I believe that it is that attitude of personal responsibility that can breed success in anyone’s life. The most successful folks in the world usually are the most critical of themselves.
We live in a time when so many people have such an entitlement attitude about life. Everybody owes them something, and if anything goes wrong it’s always someone else’s fault. They live in a haze of constant deception because the excuses that they set forth will not allow them to ever face the facts concerning their constant inability to follow through with what needs to be done. They refuse to look in the mirror and face the personal changes that must be made in order to change the outcome of their endeavors in life. One of the most obvious places that you find this attitude throughout this society is in the marriage. In the USA we have one of the highest rates of divorce in the world. Why? Normally, it’s because neither member in the party is willing to look at themselves truthfully and accept responsibility for their wrong doing. Therefore, they enter their next marriage carrying the exact same baggage of problems, and usually that marriage ends even more abruptly than the first.
Let us all take time to continually examine our lives and be willing to accept blame. Even if we feel that we are right, it is better to take the blame and allow God to set the record straight, which as a matter of fact He always does. We must not allow ourselves to get caught in a situation where excuses begin to place clouds of deception in our minds. Success comes only when we face the truth, not when we turn away from it.
Pastor LaVaughn
