Friday, January 20, 2017
I am Persuaded
I
Am Persuaded
I am persuaded mountain lakes can be cold because I tried
washing my head in a Montana lake one spring and nearly passed out. I am
persuaded New England winters can be brutal because I have lived through them
for several decades; I have chipped ice off roofs, shoveled tons of snow and
shivered in the cold while trying to frame walls in January. I am persuaded cows are strong because, as a
teen, I wrestled the calves to the ground for branding and I saw spooked cows
snap off 8"x8" fence posts as if they were twigs. I am persuaded nail guns are dangerous
because I've been injured by deflected nails more than once. I am persuaded sunsets are beautiful because
recently I've taken the time to stop and enjoy them.
Life experiences have convinced me of many things. If I
were to read a book that declared that all lakes were warm, I would not change
my mind. If the Supreme Court were to
rule that New England winters were not wet or cold, I would laugh at their
ruling. If a dozen Hollywood stars were to tell their fans that cows are weak,
I would just consider the source. If I were to find out Ivy League schools
taught that nail guns were not dangerous, my opinion would remain. If all the
U.S. news outlets put out a bulletin saying sunsets were ugly, I would simply
feel sorry for them.
I think most readers would react the same way in my
situation. Most of us would not be so
intimidated by the aforementioned sources that we would believe them over what
we had proven in our own lives.
So why are we expected to cave in to popular or
politically correct fads and opinions on even more important subjects? Why is
it that good people with time-proven morals and values are pressured to sit
quietly and adopt opinions that violently conflict with the things that have
been proven true on many occasions? Why do the bullies of the world who make a
lot of noise about their opinions feel so free to berate others who have been
convinced and convicted about truths and values by living through the school of
hard knocks?
I wonder if anyone else is a little tired of being
labeled backward or prudish because they agree with powerful and time-proven
principles such as those found in Scripture?
Life and over thirty years of helping people deal with life's greatest
challenges have convinced me that:
- God is good
- Marriage can be the most powerful asset a person can have
- Telling the truth is not hateful or bigoted
- Dishonesty is wrong and hurtful even when society tolerates it
- Obeying the Ten Commandments could solve most of mankind's problems
- The Bible is the greatest book ever written
I am persuaded. If
you are persuaded, there is no good reason for you to adopt the views of people
who have not discovered these things for themselves. Maybe it is time to ignore all the noise from
supposed experts and test these things for yourself. Then, don't be ashamed to kindly let the
world know that you are persuaded.
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