Looking at life in a new way

Did you hear about the mother who loved cooking for the family. But her family noticed something a bit odd. Before she cooked the roast beef,she’d cut off the end off the roast. Her daughter watched her do this one day “Mum,why do you do that?”. She replied “. why .. it’s how you’re supposed to cook a roast I suppose. It’s the way my Mother did it”. The mother thought a lot about that conversation over the next few days and decided to phone her mother. “Why did you always cut the end off the roast before cooking it?” she enquired. “Well”,her mother said,”that’s the way you’re supposed to do it”. “I know – but why?”. The grandmother was a bit puzzled .. “I don’t know really .. it’s the way my Mother did it while I was growing up”. So the 1st mother A grandmother of the clan) “Grandma – why do you cut off the end of the roast before you cook it?” She said “I don’t anymore. But when your mother was growing up,we had a very small oven and there wasn’t enough room for all the pans. I had to use a small pan,but it wouldn’t hold all the meat. So,naturally,I would always cut the end off”. Maybe that’s a bit of a silly story – but an interesting truth. We can end up doing things without knowing why,or because it’s always been done that way.

I think what we need sometimes is to look at life in a new way. Stop and think – what am I doing? Do I need a new outlook on life? You’ve probably heard the old saying .. Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars. When God is at the centre of our life,each day can be an adventure. Ephesians 3: 20 says “His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine”. That’s Jesus Christ,His presence  in our lives that the apostle Paul was talking about here ..

Do you ever find that you begin a new day bogged down with yesterday’s frustrations,fears,or failures? Do you ever get discouraged about unfinished tasks,or have you ever procrastinated about certain projects? Have you ever begun a new day with the feeling,”Oh,well,one more day with a lot of unfinished tasks”?  “why do I bother trying anything g new when nothing works”?  I have found some inspiring verses from the OT – Lamentations 3,verses 22-24 “The Lord’s kindness never fails. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say ‘the Lord is all I need; I can depend on Him”.  When we take these words and say them every day,life breaks out of its dreariness and opens up to us new possibilities. But we need His power and His strength to do it ..

I’m sure developing a positive attitude towards life can help. Each day is a gift from God and there is always something new to live. How tragic it is to read of people planning to end their lives. A few years ago a lady committed suicide,leaving behind this note. “I decided that unless life was worth living I would just quit living.”

How do you feel about your life? Is it worthwhile? Or,let’s change the question. What would it take for you to feel that your life is worthwhile? What would have to happen to make you feel really positive about your life?

If you won the lottery,would that do it? If your marriage suddenly was all patched up,would that do it? If your kids began to make you proud,or if you got a promotion,would that do it? What would it take for you to really feel positive about your life?

American author Frank Peretti said,”It’s no wonder that our young people today have poor self images when they go to school & read books that tell them that they are the products of blind chance that they are just accidents of nature unplanned,unloved,& unwanted.

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 Frank Peretti also  said  “Comfort can be a dangerous thing. You stick around home all the time where it’s safe and nothing ever changes,and before you know it,you get set in your ways and you quit learning,you quit changing,you don’t grow anymore.”

I believe Romans 8:28 in the NT has the potential to change your life forever. And it says “God is always at work for the good  of everyone who loves Him”. In other words,God never stops working for you,in ways you may not know. But He loves you,and doesn’t want you stuck in a rut