You Do What You Want To Do

"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or his foe, that lures him to evil ways."-Siddharta Buddha

I like to watch crime dramas.  CSI, Chicago Code, Criminal Minds, and Detroit 187 are but a few of my favorites. These type shows not only cause me to exercise the right side of my brain, but they also make me aware as to how close a person is to crossing the line between good and evil.  The prophet Isaiah said "You (God) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind stays on your ways". Jesus, himself, warned us not be be concerned about whether we shall have food or drink because our heavenly Father already knows that we have need of these things; but rather we should first seek God's kingdom and its righteous attributes and by doing this all our other needs will be given to us. (Matthew 12:29-31)  And momma simply said, "Boy, you had better behave while I'm gone".   It's inherent within all of us to misbehave, but just as it takes more facial muscles to form a frown and less muscles to make a smile it takes less effort to be kind than it does to be unkind.  Some religious folk would disagree and quote such scriptures as "Behold, I was shapen (created) in iniquity (wickedness) and in sin (a deliberate violation of a religious moral) did my mother conceive me."  Psalms 51:5  Oh, but how I tire of men's excuses to be mean and evil towards others; especially if that person claims to know God and to be associated with Him.  Let's face it; some people actually enjoy being evil.  They set their minds to it.  They plan evil attacks.  They are unhappy and they want everyone else to be just as miserable as they are.  I feel sorry for them, don't you?  My intention is not to be preachy in my writing.  I am just man enough to know that it is outright better to love my neighbor rather than to hurt or slander him.  This is what I have learned: Not to be conformed to this world, (in harmony with the prevailing nature of the world we live in), but be transformed, (to have a change in your nature or character), by having a renewed mind and a better way of thinking.  Are people going to magically jump on board with your loving attitude?  Heck no!  Some will even attempt to take advantage of your goodness; to exploit it for their greedy gain.  But in those instances we are to be wise enough not to cast our blessings towards swine, or those who are truly unappreciative of our gifts, and separate ourselves from wicked and unruly people.  It took me too long to realize that there are some things in this life that I simply do not have to tolerate.  This is not a hard attitude to formulate if you value your peace of mind, like less stress, and are not a people pleaser.  I call this "The ability to have church all by yourself". 
If you love yourself it matters not what others may think.  We can even learn from bad examples, such as how not to be.
Have a good day.
Dennis