Dealing With Things One By One

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"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else."  When it comes to eating, sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomach.  Life is much like that.  There are so many things we feel we would like to have, but in all actuality, we either do not have room for them or we can't feasibly afford to have them.  In my home my favorite room is my African Room.  As the name suggests, this room is decorated in the fashion of everything African.  The rug, the paintings, the figurines, the 6' giraffe in the corner, elephants, a lion's head, tribal masks, and many other unique items. Each piece within this room has a special meaning to me and each of them tells a specific story of my life's travels, relationships, triumphs, moods, and battles.  I do not collect just any African artwork, only those things which are authentic and well crafted.  I like to go to certain stores to see what new item has arrived since my last visit.  My wife continuously tells me that I have absolutely no more space for another piece, but somehow I always find a spot somewhere. Of course there are times when I find a piece that is similar to, but not exactly the same, as a piece I already have.  Or perhaps I really don't need it at all but it has been so long since I bought anything. And here is when I must exercise wisdom and put it back on the shelf , even if it hurts me to do so.  Just as my African Room can only hold so much, the same applies to my life.  It can only hold but so much.  Have you ever wished there were two of you so that you could have more of everything? I did- especially when I was a child.  I remember thinking that If there were two of me I could have more ice cream, see twice the movies at the theater, and eat more candy.  And as I grew older and my desires evolved, I wanted more jobs so as to have more money to have more girlfriends and more clothes and the best of this and the best of that.  In the Bible there was a man named Solomon who was like that.  Although he had more wisdom than any man in the world he had a great appetite for stuff, and because of his riches, Solomon was actually able to acquire more things than he actually needed; not to mention all the wives he could ever have at one time.  He soon began to answer the demands his many wives over God's demand for him to be practical, thrifty and prudent and sadly, his appetites drew him further away from God.  My family and I sometimes go to a local Golden Coral restaurant.  It is amazing as to how many people who eat there seem to be absolutely oblivious to the fact that you can visit the food bar as often as you like.  Its almost a shame to look at the many plates that are piled high with a bit of everything from the entire food selection; steak and chicken and meatloaf and salad and collard greens and corn on the cob and green beans and white rice and Spanish rice and oriental rice and shrimp and catfish and roast beef and turkey and pie and rolls and more turkey! (Did I leave out anything)? And just as so much of their food is hidden beneath something else that had been placed on top of it, we conceal from ourselves things in our lives that we have greedily placed on top of what we already have.  I believe there is a time and a season for everything; however, anyone cannot clearly see this fact without a certain amount of cultivated patience.  And let's face it; everyone does not have patience for patience is learned, not inherited.  And just how does one acquire patience? By learning to clear your plate of what you have before piling more onto it. By knowing that you can only be in one place at a time. By realizing that you cannot have everything you see. By knowing that the absence of some things is truly for your benefit; especially if you desire to be closer to God.  To trust in the Lord is to be as a ship on the ocean.  You are not without a sail so you trust His guidance to take you through the rough waters of life, over the swelling tempest during the storms.  To not trust Him is to fold our sails and attempt to get through the storms (life) on our own strength.  I have loved much in my life and I have lost much, but even today I am rich and satisfied. Have a great day. I love you all. Dennis