How faithful you are to Divine order will spell the difference between success and failure. “I believe I can fly” the song says…if you truly believe that you CAN, you will! It’s amazing to me how much we can learn from animals. Existing with them in this world has allowed us to be cognizant of their habits and the essence of their presence.

Many places in the Bible there are references to animals, i.e., snakes, sheep, doves, a donkey, etc. My favorite, bar none, is the eagle! Why the eagle? In Isaiah we are told that “if we trust in the Lord we would find new strength and fly high like eagles”…well, let’s see how we can be faithful in doing this as it pertain to our choice on becoming the best authors that we can be. I would like to share some characteristics of eagles that we, both as believers and as astute caretakers of applying words to illustrate our stories can be definitive.

The first thing you learn about eagles is the fact that they have keen eyesight, they are powerful and impeccable hunters, and they are ever mindful of their prey or enemies. For lack of a better choice of words, do you know who YOUR adversaries are in the publishing world? Who is it, or what circumstance(s) that may have kept you from impressing that acquisition editor or that specific publishing house that you aspired to join? Paul in Ephesus had a unique problem and warned the Ephesians that enemies are NOT flesh and blood, but are ‘spiritual.’

Now, stop and think about that for a moment. If our enemies are not of the human variety, then what significance does the spiritual have to do with writing a book or satisfying our muse? I’m led to believe that anything spiritual could embody that which is unseen but has jurisdiction on what we do, how we do it and to what affect thereof. I will take it a little further by saying that we definitely need keen spiritual eyesight to discern the plans and agenda of Satan as he tries to thwart our best intentions. Our ‘enemies’ may not be what we fathom an enemy to be in the form of lions, tigers or bears, but they are dangerous and destructive in their own right.

Secondly, eagles build their aeries high up beyond human reach. Mind now, our nests where our visions and dreams are waiting to be born should also be high. But are they? We persist well within the reach of anyone willing to do us harm. Again, we can learn a lot about eagles!

Your ‘home’, or that which you’d want to claim as your ultimate domain must not be so trivial that you place it so low that would allow people to trample on your goals…by people who may not be in the same lane as you are running your race to the literary finish line. To succeed and be successful in anything we write must be thought of in idealistic terms as big and soaring high. Oh yes, we can fly only if we think we can. You must not be so prideful and let your ego tell you otherwise, and not think of yourselves more highly than you should.

God said use humility to guide you to be as humble as it take to be rewarded. Our personal journeys to transcend to lofty heights in our goals to become successful authors should predicate all that Isaiah intones in the scripture. It’s no accident that it’s one of the most popular verses in the bible, used extensively in Christian circles, reflective of people’s desires to live lives of significance, full of physical health, emotional fortitude, spiritual strength…but it can also be effective outside of ecclesiastical verve. As we write our stories and live outside of our imagery we cannot afford to ignore the promises God espoused in this verse. I feel that our immediate future will always be bright with promise and hope of affluence, respect and personal gain if we dare to fly and soar like eagles.

My main purpose here is to remind you how focused and absolute we should be to write exponentially and with confidence despite the ills that surround the literary diaspora. Reach for the stars and be able to land among those that have already tasted success to have the same mindset collectively. I’ve met quite a few people of late who cannot get off the ground, and those that have good intent but are not preparing their wings to negotiate the draft to soar. They are distracted and lack the stamina to pursue and maintain great heights. I’m sure you know a few yourself.

As mention earlier, eagles have great vision for peripheral insight; they can see great distances. We too, must be able to see beyond what’s on the surface of our literary lives…we must be resilient and resplendent in how we wear the raiment of God’s inner clothing. Another interesting fact about eagles is the fact that they do not eat dead meat! Unlike other animals or birds they do not eat what they do not kill…in other words they are not scavenger birds feeding off of other birds but hunt for their own food. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Simple. It means that the writer in you must not be lazy and be alert enough to embrace the rudiments of good research; be quite content to ride on the dreams and visions of your own and not steal the dreams and visions of others. The prerequisite to develop your own story is a must!

As I close this piece, I’m reminded of how the promises of God is incumbent on us realizing that in us He gave a blueprint for success and how to get there. I can’t help repeating this: on the wings of eagles He said that we should “wait upon the Lord, shall renew our strength; we shall mount up with wings like eagles, that we shall run and not be weary; and walk and not faint.” What profound words of wisdom are these!

No one said it would be easy where writing would be a natural course to traverse without trial and error, without a little trauma somewhere along the way…without what is necessary to trudge on and let indelible ink flow the way it should once we persevere. What would it take to build legacies, and hope for a future that is composed in pipe dreams and hopes for a better book? It is to be committed to the the wherewithal to go as high as we can for faith to guide us. I implore us all to think about how strong, powerful and relentless eagles are, and strive to mount up on the wings of those great avian creatures propelling ourselves to new heights. What then are YOU doing to fly and soar like eagles?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avin C. Romer hails from Miami, but the African-American Diaspora is his stage. He brings a passion for books and a lifelong enthusiasm in promoting African-American readership and the adherence to family literary. Alvin is a freelance writer, and a Research Analyst. You can find Alvin online a TheRomerReview.com and his blog, VERBATIM!

He is one of the contributors in the anthology, The Soul of a Man.

Related Posts

No related posts.

If life can be akin to a race, it’s my opinion that it would be a marathon as opposed to a sprint. Life is too short to just race for speed. It’s all about endurance and pacing oneself to deal with the stamina needed to live a good life. Racing toward a goal or having aspirations of being the best you can is not uncommon in a common world full of iniquity where scales are not balanced for all things good.

We’re all sinners and have fallen short of God’s dictates that He commanded. Thus, there are many other analogies we can point to remind us that it’s not what race you’re running, but how you run the race. And then again, it may not be all about winning. The keys is FINISHING the race has more merit. Imagine yourself in the starting blocks in the race of your life. Your head is up and poised looking ahead to the finish line. You’re seemingly focused on the starter’s gun hoping not to render a false start. You’re in your own lane knowing that to cross the line into another there’s the possibility of disqualification. The gun goes off and you’re off!

Such is the life of a competitor with one goal in mind –  crossing the finish line realizing the victory you think is yours. Such is the life that we all place ourselves in competing for a chance to win at all costs. But think about the type of race that has to be run for you to achieve those goals. I ask you — what type of race are you really running? Are you in a short race just looking for a quick fix to your problems, or would a longer race be to your benefit. Marathons are such that they test your staying power. Are you in the right lanes, though…how are you living?

Before I can extract answers from you, I had to assess the questions for myself and give an account on a personal level. I’ve come to realize that competing in any race only one (runner) will receive the ultimate prize, and that to truly win there’s a lot to be said about HOW you run that race. The gist of this essay is giving examples of how we should run using disciplines to achieve success. How easy (or difficult) is it for us to actually stay in our lanes? Can we finish a course to stick and stay no matter what the consequences? None of this can be accomplished without God in our lives, and certainly not without a regimented plan for redeeming value. Below is my version of how a good race is to be run for the sole purpose of staying steadfast to a regimen for righteous living,

The starting blocks

It starts here. I honestly feel that the reason people have so much problems in their lives is due to the fact that they don’t start out right. They want to be competitive and be in so much of a win win situation that they forget about what it takes to persevere. In this day and time there are obstacles and stumbling blocks all around us. Our economy is in shambles and people are living day to day from paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet and sometimes Peter is not in place to rob to pay Paul. You have alreday identified the problematic issues that are plaguing you in your life. You know that to be competitive in the world you need your own space and a sense of worth in it. You see your friends in all types of different light…some are prolific and producing; others are struggling just like you, but may have a few more materialistic things that from the surface looks like something you should have. They’re all in a race against time, a race that has to be run to justify a chance to belong to something good — a win! It would be a chance to perhaps for it to be a stepping stone of promise.

The genesis and key to any race is how you start it. Most prominent people can trace their successes to how and what they were taught as youngsters and how well they assimilated the information. Then there are the applicable measures where they were able to test what they learned. Such is the case when a runner steps in starting places for the race. You have to train and prepare yourself for the battle. You have to be in shape. Being in shape means that bible study is part of your regimen; that having an astute relationship with God where you can talk to Him about anything; that staying the course to bolster your work to build the Kingdom — all of these are solutions to help you start off right. These are the things that will not only keep you battle tested, but par for your course.

I think one of the major maladies in our lives as it pertain to preparation is not having the right frame of mind to allow confidence to play a monumental role in galvanizing the will to win. This is where faith initiatives come in, the innate belief that no matter what, God is going to see you through because He got your back! When you come to the starting blocks already know that you are where you supposed to be and that you’ve done what you had to do to get to this point, and finally that the lane assigned to you will be yours to claim for victory. If you’ve determined that the type of race you’re going to run is a marathon or a long distance race then half the battle is already won. Let’s hope that you took the high road and decided that you wanted to take life seriously enough to allow time to be the better barometer to gauge your progress.

During the race

Now that you’ve bolted out of the blocks, you’re looking down the lane oblivious to the person on either side of you because you are jockeying for position. It’s a long race (just like in life) and you need stability to insure a sense of continuity.  Anybody that knows anything about running a race knows that a fast start is essential and that the first 200-500 yards sets the pace in a race for distance. But quite a few things in that time frame will say a lot on how you finish, and how valuable the finish line will be for you — whether you win or lose.

Now that you’ve done what needed to be done and you’re in the best shape you can be in, the spirit within you will take over as you stride for momentum. Your main thought should be do you have enough to be viable, to be visible and to be validated. You would want to allow self, family and community to be the pillars of your strength. Your life will be predicated on values deep within that you can pull forth to identify yourself with dong the right things to be good role models, Your familial order will be in good stead because you will teach your children and train them up with good biblical scripture and your communal order will be to attend church and let it be the rock of congregational coherenece. But of course you know you need to stay in your lane and mind your own business. It’s during the race that all of these things play out to justify the finish.

Approaching the finish line, and life beyond it

The preparation for the final call is where God will call us all before Him to give account for our lives. How well we have lived, or rather, how well we have run the race of life will determine our fate.  All thoroughout that race of life you have been holding the virgil and have had the type of stamina to be in position to cross the finish line. But before we get there, one will have to have claimed Jesus as their personal Saviour to make their election and calling surest. All of us want to be in that number, but to get there our lives must be pristine and our souls cleansed enough to pass God’s omnipotence.

I will always contemplate and even debate whether we know that in a race all runners compete, but few truly finish to live a good life beyond it. It’s imperative that we understand Satan’s role in stopping you from running that perfect race. He will do most anything to throw wrenches into any progress made. Many of the challenges that come our way in life are simply distractions that he creates to try to lure us from our destiny. Living life beyond the finish line means that every precaution to be a winner must be exercised to maintain balance for sustained spirituality. Every day there will be tests where the wherewithal to get upset is greatest—maybe someone is poking, or a competitor is running our of their lane, or someone is backstabbing and fueling the rumor mill. When any of this happens, dismissing all of it and donning the armor of humility is the best course. Think how Jesus would handle it. How would you benefit from actually doing the right thing?

The reason many people are missing out on God’s best by not running good and better races can be attributed to misdirections and distractions in running the type of races that would find them running out of gas before reaching the finish line. I would behoove you to choose to keep your focus and attention on becoming more like Jesus so you can fulfill the destiny He has prepared for you! Refocus and rededicate your life to live one that has meaning and longevity. Say that you are determined to overlook offenses and choose your battles wisely, and that you will run the race you have set before yourself with purpose so you can lay hold of the prize God has for you. Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose but how you run the race for the longer haul!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avin C. Romer hails from Miami, but the African-American Diaspora is his stage. He brings a passion for books and a lifelong enthusiasm in promoting African-American readership and the adherence to family literary. Alvin is a freelance writer, and a Research Analyst. You can find Alvin online a TheRomerReview.com and his blog, VERBATIM!

He is one of the contributors in the anthology, The Soul of a Man.

Related Posts

1. It’s Just My Emotions Running Away With Me
2. A Love Letter To My LORD
3. Lord, Increase Our Faith

I was asked recently a series of questions in reference to Christian behavior and how men should carry themselves as such. During the course of eliciting a favorable and balanced answer it dawned on me that the validity of the questions caused for a more in-depth response. As I looked around taking inventory of behavior patterns in men, I found that few gave a true indication of not only being gentlemen, but Christian value either was lacking or non-existent. To be sure, Christians are expected to behave in certain ways, but does behaving in those certain ways make one a Christian? More important, if a person fails to live up to those certain behaviors, what formulaic mannerisms should they be abiding?  Or, is the assessment "lesser" have any bearing on how one should live on a whole?

I firmly believe that men can attain a level of respect, thus regaining any lost luster by living a quality life. True Christians are gentlemen and respected in all quarters of the Kingdom. The gist of this essay is an opinionated view of what I think men should embody to allow double standards not to be parallel for equal parts to be the betterment of the whole in the true sense of being a better Christian.

I never met the grandfathers from both the maternal and paternal sides of my family. Back in the day when there were villages raising children it was easy for me to align myself with elders within the community sitting at their knees listening while they gave aspects of their lives. Several of those ‘lessons’ stuck with me, but there was one that truly made a difference in my life, and that was understanding the vestiges and virtues of what respect means, how to dispense it and how to demand it. Over the years, and especially since I turned my life aroung I learned how respect manifests itself throughout the daily habits of living, and how dependent men should be in developing character and mannerisms to be accountable. Two men that have taught me well in my lifetime were more than willing — Rema Cobb and Dr. Benjamin Mays. Rema Cobb was like family to me. As a matter of fact he was the best friend of my father and I lovingly called him ‘Uncle’. Uncle Rema was a commoner — a man without the rudiments of a formal education, but full of wisdom from a life of experienced living. He called a spade a spade and called it like it was. Growing up in Miami’s central negro district — ‘Overtown’, I can honestly and proudly say that there wasn’t a need to go outside the confines of Jim Crow’s segregated boundaries. We had everything we needed smack dab in the middle of our enclave of influence. Mr. Cobb was a Godsend and a saving grace…he understood the importance of education and growing exponentially for greater resolve. He wasn’t degreed, didn’t even finish high school, but along the way was able to forge stability for a sturdy foundation.   He, along with my father gave me all I needed to know about the hard knocks of life emanating from hell’s kitchen. He was a Longshore, or as some people would refer — a Stevedore working the docks at the Port of Miami. He once told me that “the best thing that any man can learn is how to be respected and gain from how you are viewed by your peers!”

Benjamin Mays was flat out awesome! I met him long after he had left Morehouse College and was then the head of Atlanta’s Public School System. I remember catching the bus from the Five Points area of the city to listen to some of his lectures on the Civil Rights era. I met him personally while stationed at Ft. McPherson while studying at Graves Hall on the campus of Morehouse. Mays emphasized two themes throughout his life: the dignity of all human beings and the gap between American democratic ideals and American social practices.  And this is what galvanized me to not give up because there was too much slack in my rope. I needed to tighten the reins of my influence and Dr. Mays provided that for me! He emphasized the importance of respecting your fellow man and holding your women up to the highest esteem and allowing integrity to be the barometer to measure worth. From both of these erudite men I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s a method to the madness of how not only to display respectful attitudes, but to achieve it from all walks of wisdom and be distinguished to boot! Being a true Christian and a man about respect is all about distinguished in a gentlemanly way. You become a true Christian and a Distinguished Gentleman by doing things to make a sure calling and an election that you can win! I surmise in the passages below how to become the best role model that youngsters can look up to:

First and foremost, one should have a sense of spirituality manifested by Christian value. God HAS to be present in your life to elicit challenging changes for a better life. You must be humble enough to realize that you’re a sinner and that certain standards must me adhered to. Jesus waits at the door of your heart.  He is a gentleman and will not barge his way in.  He knocks.  If you want to enjoy His company just let him into your being. you need to be born again.  This is something that needs to be experienced in order to be fully understood. We all want respect regardless of our circumstance. This is so, because every human value is different from the other, which then requires the understanding between persons on things to help their communication better, especially while walking as a Christian. You may ask yourself “how would Jesus exemplify the art of respect and expecting the same from those looking at him? I’m sure he would agree with my beattitudes, as He would: 1) expect you to be respectful of others truly from your heart for them to respect you; 2) Learn to be positive at all times even in tough situations that break others down. Learn to bring the good out of situations and build on them; 3) Learn to be loyal to friends, family and others. Have a standard mindset that speaks the same truth from the heart to all and not just to those you want their appreciation; 4) Be concilliatory and not make negative judgments about others; 5) Be decent in use of your words and actions. Try to avoid debasing or vulgar statements. Also, dress well and have a pleasant demeanor. 6) Be generous from the heart and be real to yourself. Be the good example for others to follow. Be the bridge builder amongst people, not always for self-centered reasons. Be thoughtful and pursue peace, progress and greatness by building and exercising your inner self to real life expansive vision; 7) Learn to know when to talk and listen attentively to others and let them know you have learnt something from them without necessarily saying what. Be positively responsive and confident with a mild sense of elegance; and…8) do not give promise when you know you would not honor it. Trust and act on your words. Whenever you make mistake, accept full responsibility, not to pass the blame, and then politely move onward.

All of the above are entities that build character and will propel you to become that distinguished gentle;man and a model Christian. This then, will be the foundation to your growth, using the five stages of Christian Growth: Salvation, Spiritual Growth, Stewardship, Spiritual Gifts and Sending Forth. You must be strong though, and purposeful in your walk. We all know that satan is a liar and will do anything to thwart your alignment with Christ. Temptation is one of his biggest ploys to derail yourbest intentions. Learning to resist him is essential. The devil wants to get a hold on us so he can attack to discourage and sway us away from God and His ways. Our defense is simple; we are to stand firm in Christ, pray, and allow His work in us and not ours; what we would bring to the table is just fuel for the devil and his ways! More often than not we falter and sucummb to the ills of society that cause us to not be reverent in the promises made to God. It’s called ‘backsliding’. As I’ve lived and learned through a process of perseverance, symptoms of everyday life where society has ills that are not conducive to Godly behavior have rendered me no choice but to live righteously. I admonish you to think along the same lines. The symptoms are everywhere. We must apply ourselves accordingly and be accountable for what we do and how we present ourselves. True Christians have a blueprint for life following Jesus’ examples. Likewise, you become distinguished as a gentleman by living a Christian life replacing the self-esteem that may have been lost in your iniquity, embrace your family, and attain goals and within your sights a communal attitude for a better foundation. Seize the moment!

Related Posts

1. The Reality of Christian Living
2. Finding True Value in Your Existence
3. Raising the Standards of Christian Education

Sometimes you are just confused as to whether you really love the person you are dating or it is mere attraction, and it is difficult to make a decision. Questions abound and you don’t know how can you be so sure that you’ve picked the right one? Well, the first thing that should be done is ask yourself why you have the love for the person you’re with? A better understanding of your heart and what it says should not be understated. For instance, does your heart beat for your partner? Do you feel totally devastated when he is not around? You should know the difference between love and infatuation. Blind love is not an option and shouldn’t be part of this equation.

More often than not there comes times when we see in our paths that one person that seemingly is for us, and we put ourselves in position to allow what we see to believe without full scrutiny. In all aspects of life we are generally judged by the choices we make, and in some cases by choices we DON’T make. Discernible options that are ours places us in precarious positions when we are not equipped to be prominent in those choices, and not positioned favorably to take advantage. With this in mind, we have to live in harmony with Christ’s mandate for holy matrimony. This is part of His Divine plan for our salvation. The gist of this essay then, are lessons derived at how we should make the right decisions, live the type of life that would exemplify good works, and allow self, family and community to be part of all of the aforementioned. The lessons gives opportunities for reconciliation and a better understanding choosing partners for life! But how can we go about the business of finding the ones apropos for good lifetime relationships?

Throughout history time has shown us what happens when we don’t go beyond status quo or look deep within in lieu of opting only for surface matters to color our palette. Having the right person in your life is liken to relating to that which is a deep metaphor for your soul to reverberate and be sharing of the things that God has envision for that person to be one with you. I will refer to thematic overview for subjective interpretation as ‘soul mates’ when referring to those that should align themselves for a congruent relationship.

Our soul mates are not progenitive to just the opposite sex, but can come from all walks of life. All things are not equal in degrees of development. There’s differences in the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of how we choose our friends and  acquaintances. Sometimes these relationships can be intense depending on our souls connecting from the past without allowing it to undermine the advantages of futuristic progress as opposed to possessing a regressive mind. So the question still remains, how do you choose the right partner? I’ve formulated a few tips that I find to be important to help one understand the true essence of love and help you make decisions as to choosing the right soul mate.

Common Interests — For a compatible relationship the couple should have common interests…interests that both find engaging.  There should be no inhibitions or compromises. When two people have different interests, one person usually ends up sacrificing their desires for the other person in order to live a happy life, or end up living completely separate lives. Therefore to avoid any future complications and creating egotistical  issues, it’s better to analyze your interests and desires for a perfect match.

Ambitions — Never let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t pursue goals that may be ordained from God. Healthy ambition can help any relationship prosper. I find it so necessary to preserve your individuality and make it clear that you too, have a life and ambition worth the sake of the relationship. Find out whether your partner are comfortable with dual goal-setting initiatives.  Would your partner be willing to let you have that career you have always wanted?

Intellect — This is important and should be one of the things that you look for in choosing your soul mate. Does the intellect levels match?  It is very difficult to communicate with a dull or insensitive person who may not be willing to reason. Ask these questions to yourself: when you talk to him/her, are the wave lengths the same? How long does it take for questions to be answered adequately? Can the both of you really talk about absolutely anything? This may sound crazy but imagine living your entire life with someone who doesn’t understand you and who frustrates you to no end by lack of communication?

Principles — Deep-seated morals and ethics should be inherent in forming a base for truth and spiritual resolve. If one of you are resilient in this mode without your partner sharing the same sense of being, there will be problems in your relationship. Establishment in a strong belief system is paramount to stability  and must be straightened out before plunging into marriage.

The key to a better understanding in our choices is to know beyond reproach that having the ability to discern whom shall you trust, to what degree and how to manifest ‘thus sayeth the Lord’ precepts are important.  I’ve come to believe that all of our soul mates have one thing in common — they come into our lives to teach us lessons in compassion, forgiveness and in an unconditional love of ourselves and each other. Sometimes these relationships are challenging and painful; sometimes we are victimized; and sometimes we are the very ones who are prone to show the other person how to find the path back to the Godhead.  Once we know the definitive aspects of how soul mates can be positive and progressive in our lives, we will be better off in all things spiritual!

Related Posts

1. The Value of Making Wise Decisions
2. A Friend For All Seasons

You consider yourself a good Christian, you pay your tithes, study the word diligently, work to build up the Kingdom and talk to God daily with incessant prayer. During the course of your lifetime you will endeavor to take a trip, traveling to some predestined locale with purposeful intent. Your mind is made up and you need to get there no matter the circumstances. Despite anything that would prevent you from moving forward, you’re on a mission.

As you begin the journey you’re comfortable in your lane, not expecting the road to be arduous and full of mayhem. You’re no psychic nor a visionary, but you know that anything can happen to make a journey go awry, so you prepare for whatever may come. But do you really? The purpose of this essay is to allow better reaction to signs that tend to thwart progress, and for them to have different definitive meanings for adherence. The key is to help your navigation. Recently, a student down in the dumps because she missed being Valedictorian by a hair, thus subjecting her to Salutatorian thought it the end of her world, until she heard MY speech at her commencement exercises. In essence, this is what I shared with her:

Know that something always will be in your way to stop your progress. Carnality working in an unspiritual mind will surely cause you to be lax in your spiritual walk. Satan works hard to make sure that you do not succeed. I don’t regret the rebirth I made years ago to avoid pitfalls. At this stage of my life I’m comfortable where I am. Unlike others I see, there’s a tendency to rush along and not consort the Lord. Before you know it the ego blows up. When this happens the roadblocks proliferate, and satan rises to occasion to give you advice contrary to anything spiritual. Look at the bigger picture and purpose in your heart and mind that you will stay the course and prevail no matter what. Stick closer to God who will use His still small voice to be ever so vociferous once you embrace Him. I learned the hard way and wasn’t always compliant, but when the Holy Spirit got ahold of me the roadblocks became less problematic and the journey became much more than a common ride! You too can rise above the hurt and pain of temporary setbacks.

Imagine Paul on his journey toward Damascus. He had no idea that his roadblock was necessary for change to manifest a magnificent mantra for him to adhere to. We know the rest of the story. God changed his name, directed his path and gave him an agenda. Likewise, there’s a purposeful venue for all of us. There’s always unique stories that harkens to encounters with God where better courses are yours in remapping your best plans! There are signs in your life that should be heeded for extra-curricular benefits. What are some of those signs that you may encounter along the way? There are a few that should have your attention for your journey to be worthwhile. Take a look at a few worth mentioning:

Yield – Not onto temptation; be conscious of oncoming traffic in the wrong lanes; slow down and let the Holy Spirit prompt you when to move forward in lieu of your own understanding.

Stop — Cease and desist from participating in immoral acts; find it in your heart to obey God’s Commandments. Rededicate your life to Christ!

No U-Turns — Be sure to keep moving in the right direction. Backsliding and apostasy are not options to continue doing wrong…go straight, turn right and look up!

Men Working — Find a ministry, latch onto it and carve a niche for your quest to be accountable in helping build the Kingdom.

Slippery When Wet — Stay upright, plant your feet and stand firmly on God’s Word. The devil is a liar and seeking whom he may devour; Stand up for what you believe in.

Detour — Find another route, but stay the course to be out of the box but in His will.

Slo — You’re moving entirely too fast! Slow down, take inventory of yourself and move along moderately using discernible options to do the right thing.

No Left Turn — Always seek that which is righteous for a better lease on life; Embrace righteous pearls and spiritual gems in life for redeemed value, but wear them well!

Caution! – Look before you leap…tread lightly, choose your friends wisely, and be diligent in using the fruits of the Spirit to make your election and calling sure.

Roadblocks signify different messages to different travelers, but before you choose an easier path, consider that it might be a test of your perseverance. Don’t be so attached to your current walk if it isn’t in concert with God’s dictate for righteous living. You must be willing to obey the signs along the way to avoid the roadblocks. You want a better quality of life. It goes without saying that if you are unwilling to set them aside and stop straddling fences, your dream might not be necessarily better on the other side. Faith initiatives should be a part of your modus operandi. Persevering through roadblocks are not hard once you stop, look and listen. You must toe the line and look up every so often and know that God is in your corner and working on your behalf. Don’t worry about gaining a point — make sure that you make a point to travel the best journey with all the signs of a winner!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avin C. Romer hails rom Miami, but the African-American Diaspora is his stage. He brings a passion for books and a lifelong enthusiasm in promoting African-American readership and the adherence to family literary. Alvin is a freelance writer, and a Research Analyst. You can find Alvin online a TheRomerReview.com and his blog, VERBATIM! He is one of the contributors in the anthology, The Soul of a Man.

Related Posts

No related posts.

Are we always in position to make the best decisions when faced with dilemmas? What can we claim as valuable nuggets to be triumphant in our choices? Take one individual for instance as we ponder the title of this essay: Stanley Holmes was a star football player, an academic All-American popular beyond measure, a role model for those seeking to emulate his success, and a wunderkind if you will in the business world. After graduating at the top of his class a multi-million contract was negotiated on his behalf as he would go on to play 10 years with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Just before retiring, Stanley met John, a glib and enthusiastic real estate developer with a gift of gab who came across with an engaging smile and Type A personality.

After making the rounds socially, John introduced Stanley to the Jet Set — a coterie of his friends that shared common bonds and lived the fast life. More than once Stan found himself in uncharted waters among people he truly didn’t know. They exposed him to a lifestyle that was unbecoming to what he was used to. One day John coerced Stan to agree to a unique and magnificent deal that would set him up for life — all he would have to do was to introduce more of his friends in the ‘deal’ that called for each member to put up a predetermined amount that would subsequently fuel the wherewithal for more collateral as long as the friends Stan brought in told someone else that told someone else, etc. A corporation was formed, and Stan thought that the decision he made was the one for him.

Meanwhile John, sitting at the top of a now escalating pinnacle, was getting financial rewarded as the monies were controlled exclusively by him and doled out moderately, if at all. This worked as long as John had ample alibis and excuses to justify not making payments to his cohorts on time. After awhile he disappeared with as much as 10.5 million dollars of the corporation’s money! Yes, you’ve heard of scenarios just like this, right?! Could Stan have made a better decision? At what point should he have used discernible options, deductive reasoning, a little logic and plain ole common sense?

You get the picture — he could have valued the option to look deeper at what was on the surface for intrinsic value. The first mistake Stan made was throwing caution to the wind and accepting without apprehension something that appeared to be a good fit, and not praying for direction. People will cross your path more often than not with a winning smile, a fast-talking track that would make you believe that they are what’s happening, bar none. I’m firmly aware that God has given each of us talents that are nothing more than gifts for this temporary stay on earth.  Thus, we have no control over what talents we are born with or without. We also have no control over Divine intervention and what God has willed…but we do have choices as to how hard we work, and what faith initiatives we should adhere to in making success out of our lives. The gist of this essay and the most powerful factor affecting our daily living is our ability to make wise decisions. Stan didn’t and it cost him dearly.

What are the lessons learned in this story? People in general and young folk specifically should make it a habit to heed wise counsel in this piece. What is God saying to YOU as it relates to Stan’s choice? Did God come into play when decisions were made? People usually do not include anything Spiritual in seeking a sure calling. Life is a revolving wheel with spikes surrounding a fulcrum with various stages of growth. I’m a firm believer that we are where we are in our lives and our careers because of the decisions we have made, or perhaps the choices we didn’t make. The different choices we make are influential with dividends. Those decisions range from choosing the right college, what career field to work in, familial decisions,  where to invest our time or our money — all of it takes us down a different path. Decision-making is a skill that can be learned and enhanced. With this in mind, let’s think about application.

To apply value to choices is to know thyself and be in position to think clearly. And this is an area where I feel young folk falter. In order to make a wise decision, you need to know as much about yourself as possible. Knowing yourself is the foundation of a wise decision, and is vital when taking the first decision making step.  All of the effort and technique you employ will be wasted if thinking through the decision isn’t done properly. A critical thinker observes his own thinking process and monitors himself for faulty logic, and this includes keeping your head to the sky.

We tend to make things worse when we take for granted or assume that things are not what hey are due to what we see on the surface.  There is nothing wrong with assumptions and, in fact, they provide a useful service in that they give us a clearer path through unnecessary thinking. We assume that we will awake in the morning, that the sun will continue to rise and prior to 911 that we are safe from attack.  But, in thinking through a decision it is important to become aware of our assumptions and to determine if they are accurate after talking to God.

In closing, decisions and how they are made can make or break you.  The value of making wise decisions ultimately falls on the shoulders of  assured and logical foresight with objectives to think clearly through the best solution. Moreover, having a sense of discernment will undoubtedly key your paths to open doors for viability and value in your lives. The important point to understand is that a decision and it’s outcome are separate, distinct and without trial and error. Your goal should be to make the best decision possible under the circumstances, allow the Spirit to guide you and be released from the aftermath of an unpleasant outcome. Stan definitely could have used this!

Don’t blame yourself if the outcome isn’t what you wanted or expected — you don’t have control. You can always make another decision to correct the situation if you go awry. It is interesting to observe that despite the clear distinction between decisions and outcomes, the better part of valor is recognizing your shortcomings by getting out of the box but staying in His will. This is a saying coined by my Pastor and it works! Here’s hoping that other Stanley Holmes’ will heed the information therein and be blessed because of it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Avin C. Romer hails rom Miami, but the African-American Diaspora is his stage. He brings a passion for books and a lifelong enthusiasm in promoting African-American readership and the adherence to family literary. Alvin is a freelance writer, and a Research Analyst. You can find Alvin online a TheRomerReview.com and his blog, VERBATIM!

Related Posts

1. Making the Right Decisions in Selecting a Soul Mate
2. A Friend For All Seasons
3. Drawing Dividends From Defeat