One Fatal Mistake

How many times do we hear about super famous people or somebody that  is perhaps anonymous to the general public but that lives down the street from you that looses absolutely everything because of one fatal mistake. One lapse of judgment and they are done forever, one decision, one word, one moment of anger, one moment of desperation… with life long consequences.

We could talk about people like Tiger Woods, Bret Favre, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and so many others that a moment of weakness killed their reputation. But sadly we can also talk about Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart, and many other ministers that are being talked about throughout different news outlets everyday because of their character failures.

Every single one of this individuals, whether in music, sports, politics, filming industry, ministry. At some point in their lives was presented with a choice to do the right thing or have it their way. To listen to their conscience or to listen to their inner desires and they chose to put everything on the line and risk it all to have what they wanted right then… and this is not just about sexual temptation. This is about everything. All the way from money, power, sex, fame, to a position, promotion, grades, recognition, etc.  All those cravings that we for some reason long for and are willing to compromise what we are all about to achieve.

For some reason we are so prone to overlook the long-term implications of our actions. We only think of the here and now, and we avoid seeing the trail that comes behind our poor choices.  Slowly we justify more and more our selfish behavior and never confront the fact that we lacked the integrity that is genuine because is backed up by actions and not just talk.

Bottom line is integrity truly matters when nobody is looking, when we are making those choices completely alone and by ourselves. The type of choices that we are making both, in our head and in our hearts, long before the occasion to face the physical temptation arises.  That is when true character is being developed…  and that’s when we make the one fatal mistake of flirting with the limits when we are by ourselves and we don’t realize that we are jeopardizing absolutely everything else that we have.

Just like we saw in the life of Saul and it cost him his Kingdom, in the life of David and it cost him his son, in the life of Absalom and it cost him his life.

So the challenge is for every single one of us to start taking a really hard and honest look at ourselves and see in which areas we have been slacking off and compromising (maybe in your job, studies, couple, walk with God, relationships with friends, family), and have a real conversation with God asking him not just to forgive us, but also to open up our eyes to see how big of deal integrity and character are to Him. 

Lesson learned from Frodo Baggins of the Shire

This last week I reread The Lord of the Rings, most of us are very familiar with the story. The darkness of Mordor are getting ready to completely take over the Middle Earth,  the only thing the evil Sauron is missing is his ring of power. All the races (Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Hobbits) unite to fight against this common enemy and save their world. Oddly enough the weakest of this races gets the biggest task... while everyone else is fighting, a couple of Hobbits (Frodo and Sam) have to sneak past Sauron's all seeing eye, get to mount doom, and destroy the ring.  They succeed! against all the odds, with multiple close calls, and an exciting yet dangerous journey they accomplish the task and destroy the power of darkness! However when is all said and done, the great Hero of the story (Frodo) does not get a chance to enjoy the beauty of his calm Shire (his hometown)... he has to leave.

"So i thought too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. 

I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me.

It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: Someone 

has to give them up, loose them, so that others might keep them. 

But you are my heir: All that I had and might have had I leave to you"

Frodo Baggins to Samwise Gamgee, Lord of the Rings, The return of the King 

That paragraph caught me completely off guard, Frodo knew all along that the sacrifice he was making was not for him, but for the people behind him. He was making a way for others to enjoy a safe, peaceful life... Regardless of the the fact that it meant letting go of him his dreams, his future, his life... he did not budge, he carried the ring all the way to mount doom and gave himself away so others could be saved. It was not about him...

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it"

Jesus to all of us, Mark 8:35

Greater love has no one than this: 
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Jesus to all of us, John 15:13

And it is not about me either... 

So many times we completely forget and loose focus of our mission here on earth as followers of Christ. We were created with a purpose (to be salt and light in the world... to carry His name to the ends of the earth... and the list could go on and on) to be the answer that this world is looking for, but so many times we get so consumed with ourselves, and what we want, and how we wanted it, and our personal goals and ambitions, that we loose focus of what life is truly all about. 

The saddest part of this is that our egocentric lifestyle not only affects us, it also damages the destiny of the people that is walking behind us. Because whether you realize it or not there is people following your steps and looking up to you, watching you, waiting for you to unlock the door of their future... 

I challenge you to take a honest, sincere look inwards... what's driving you? why are you doing what you are doing? What type of legacy are you leaving behind for the Sam of your life?

 

New Season... New blog

We all go through different seasons in life.

This blog started under a different name a few years ago... it was simply an outlet where I used to share with my friends random thoughts and ideas, nothing more and nothing less. However, lately I've been pondering more and more about the thought of making this blog public and sharing it with whoever is out there in the world wanting to read the words of this sojourner... this fellow traveler in this journey called life.

Since the day this blog was born many things have changed.

I got married, transition from being a youth pastor at a local church to working with youth and college students all over the world, I'm a bit older, a bit crazier, some friends have changed and some are still the same. Ideas and ideals have either developed some more or been replaced for a 2.0 version.

I have seen and experienced different things, from the raw reality of Southern Sudan to the beauty of Eastern Europe, from the crazy streets of the Philippines to the still majesty of the Costa Rican rainforest. My worldview has changed and many lessons have been learned.

And those lessons is what, through this outlet, I would like to share with you. The thoughts, ideas, feelings, beliefs, challenges, and dreams that I encounter through this journey and I keep on this notes.

welcome to [ j Ö u ® n ê y ° n Ö t ê s ]