'Delta Dawn'

Hello, Sidney Sun Readers!  Looking for new this New Year? 

Deltas are triangular.  This one has equal sides. Proverbs 4:7 tells us to get wisdom, get knowledge, and with all our getting get understanding. 

We may think this is pretty self-explanatory, but if it were, we’d all be operating in understanding.  Understanding “dawns” on us. We ‘catch on’.  We ‘get it’.  We possess a new thought.

Let’s say you are a young person taking a bat in your hands for the first time.  Knowledge tells us that when we hit the ball, it flies over the park fence, everybody cheers and we are the hero.  However, most of us crossed our hands in the wrong position and the ball thudded right in front of us and ricocheted almost straight up.

Enter wisdom.  A coach.  Someone who, wisely, changes the position of the hands, suggests standing forward, expecting the ball to come where you can hit it. 

When that happened, just as the coach suggested it would, you connected, the ball flew and you understood!

Stars are born, heroes are trained.  Character is something we all have.  The God kind does the right thing the right way because it is the right thing to do, then does it the right way, right away, even when no one is watching.  Heroes are given a concept, early in life, then coached until they are able to respond with the above abilities, like taking out the trash.  Parents delight when they see a child take initiative.  But training does not stop.  Other character traits must be added to this one.

An “Aha! Moment” happened when I understood why so many people, businesses and government officials failed at their tasks. 

They refused to keep their word. They declared they would do something, but when the rubber met the road, they had an excuse for not showing up or doing the job they had declared they would do, or worse yet, were elected to do!  

People became frustrated, businesses floundered and communities failed to prosper.  (Remember the crossed arm stance of the batter?)  I began to study the roots of good character, asking God to show me which of 49 character traits I did, or did not, have.  A picture of accomplishment and frustration emerged.  The Lord had me deal with excuses, first.

Did you know that taking sides, when excuses are given, sends a signal that you are easily fooled?  Discretion is needed.  Literally it means to judge justly and reason rightly with a touch of class.  Is it possible we, the people, could make a distinct difference in what is going on around us?   

It worked in 1776.  Benjamin Franklin warned from Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.   Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”   

Next week, Initiative at work.