What we have here, is a failure to communicate

The title statement pretty much sums up almost every problem I encounter. It doesn't matter if it is personal, professional, whatever.

I basically communicate for a living. I am sort of like the guy from the movie Office Space who takes the specs and gives them to the programmers. "I'm a people person. I deal with the customers so the engineers don't have to. Don't you get that? What the hell is wrong with you people!"...if you didn't see the movie you are missing out.

I generally have three communication profiles. Emotinally detached, Sarcastic, and Self-Righteous. It would assist me a lot if you would please select one of the above for all interactions. It is quite tiring to have to manuver through all three in a conversation to see which one you will respond to.

Stop Thinking

I finally realized that the best decisions I make, I do them without thinking. I tend to out-think myself quite a bit, then wind up kicking myself for not listening.

The best example I can think of is a decision I made at probably the most confusing time of my life...high school. The best decision I ever made was to sit next to the red-headed girl in the big black hat at church one Sunday. This small decision made the largest impact on my life. We dated for a few years, got married, and have two unbelievable children. If I would have stopped to 'analyze' what I was doing at the time, it probably would not have happened. I would have missed out on an outstanding last 17 years.

Analytical thinking has its place, but it's usually best used in the workplace. When trying to decide what to do on a personal or spiritual matter, a lot of times its best to go with common sense.

I believe God created us to want to do the right thing (Romans 2:15). The best way to instinctively do the right thing is to practice. Habit forming can be a good thing, if used the correct way. So now my question is, how do I practice not thinking?

Long Term Plan

Why not plan for spiritual growth?

We plan for everything else, don't we?

We make sue our children go to school because we want them to grow to be independent. We make sure they eat regular, healthy meals because we want them to be healthy and happy adults. Do we do the same for our spiritual lives?

We love our families and spend time with them because we know that in a few short years, they will be forming families of their own and may not live nearby. Are we spending time with the God that made us?

What about our relationship with God?

We will spend eternity thinking about the plan we are following today. Is it worth a few minutes today to decide what you will do with your relationship with God? Sounds like a plan to me.