Bjcorbin's Blog

5 Things I’ve Stopped Saying

1. “Shame on you!”:  Though shame is a natural human emotion, I don’t think that it is ever my place to pronounce it over someone.  For the spiritually minded, these words are a type of curse.
2. “I am lucky”:  I’m not really a big supporter of the idea that the fickle winds of fate just spontaneously blow in my favor.  I actually sense that there is someone looking out for me, so I ascribe to the belief that, “I am blessed”.
3. “There is no such thing as a moral victory”:  In an era of “win at all costs”, this notion has become generally accepted; but for many human beings, a moral victory is the only kind they will ever experience.  Like teaching a baby to walk, moral victories constitute the first small steps toward consistent success.  People who don’t believe in such things often burn themselves (& others) out, trying to run before they’ve developed the ability to stand.
4. “God is in control”:  Though I’m a big believer that there is an all-powerful God residing up in heaven, my understanding is that He’s not the one pulling the strings down here on a daily basis.  My reading of the Bible indicates that He gave the earth to mankind and that He only intervenes as we invite Him to.  Ultimately, this is what makes prayer such a necessary and powerful tool.
5. “I can’t help it”:  Life has taught me that I probably can, if I really wanted to.

5 Things I Find Myself Saying Over & Over Again

1. “No one can make you happy”:  People can support us, love us, inspire us, and even enhance the quality of our life.  But unless we determine within ourselves to find the joy, the beauty and the hope within our given circumstance, we will never be “happy”. The idea that it is someone else’s role to bring happiness into our life places tremendous pressure on our relationships, which often causes them to fail.
2. “It is what it is”:  Age has shown me that life comes at us however it chooses to.  We may not like it, but it never seems to ask our opinion or permission.  We can deny it, complain about it, feel sorry for ourselves… but eventually we just have to deal with it.  It is what it is.
3. “It’s in God’s hands”:  This seems like a contradiction of my “God is in Control” thought, but it really isn’t.  The longer I live, the more I recognize that things are out of my hands, so I quickly put them in God’s hands.  Then I struggle mightily to stand in faith and leave them there.
4. “Let it go”:  Holding on to something poisonous makes you sick, and things like envy, greed, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, bigotry, frustration, depression… are ultimately toxic to our soul.  Everybody sing it with me; Let it go, Let it go…
5. “You’re in my thoughts and prayers”:  I suppose that as Christianity has fallen out of favor within our culture it is no longer politically correct to mention prayer; as you now simply hear, “you’re in my thoughts”.  And while it is nice to know that people are thinking about you, I’m not sure that it does much else.  I’m still an advocate for calling on some heavenly intervention, and letting you know that I’m battling for you.