I Believe In God

[b]WORKINNG TOWARD VISION[/b]
[i]My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare
PSALM 25:15[/i]

Vision is on my endangered character quality list, along with courage and discipline. The reason is simple: it takes too much work to be a visionary.It's just easier just to go with the flow and do what's expected. It takes courage to break out of conventional thought patterns. It takes confidence and daring to to risk failure with a new idea or a new approach. Visionaries tend to fail many times before they ever succeed, and most people would rather be safe and secure.

It also takes a lot of old-fashioned perspiration to be a visionary. It takes discipline to sit down with a pencil and paper and vow not to get up from your desk until you come up with five new ways to do something. It takes endurance to get on your knees and stay there until God supernaturally ignites a fresh thought in your mind. It takes hard work to plan what could happen in five years in your business, family, marriage or ministry. But developing vision deepens and strengthens our faith.

-Bill Hybels

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

AnneHoney · 36-40, F

I believe in Santa Claus

As long as we are both happy

MartinTheFirst · 26-30, M

@AnneHoney disrespectful

AnneHoney · 36-40, F

Why I agreed with you

Pixiering

@AnneHoney maybe for Christmas you could ask for manners?

MartinTheFirst · 26-30, M

@Pixiering HAHA

AnneHoney · 36-40, F

We are all allowed to believe in fictional characters you, me everyone

lalelilolu · 31-35, F

@AnneHoney but not to disrespect ones belief.

Pixiering

@AnneHoney here's the difference..you put down someones faith. Why even comment? There's no need.

Pixiering

@lalelilolu she will KNOW the differece on bended knee.

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@AnneHoney I believe in Santa Claus too, there's no proof He isn't real.

Those putting down your faith are being disrespectful [b]by their own standards[/b].

Pixiering

@suzie1960 i dont think i put MY standard out there.
There is proof of a man who santa is a portrayal of as well as evidence of biblical events.

But i wont try to convince you one way or the other. Its your eternity. Your decision.

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@Pixiering You implied @AnneHoney was being impolite with your comment [i]"maybe for Christmas you could ask for manners?"[/i] All she did was state that she believed in a different deity. You say that her comment [i]"put down someone's faith"[/i] so you are applying a standard there. By that same standard, anyone stating they do not believe in Santa Claus is being disrespectful to those who do.

Pixiering

Taking a bit to the extreme arent you? And her comment wasnt a true statement of belief..it was one of condescension. She was putting down ones faith. And she SHOULD as for manners. Was i being impolite? Yes, i guess i was as there isnt a man in a red suit that could give her any. Shame. A standard of what I believe was the standard you were speaking of.

I have a feeling if you got aling with someone perfectly..but then found out they were of some religious faith you ridicule and argue you lack of religion to the death of the friendship. True?

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@Pixiering Who are you to decide what another person's belief is? If someone wishes to profess a belief in Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, Jehovah or any other mythical being, they're entitled to do so.

You indicate you don't believe in Santa Claus (the man in a red suit is just a personification of Him), that's fine, you're entitled to believe that although I think you're wrong. I can just as well say the christian god doesn't exist.

Your feeling about me is wrong. I have friends of various different religions as well as Atheists. We discuss and compare different beliefs quite amicably with mutual respect. It is that respect that behooves me to treat a belief in Santa Claus no differently from a belief in any other deity.

Pixiering

You know..you are absolutly right. We all have the freedom to believe however we want. I shouldnt have made an assumption about you. i dont know you at all. I dont agree with your view on some things but you dont on mine either and thats the beauty of free will and personal choice. Perhaps we can agree to disagree.

MartinTheFirst · 26-30, M

@suzie1960 Suzie I know you from quite a while back now and I know that what you're saying is absolute BS. You just want to compare someone like God to a Coca Cola add Santa Claus. You don't give a shit about respect and you never have. lol

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@MartinTheFirst You clearly don't know anything about me. The christian god is just one of a host of mythical beings. The Coca-Cola advertisement just gave one depiction of a personification of Santa Claus just as other advertisements have given depictions of Jesus or "god". All are equally valid - or otherwise.

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@Pixiering Pax.

AnneHoney · 36-40, F

To you respect means agreeing to believe your fantasy