This mornings lesson

First thing when I wake up in the morning, I like to have quiet time to sit and think and pray. My men’s bible study group is currently reading the book of Daniel and after I finished reading that, I decided to do a random flip and just read whatever page I turned to. To be honest, I’m not much of a bible scholar and quite often when I try to read something random, it doesn’t mean a whole lot. But…this morning was different…enough so for me to want to write about it because I felt like it had direct impact to our business, our family, and us. The info below comes from a Life Application Bible which has everything in a language that’s easier for people like me to understand. It’s starts with a passage, some edited comments, and then some thoughts. These are some passages from Proverbs 13 which stuck out to me this morning. Even for those reading this that don’t believe in God or care what’s in the bible…the lessons are still valuable.

Proverbs 13:6 Godliness helps people all through life, while the evil are destroyed by their wickedness.

Every choice for good sets into motion other opportunities for good. Evil choices follow the same pattern, but in the opposite direction. Each decision in your life to obey God and do good will bring a greater sense of order to your life, while each decision to disobey can lead to confusion and destruction. The right choices you make reflect your integrity.

This made me think about the way that we run our business and how treating our customers right, even when that may be difficult, is paramount to success. I just hope that we can recognize when these opportunities surface.

Proverbs 13:19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools will not turn from evil to attain them.

Whether a “dream come true” is good or bad depends on the nature of the dream or desire. It is pleasant to achieve worthwhile goals, but not all goals are worth pursuing. When you set your heart on something, you may lose your ability to assess it objectively. With your desire blinding your judgment, you may proceed with an unwise relationship, a wasteful purchase, or a poorly conceived plan. Faithfulness is a virtue, but stubbornness is not.

This also has direct impact on our business. To achieve our goals, we need to make sure that we don’t step on others on the way to that achievement. It’s also important to be able to step back and objectively make decisions and understand the pros and cons of those decisions. Sometimes a decision that can lead to business success might hurt family life, so it’s important to look at everything from all angles.

Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm.

When most people need advice, they go to their friends first because friends accept them and usually agree with them. But that is why they may not be able to help them with difficult problems. Our friends are so much like us that they may not have any answers we haven’t already heard. Instead we should seek out older and wiser people to advise us. Wise people have experienced a lot in life—and have succeeded. They are not afraid to tell the truth.

I am fortunate enough to be part of a group with guys that are older than I am that have been through the stage in life where I am now, who can advise me on potential pitfalls. In our business, we are a part of a national organization called the digital wedding forum that is filled with veteran photographers from all over the world who share their talent, wisdom and experience. Our business has grown at an accelerated rate because of all the knowledge we’ve gained from those amazing people.
Now that I will be becoming a parent soon, this verse also made me think towards the future and think about how difficult it would be to see my child spending a lot of time with the wrong kind of people.

Proverbs 13:23 A poor persons farm may produce much food but injustice sweeps it all away.

The poor are often victims of an unjust society. A poor mans soil might be good, but unjust laws may rob him of his own produce. We should do what we can to fight injustice of every sort. Our efforts may seem inadequate, but even one person can touch many lives.

We have had the opportunity to travel to many third world countries and see how the rest of the world lives. It’s made us feel incredibly blessed when we come home, and has made us appreciative of what we have. We have been fortunate enough to have been able to do some short term missions work in some of these places (click here to read about one of those experiences). Seeing the sickness and poverty can be completely overwhelming and the idea of making a difference seems impossible. However, in the case of the mission work in South Africa, I can look back to Isaiah and Merci Mafu who are the couple that started Africa Christian Ministries many years ago. Through their diligence, faithfulness, and hard work, they have transformed their community and brought hope, food, medicine and love to hundreds and hundreds of people. Through our church, we hear stories like this ALL time and get constantly reminded that ONE person CAN make a difference and can have a huge impact on less fortunate people. Some people have been beaten down by life, and others have been blessed beyond belief. It’s important for those that have been blessed (like us) to make a difference.

Proverbs 13:24 If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves that you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.

It is not easy for a loving parent to discipline a child, but it is necessary. The greatest responsibility that parents have is to nurture and guide their children. Lack of discipline shows a lack of concern for the character development of the child. Without correction, children grow up with no clear understanding of right and wrong and with the little direction in their lives. Disciplining your children may be difficult but it is an act of love.

This is obviously a passage that a soon-to-be parent would find interesting. I always knew that discipline was important but I never thought of it as an act of love.