of What "I" Can Do
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For a long time in my life I thought I was a pretty smart guy.
While in the Air Force "I" did some really neat stuff, "I" was successful in business and teaching careers.
"I", at age 24, developed for a Vietnam combat required emergency the navigation techniques to air-drop a 2000 lb bundle from 10,000 feet and consistently hit the leading edge of a soccer field.
"I", as a young first lieutenant took that airdrop project to Vietnam, trained about 20 other crews how to do it and helped save the lives of 300 soldiers surrounded by 40,000 bad guys. One of the best job activities I have ever been a part of.
"I" 'saved' my crew one monsoon rainy, stormy night, when almost out of gas and no visibility outside the cockpit of our C-130 plane, and ground control could not 'paint' our airplane because of the storm, "I" used "my" navigation skills, "my" talent, and "my" abilities to talk the pilot to the runway. The pilot never saw the runway until I told him to flare (pull up) the nose and settle the plane for landing.
"I" started and had a successful business.
"I" was a good middle school teacher.
"I" did a lot of unusual stuff very successfully in my life.
BUT,
my first night in Vietnam I was so scared of dying that I knew that on the next day I would not be able to function. It was staggering great responsibilities I felt for what I had ahead of me the next day. For some reason, that night I prayed, something I had not done in years. In that prayer God relieved my burden and the next day "I" started implementing the air drop procedures and process described above.
In those next days, "I" also forgot about what God did for me. It took me 37 years to come full circle to realize and came to understand that "I" had done nothing. I had also prayed about how to do the process of dropping those bundles on the soccer field and God had shown me the way. God truly showed me how to do that airdrop procedure, God relieved me of my burdens and then, .. I forgot about Him! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.
If I have learned anything in this life,
whatever it is that we do,
we do more if we allow God to direct our lives.
In my lowest moments in those days now 41 years ago,
God,
when requested through prayer,
lead me to the solutions,
calmed my heart
and helped me save many people.
It often comes to mind that I could have done so much more in those 37 intervening years if I had prayed daily as earnestly as I prayed in those days of the Spring of 1972. Prayers came to me from time to time, mostly in times of crises and I prayed often when teaching my SS class, praying for Guidance of my words. But, only on the rare occasion of a crises in my life did I pray. I do not remember praying about business decisions, family decisions, even if I should teach middle school.calmed my heart
and helped me save many people.
On our own, we may do some good things with our life. But, I thank God He showed me His power in those prayers in those hard days of 1972 and what He can do through me when I allow Him to guide me. Again, I regret it took 37 years for me to realize that "I" is dangerous.
It is my testimony that the biggest problem of achieving our greatest accomplishment is one little word, "I". God gives us our brain and its capabilities, he give us life and the breath to sustain live, He gives us the desire and will to do our best, and everything else we have. We owe to Him everything we accomplish, for without Him we truly are not much more than dust, at best we are dirt, and maybe not even good dirt. In giving everything we do to His Glory, He will give us more opportunities to serve Him.
A most simple direct example-- I do not consider myself much of a writer, but, when I allow Him to guide my words, some good words are on this page. Maybe I am "wordy", maybe I mispell a word, drop a comma, maybe a hanging participle lingers around, maybe sometimes I do not even make a bit of sense, but I try my best, seek His guidance, and it seems to work. All this, from a me, a guy that required three semesters to complete freshman college English Composition.
I appreciate you, my readers, for your encouragement. I write what I feel moved to write and a good many of you seem to like it, take the time to read, feel moved by it, and then feel encouraged to do more.
My testimony, "Seek ye first His Kingdom...", letting God guide you to where He wants you to be, and you and those around you will be the better for it. (Matthew 6:33)
Above all, do not let "I", your inborn self-centered selfishness, get in your way of what you should be doing and being what God has planned for you. Pray and pray and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and God will build your faith as the Holy Spirit guides your life into far greater accomplishment than what only "I" can do.
"I" is perhaps the most dangerous word we use to cloud our lives, hinder our vision, and hold us back in our doubts. "Seek first the Kingdom", it is, after all, a command of Jesus!
We truly are strongest and at our greatest potential,
when we humble ourselves to God
when we humble ourselves to God
asking for His guidance in all we accomplish for Him.
Thanks be to God,
lonnie
