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Devotional Thoughts

 Devotional Thoughts
 The Spiritual Side of Our Website

This part of the site features monthly devotional thoughts by the Association's Chaplain, with the goal of encouraging Signal Corps OCS Graduates to be exceptional in their lives and to live life at a higher level. Our current Chaplain is of the Christian faith, so naturally his devotionals are fashioned around his Christian beliefs. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and can be offered directly to the Chaplain by eMail at: MaxHolt@ArmySignalOCS.com


by LTC (R) Max Holt, Class 02-67

AugustSeptember 2016

WORRY

LTC (R) Max Holt - TodayLTC (R) Max Holt

Several years ago I saw the movie “JACK” starring Robin Williams. It was about a little boy who had the rare disease, PROGERIA, that causes premature aging in people. Most people with the disease grow ‘old’ and die by age 20. In the movie, Robin Williams’ character, Jack, gives the Valedictorian speech for his high school graduating class. As he stands there, a grey-header ‘old’ man at the age of 18, he says these words:

“I don't have very much time these days, so I'll make it quick—like my life. You know, as we come to the end of this phase of our life, we find ourselves trying to remember the good times and trying to forget the bad times. And we find ourselves thinking about the future. We start to worry, thinking, "What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna be in ten years?

"But I say to you, 'Hey, look at me.’ Please, don't worry so much, 'cause in the end none of us have very long on this earth. Life is fleeting. And if you're ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky, when the stars are strung across the velvety night, and when a shooting star streaks through the blackness turning night into daymake a wish, think of me. And make your life spectacular.

"I know I did. I made it, Mom. I'm a grown-up. Thank you.”

Most of us have been blessed with longer lives than we expected and maybe, if we are honest, even longer than we deserve. In my experience as a pastor and as I observe life all around me I am amazed at those who spend so much time ‘worrying,’… about almost everything. We worry about money, politics, the kids, the grand kids, medical issues, the weather, our spouses, and so on. Sometimes our health is even adversely affected by our tendency to worry.

I grew up under the mentoring of two very positive parents and seven positive older brothers and sisters. I guess we had a good excuse to worry, since we were a poor family on a 24-acre NE Texas farm. For my little-kid years we had no electricity or running water. We got one pair of shoes a year, for school, and got to town once a month in the back of an old pickup truck. But, as I look back, I think the reason we didn’t worry about being poor was that nobody told us we were poor or bemoaned the fact that we were. I don’t ever remember worrying about anything… I was a happy kid. Today there are sources everywhere telling people they are being discriminated against if they don’t have lots of the stuff that other people have. We seem to have a society filled with people who feel entitled to the things that they have not worked for. We have students who feel entitled to receive FREE… everything.  They are told to worry because they don’t have enough of all of the niceties in life or have been deprived of so much of the stuff they want.

Jesus said, in MATTHEW Chapter 25, verses 25-27: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

The Bureau of Standards says that a 100-foot-thick, dense fog, covering 4 city blocks, would condense down to fill only one drinking glass with water. That is a picture of how most of us perceive the things that worry us. Some experts say that 40% of the things we worry about never even happen. They say that 30% of what we worry about would be impossible to change anyway. Twelve (12) percent of us worry needlessly about health issues and about 10% of our worries are petty or miscellaneous. If all of the experts are right, that leaves 8% of legitimate concerns for us to attend to. Concentrating on those could almost eliminate our legitimate concerns!

So, what are YOU worried about?  I’m sure you have heard the ‘well-used-saying:’ There are only two rules in life. Rule #1 Don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule #2  It’s ALL small stuff! While you could make the case that Rule #2 may not be literally true… you get the point. In OCS there were no classes on the proper way to worry. However, we did learn to PLAN and PREPARE and EXECUTE the plan. Which brings up the question: What is YOUR Plan for your life, whatever is left of it? We were trained to make a positive impact in our careers. That training should serve you well in the current phase of your life. So, go execute your plan!

Max Holt, Class 02-67
Association Chaplain

 



Prior Month Devotionals
May '11 Jun '11 Jul '11 Aug '11 Sep '11 Oct '11 Nov '11 Dec '11 Jan '12 Feb '12 Mar '12 Apr '12
May '12 Jun '12 Jul '12 Aug '12 Sep '12 Oct '12 Nov '12 Dec '12 Jan '13 Feb '13 Mar '13 Apr '13
May '13 Jun '13 Jul '13 Aug '13 Sep '13 Oct '13 Nov '13 Dec '13 Jan '14 Feb '14 Mar '14 Apr '14
May '14 Jun '14 Jul '14 Aug '14 Sep '14 Oct '14 Nov '14 Dec '14 Jan '15 Feb '15 Mar '15 Apr '15
May '15 Jun '15 Jul '15 Aug '15 Sep '15 Oct '15 Nov '15 Dec '15 Jan '16 Feb '16 Mar '16 Apr '16
May '16 Jun '16 Jul '16 Aug '16 Sep 16 Oct 16 Nov 16 Dec 16 Jan 17 Feb 17 May 17 Apr 17

Click the picture below to listen to The Lord's Jukebox... a compilation of all of the devotional music posted since May 2011:

The Lord's Jukebox


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