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3/18/2009
"WARNING: A DANGEROUS MINDSET"
"I could whip any Indian village on the Plains." With this arrogant remark
of self-strength and importance, General George Armstrong Custer raced off with those under his command to fight a group of
Indians at "Little Big Horn," leaving the offer of more troops, gatlin guns and advice behind.
What has commonly been known as "Custer's Last Stand," has recently been proven by forensic experts
to be anything but. It was a mass slaughter of confused soldiers, running for any cover, abandoning all military tactics
and dying without hope of reprieve.
A closer examination of the life and mindset of Gen. Custer reveals that because
of his past victories during the Civil War and Indian Wars, he became extremely over-confident and arrogant. He dressed
more like a Victorian stage actor than a soldier, and his long blond hair was full of ringlets, and scented powder.
He was a relentless media hound and often invited journalists on his adventures to chronicle his exploits. In fact,
one journalist died along side him at Little Big Horn.
Sadly, not only did General Custer's arrogance cost
him, but it also cost the lives of those in his command, not to mention the hundreds and hundreds of Indians killed in retaliation.
The point is...the mind that succombs to arrogance is a dangerous mind indeed. For anyone to begin believing
themselves to be smarter, wiser, more important, or invincible...is a call to self-destruction.
The Bible tells
us that "whosoever shall humble themselves will be exalted, and whosoever lifts themselves up shall be brought low."
I'm not so sure that scripture is a threat...but rather a warning against self-importance and arrogance.
Many
surrounding the Titanic were certain that it was unsinkable. "Even God couldn't sink this ship,"
was supposedly one comment heard regarding the ship's might. The fact that the ship was steaming
full-speed through dangerous waters, in spite of numerous ice warnings, says all that needs to be said. Arrogance...more
than anything else sank the Titanic.
I can remember before the "War on Terror" began following
the attacks of 9/11. Many thought the military might of the United States of America would be so strong that it would
be mere months before all the perpetrator's were caught or dead and we would once again be at peace. This in spite
of the fact that many strong and wise voices were saying that it would be a long and difficult...and costly war. Vietnam
should have reminded us that no war is easy...regardless of might. Arrogance on the part of any politician or military
commander is extremely foolish.
My point is simple. Humility is not only a wise and charming attribute...it
is a safe one as well. Arrogance has killed many people in history. It caused the ruin of Pharoah's Egypt,
the great and powerful Roman Empire, the Titanic...and General Custer and his men.
Fame might make someone popular,
wealth might make someone powerful, authority might make someone important...but humility can keep everyone safe and on guard
from their worst enemy...self.
I love you all,
Reydon Stanford
1:59 am cdt
3/10/2009
"WOULD SOMEONE LOVE ME?"
There is not a one of us who don't desire to have people find us worthwhile and valuable. Inside
the heart of every man, woman, boy and girl is the desire to feel accepted and loved. Although some people say, "I
don't care what anyone thinks of me," I find that hard to believe, to be honest.
I think the reason
this need is so legitimate within us comes from the fact that God, Himself also desires to feel worthwhile
and valuable to people. In fact Jesus said as much when He stated, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship
Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for GOD IS SEEKING SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM."
In short, our desire to be wanted and needed was passed down to us from our Creator, in Whose likeness and image we are gloriously
made.
It's not a sin to want to be loved...desired...valued or accepted...it is actually God-like. Some
however, might view it as a character flaw or inner weakness.
Sadly, we live in a time when selfishness is so rampant
in our society that it can often feel like no one loves us or cares about us at all. This is heartbreaking and leaves
many people feeling as though their life counts for little or nothing, to society or the people around them.
Interestingly,
the Gift of Salvation was given out of one...heartfelt motivation on behalf of God: "For God SO LOVED the world
that He gave (as a free gift), His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes might have eternal life."
The Bible tells us we were "purchased with His (Jesus') own blood...as if to further tell us how much He truly
loves us.
As we all know...loneliness is a horrible and very sad feeling. If you've ever been left out
of a party, picked last for the baseball team, forgotten on your birthday, etc....you know the pain of feeling unvaluable.
This is such a shame.
Precious Friends, we all want to be loved and needed. We all long to feel worth something
to someone. As a counselor, I've seen many people willing to live in horrible relationships...often abusive and
cruel, simply because it is the only place they feel wanted. What a horrible shame.
My heart is so full tonight
of the love that Jesus has for you. If you only knew how much He truly loves you, you'd feel like the most valuable
person on Earth. So often we let the memories of our past, or even our current failures make us think that there is
no way God could love or value us. This is just not true. The Bible even says that "God does not regard the
flesh," meaning that He looks inside us for value...not in our works or deeds...or failures for that matter. He
loves us...because He desires to be loved, needed and wanted in return.
If you're lonely today...please know
that the Lord desires to know you forever. That makes you very "wanted" and valued. "I go to prepare
a PLACE FOR YOU...so that where I AM...you may be also." Did you catch that? The Lord loves you so much,
that He's spent the last 2000 plus years preparing a home for you...so that you can be with Him.
I love you
all,
Reydon Stanford
P.S. Thank you so much for your comments on the comments section of the website.
These comments often serve to inspire other people as they witness how God is touching you...as He is them.
3:45 am cdt
3/6/2009
"A NOTE TO THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING"
One thing about this life that is certain, is that it is uncertain.
There's not
a one of us who live long enough, that will not suffer the pains, fears, doubts, confusion, disappointments, frustrations,
failures, and defeats that life has to offer. This life can be very hard. While it's true that some people
seem to 'breeze' through life with little or few problems, there are others...who find the journey through this life
to be extremely challenging, painful and difficult.
None of us asked to be born. We are put upon this
Earth by the hand of God...by His sovereign will. The journey can be fun and full of life...it has those days...and
it can also surprise us with experiences that bring us to our knees, broken and humbled.
As children we dream of
a wonderful life and adventure ahead. We can't seem to comprehend that the adventure will be laced with funerals,
broken hearts, sad goodbyes, betrayals, self-doubt and the like. When those things become realities to us, life can
almost seem unbearable. That's where it becomes wise to "fast-forward," a bit.
The truth is...in
less than a hundred years...less for most of us...our journey will be over. When our journey is complete and we've
kept or faith, there will be no more suffering.
I truly believe that every Christian should daily look beyond the
current pains and strife of this journey and get a vision of the Homeland, which is much closer than it appears. Doing
this helps us walk more calmly and patiently through the Dark Valley's or Dark Forests of our lives.
I once
had someone say to me, "Reydon...I feel so far away from God." I responded to them by saying, "My friend,
He is only one breath away." They asked me what I meant and I explained: "If you were to take your final breath
now...in seconds you'd be face to face with God." I saw a peace come upon them that was sweet and loving.
It was almost as if their eyes had opened to see that beautiful land beyond...the one waiting and promised to all who believe
in Him.
My friend, please hear me. You might be reading this article today while walking through a very dark
valley in your life. You might be going through a divorce, you might be very lonely. You might have problems with
your health, your finances, your relationships, or all the above. I want you to know...it's temporary. Your
suffering will not last...a brighter day is coming. Lift your head high to the Holy Hills of Heaven and know, that you
are not alone on your journey. There is a Good Shepherd who is leading your every step home.
I love you all,
Reydon
8:27 am cst
3/3/2009
"HE REMEMBERS...WHY CAN'T WE?"
"For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great
is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has
He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities
those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust."
Psalms 103:11-14
I once knew a man who "could be" one of the kindest people I've
ever known. There were times that he would minister to me in such special ways that I felt so blessed and honored to
know him. However, as I grew to know him deeper, I soon realized that he had such a negative attitude toward
so many people, often accusing, ridiculing and looking down in disgust on those who he viewed as less than he.
He had little patience, kindness or mercy for people he deemed, "stupid, weak, or lacking." (Usually
those who disagreed with him or didn't do things according to his own ways)
For whatever reason, he had built
himself up, believing that his opinions, views, perceptions and perspectives were all based in total truth, rather than in
his own arrogance. This left little reprieve for anyone outside him.
Sadly, there are many people just
like my friend. Their criticism of others is so harsh and unforgiving that they wound and emotionally injure those
around them, time after time. They even believe it is their right to do so...which confounds me.
Thankfully...we
serve a God who is nothing like that. In fact, in the passage of scripture above, we find that God forever keeps in
mind that we are very human...created from dust. We are weak, we are confused, we struggle through life...even
on our best days....and HE REMEMBERS THAT!!! His answer for our dilemma? Mercy.
Mercy is granting someone
the right to live life, without having to be crucified for every human failure. We all make mistakes, we all find ourselves
in messes, we all come up short...time after time. Yet, He loves us anyway, granting us heartfelt mercy.
You see, mercy that is not heartfelt...is false humility and arrogance. God doesn't grant us mercy
because it's just a "nice thing to do," He grants us mercy because His loving heart compels Him to show us mercy.
He remembers that we're dust afterall.
In short, mercy allows us to be human...and humans make mistakes.
I've seen parents be very hard on children, expecting them to rise above what they really are. I've
seen bosses demand way more out of employees' than they can possibly give, and I've seen society in general demand
more out of us, than we can truly give. Why? No mercy.
I've also seen many people, (this point
is gonna bite me...I can feel it now), who can show plenty of mercy to others...but have none when it comes to themselves.
I know people...one very intimately, (wink wink), who doesn't accept personal failure very well. They expect themselves
to be perfect, beat themselves up hard when they faulter, and end up depressed and hopeless because they fail to have
any mercy upon themselves.
In short, God remembers that we are humans...made of dust. It would help
us all, to remember the same things in regards to others...and to ourselves. In truth...we will never learn to
love others the way Jesus did...until we see them as human...understand their frailties...and show heartfelt mercy, out
of a heart of love.
I love you all...so quit being hard on others and yourself!
Reydon Stanford
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