I was born legally blind. In those days, they did not check children like they do today, and I learned to feed and dress myself, and played happily in my bedroom with no one the wiser. Finally, when I was four, my parents noticed that I kept getting closer and closer to the television. Don't judge them harshly. They loved me and cared for me as any parent would. They just did not recognize the problem because of how well I coped. And I coped that well because I assumed everyone was like me and so never raised a fuss.
I got my first pair of "coke bottle" glasses when I was 4—and it was still nearly 50 years later before the doctors came up with a name for what was wrong with me. But those glasses were pretty amazing. My mother said the first thing I did when we left the doctor's office with them was to lean over and look at the ground. Finally, she came to see what I had found and nearly cried when she realized it was the first time I had ever seen ants.
I spent a lot of time looking at things after that, and seeing them for the first time. My daddy, who was a car guy, was especially tickled that I learned all the identifying characteristics of the different models of cars. Back then, there were not as many as today, so a four year old noticing a "Winken" and "Toodebaker," which for some reason I also called a "backwards forwards car," was not all that amazing. I also remember when Edsels came out. That big horse collar of a grille was easy to see for a four year old who paid attention to things like that.
But Ford had goofed in their research. They were aiming at people who would buy mid-priced sedans. Time magazine says they spent $250 million dollars on research and advertising, but by the time the car came out, the country was in a recession and people were looking at compact cars to save money. The Edsel came out on September 4, 1957, and was discontinued on November 19, 1959. The car's name has come to mean "a dud," in our slang, and people will always remember it that way.
The last thing any of us should want is to be remembered for our worst mistake. In the scriptures, Jeroboam probably has that distinction. In order to solidify his reign and hold on the people, he introduced things to the worship of God that were considered from then on as some of the worst abominations in the land, particularly the golden calves in Dan and Bethel. I counted at least 25 times that these sins were listed in the historical books as they described the kings who reigned after him--he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. God had promised him a dynasty if he only obeyed, but he did not trust God to keep his word, and so he lost that promise.
We can make life-changing mistakes ourselves. Whom you marry is probably one of the most important decisions you will make—it can determine your eternal destiny, AND your children's. "But I can change him," has about as much chance of happening as snow in Tampa—which has happened only once in my lifetime. How you choose to raise your children is another one. What you do and don't do, and who you listen to can determine their whole lives. The career you choose can also be important. Even the congregation you choose to be a part of can make a difference if all you want is entertainment or "easy listening." Whenever you find yourself saying, "But I will do better than all those others, it won't affect me that way," you have put an Edsel on the assembly line and are likely to have the same results.
Please be careful. Young people, please listen to those who are older and have come through the same stages of life you are in now. They care about your souls and they want to help you. You don't want to be remembered as the biggest dud in history, and you don't want the eternal results that might lead to, especially for those you love.
An ear that is hearing the reproof of life lodges among the wise. Whoever is refusing instruction is despising his soul, and whoever is hearing reproof is getting understanding Prov15:30-32
Dene Ward
I got my first pair of "coke bottle" glasses when I was 4—and it was still nearly 50 years later before the doctors came up with a name for what was wrong with me. But those glasses were pretty amazing. My mother said the first thing I did when we left the doctor's office with them was to lean over and look at the ground. Finally, she came to see what I had found and nearly cried when she realized it was the first time I had ever seen ants.
I spent a lot of time looking at things after that, and seeing them for the first time. My daddy, who was a car guy, was especially tickled that I learned all the identifying characteristics of the different models of cars. Back then, there were not as many as today, so a four year old noticing a "Winken" and "Toodebaker," which for some reason I also called a "backwards forwards car," was not all that amazing. I also remember when Edsels came out. That big horse collar of a grille was easy to see for a four year old who paid attention to things like that.
But Ford had goofed in their research. They were aiming at people who would buy mid-priced sedans. Time magazine says they spent $250 million dollars on research and advertising, but by the time the car came out, the country was in a recession and people were looking at compact cars to save money. The Edsel came out on September 4, 1957, and was discontinued on November 19, 1959. The car's name has come to mean "a dud," in our slang, and people will always remember it that way.
The last thing any of us should want is to be remembered for our worst mistake. In the scriptures, Jeroboam probably has that distinction. In order to solidify his reign and hold on the people, he introduced things to the worship of God that were considered from then on as some of the worst abominations in the land, particularly the golden calves in Dan and Bethel. I counted at least 25 times that these sins were listed in the historical books as they described the kings who reigned after him--he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. God had promised him a dynasty if he only obeyed, but he did not trust God to keep his word, and so he lost that promise.
We can make life-changing mistakes ourselves. Whom you marry is probably one of the most important decisions you will make—it can determine your eternal destiny, AND your children's. "But I can change him," has about as much chance of happening as snow in Tampa—which has happened only once in my lifetime. How you choose to raise your children is another one. What you do and don't do, and who you listen to can determine their whole lives. The career you choose can also be important. Even the congregation you choose to be a part of can make a difference if all you want is entertainment or "easy listening." Whenever you find yourself saying, "But I will do better than all those others, it won't affect me that way," you have put an Edsel on the assembly line and are likely to have the same results.
Please be careful. Young people, please listen to those who are older and have come through the same stages of life you are in now. They care about your souls and they want to help you. You don't want to be remembered as the biggest dud in history, and you don't want the eternal results that might lead to, especially for those you love.
An ear that is hearing the reproof of life lodges among the wise. Whoever is refusing instruction is despising his soul, and whoever is hearing reproof is getting understanding Prov15:30-32
Dene Ward
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