Lights, camera, action!

Reality shows or your own reality? Are we not each making, whether deliberately or by default, a movie of our own lives? And if so, who calls the shots? I would suggest that the process from desire to decision to action is directing the movie of one's life. Whether a study of the brain with all its complicated and miles long neuro- pathways or the newest and best selling personal growth book on the market, there are some universal truths relating to the power of something we can't see or don't even think about when we act. Some call it the subconscious mind. Some call it habit. Most agree that desire alone is not enough to produce life long change. Proverbs calls it the heart. Some have suggested that everything in Proverbs stems from the heart. While I respect the argument, I do believe there are other conscious decisions we can make on a daily basis that, while they are reinforced by the attitudes of the heart, there are opportunities to think about what to do and do the right thing. What to watch, what to listen to, who to listen to, where to go, certain deliberate decisions about what to do. The better habits and routines we have set, the easier to make the right choice. The strong subconscious beliefs one might have, often stemming from good or missing opportunities for inherited wisdom, the more automatically certain decisions and actions will be made.

 

We often joke about good decisions coming from the disappointing results of bad judgment. Robert Schuler's famous phrase of "no gain without pain" reminds us that it's in those moments of pain where we learn the most. Maybe only in those moments are we motivated sufficiently to do what is necessary to truly change. The change begins in the heart, but must be continued out to the body – to make a conscious decision in the head to do the right thing, to watch the right show, to listen to the right teaching, to say the right thing, and finally do actually use one's hands and feet to do the right thing.

 

An open and serious study of the 7 pillars of wisdom could result in one's clear recognition of those areas that create the most defeat in his life, and/or the area(s) thru which she could most readily change. Maybe it's temptation of the eyes, or an insecure, proud, or simply habitual attitude that makes listening difficult. For others it might be the quick reactions of the mouth, while for some it might be laziness, even an arrogant attitude about one's one intellect. On the other hand, one might look inside oneself and recognize a well developed skill of listening, and by focusing on listening, begin to change the attitudes of the heart that dominate actions. Another might have an extraordinary willingness or ability to serve, and thru humble service focused on becoming all God's made and called him to be, he might find himself changing attitudes that make those negative knee jerk reactions fewer and further in between. Seek wisdom. God has promised it is there for all who seek. Keep on seeking. Recognize that change comes slowly. Even something that might seem to require a lifetime of change could begin the seeds of another generation with the benefit of a new side of inherited wisdom. In the end the semantics matter not. Whether one calls growth a battle between the conscious and subconscious mind, or between the heart and the head, or habits versus attitude, desire versus action – all growth begins in the same place – with the fear of the Lord, the beginning of wisdom. All growth requires a time period that in the light of eternity is truly short. And God promises results for all who continue seeking. Turn on the lights to reveal the need. Set up the shot to make the decision. Take lots of shots, review the results, and the final action in the movie of a life well lived can fill the screen for all who follow.

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