Learning Life The Hard Way

Both as children and as adults we are often given advice, some bad but most of it good and its really depends on how the individual or how person that it is given too  interpret the advise given. But as an adult I was always told free good advice is like free money, if you use or spend the money wisely then its not wasted. But in turn if you do not take advantage of the advice or money given to you then its wasted.That is what I like to call living life the easy way  or learning to live  life the hard way.  I remember as a child when I used to make both my father and mother  very angry. They would always say, son you could have it the easy way or the hard way. Its really up to you which direction you take your life. Then they would go on to say you either live by the rules or suffer the consequence's for your actions. At that time I thought that both my mother and father were very mean people. Why you may ask? Well as you know as a child we always thought we knew a little bit more than our parents. As children and sometimes as adults we always over look a very important fact; which is that they are older; been through what we have or going to go through; they have experience life; been to school and graduated. But for some reason we always seem to think we know better than someone older and wiser than we are .When I look back I laugh to myself, because I can just hear my father in my head saying these exact things to me as I now say to my own children. My father would say ," Son wait until ,you get your own children then you will see, that I am not as mean as you may think or say I am". I am only trying to protect you and prepare you for the outside world. He would go on to say, what you have been through or what ever you might be experiencing, I been there and done that. He would say ," I been through the fire and survived, by God grace". If you just listen to me and heed my warnings my experiences will save you , then  you can avoid  all of the bad experience's or heartaches that I have experienced in my lifetime. After my father got through preaching, then he would look at me and say, "Son ,you are hard headed and you think you know it all".  I just pray that you live to preach to your children and to others what you could have avoided if you just listen.
 As I think back on my life I wish I took advantage of both my mothers, fathers, grandmothers, friends and other peoples very wise advice and counsel. I know my life would be so different now and I probably would have accomplished much more than I have today. All of us at one time or another would love to go back in time or in the past and  change certain aspects of our life.  I have said this to myself and others ot others many times." If  I could go back in time I would do this or I would do that". But as we all know there is nothing we can do to change our past,once its done it over and  all we have is control over is today . We can change who we are today and we can start listening to that good advice now. If you are reading this journal, please take my advice,listen when someone is talking to you and even if you may think , that you know more than someone else. Try to understand what they are talking about and where they are coming from . Because the advice you are getting free of charge could either change, save or enlighten your life for a life time. Remember this  old bible verse, "A wise man changes, but a fool remains the same".

Have a blessed weekend,
Charles
1 Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world