Elusive Awesomeness

I am not bragging, except...

• My first time playing golf on a real course, I got a hole in one
• My first time attempting to water ski, I managed to ride the boat wake waves
• My first roll of a bowling ball, often results in a strike, without bumpers of course
• During my first game of pool in a pool hall, I put the cue behind my back, and the ball I was aiming for, went straight into the intended corner pocket
• As a petite, meaning short, grade schooler, I won first place in high jump

All of the above achievements, were much to my surprise, and some label this sort of thing, beginners luck. I like to pretend and joke, that I am naturally good at everything, thus the first time awesome results; and yet, after accidentally getting it right on try number one, I did notice that the second swing of the golf club, the second and third and fourth attempts at water skiing, the subsequent throwing of a bowling ball, along with shooting pool and attempting to win for a second year at high jump, did not yield similar results. There is an expression meant to encourage: When at first you don't succeed, try, try again. What happens when at first you do succeed, and trying again, makes the whole scenario go sideways, and you recognize, that initial success was a fluke, not talent; the first try did not exhibit skill; and there wasn't any natural ability displayed, that can be counted on in future endeavours. I don't like golf, bowling, pool, or high jump; I really liked water skiing though. I didn't have any expectations. or grandiose goals, that I had fixed my eyes upon when trying all of the above - all I had each first time, was an opportunity to attempt. As it turns out, my first go at many things, have been pleasant experiences, and I ask you, should I rest on my laurels, and just call myself a pro, because I did, accidentally, what many mean to accomplish purposefully, the first time around? 

I see that Donald Trump is an accidental president. I see that he says things that are despicable, and reportedly, always has; somehow, the words he speaks strike a chord in others, and it encourages him greatly, to continue to be a horrible, really horrible person. Except now, after much repetition, he has ingrained horrible into every ounce of his being, and Donnie is a wonderful example for us, of bad habits being hard to break, especially when there is absolutely no desire to change, and especially when a person sees themselves as perfect, the ultimate human, and the one everyone ought to envy and strive to be like. Should Dumpy Trumpy, rest on his laurels?

Awesomeness is elusive. Being really good at anything, takes a lot of practice. What are you really good at, dear one? If practice makes perfect, and someone perpetually practices mean spirited vitriolic venomous and vile speaking, does it not make perfect sense, that they have become proficient in their viciousness, and said viciousness, speaks volumes about who a person actually is? 

If you practice kindness, patience, virtue, gentility, generosity, and decide that this is the life you want to live in relation to other human beings, and you practice these behaviours without ceasing, doesn't it make perfect sense, that these behaviours become the traits by which you are recognized, and known? 

Character building requires much conscientious effort. I love that The Bible reminds readers, to work out their own salvation, with fear and trembling. Choosing to not steal, lie, cheat, get what we want at the expense of others, is unnatural: humans must be taught morals, empathy, and ethics. We must be taught right from wrong, and we must also be taught, that there are some things we must never say, or do. Practicing honesty, integrity, and fidelity, takes effort, and thankfully, there is a blessed yield in the results, and a heavenly reward, for those that rely not on their own strength, but the Holy Ghost power promised, to those that are in Christ, to resist temptation. 

Now I will get pointed: did Donald's first attempt at cruelty and vicious verbal assault, work out really well for him, giving him a sense that he is above reproach? And how about now: does he believe that he can continue, minus repercussions, with grotesque displays of insulting and demeaning others, no matter how embarrassing the comments? It appears to me, and perhaps to you too, that Trump believes he is entitled to continue to verbally vomit, and spew vulgarity in all directions, coating his devotees in sick, along with all those that have unfortunately, hitched their wagon to the wrong pony. 

I am a self-conscious kind of person. I self-assess, and cringe sometimes, when recalling some things I have said and done, as a professing Christian. I am not above reproach, nor am I in any way perfect, but I do have one thing going for me, that helps me remember to remain humble: the cross of Christ. I cannot look to Jesus without feeling that I have some work to do, to be more like him. I am saved by the grace of God, and I know the entrance price to heaven has already been paid for me with the blood of the perfect lamb, but I must not rest on my moral laurels. I must continue to improve, until the day I die, because my ultimate goal, is to hear these words spoken of me: Well done, good and faithful servant. 

You may think that I pick on Donald Trump, but I tell you, if I lived during the days of Herod, I would speak about him similarly. The puffed up with arrogance fellas are big balloons ready for popping, and Donald Trump now flabbergasts, agitates, irritates, the citizens of the United States of America, and rightly so. Rulers must be above reproach, as governors granted power by God, to rule righteously, honestly, fairly, and within the guidelines of the law. Donald does what he does for his own vainglory, and all else, is disregarded. 

As an accidental president, Trump is dangerously arrogant, and we have all heard the expression, pride comes before the fall. Don's days are numbered in countless ways, and I can see why so many are working hard, to disassociate from that bloated and sinking ship. 

Job 15:31

Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompense.

Psalm 62:9

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.