What The Hell Do You Have To Lose?

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?

 WE ALL CHASE OUR DESTINY? THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WANDERING AROUND, IN THEIR SIXTIES, SEVENTIES EVEN IN THEIR 80’s AND 90’s, WHO HAVE BEEN RIDING THE SAME OLD HORSE FOR YEARS, YET HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THAT NAG IS CARRYING THEM. I’M REMINDED OF THE STORY ABOUT A MAN FROM THE CITY WHO BOUGHT A FARM. HE ASKS HIS NEIGHBOR, WHO’S BEEN FARMING FOR YEARS, HOW TO PLOW A STRAIGHT FURROW. THE OLD FARMER TELLS HIM TO PICK OUT SOMETHING IN THE DISTANCE – A TREE FOR EXAMPLE – AND STEER YOUR TRACTOR DIRECTLY TOWARD IT. A WEEK LATER THE OLE FARMER STOPS BY TO SEE HOW HIS YOUNG CITY SLICKER IS DOING. TO HIS DISMAY, HE SEES A TANGLE OF FURROWS HEADING IN ALL DIRECTIONS. “WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO, I TOLD YOU TO PICK OUT SOMETHING IN THE DISTANCE AND AIM YOUR TRACTOR TOWARD IT. WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU AIM AT?” THE NEWBEE FARMER SAYS, “THAT BROWN COW OUT THERE.” TO KNOW IS POWER. IF WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE AIMING AT, WE’RE VERY MUCH LIKE THAT YOUNG NEW FARMER! IF THE HORSE YOUR’RE HOPING WILL CARRY YOU TO YOUR DESTINY IS DEAD, DISMOUNT… IF WHAT YOU’REDOING IS NOT MOVING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR OBJECTIVE, YOU’VE GOT TO CHANGE HORSES! 

SENTIMENTALITY INVOLVES FEELINGS AND, AS I’VE SAID BEFORE, FEELINGS MAKE FOR ACCOMODATING FRIENDS BUT DECEITFUL MASTERS. SENTIMENTALITY CAN CAUSE A FORM OF BLINDNESS. WE CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES.

THERE’S A COMPANY THAT DEALS WITH IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION. THIS COMPANY HAS AN AD CURRENTLY RUNNING ON TELEVISION. THE OPENING LINE OF THE AD IS: WHAT YOU DON’T SEE CAN HURT YOU! THE AD SHOWS A YOUNG MAN BEING CHASED BY BULLS. THE “THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS” WAS MADE FAMOUS IN PAMP-LONA SPAIN. THE RUNNER IN THE AD HITS AN OPEN SHUTTER AND WINDS UP FLAT ON HIS BACKSIDE. THIS VISUALLY REINFORCES THE TITLE OF THE AD: WHAT YOU DON’T SEE CAN HURT YOU. 

MANY PEOPLE DIE AS A RESULT OF NOT SEEING THE DANGER THAT LIES AHEAD. INFORMED PEOPLE SEE TROUBLE COMING AND TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. THE UNINFORMED, OR WILLFULLY STUPID, PUSH ON AND PAY THE PRICE. THE SMART OR INFORMED PERSON DOES NOT KEEP GOING ON THE WRONG ROAD. WHEN THIS PERSON FALLS, THEY GET BACK UP. THIS APPLYS TO EVERY ASPECT OF LIVING LIFE. 

WEATHER IT’S TRYING TO KEEP AHEAD OF THE BULLS, OR IN A SPIRITUAL RACE, DISCERNMENT IS A PART OF SEEING. THIS IS CALLED PERCEPTION, THE ABILITY TO JUDGE WISELY. DISCERNMENT CAN ALSO BE A SPIRITUAL GIFT FROM GOD.

IN THE 2016 ELECTION CYCLE, THEN CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP, IN HIS ATTEMPT TO CURRY THE FAVOUR OF THE BLACK VOTE SAID, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?” THIS IS A QUESTION THAT APTLY APPLIES TO OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE AS WELL. 

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, LOST AND CONFUSED, A GROUP OF US YOUNG “SEARCHERS” WERE OUT PARTYING ONE NIGHT. THIS ONE KID KEPT BANGING HIS HEAD AGAINST THE BRICK WALL OF A BUILDING… I SUPPOSE OUT OF FRUSTRATION ABOUT WHAT LIFE WAS REALLY ALL ABOUT. MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THERE. THE SAD THING IS THAT SOME OF US NEVER FIGURE IT OUT; NEVER FIND THE NARROW ROAD.

IN 1966 BURT BACHARACH AND HAL DAVID WROTE THE SONG, ALFIE TO PROMOTE THE FILM BY THE SAME NAME.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE? IS IT JUST FOR THE MEMENT WE LIVE?
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT WHEN YOU SORT IT ALL OUT, ALFIE?

AS SURE AS I BELIEVE THERE’S A HEAVEN ABOVE ALFIE, I KNOW THERE’S SOMETHING EVEN NON-BELIEVERS CAN BELIEVE IN… 

IN THEIR ADVANCED YEARS MANY PEOPLE COME TO REALIZE HOW SHALLOW THIS LIFE IS… THAT THE MORE YOU OWN THE MORE YOU ARE POSSESSED BECAUSE THE MORE YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN. MANY OF THESE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE CAN STILL BE BLINDLY BANGING THEIR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL OF LIFE. SOME JUST SURRENDER TO THEIR CONFUSION… EVENTUALLY DYING WITH THEIR SONG STILL IN THEM. OTHERS SELF-MEDICATE BY DRINKING THEMSELVES INTO OBLIVION TO ESCAPE THE PAIN FROM TRYING TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT ON THEIR OWN. SOME USE DRUGS TO DULL THE BRAIN AND OFF-SET THE PAIN IN THEIR LIFE. STILL OTHERS TUMBLE INTO THE ABYSS OF SEX WITHOUT LOVE OR MEANING. THIS IS CALLED WILLFULL IGNORANCE. AS LOST AS LAST YEARS EASTER BUNNY THEY SLOG THROUGH THEIR DAYS TO A BITTER END…  NO INNER PEACE, NO SENSE OF FULFILLMENT, LACKING ANY APPRECIABLE SATISFACTION. 

I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT THE MOST COMMON INFIRMITY THAT JESUS HEALED WHEN HE WALKED THE FACE OF THIS EARTH WAS BLINDNESS. THIS MALADY STILL PLAGUES US TODAY. BUT THE KIND OF BLINDNESS I’M REFERRING TO IS WORSE BY TEN-FOLD THAN PHYSICAL BLINDNESS… IT IS… SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS.

 CHRIST DID NOT COME TO SAVE THE LOST; HE CAME TO GIVE LIFE TO THE DEAD. THE TELEVISION PROGRAM, THE WALKING DEAD IS AN AMERICAN POST-APOC-A-LYP-TIC HORROR SERIESAND SERVES UP AMPLE DARKNESS FOR ITS VIEWERS. WE ARE WHAT PREOCCUPIES US. YOU CAN TELL A GREAT DEAL ABOUT A PERSON BY WHAT THEY READ AND WHAT THEY LOOK AT. WE CANNOT GIVE AWAY WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE. WE CANNOT BE A LIGHT BEARER IF OUR SOUL IS FULL OF DARKNESS. LIGHT AND DARKNESS CANNOT CO-EXIST… IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. 

THERE IS A WAR GOING ON, AND WE’RE ALL IN IT. AND THERE IS NO OPTING OUT OF THIS WAR. IT IS NOT A WAR AGAINST A VISIBLE ENEMY, ON THE CONTRARY, IT IS AGAINST AN ENEMY WE CANNOT SEE. SOMEONE ASKED ME RECENTLY, “WHY EVIL PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE AN EASY LIFE… ALL THE TRAPPINGS OF SUCCESS. YET THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD SEEM, IN MANY CASES, TO HAVE A TOUGH ROW TO HOE?” I ASKED HIM, IF YOU WERE PURSUING SOULS TO MUNCH UP, WOULD YOU KEEP PURSUING AN ENEMY THAT IS ALREADY CAPTURED?

THE BIBLE IS THE SWORD OF TRUTH FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN ENEMY WHOM WE FIGHT AGAINST. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S VERY WORDS, WRITTEN DOWN FOR US. THE BIBLE IS THE “OWNERS MANUAL” FOR THOSE WHO KNOW GOD AS FATHER. 

THE WEAPONS WE FIGHT WITH ARE NOT FASHIONED BY MAN. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE DIVINE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. THEY ALSO DEMOLISH EVERY ARGUMENT AND PRETENSION THAT SETS ITSELF UP AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

IN THE BIBLE IT SAYS, “TASTE OF THE LORD, TRY HIM, AND SEE IF HE IS NOT GOOD!”

TO ECHO THE WORDS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP… “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?” MAYBE THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS – HELL ITSELF.