No Bed of Roses

 

We have all heard the term "no bed of roses" and most of us understand what that means.  Basically when we say "no bed of roses", we are saying that it won't be easy.  The rose is considered one of the most beautiful flowers but along with the beauty comes the stem.  As pretty as the rose is, it has a stem that has many prickly stickers that can draw blood from someone who isn't careful.

This morning I was reading in Exodus when God had given a promise to Moses and the Hebrews when they were in Egypt.  They were slaves in Egypt but God had a plan.  Here is God's plan:  

Exodus 3:7 Then the LORD told him, "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.

What a great plan ~ God was telling Moses that he had seen the situation and had a plan to "lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.  It is flowing with milk and honey..."  This is a great plan.  The Hebrews were getting out of slavery and they were going to have their very own land that was fertile for crops to grow and spacious enough so it wouldn't be crowded.  This is AWESOME!  But now look at the rest of the sentence and what God also was saying...."the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live."  Wait a minute!  Did I read this correctly?  Aren't these "ites" enemies?  It's interesting to me that God was delivering the Hebrews and giving them a wonderful promise of a land that was flowing with milk and honey, but it was already occupied by others.  Don't worry.  God knew what He was doing.  As you continue to read, God uses Joshua to go and conquer these "ites" that God is talking about.

As I read this, I began to think of all the promises that God gives to us.  We like the promises, but we don't like the enemy that we have to overcome in order to "occupy our promised land".  Just like we like the rose but we don't like the thorns that come with the rose.  God gives us promises, but He also wants us to step out and fight in His might and strength to make the promise a reality.  

What about you?  I hear people say, "God promised...." but they haven't done anything to take a step toward that promise.  God's promises are wonderful and they are great but some promises aren't "a bed of roses."  I love the rose, but I have to overcome the thorns to enjoy it.  I love God's promises but many times I have to overcome obstacles (with His help) to enjoy them.

Jesus never promised us a "happy life" but He did promise that we could have "life and life to the full".  This doesn't mean we won't have to deal with the "thorns" that come along with the "rose of life". 

Social Networks ~ Good or Bad?

A few years ago the term "social network" wasn't in our vocabulary.  Today, many people use the internet and "social networks" such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many others to "stay connected".  I don't believe there is anything wrong with having some type of social networking, but I do believe it is like anything else.  You have to be careful in how you use it.  One of two things will take place ~ You will control it or it will control you.

For example:  I just read an article in Leadership Journal that shared about a pastor who has banned Facebook among his church staff.  They could delete their account or they could resign.  He has also called on married people in his 1,100 member congregation to delete their Facebook accounts as well.  The pastor said that 20 couples from his church have had marital problems in the last six months afer a spouse reconnected with an "old flame" on Facebook.  "What happens is someone from yesterday surfaces, it leads to conversations, and there have been physical meet-ups.  The temptation is just too great."   The article continues and says that according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 81% of its members have either used or been faced with evidence from social networking sites in divorce cases in the last five years, including Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace.

Wow!  It's also important that we are careful not to use social networks to "blast" people or gossip or use it in any negative way.  My father-in-law says that it's just a place and another way for people to gossip.  We laughed, but there is some truth in his statement.  It's interesting that people will share things over their social network with their "friends" that they normally wouldn't share with anyone else.  The problem comes when their "friends" have "friends" and their "friends" have "friends".  Your "opinion" or what you are doing, feeling or sharing becomes a headline.  Be careful what you put on your "status" or what you "tweet". 

There are also studies that show that companies lose billions, yes BILLIONS, of dollars in productivity because of social networks.  Are we being good stewards of our employer when we spend time checking the status of friends on Facebook?  Probably not.  If you work for a company and you just have to update your status or check your friend's status, you may want to do it on your break or lunch hour.  What a great example this would be to others.

Don't get me wrong.  I AM NOT against social networking.  I do believe that we need to be careful in the way we use it.  I believe it is a great way to communicate but we must guard against being tempted in misusing it.  I would like to challenge every person that reads this and has some type of social network to use it in a positive way.  You can use positive quotes and even put daily scriptures to encourage others.  

So, is social networking good or bad?  It all depends on how you use it and control it.  Do you control it or does it control you?