Always keep in mind what is important in the present, the future, and the end, but also keep in mind that in the end, nothing will really matter except faith in God.

Sometimes it is best to think, sometimes it is best to act, but most of the time is is best to think and then act.

Looking Back

Sometimes it is good in making a decision to pretend you are watching yourself. Pretend that this is one of those corny sci-fi movies, and your future self is watching you make that decision. What do you think you would be saying a week, a month, a decade from now as you watched yourself? I think that's a good way to base decisions, even if it might not always work.
It's kind of a creepy feeling I know, but it can help...

Overprotection

I am not a father, so if you want to hear the opinion from someone with firsthand experience, then just ignore me. I have secondhand experience, though, and it may have given me better insight than firsthand experience can.
Most parents seek to find a way to protect their child from evil and raise them in a way that would, frankly, make them good. I believe that there is a point on both sides that goes too far. All things in moderation, no? A child should be protected from the evils of this world, but there is a point where he or she should be shown the world outside of a bubble. Otherwise the child will not mature, a problem that I have seen in more than one instance. If the child is to act his age, then he must be shown the world around him, from all aspects. He cannot be hidden from evil forever. He must be taught and then shown the two paths, not hidden from the choice. After all, childlike faith is encouraged by the Bible, but not childlike maturity. We are to mature, but keep faith in or Lord. We cannot remain children in all aspects in this world. Nor can we hide in the past, raise our children the same way our parents did. Times change, and parenting must change with it. The foundations should never change, but the specifics are already changing with every generation. We cannot pretend that the past was so much better, and teach our children to live as if everything was the same. A child must be exposed to the present if he is to survive in it.
In writing this I do not intend to criticize, but to share my own thoughts.

Just A Tip

Sometimes, it's best to find a solitary place, get some good music, and just sit down. That is when thought is born, that is when peace is found. If you perfect this, then boredom is an unreachable state. There is always something to ponder, to find a solution to. Yet, most of the best questions in life have no answers, and these are always the most interesting. We must find our own path, and I have found that the searching is best nurtured by a good view, a good cd, and a good spot. You always feel more refreshed than after the best of naps, more at peace than after any conversation. For me, that is what brings about the most thorough happiness.

This is also how I survive the longest of road trips.

Thoughts

It's interesting how your mind can be clouded to the point that you don't see what's important. I wouldn't say I've been so busy lately, but my mind has been much less focused than it usually is. I feel better now, I would go so far as to say happier even, and I want to come back to this blog. These are the kinds of things I enjoy thinking about, and I'm ready to return to them. It's been all too long, but I'm back, in body and in mind.