Monday, December 31, 2007

Not everything happens for a reason

I really do believe that not everything that happens in life happens for a reason. I think that some things in life should never happen; or when they do happen; it really sucks. But so often when crappy things happen, I hear people say this as if to say "Oh, it's ok."

But when bad stuff happens, it isn't ok! And when we screw up; sometimes there isn't a reason. Sometimes, we just make mistakes. And that's ok to admit. I don't think it makes us weak or lesser.

As I look back over my year. I was realizing that I have gone through and experienced a lot and I also have two or three regrets. And I caught myself thinking, "Oh well it's ok because everything happens for a reason." And to be fair, it's totally reasonable to pull something good out of a bad circumstance. And when you do that, you can say, "Well, if that hadn't happened; I never would have _____." But that doesn't make the bad thing ok.

I guess what I want to avoid is blaming God for everything bad and sayig He must have some great reason for it. But there are no reasons for some of the things. I guess the key is to learn from both the good and the bad circumstances and to grow and find positive meaning in each thing. To me, that is different than just blindly accepting that something is ok because there must be some unknown reason behind it.

So yep. I'm very pleased with 2007. I played a lot of shows as Quiet Entertainer. Performed at Cornerstone. Went to Bonnaroo. Went to Austin, Dallas, and New Orleans for some shows. Joined a church. Made some friends. Stretched myself. Became a working actor again. Got to be in two commercials and a music video. Praise God for all those things. I am eager to grow.

I think despite every obstacle; I think I still "ran for it." But I need to be more disciplined in a lot of areas where I stumbled this year. So in keeping with the theme, this is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

So there it is. Happy New Year! Let's talk more in '08!

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