I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid April fool’s day was a really big deal.  Granted, just about anything can be a big deal to a kid, but I was a sucker year in, year out and my friends were relentless. They gave me no slack whatsoever. I close my eyes and think back and just stand amazed at how gullible I was, time after time after time! Even as I neared adulthood, I found myself being a sucker. At age 18 my manager told me to “dust the lights” on our grocery store’s ceiling before I went home. He gave me a feather duster and 8’ ladder for the 14’ high ceiling. I did the best I could, but when you are only 5’11” a challenge exists. I worried all night until I went back to work and saw him and everyone else pointing, clapping and laughing at me! What a rude awakening.

When I think about having an awakening it’s kind of like getting old enough to figure out when someone is pulling an April Fool’s joke on you. Now, granted, I may be slower than the rest of you, but illumination is an important issue to me. I loved being able to know things others might not and I hated being in the dark or feeling stupid. However, none of us are exempt from those feelings. Right now, with the amount of information we have and the breakneck speed with which it is doubling, face it, you’re bound to make mistakes and feel dumb about something. Surveys indicate that the wealthiest and most successful people feel fortunate if 50% of the risks they take are successful. There are no crystal balls.

However, our Father, did not leave us without guidelines and a formula for long term awakenings. It’s tucked away in the wise guy’s (Solomon’s) writings. Look at Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NCV) Invest what you have, because after a while you will get a return. It doesn’t say borrow to get rich or try to figure out what might happen to be the next greatest thing, it says use what you have. Right now, I am using what I have. It may not be much, but the pain, sorrows, joys, emotions, and experiences have provided me with stories to tell and knowledge to pass on to you. How you use it is up to you. I realize most of you possess more IQ and knowledge than I may ever possess. However, according to Romans 12:2, God renewed my mind and has taken me to a level beyond the gray mass I was born with. If you learn from my life experiences, and avoid some of the same mistakes I made, I have achieved my objective. I will have imparted something that stirred wisdom in your heart instead of just knowledge.

I don’t feel I am any different than any other parent. My desire is that you awaken to God’s reality of who you are and what you possess. I desire nothing but that your life exceeds mine and you achieve much more than me. My job has been to try to provide you with sustenance for your journey, light for your path, stimulation to awaken your mind, and prayer that you will see what God has given you and how you are to use it for His glory. That is why He placed you under my authority and discipline. For the most part, I have allowed you the free will God granted you. I permitted you to make your own decisions, even though I may not have agreed with your choices. Now I realize that God has used a similar perspective for all of us. I pray that each day will be an awakening for you and that you are not fooled by the world. That’s no April Fool’s joke.

Love Dad