Decisions and a little bit of my Testimony

I empathize with people when they face consequences that are detrimental to their lives from making less than stellar decisions. I along with all of us have made decisions that later we wish we never entertained in our mind let alone acted on. Though we can all agree on our susceptibility of making bad decisions, the one thing that is more detrimental than that is when we resort to blaming everyone else for our decision making.

When we blame others for our poor decision making we have guaranteed our perpetuation of  bad decisions. The future will be our present and we seal any opportunity for change by our refusal to accept responsibility.

I can blame society for not giving me a fair shake, my parents for neglect, and people in general for treating me unfairly, but in the end it is my decision and mine alone. Life has choices even though we may choose to ignore them. Choices are presented to us everyday and which one we choose determines the spiritual and mental health of our lives. Someone may have lied on me yesterday and now I have a choice. I can choose to brood and sulk over it and contemplate revenge or I can choose to forgive and give them no power to affect my life in a negative way.

I have made it my lifestyle to not live in my past, I easily forget yesterday, and I look expectantly at a bright future and I live in my present making decisions that will create it. People ask me "Reuben, why do you smile so much?" It is certainly not because I live or have lived a trouble free life. I like everyone go through hardships and heartache and tough experiences like everyone else. I've had multiple operations for the same thing. They in the medical field have a detailed grocery list of problems that they have assessed concerning me physically. One doctor said my life will change in ten years so go do what you want to do now. My past is littered with failures that included alcohol and drugs along with a lifestyle that would blow your mind. Even hardened souls said to me that I couldn't live the way I was living forever. They were right!

Feelings of failure were a constant in my life concerning my ability as a father, husband, and a provider. I witnessed one of the greatest betrayals a person could go through by someone I trusted with everything. At one point in my life I lost everything in my world - my family - my home - my vehicles - my dignity (and you thought you were having a bad day). I walked out of my parents home at 19 years old going for the stars. I walked back into my parents home at 27 years old with nothing but the shirt on my back totally embarrassed at the failure I had become.

There was a day towards the end of my endless reaping of consequences that I sat down and realized that I and no one else was responsible for my life's decisions. Pitying myself or looking for a pill was not a choice worth taking if my life was going to turn around. One Saturday afternoon I was watching a Christian program and a man looked into the camera while closing his bible and said I can't teach what I was going to bring forth today. He went on to say that there is a man watching and God is calling you - you must be saved. He also said I want you to know that God loves you so much he stopped a multimillion dollar network just to plea for you. I almost fell through the couch I was sitting on and knew exactly what was happening. One week later I repented of my sins and made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. I'm happy not because of what things I have. I am happy for one reason - Jesus changed my life, gave me a relationship with him, and promised me a future I can barely imagine!

I made a decision from that moment on that I will no longer live in my past but will look at a bright future and make decisions in my present to create it. If you want to talk about the future, you will have my attention. If you want to talk about the present and how we can make a better tomorrow you will have my attention. If you want to talk about the past we will part company.

Today make a choice. Why wallow in the yesteryear of failures and what people did to you? There is nothing you can do to change the past but you sure can create a better tomorrow by making decisions in your present to achieve it.

Philippians 3:13-14 
¹³  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
¹⁴  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It's your choice... 

Speaking in Washington, NC, at the Golden Rule concerning Human Rights on behalf of the Human Rights Global Congress as Vice President.

Today - I am married to the greatest woman in the world. Have three sons - one son is married and another one is engaged and I couldn't be more happy about the girls they have chosen. The senior pastor of a great church and have been for over 18 years. Washington D.C. Capital director for the United States National Prayer Council and the Vice President of the Human Rights Global Congress. Recently was asked to go to the United Nations and have been to Capital Hill on multiple occasions and continuing. A part of an advisory team for a diplomatic core of an Ambassador. I have written four books and finishing a fifth. The host and executive producer of Experience Life Today which is a television program seen in four states. By God's grace had a successful Fellowship of ministers (Mt Calvary International Ministerial Fellowship) that started out with 12 members and blossomed to over 500 in 7 years in West Africa.

I say none of it as being on an egotistical trip. I know that through Jesus Christ and continued fellowship with him that the sky is the limit. Don't aim for the top of the fence post - aim for the stars! When you leave this world... leave a big enough footprint to fall in.

God bless you!