Pray, act, and accept

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Hello again, hope you’re all doing well and taking reasonable precautions as we move forward in reopening “America 2.0.”

It’s been a weird year so far, something we’ve never been through before, and hopefully won’t have to repeat. With full recovery at this point being a light at the end of the tunnel (did I hear a train?), I’m sure that if we’ll turn back to God that he’ll get us there, but that choice is ours to make, as individuals and as a country. It’s your life and future, so please choose wisely.

While it’s on my mind, I’d like to give not only a shout out to, but a sincere thanks as well to Jose Torres, managing editor of the Inquirer, for allowing my unbridled ramblings for the past two years. He’s been a pleasure to work with and I pray that God will bless, protect and guide him on his journey through this life, thanks again Jose!

Recently, my sons have been helping me get set up with Zoom, the video conferencing software. Like most of us lately, we’ve been a little short on face time, so it’ll be much nicer than just phone calls. I am however, technically challenged to say the least, so their assistance is not only appreciated, but mandatory. Note to self; don’t try out Zoom for the first time immediately after showering as the towel may fall, exposing your bum, making you the butt of jokes for years to come.

I’m getting a little antsy (do ants get antsy?) to get back to my personal story, but for now I feel that current affairs deserve more attention. I bounced around so much growing up that my timeline is somewhat unclear and confusing. It makes me feel like Tommy in the Who’s 1969 rock-opera “Pinball Wizard”, with dad controlling one flipper, and mom controlling the other. And much like Tommy, I was most definitely (pre-Jesus) ... deaf, dumb and blind, so stay tuned.

Solutions to the whole pandemic vs economy problem has been a whirlwind of uncertainty for governments, businesses, families and individuals alike. Do we choose option 1, option 2, or combine them, choosing option 3? Do we cut the black, red or green wire to keep us from blowing up? I’m sure you’ve heard that it’s “better to do something, even if it’s wrong”. True or False? I guess that depends on your vantage point. It’s often been said that hindsight is 20/20, but that foresight rarely is. It’s always easier to clearly see our successes and failures once we’ve been through them, but the correct response to any given situation before hand, is fairly murky.

Whether it’s a decision that affects millions of people, or a personal choice that will affect only us, is doing something better than doing nothing? If you decide to treat your dog with flea medication to make them be more comfortable, but they have an allergic reaction and die instead, while many fleas saved themselves by abandoning Chip (the dog’s name), was that the right call? Live or die, laugh or cry, cake or pie...so many decisions, where do we start?

I believe the most intelligent and practical place would be prayer, always the right first step in any given situation. When trusting in God, there’s always hope. Hebrews 11:1 states that “Faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see.” God answers prayer, even though his answer and timing may not be exactly what we’d prayed for and more often than not, requires some type of action on our part. God knows what’s best for us, and sometimes that may be different than our immediate desires. If we truly have faith, we’ll be willing to accept his answers. So, for a successful outcome, just remember to pray...act...and accept!

Stay safe, love you guys, Eric.

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