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SAYINGS TO LIVE BY At this time of year school graduations are in the air. Soon to be high school grads are making
Forrest’s story begins when he was a child living with his mother (played by Sally Field) in Greenbow, Alabama. One assumes Forrest's father abandoned his mother but his absence is never stated. Thus Forrest is raised by a single parent—his mother—who has several favorite sayings which Forrest picks up; “Mama always says, 'Life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you gonna get.'" and "Stupid is as stupid does." Through the many ups and downs of his life Gump offers these two sayings—as his philosophy on/of life. After the movie was released these sayings became a part of American “pop culture.” The irony of these sayings is there is a measure of truth to be found in them. How many of us can identify with the box of chocolates? Unlike a Tootsie Roll Pop one never knows what you may bite into. The chocolate covering hides the treat waiting inside (cherry, pineapple, caramel, etc). There are various types, shapes, and sizes found inside; round, square, oval, fat, thin, light dark or white chocolate and so forth. At least with a Tootsie Roll Pop there’s a Tootsie Roll found in the center of every pop. The only choice with a Tootsie Roll Pop is the outer covering. The center is always the same—no surprises. Don’t you wish life could be so simple? What's more how many of us will admit we’ve ever done something stupid ("Stupid is as stupid does.")? Have you ever said to yourself: “why did I do that? That was stupid!” Are we really saying to ourselves: “I should have known better?” We’re probably looking around at the same time hoping no one saw us do something stupid. Each of these statements proclaims the unpredictability of life. James in his epistle writes…Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (NIV James 4:13-14). Is he not reiterating what we learned on our way to adulthood; that events are unpredictable and so is the notion that we can always follow through on our plans? In other words the saying could be true: ‘life “IS” like a box of chocolates: You never know what you gonna get.’ Right? Does that mean we should just leave everything to chance? Throw caution to the wind and see what happens? Remember…stupid is as stupid does? There is more to life than the saying “here today and gone tomorrow” so live life with all the “gusto” you can! When writing his epistle James was thinking of people who make plans imprudently. Perhaps James was thinking of the words of Christ…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said, This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. (NIV Luke 12:15-21).
We can either plod through life believing “Life is like a box of chocolates,” take your chances; or we can embrace a better saying to live by written by James…Instead, you ought to say [when making plans], If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that (NIV James 4:15). This simple saying to live by tells us…in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Pr 3:6). Our life, breath, being, possessions, happiness, health, and so on are all in God’s hands. By any measurement America is a blessed nation. People living in America have more freedoms and opportunities for success than practically all other peoples in the world. Nearly every American has opportunity for a long and peaceful life, liberty of movement and freedom to chose, and the pursuit of happiness. Sadly, if Jesus is not in the middle of your plans and life what do you really possess? Before deciding on a plan or embarking on a new career or whatever, make sure God is in the middle of the plan. Make this your only saying to live by: If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. Pastor Curtis Bond
—God’s Peace and Blessing, Please take a moment to send us feedback about this article. © 2005 Curtis W. Bond All rights reserved
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| posted 09/11/2005 |
plans for college, finding a “real” job, and etc; while soon to be college grads are trying to land that “dream” job, move away, and etc. Graduation, parties, celebrations, gifts, and words of wisdom will be in ample supply to give to the eager graduates. Many of us will be offering these elated graduates our advice and words of wisdom—whether they asked for them or not. We’ll be telling them our rules for success, and sayings we’ve lived by. What sayings are you fond of uttering? I had a friend who was very fond of saying, “well that’s the way the mop flops” when coping with life’s disappointments large and small.
In the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" (played by Tom Hanks), Forrest Gump is a man with a low IQ. The movie begins with Forrest sitting on a bench at a bus stop in Savannah Georgia telling his life's story to a woman sitting next to him. Forrest remains at this bus stop throughout most of the movie sharing his story with various listeners as they come and go. 
Obviously we have choices how to live our life. What's more the passages above call our attention to several facts: one is how unpredictable events (life) can be; another is how short life is. Moreover, Jesus’ parable could be summed up by the 18th-century poet, Robert Burns, who wrote: "The best laid plans o'mice an' men/Gang aft a-gley (or gone astray)." In short most of us do not have a “crystal ball” to peer into before making decisions; for as the Apostle Paul wrote...for now we see through a glass darkly (1Co. 13:12). 