History in the Making

I’ve always been a firm believer of letting go of the past so that I can live in the present and positively impact and influence my future. At the same time, I’m a lover of history. I’m fascinated not in the facts and accounts of history as much as I’m fascinated in the human condition of history, good and bad, heroic and cowardly, righteous and evil. History is a rich mixture of who we are, where we came from, the errors of those who’ve walked before us, a recipe for success, and a road map of wisdom of what to avoid.

When I think of history, both long ago and more recent, such names as Ronald Regan, Winston Churchill, Adolph Hitler, Gandhi, Alexander the Great, George (W and H) Bush, Al Capone, Billy Graham, John Lennon, Johnny Cash, George Patton, Carl Jung, and of course Janis Joplin, come to mind. Literally hundreds of names flood my mind when I think of history and even though I never knew any of these people, mentioned or floating in my brain, they have impacted my life, influenced my imagination, and helped in the creating of me.

More personally, people who have directly impacted my life are those such as my 3rd grade math teacher, Mr. Waller, who helped me to realize the potential others could not see. Mrs. Baldwin, who even though she was overly strict and had the “my way” mentality, was the first in my life to see my creativity and encouraged me to use it and be proud of it. My wife continues to love me even when I’m hard to love. My father taught me more about life than he knew or intended, as did my mother. Friends, both today and in the past, continue to impact my life, my history.

We all have significant people in our lives, in our pasts, which have helped to create our beings and our values. The people who have impacted us in our growth as humans have done so by showing us how to act and behave in ways that match and demonstrate our values. These people stood for something, not just words to sway us towards their view, but truly stood for something, whether popular or not, they lived according to their values. Their belief in themselves, in what is good and righteous, their strong determination, showed us that yes we too can accomplish what others around us refuse to see.

Standing in our values, no matter what, is rarely popular. Many have been insulted and attacked by family, in the media, by a nation, in attempts to make them, “walk the line”, or to be a “good boy/girl”. It continues today, and will tomorrow, as long as humans walk the earth. We will be attacked and the dream squelchers will knock on our doors. I encourage you, my friend and reader, to surround you with fellow believers of hope, integrity, values, and love. You are not alone; we are not alone.

James advises us to “stand firm”, and in our God, in our Savior, we can rest on His strength and stand firm. Values are truly the blueprints of our beings, the atlas of our souls, where our God resides and where we are most righteous and pure. Values that come from Him are those we gladly let shine, those we use to aid our fellow man, those we teach our children, those we wear openly and proudly. Beware of the values that come from the dark, which we hide, that we mask to look righteous, spending our days reshaping to fulfill our own needs and wants, those that lay in the deep blackness of our dark spaces that are too filthy for God to reside.

Let your hero shine and smile on those around you. Let your deeds and words match. Let your power come from God and let Him determine your history.


(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)