ROAD BLOCK
Joe can be reached at joejacksonministies.org and jojk86@aol.com
I’d almost be amused by the majority of people’s mindset regarding success in our society if it weren’t so sad. One look at the person driving next to you and you can usually tell their attitude at a glance.
I’m not inferring we should judge their character, I’m suggesting to ponder their overall
demeanor. Some people are slumped over a bit with the glum look and the glaze of boredom, redundancy, and shattered dreams in their eyes.
While you’re spotting the broken, keep an eye out. Look quick or you might miss the ones speeding by, driving a status symbol, looking like they have the world by the tail.
For many, the wear and tear of the grind hasn’t taken its effect yet, their dreams have yet to be shattered.
No person that’s ever lived has not had setbacks. We all have in common the fact that all of us have dreams, goals, and long-term desires. Many of us approach life as if the idea, goal, or dream isn’t fulfilled or accomplished, then the detour sign life offers is seen as a road block.
Society has brainwashed the majority of us into believing that a person who wins a sporting, musical, even an intellectual contest is an honored person. We’ve come to believe winning a contest is somehow paramount, above all else. Trust me, winning is gratifying: I enjoy it as much as the next person, that’s how I know the trappings of it. It’s the perspective of the subject in question.
I see sometimes, not as much as I used to, but still spot the shirt or bumper sticker that announces the wisdom of the owner, “He who dies with the most toys wins”…. Wow! there goes a deep thinker!
If those toys mean that much to a person and is the driving force behind their ambitions in life, I would submit to you the value of their life is equal to the toys they represent as their winning “ticket.”
I’d say chances are those guys or gals had big dreams and once they hit the road sign of life, didn’t look close enough or couldn’t see through the emotions of disappointment to realize the fact that the sign was a detour sign, not a road block.
I’ve also noticed that many of the people that were successful at their first dream or goal become even more shattered by the fact that living their dream didn’t fulfill everything they’d hoped it would, especially after they’re done celebrating their specific success.
Then there are guys like Joe. When Joe was young he had big dreams to become a professional football player, many kids do. Just so happens, while his path wasn’t easy, he didn’t get the road block or detour signs most of us get.
Joe got the green light, eventually to the NFL where he played most of his career as a Minnesota Viking. Joe learned what every other person has learned that has ever lived; nothing lasts forever in this flesh and neither did Joe’s football career.
The difference between Joe Jackson and the majority of other people in our society is that Joe knew what a person does for a living doesn’t necessarily define who the person is.
The career Joe has today says a whole lot more about who Joe is than football ever could. My friend Joe Jackson is a man called to speak and sing the word of God to anyone who’ll listen.
Although faced with difficult times like all of us, Joe’s smile is evidence to the truth of his life and purpose. Joe’s dreams can’t be shattered because they belong to God and are for His purpose.
For those of us who might have encountered a road block in our lives, think back and remember the journey. In hindsight if we are looking with the right set of eyes or mindset we’ll find it was only a detour, not a road block.
We as believers might have an occasional shattered dream, but never a shattered hope…
And that’s huge…
Just like my friend, Joe Jackson…
Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 5:50 am
I think this is a fantastic post! I believe that Christians forget where our hope lies sometimes and we let ourselves get bogged down in the mess that is this world. So when our dreams are shattered (and a lot of times they are) we let ourselves live in that. We forget that God has better dreams for us.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 7:21 am
Great point, we have a different perspective, as you pointed out at your place today! Thanks April!
Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 11:27 am
It’s difficult to discern the difference between a roadblock and a detour. I think that sometimes, the big difference between them is attitude because many of us can
Overcome large roadblocks, but the wear and tear of life comes about in exerting the effort necessary to get over or through these things. Wonderful post, encouraging and a little stressing at the same time.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 11:44 am
The race does get weary sometimes, but our real rest is on the other side of this facade. Hang in there Jake, you got a lot to do yet!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 @ 9:46 am
April mentioned “when our dreams are shattered…”, there inlies the problem –
our thoughts are not His thoughts…His ways are higher than our ways…
You hit the nail on the head when you said, “Joe’s dreams CAN’T be shattered because they belong to God and are for HIS purpose.” Too many times, we try to fit our dreams into the mold/plan/purpose that God has just for us, as individuals. When we prayerfully consider God in ALL things, our dreams, our plans, our purpose become what He created for us from the beginning and they can never be shattered.
Loved this!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 @ 10:59 am
Amen Sister! Things of this world can be destroyed, but the things created by God including His will for our lives is made of a material that can’t be destroyed my any thing but the Creator Himself!