Hitching Your Wagon

Having the proper tools to do a specific job, makes the task easier than not. If you had a car slipping into a lake and someone came running with a stick to offer assistance, you'd wonder what was he planning on doing (unless he's McGyver)? Yet, there are those that believe they can try and manage when there is a better way. We know of the parable of the house built on a sure foundation and when the storms come which home will sway and which will hold firm (Matthew 7:24-27 AMP). Could this describe you? If so, would this description also be true for every aspect of your life? The title of this entry is really a question: who have you hitched your wagon to? Given the same opportunity with the knowledge you have today, would you do it again? Have you done it before? What did you learn?

The information in this post came from watching video shorts. There were these men, camping or fishing. They were trying to get a boat pulled out of the water and onto the hitch (carrier) to secure it in order to get back on the road. Instead, the weight of the boat (or the driver not having the truck in the proper gear) caused the truck to be pulled in the water. No matter how hard the driver was revving the engine, the truck continued to be pulled in the water and soon immersed. It was supposed to be funny. 

As with the lumberjack trying to remove a huge stump by chaining it and attaching the chain to the hitch

on his truck. He also revved the engine in hopes to pull the stump roots and all. What happened was the engine roared doing all it could to get that stubborn stump, and then finally there was a release. The driver felt it. The viewer heard it. The one filming scanned only to show the chrome fender and entrails of the truck sprawled at the foot of the secured stump. That was supposed to be funny too. But would it be as funny if it was your truck being destroyed at the hands of someone not experienced to do what he convinced you to believe? 

The story of the man with a wife he fully intended to marry but only after she learned how to budget her money has been written a few times in this blog. It has been a favorite because he was patient enough for her to learn what she needed in order to be the wife he needed for her to be. He could have "drank the Kool-Aid" in leaving her so she wouldn't destroy his credit rating, as many ministers preach...but God. The man knew he heard from God in choosing his wife. The nay-sayers and voices in his nightmares, wouldn't change that. You see, he is adamant in knowing the voice of the Good Shepherd and the voice of the stranger, he would not follow (John 10:1-5 AMP). Him being mature in Christ knows that the hearts of men would be tested (1 Thessalonians 2:4 AMP). Whether he fell into temptation wasn't a concern for him because he meditated on the Word day and night and understood the benefits in doing so (Joshua 1:8 AMP). No one nor anything could pull him out of that foundation.

A single Christian man asked a single Christian woman who he has been talking to off and on out on a date. She was pleased to hear from him. As they had appetizers, something to drink, and waiting for their meal, their conversation  continued. Both found the other interesting and before the date was half over was looking forward to the next. After a few months and believing exclusivity was obvious, she decided to tell him though she is single, she is a mother of 5, possibly older than him, and is a former stripper. The reason she was telling him about her children, is because she told them about him and would like for them all to meet. He doesn't have children nor has been in a long-termed relationship because he doesn't like surprises. He thought she felt the same way. He tried to not let her being a former stripper bother him because we all have a past, still. She waited for his response. How long can a pause be? If he decides to hitch his wagon to carry her baggage, would it fare well? What about her hitching her wagon to his baggage? Does it look better for her than it does for him? How do you know? What does she know about him? Why didn't she ask?

Putting it in the perspective of dating for the purposes of marriage: if you allowed yourself to continue in a relationship where second thoughts abound, who's fault is it when the proper channels weren't used? 

What are the channels? Proper ones? Why haven't you mentioned them before?

The example of the couple that has been used in the blog before, knew exactly what he was getting. He prayed. God told him what to do with specific details. God knew the woman he had designs on was having issues with her finances and did not understand why. Once the interested man told the woman some simple tips for her to use consistently, her troubles with her finances were soon a thing of the past and the two became one and are thoroughly blessed to this day!

The examples with the men getting the boat out of the water or getting a stubborn tree stump uprooted, both times the owners of the trucks trusted someone's advice without asking a plethora of questions. Now if they had money to burn and it didn't mean anything that the trucks were completely out of commission, that's one thing. But if, like most of us, when working to get something paid off and it is destroyed before you can do it, that's a problem. Why assume that anyone knows what they are talking about? It's only God that you are to put your trust (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV). Even the best of doctors cannot be trusted (Psalms 146:3 KJV). Notice how the conversation changes when you add a lawyer, a contract, or just having your own experience. Take heed; it is to your benefit to use wisdom (James 1:5 KJV). 

The last example let's you see the double standard. Like it or not, it's there and will forever be there. Should she be upset because she has a past and 5 of them can look back at her and have an opinion? Does he have children? How many? With how many women? There's not enough information, still who's side were you on initially? Is being a former stripper, thief, ex-convict (ex-felon), former drug addict, former prostitute, formerly homeless, former alcoholic, former gang banger, former drug dealer a reason to call it quits? Do you need more information or is that all the information you need? Look through the begats in the bible and understand where Jesus' gene pool came from. You do know what Jesus came to do. Do you need more information, still (Matthew 1 KJV)?