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If I gave you a choice of roles to play in an upcoming story being written, which one would you choose to sink your teeth into? Would you want to play the Hero, be the Villain, act like the Victim or take on the responsibility of the Guide who helps the Victor find his or her way? In this crazy world we are living in right now, who are you behaving most like as you fulfill your piece in the cosmic puzzle?

I have just finished Viktor Frankl’s masterpiece, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” for the umpteenth time. While Frankl was imprisoned in a Concentration Camp during World War II, he discovered that while enemies can take many things away from you, they can’t steal your will. Frankl wrote, “Anyone who has a ‘why’ to live for can survive almost any how!” The Nazi’s took his clothes, his possessions, his family, his dignity but not his desire to live. It begs the question, “Do you know why you are alive for such a time as this?” How we answer truly defines where we will put the best of our energies in the moments we have remaining on this earth.

Let’s face it. Most of us have valid reasons to be upset at life, disappointed in God, and tempted to become bitter by the basic happenings we have encountered through the years. Life isn’t fair! Did you know that? Bad things happen to caring individuals. Good things happen to cheaters and thieves. The day of reckoning is not to be had this side of heaven. Those who quit fighting the crooked system become victims and blame everyone and everything for why they just up and quit.

By the way, nobody wants to camp out next to a whiner and complainer. We all have our days of venting and exhaling the negative vibes that have infiltrated our system, but nobody should wear the label of, “Woe is Me!” Victims are very draining citizens who literally will eventually exhaust your patience. And by the way, nobody is clamoring to read a book or watch a movie that features a victim who has checked out of real life and believes that they deserve to be miserable.

Victims unchecked become Villains. An unforgiving spirit will poison your soul. Believing you are entitled to all of life’s goodies that for one reason or another passed you by can easily turn you into the Big Bad Wolf. The mantra of the Wicked Stepmother is, “If I’m stuck in a life that I hate, I am going to ruin everyone else’s party also.” As I have already shared, all of us have been given the short end of the stick somewhere along the way. God didn’t give me cancer. God didn’t make our babies die. God didn’t make your spouse leave you or your kids abandon your company. That was the result of being given free will to choose. Humans are not robots although some robots pretend they are people. Check the address of where we live. This isn’t Paradise. We are all broken in some way shape or form. None of us is perfect. Rather than go down the dismal path where we long to wipe any resemblance of a smile off every face, perhaps we stop waiting for fate to accomplish what God has enabled me and you to do.

Where have all the heroes gone? Where are the wise men and women of experience who come alongside the fighter and assist them in getting to the finish line? Heroes choose to live in spite of the surroundings they find themselves in. Robin Hood doesn’t throw in the towel in Sherwood. George Washington didn’t allow a little over crowding to keep him from sailing. The Miracle Mets of 1969 didn’t allow the 100-1 odds stop them from becoming world champions. If we listen closely to the voice of the Spirit, I’m guessing He is saying that we have too many villains and an overabundance of victims but not enough of those who are ready to “carpe some diem” in 2022.

Politics is not going to get it done. I gave up on looking to government to change our world many years ago. Pride and the stubborn ego of power-hungry parties is killing our Country. When Washington DC and those who are looking to inhabit the positions of leadership are willing to humble themselves and realize that they are the servants and not the ones to be served, we can finally start moving in the right direction.

Churches should be the enabling force but more often than not, they just complain along with everybody else. Prayers only work when Believers are moved and motivated by the Lord to positive action in doing what is right by the God we claim to love and serve. And our children are murdered while we turn up the noise of fear and hypocrisy! Lord have mercy on us all!!! If every God follower would be intentional about being like Jesus to those He puts in our paths, this world could become very different, very quickly. God is not asking us to change the world. But He is calling us to stop with the reasons why Shamokin is not a great place to live and raise a family and be part of the solution that inspires the culture to become more courageous than cowardly in the days ahead.

I want to be a Hero, Lord, right here where I live. How about you? I want to be a guiding light to those who believe that Camelot is not a pipe dream. How about you? The devil has plenty of advocates and there are too many of our population that believe the air can never be put back into the balloon. What if we just started living like we are loved by God and placed on this planet so that our lights may shine? The trash talkers are never going to be quiet. The naysayers will only take No for an answer. But I believe that if Viktor Frankl could live an amazing adventure in the middle of so much evil, death and dying; so can we.

And before I close, I want to say Thank You to all the Men and Women who gave the ultimate gift of life to preserve something worth living for here in the United States of America! Memorial Day is not a Holiday, it’s a holy day to show our gratitude and appreciation for the Heroes and Guides of yesterday. Now we are in search of Heroes and Guides for today and tomorrow!