Stupid Stuff

by Andrew Cromwell

Everyone does stupid stuff. It’s just a part of life. Have you done any of these things lately?

• • Brush your teeth before eating.
• • Search frantically for the glasses that are on your face.
• • Wave your hands around wildly to explain something while you are on the phone.
• • Press the buttons harder on the remote control when you know it’s just weak batteries.

And even if you have never done any of these things, there is little doubt you could come up with a list of your own stupidities. When it comes down to it, no one is exempt.

The problem with the above list is that it lists more “silly stuff” than truly “stupid stuff.” If you happen to brush your teeth before dinner or make a fool of yourself looking for glasses that are already glued to your nose, you’ve done nothing more then look a little foolish. Give it a few hours or days and you’ll be able to laugh at yourself along with everyone else.

But there is another list of things we do that is not quite so funny and harmless and silly. These things end up damaging our life and relationships. Things like:

• • Continuing to lose your temper and saying and doing destructive things.
• • Lying to the ones you love the most.
• • Drinking too much and losing control.
• • Chasing after things that only end up hurting you when you get them.

We all do our own version of this type of “stupid stuff” too. Just when things are going right, we go and do the very thing that we told ourselves we would never do again, and we mess it all up. We are often our own worst enemy.

So how do you stop?

First, admit that what you are doing is stupid. Too many times, we hold onto our pride or anger or bitterness or whatever, just because we don’t want to admit that our behavior is actually destructive.

Second, be willing to work. A lot of people are not ready to change. They know their bad behavior is destructive but they don’t really want to do anything about it. They might say they want things to be different, but they really don’t.

Third, reach out for help. The first two steps won’t do anything until you do the third one. Getting help involves doing something different. It is not until we reach out beyond ourselves that we can truly see change happen.

No matter who you are or what you have done, there is a person who you can always reach out to—Father God.  If you are ready to stop doing the stupid, then maybe it’s time to get help from the One who knows you inside and out.  

The churches in Kings County would love to help you and your family find out how great life really can be when we reach out for help from Him!