Part II: Dallas Courier Eagle Express' Letter from the President

Part II: Letter from our Eagle Express Dallas Courier President Richard Dobrey

Today let’s tackle the first decision - The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future. Andrews entreats us to take personal responsibility for our past rather than pass the buck. It seems that many people are not willing to take responsibility for who they are. They blame their parents, their spouse, their circumstances, their boss, their employees and etc. Sadly when we do this we are locked in our past and become its prisoner. But when we take responsibility for our problems and accept responsibility for our past we free ourselves to move forward into a “bigger, brighter future” of our own choosing.

I have been involved with Celebrate Recovery, a Christian based 12 step program. One of the main principles you learn is not to live in denial. With that said it is important to face your past so that you can be free to move forward. In fact at one point in the journey we will ask the participants to take a personal inventory of their lives. The purpose is not to blame others in our past or to use our past as a crutch but rather to use it as a springboard to healing. The process helps us to identify character defects which in turn we surrender to God and seek His help in overcoming them.  

Andrews tells us that if we allow ourselves to play the blame game we are in essence enabling our history to control our destiny. When I look back honestly on my life many of the things that have generated the most pain can usually be linked directly to decisions I have made. As you know not making a decision is making a decision. Andrews makes an insightful statement when he says that decisions are governed by our thinking. He says that we must choose to change the way we think mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially.

He encourages us to “live in the solutions of the future” rather than dwelling on problems of the past. Who we hang with goes a long way in helping us to change the way we think. People “who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world” are ones who will help us change the way we think.  Andrew encourages us to never seek “comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable”.

When you are presented with a decision to make, make it. We must recognize that our decisions will not always be the right decision but what is important is that we made one. Too many people are afraid to make a decision. I more than once have been that person.

He makes one other great observation. He said when someone asks you “Why me?” counter with “Why not me?” Like Andrews I have found that challenges are a gift. I must admit at the moment of the crisis I don’t always view them that way but over time I have learned that they build character. Challenges present us with opportunities to learn and grow. Ask any great man or woman and their lives will be littered with adversity. One of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey, mentioned that he did an informal survey with depression era people asking them to give him a highlight of their lives. What the people shared, usually with a slightly raised smile on their lips, were all of the challenging times because it was those occasions that truly defined who they were. So when adversity arises, and it will, we can smile on it and deal with it as an opportunity rather than an attitude of “woe is me”.

So Andrews’ encouragement to all of us is to keep a clear head, make right choices and view “adversity as preparation for greatness”.  Take full responsibility for the decisions you make and learn from your past but never allow it to control your present or your future.