Three Big Mistakes In Life

Illus: On July 4, 1952, Florence Chadwich, aged 34, waded into the water off Catalina Island and began her 21-mile swim toward California. If she completed her journey, she would be the first woman ever to accomplish this feat. The water was ice cold, and the fog was so heavy, that Florence could hardly see the boats in her own party. Sharks often began to attack Florence as she swam, and men armed with rifles in the boats surrounding her had to drive them off with carefully aimed shots. But the constant numbing cold of the water was her toughest problem. Fifteen hours after she began, she asked to be taken out, her muscles sluggish and unresponsive due to the frigid water. Her mother and trainer, alongside in the boat, told her they were near land. They encouraged her not to quit. But as she looked ahead, all she could see was the dense fog....so she gave up and asked to be taken out of the water. When they pulled her out, she was only a half-mile from the California coast! Only a small fraction of her journey was incomplete...she almost did it. Later, when Florence’s body began to thaw, the shock of failure finally hit her. To a reporter she blurted out, "Look, I’m not excusing myself. But if I could have SEEN the land, I might have made it." Two months after her failure, Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel and swam the distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land. (Sermoncentral.com)

If we could see the future, we would do things differently. But none of us have the ability to see the future.

I know there are those who tell us that they have special gifts, talents, or abilities, and for a price they can tell us what the future holds.

Illus: Sometimes as a pastor, I wish I had such a gift:

• I could tell some young people not to marry a certain person because in ten years they are going to have 3 or 4 children and that person will walk off and leave them for someone else.

• I could tell someone not to buy a certain car because it is a lemon and it going to give him a lot of trouble.

• I could tell someone not to enter that business relationship with a person because it will cause him to lose everything he now has.

But I do not have such a gift. No one knows what the future holds according to the Word of God.

Some people seem to have the foresight to make good decisions based on the trends of the past. That is:

• There are some who have the foresight to see a piece of land that no one wants. They have the foresight to look into the future and see that particular piece of land could later could be sold for millions.

• There are those in the stock market that have the foresight to buy a stock when everyone else is overlooking it. They buy it knowing that one day in the future it will be worth millions.

There are people who have a special talent for recognizing talents and skills, and have become rich in doing so.

Illus: Elvis Presley is remembered as one of the greatest entertainers in history. Elvis received his first guitar as a birthday present around 10. His uncles, Johnny and Vester, taught him the basics of how to play the guitar. On October 3, 1945 a very shy, cute little guy named Elvis, made his first public appearance on a stage at the Alabama State Fair. He had to stand on a box to reach the microphone as he sang "Old Shep." He won a second place prize of $5.00 and free admission to the rides that day.

However, most of us never would have heard of Elvis if it were not for the talent of Colonel Tom Parker, who had a questionable character.

He was an illegal immigrant, and he always feared deportation. This is a fact he kept hidden during Presley's life, but one that assured Elvis would never tour outside the United States.

He had the ability to recognize untapped talent and began to promote Elvis.

• The Colonel outweighed Elvis by 100 pounds

• He outlived him by 20 years

• He out-earned Elvis by crafting deals that gave him more than 50 percent of Presley's income

• He never once had so much as one meal with Elvis

As questionable as the Colonel’s character might be, you have to hand it to him; he had the ability to recognize talent in the early stages of Elvis’ life. If it wasn’t for the talent of this man, we will have never known of the man we call the King of Rock and Roll!