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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Why you should Stop Digging yourself into Oblivion.

"It is a good thing to follow the first law of holes; if you are in one, stop digging."

I like that quote because it is advice that you and I could use every so often.  I decided to do a quick search about the meaning of it and I discovered the following:  "The meaning behind this proverb is that if you find yourself in an undesirable situation ("the hole"), such as an argument with others, you should not ignore the situation or attempt to continue what you were doing (the "digging"), as it can make the situation worse..."

Now I will give you Anthony's UNauthoritative definition:
Know when to put down the proverbial shovel and stop burying yourself.
Why is it in life we will not quit inflicting pain on ourselves? When we know we are wrong and just continue planting our feet down, stubbornly holding onto positions that do us no good.  Some of the best advice I ever received was, if you take a bite of a poison apple, it's probably a good idea to spit.  For some reason that's too difficult, and human nature continues chomping down, bite after poisonous bite.
Interestingly, this concept is Biblical. In First Samuel chapter 12 verse 20 we read,
"Don't be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don't turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. Don't turn away to follow worthless things that can't profit or deliver you; They are worthless."

In the above text, the people had committed evil, however, notice the advice and encouragement  "Do not turn away from following the Lord."  You will also notice this phrase, "Do not turn away" repeated twice.  The reason for this is emphasis.  This was the message the prophet wanted the people to hear loud and clear! In other words, what was done was done. Do not let your past mistakes keep you from following the plans of God for your life!  Repent and return ... and do it quickly. It seems the wise Prophet delivering this message understood the first law of holes; when people commit wrong, the tendency is to continue committing more wrongs. No wonder my Italian grandmother used to say, "people pile sin on top of sin."
This is the tendency for most.  We stand ankle deep in our blunders and continue shoveling ourselves up to our necks when we are already know the severity of our previous actions.  If this is you, stop.  I know it sounds like there is something missing, like you need more advice, but you don't.  
Just Stop.  
Put the shovel down and return to the Lord. 

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