Your Best

"Try your best and let God take care of the rest". I saw this bumper sticker on a car earlier today and in the past I would have ignored it or made a snide comment to myself about the "Jesus Fish" next to the bumper sticker. However; my life has a new found meaning and I know I can't do certain things by myself this is where I turn it over to God. This doesn't mean I give up quite the contrary this means I continue to try as hard as I can and let God handle the rest.

I am by no means a bible thumper and will never throw God, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Zeus, etc. in anyone's face. These are all personal beliefs and I have no right throwing my personal beliefs onto anyone. I made a choice 14 years ago to not eat meat for health reasons but I don't go around telling everyone they shouldn't eat meat. This is my belief and another one of my beliefs is people should have the right to choose anything they want as long as it is within the law and does not harm my family. I think a great many people get caught up in telling people what they should or should not do. I have always believed if you treat people like adults they will act like adults. This is the case 99% of the time and it is the 1% that sometimes overwhelms the majority.

I made major mistakes with the decisions I made when I was gambling compulsively and I became one of the minority that overwhelmed the majority. In my attempt to educate the general public on problem/compulsive gambling I am by no means stating gambling should be abolished. There are those who believe gambling is the work of the devil and those people have that right to believe whatever they want. This is the great part about this country we can agree to disagree. Hopefully, most people understand gambling can lead to very bad consequences and it is starting to be a trend.

All forms of gambling have exploded in the last five years. Every person with a computer has a casino in their home and office. It cannot be abolished and these forms of gambling will be around for a very long time. I CANNOT gamble like normal people because when I gamble life turns upside down. Thanks to my Higher Power and Gamblers Anonymous I don't have to face this daunting task alone. Life for me is better since I joined Gamblers Anonymous found my Higher Power and stopped gambling (not necessarily in that order but I think you get the point).

People commit crimes for various reasons and these various reasons do not diminish the fact that a crime has been committed. I take full responsibility for my actions but I want people to understand what a compulsive gambling addiction can do to a person if it is left unchecked. If left unchecked it will ALWAYS get worse never better. If help is sought and the person commits to this help it is a very treatable disease. I ignored those warning signs and it seems very late in the "game" for me to finally realize I am a compulsive gambling but it is NEVER too late. There is so much I have to give and I want to keep on learning and living. The only way I can continue to learn and to live is without gambling which is accomplished one day at time.

I started this random thought with trying your best and let God take care of the rest; I will continue to try my best each and every day no matter the circumstances. I owe this to myself and my family because life is filled with limitless possibilities and as long as I continue doing what I am doing I will achieve a life with a positive purpose one day at a time.