Growth

The Right Thing

Once you make up your mind never to stand waiting and
hesitating when your conscience tells you what you ought to
do, and you have got the key to every blessing that a sinner
can reasonably hope for.
… John Keble (1792-1866)

So often we struggle with where life takes us. We wonder if the decisions we are making are going to turn out for good or bad. When the road forks in many directions, we hope that somewhere we can find a spoon, or a knife, or something that will make choosing a little easier. Even choosing nothing, is choosing something. And so we take a step forward, hopeful that if its not the optimal option we’ll have the opportunity to make up for it somewhere along the line.

When we’re faced with this situation. it’s an amoral decision we must make. There isn’t a right or wrong – only a multitude of choices. This type of question is of the essay variety, not the true/false kind. When we are faced with a decision that demands a moral response, knowing the right thing to do may be easier, but actually doing it can still contain a great amount of difficulty. Moral certitude can be a weak propellant. Maybe because doing the right thing in a difficult situation is rarely the easy thing. It extracts a price and we wait to count the cost before taking the step.

But waiting isn’t the antidote to what ails us. This is one of the few situations where quicker is better. The right course of action doesn’t change and acting on our convictions only grows more difficult with each passing second. The good news – the more we act on our convictions, the more we’ll be witnesses to God’s faithfulness, and maybe that we’ll help us do the right thing a little quicker next time.

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Being Content Growth

Deck the Halls

If you were to visit my house, there would be little indication that Christmas is rapidly approaching. Besides the pile of gifts that are ungraciously stacked in my living room, evidence of the impending holidays is minimal. I’ve been blaming this on the fact that I’ve been having major electrical work done and efforts to decorate would be stymied by the workmen. But this is in reality just a convenient excuse. Even without the “scheduled” repair work, the chances of finding boughs of holly around my place are minimal. I’m just not that in to Christmas. (Although I do wonder . . .now that I have a roommate who’s name is Holly – I’m pretty much situated for Christmas all year round, right?)

I’m not a complete Scrooge. I like Christmas music – although not when the radio stations play it before Thanksgiving. And I love looking at Christmas lights. I could even get into Christmas caroling as long as there’s the promise of hot chocolate awaiting my return. But all the glitz and glitter; the decorations extrarodinaire; and the holiday themed clothing are just not my cup of tea. For me it takes everything that’s sacred about Christmas and trivializes it. Its like its making a mockery out of the celebration.

I realize that for many this isn’t the case. I come from a family who LOVES Christmas (almost as much as my friend, Alex, loves the Dallas Cowboys). For them, the hoopla of Christmas is part of what makes it special. The go to extremes because its a way to acknowledge the elaborate gift of our Savior’s birth. In many ways, I wish I could be like them. For me though, I can’t get into all the extravagance. I know that I’ll lose myself in the trappings and forget the meaning. I’ll worry so much about what seems obligatory that I won’t be compelled to worship. And I’ll focus so much on the holiday that I’ll forget the Savior.

So my house remains undecorated. Christmas-themed clothes are not to be found in my newly organized closet. And the gifts, while wrapped, are not done so in a way that would cause anyone to envy. It’s my way of not losing myself in the celebration and remembering the sacrifice.

Maybe one day I’ll be able to do both. But until then I hope that at the very least, my halls are decked with love.

Fa La La La La, La La La La.

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