Choices- Living in Conflict

Chocolate or strawberry- This movie or that- Chinese or Mexican- The necklace or the ear rings- The Warm up suit or the Jeans today- To have your cake or to eat it-

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Why does life have to be so complicated? Wouldn't it be better if there were only one clear choice- Only One Right thing to do in every situation?

Easier, Yes-

Better-

I don't know.

What about the choice between Love and Truth- Now there's a tough one! You know what I mean don't you? Think of the classic question of every wife to her husband-

"Honey, tell me-

Do these pants make me look fat?"

Careful fellas!

Now think of the times when friends or family go wrong- Seriously wrong- Confrontation or Tolerance? Preserve Relationship or Stand for Holiness? Tough huh? It's so easy to take a stand for Holiness in the abstract- Or if I am talking about some distant relationship- Or when I am talking about someone else-

But what about when standing for Holiness-

Will jeapodize a close relationship-

Or bring on some persecution?

Is there a way to do both? Can we stand for Truth- Holiness- Yet still preserve relationship?

Can we have our cake and eat it too?

Maybe yes- Maybe no.

(How do you like that for decisiveness?)

Remember- Relationship is always a two party undertaking. I can not control another person's responses- Oh maybe I can try to manipulate to get what I want- But the other person will do what they will do. I wish I could tell you I have it all figured out- I wish I could come up with a magic formula to live by- One that always makes everything come out right- And not only come out right- But with no conflict in the process. I haven't found it. I do have some ideas- Some Maybes. Maybe I can try to speak Truth- In Love Maybe I can Love my enemies- That is- Treat them kindly- Be patient with them- Keep no record of wrongs- Bless them- Pray for them- Be Humble towards them- Maybe, because Jesus is in me I can treat those- Those who trample God's Holiness- As He has treated me- As I trample His Holiness- Maybe I can live out the Holiness of God- By pouring out His Grace- Even when I don't feel particularly Loving.

So what's it gonna be?

Hold to Truth-

People be damned

or

Cling to relationships-

While compromising Truth?

Choices, Choices, Choices- Oh, but wait a minute.......... What if Loving God by Loving people- Is Truth- And Conversely- Loving People by Loving God- Is also Truth. Please make no mistake in all this- My First and Last Loyalty is to God- To my Lord and Saviour Jesus- And the Holy Spirit Who has come to lead us. I am just coming to believe more and more- That Loyalty to Him- To the One and Only Triune God- Looks like loving people-

Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus said,

" Love your enemies-

Pray for them-

That you may be sons of your Father in Heaven.

He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good-

He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Father, Lord Jesus, Spirit of the Living God-

Be powerful in us today to choose You-

To look to You in all we think, say and do-

So that all may see Your Glory-

Your Great Love and Your Goodness

As You pour Yourself out through our lives-

The lives of those who Love You.

Amen

The Jet Ski Saga- Rebecca's Version

At Last- My Daughter Rebecca has joined me on a Blog Post!

I am so proud of her!

Now read on for Rebecca's story of how a Jet Ski ends up in a place no Jet Ski should end up.

It was a warm, sunny day and we were at my aunt and uncle’s house on Lake Oconee. Most of the day had been spent eating, riding on the boat, tubing, or just tethering floats to the dock and chilling out. Somewhere along the way, my dad got it in his head that he wanted to ride the jet ski and, as fate would have it, the jet ski happened to be in working order (finally).

Unfortunately, it was a racing jet ski that happened to be in working order.

You can just see what kind of fun this is leading to, right? You have no idea. On your standard family jet ski, you’d need to try incredibly hard to flip the thing. You will not go down without an effort. On a racing jet ski- The mechanics definitely favor speed over stability. Also, handling is virtually non-existent at low speeds – This will be important in a moment. Another somewhat random though important piece of information-

I’m very nearly blind without my glasses.

Moving on…...... Dad rode the jet ski without a hitch. It looked like fun! I wanted to give it a go and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Just one thing-

My Dad and Uncle Bill insisted that I leave my glasses with them-

Just in case I flipped-

I wouldn’t lose them in the water.

That was the first sign of trouble – As previously stated-

I can’t see-

And jet skis go very fast.

So, glasses off- Unable to see more than large, blurry shapes past about a foot- I was off. For some reason everybody kept yelling something about “Faster or you’ll flip” So.............

“I was off”

looked a little like something out of a 007 movie.

It was awesome!

That is until I realized I couldn’t see much-

Except the rapidly approaching shoreline…

and a dock…

Which happened to be about head height.

Not so awesome anymore.

Quick experimenting told me that reduced speed did indeed equal reduced handling- Anyway- In my hurry to avoid being beheaded by a dock- I somehow ended up roughly fifty yards up a very wooded hill. Right about now someone's inevitably asking, "Why didn’t she just cut the engine?" Well I did, my helpful genius friends- But you don’t go from very fast to absolute standstill the second the engine cuts.

The time it took me to make it back to zero

Left me staring in horror as first stumps,

Then full-fledged trees flew past me-

Until finally I hit one.

It hurt.

I couldn’t breathe- Everything was spinning- I had hit my ribs and my cheekbone hard on impact- I have fifty yards of distance and a life vest to thank for neither being broken. I stumbled down to the water and yelled for help….... And yelled some more. The people whose dock I’d almost been splattered across proved unhelpful. Eventually, I did see saw a boat in the cove. I thought I heard my dad and uncle- So I started yelling again. It was them. I can honestly say I’ve never been so relieved to see either of them. Now- back to Charles

Nehemiah 9:31 But in Your great mercy

You did not put an end to them or abandon them,

for You are a Gracious and Merciful God.

Father in Heaven, You have indeed been merciful to me and my family in so many ways. Move our hearts and minds to continually remember Your Great Love and Mercy towards us and those we love.

Thank You Jesus.

Amen