We are treading a slippery slope these days. Here in America, we have been given liberty and freedom. And by golly, we deserve it! We woke up here.
Okay, my sarcasm may not be the most appropriate here, but let’s be honest- There are people who have given so much for those of us that haven’t really done a thing. I was thinking about how some people speak and act these days, and after my disgust, I realized something. My disgust is probably an ounce of the disappointment God feels towards humans. After all, he gave his son, and gave free will. Knowing that, I was able to see things a little more clearly. When I think about my walk, there are many times that I come face to face with options. Some options are clear cut, black and white, wrong or right. Other decisions have gray area. Sometimes I have a choice between two good things. Other times my choice is two bad things. And there are times when the choices are neither good nor bad, or a little of both, and I just have to pick. So, what do I do? Many times, I weigh my decision based upon the reach of my decision. Who will hear me say that? Who will see me do this? Who will be affected by this? Many today would say, “Who cares! You do you, baby!” But I have yet to find that in scripture. In fact, the closest I see is in Romans with the discussion of whether to drink alcohol and eat unkosher food. And the measure for that is whether or not it will cause someone to stumble. In other words, we should care about how our decision will affect those around us. I’m sorry, but I do not want to see the list of people I have caused to stumble. And if I must, I sure don’t want to see that list a mile long. As a human, I have free will. As a Christian I have freedom. As an American I have liberty. But just because I have been given the allowance to do as I want, does not mean I should. A friend of mine loves this short little comic that shows two men on some grass looking at a white fence that says “Do not cross.” One guy says he’s tired of always following the rules so he jumps the fence. The next panel shows the other man saying, “It wasn’t a fence to keep us in, it was a guard rail to protect us.” (Paraphrasing) The man who jumped, finds him self falling off a cliff. When I think of the ten commandments, I struggle to think that God needed to give these ten rules. Lately I have been looking through the filter of them not being rules, but being a hedge of protection for us. When you look at the ten commandments you might think, “duh, I’m not going to kill someone. That’s too far.” But outside of the mentally unstable, have you ever seen a person that killed another human being speak about the incident? MOST are filled with regret. I’ll get personal. When I was in college, there was a guy that started hanging around me. We started “talking” if you understand that vernacular. Later I found out that he was dating someone. I was horrified. I had NO intentions of getting between a couple. I had NO desire to break them off. When I found out, I stopped talking to him. It wasn’t right. Quite honestly, I was filled with regret, and my “sin” was out of pure ignorance. I assumed he was single because people in relationships shouldn’t be talking to singles! Technically, you could say that I coveted her boyfriend. Granted, I didn’t know he was a boyfriend, but I desired to date someone else’s man. The commandment on not coveting them doesn’t hurt him. I’m sure it hurt her, if she ever found out. It hurt me. So God’s command to not covet was a railing to save my emotions and hers. I know that one is tricky because my sin was unknowing, but I think you understand. The point is, just because I could physically harm someone, doesn’t mean I should. Just because I could steal my neighbor’s things, doesn’t mean I should. And just because you can say something, in person or online, doesn’t mean you should. Our liberty, freedom, and free-will does not mean we should be horrible people. My freedom does not trump your value.
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AuthorI have a lot to say about a lot of things. Archives
May 2023
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