I hope you looked at yesterday’s quote (image at the end, in case you missed it).
Frankly, the combination of image and quote make me stop and reassess. Because, if I’m honest, I do a whole lot of redefining good and bad based on my ideas of wisdom.
I WANT to think I’m trusting God’s wisdom, but I’m afraid there are too many times I do a pretty good job of fooling myself. I read the Garden story and I’m sure I’d never fall for the trap, but I suspect I succumb more times than I want to admit.
Anybody else?
Oh, it’s not the big stuff. I don’t go around stealing from my neighbor’s garage or shooting people. I try to be reasonably generous… whatever that means.
Suppose someone needs my help on a Sunday, and I show up on my schedule – not theirs – because there’s a football game I really want to watch?
What if there is a tough conversation, and I really want to push it off on someone else even though I might be the best person for the job. So I do it, all the while resenting and grumbling.
Those aren’t so bad, right?
The point here isn’t to list my foibles. Rather, it’s to encourage all of us to go back to that moment, that question: “Did God really say…”
The point is to look for the spots where we rationalize, where we fudge around the edges and pretend it’s mostly okay.
Because, if you’re like me, if you stop for just a moment, you know mostly okay isn’t okay.
Jesus, to me, offers an amazing dichotomy. He knows we’ll mess up. He forgives and encourages us to keep going.
At the same time, he points us toward a kingdom – right here, right now – in which God’s wisdom rules.
And he invites us to be part of that kingdom.
