If I go home to Grenada, I'll have a house and land. I can build a comfortable life and establish a reasonable level of security. And I'd be with my family.
There are so many options in today's world. Today while John was fixing the internet connection at the office, we needed a 5-port Ethernet switch. Type that in google search and you come up with all kinds of options.
A few years ago, I was listening to a Chris Rock comedy special. He was hilarious. He was cracking me up. Dude had me rollin'
Then he said it. He was on a roll and then he went and said it.
"A man is only as faithful as his options."
Wait, hold up. Stop the car. Not funny. Not funny at all.
I quit laughing. I knew I'd just encountered truth in the raw. Took me a half-day to admit why his words pissed me off so much: It wasn't just true...it was true about me.
I've struggled with Lust since my teen years. I was about 33 when I received those serious words from a funny man. It put something in perspective for me. Lust is a form of Greed.
You may not, but I believe in the one-man-one-woman ideal. Lust is wanting more than my portion. I hear it's natural for a man to want more. It's just part of being a man. It's in our nature. In fact, the way I hear it, it's more manly the greater your greed. We don't say it that way, but the more options a man collects, the more respect we afford him.
And let's face it, it's great to have options among women. Why? Cause when this one is crying for no fathomable reason, I got options. Cause when this one is mad at me for not keeping my word, I got options. When I'm bored with this one, I've got options. I'm not stuck. I don't have to rely on relationship. I can take care of myself.
I can fantasize my way to self-sufficiency. At the heart of it, collecting options is my way of saving for a rainy day, of preparing for the end of abundance, of not trusting Papa to provide.
Options are the enemy of choice. Confounded by options, I lost hold of the real, and, for not choosing one, chose all, receiving none.
I don't need 17 ethernet switches, or printouts of the other 16, just the right one. That's the one John picked. I trust John because he knows computers.
In a sea of counterfeit, there is one real option. When it comes to it, even the right woman is not my portion. God is my portion. I raise my hand to the Almighty. Whatever He gives me, that is my portion.
Today it is clear that this year is about deeper education in worship. I observe the convergence of worship leaders to one location and recognize my portion among the options. There's a rainy day coming.
An opportunity is not a reason. "Just 'cause I can steer a car with my feet don't make it a good idea"--that's Chris Rock, too. There is a place I'm drawn to dwell. The options narrow to one.
Matthew 4:8-10 ...So then the devil takes Jesus to an elevated location and shows him options. "You can have them all." ...Jesus says to him, "you better pack up. I'm gonna worship."
Obedience is better than options.
Goodnight, Beautiful...
Goodnight, Strender.
and the survey says.....?
ReplyDeleteObedience is such a hard thing. I'm getting better at recognizing God's discipline though. This month alone I've spent $850 on traffic fines solely because of my rebellious nature.
ReplyDeleteI think back to my childhood; my poor mother would tell you how incredibly rebellious I used to be. But God taught me obedience! and I will tell you what, it HURTS!
I think of how amazing it must seem to someone else, someone who's known me my whole life to look at me today and see how much I love Jesus, and how obedient I have become. It is an every day choice. I have to choose to obey the laws of the land that God has put over me.
Obedience is such a hard thing. It is dying to yourself and choosing something/someone else. Obedience is the opposite of what our present "culture" tells us.