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10-22-09 (Six of One)
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Stephanie McIver
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Oct 22, 2009 12:53 PDT
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Steph's Stuff
10-22-09
(Six of One)
I was recently asked my opinion about something. It wasn't something I
was passionate about--in fact, in reality I couldn't care less-but the
questioner wanted to know my thoughts on the subject, so I pondered it
for a few minutes and said:
"Well, to me, it's six of one and half dozen of the other."
"What the heck does that mean?"
"Either circumstance will yield about the same results--so I don't see
any benefits to boost one option above the other one--it's a wash."
He chuckled. "It's a wash? I GET that--why didn't you just say that in
the first place?" Ummm, because I like to string words together--and
maybe sometimes I string a few too MANY together? So what? You asked
my opinion so suffer through the lengthy (?) explanations I come up
with.
It reminded me of a conversation I was part of last week. We were
talking about the decisions we make in life and how some of them are
decided as casually as we decide what shirt to put on when we get
dressed in the morning. 'How will I earn my living? Well, I guess if
someone is willing to hire me, that's where I'll work. What's easiest?
Who will be my friends? If they'll hang out with me, I'll hang out with
them. What's for dinner? What fast food place is on the way home from
work (or can I get the employee discount, since part of my job IS saying
'do you want fries with that?') But we will stake our last dollar on
that lottery ticket. We will shoot the works for our dream car--even
though it's a two-door and gets lousy mileage and the insurance is
astronomically expensive. "I'll LOOK GOOD! That's all that counts."
Except it's not. And I'm going to extremes on these examples--I don't
believe we make decisions so casually in the big areas of our lives most
of the time. More truthfully, those decisions weren't perceived as
decisions at the time. Life just happened and without a lot of
forethought, we went along with it--and here we are, years later, living
with the consequences of those decisions that we didn't really make--we
let them be made for us by our own apathy.
In a lot of cases, somehow it works out okay. We can live with it--but
we can also wonder--"If I had been more deliberate in my planning, where
would my life be right now? Would I have that dream job? Would I have
written (and published) the great American novel? Would I have seen the
seven wonders of the world--if I'd made getting to that place a
priority?" I don't know. I know that my life has largely happened TO
me, and not by my own design. Yet I see His hand in it, since I've
started paying attention--and His hand has been mighty in shaping the
course of where I see my life going now. I guess I'm a late
bloomer--but He says, "Better late than NEVER! I still will use you. I
still have plans for you. Don't despair over the dumb stuff you
did--but don't forget it either. Keep moving ahead, seeking MY thoughts
and plans. You will get to the place I have prepared for you."
Part of that place is leading others to seek Him. I realize that people
who vehemently deny Him have never even studied the reality or the
history or the deity of my Abba Father. They don't understand it. They
perceive that it isn't 'cool' so they step away. And some of them have
stepped away because the influences in their lives that would have told
them about Him were jaded by their own misconceptions, their judgmental
attitudes, their superior persona--and their total lack of love. Those
are not His fruits. That is not how to lead someone to the One who
loves beyond every barrier we can set up. I ask Him to remove those
barriers from me--and I continue to struggle--in my own issues, my own
fears, my own lack of faith. But He uses me anyway. And I have made
the late-in-life decision to let that happen--because He loved me before
I loved Him. He loves me more than I love Him--and He knows that too.
He continues to love me anyway. He continues to love you anyway too--no
matter how far from Him you may feel at this moment. Because I've made
the DECISION to seek Him, I can feel Him holding my hand right now--and
even though I'm typing I feel the warmth of His love transfusing my
scatterbrained soul. And it's good.
You can decide to ignore that love. You can turn away. You can point a
finger and say, "THAT one is a CHRISTIAN? Yeah, right! I SURE don't
want to look like them!" And He says, "I love them anyway. You don't
have to look like them. You are unique and special and I will take you
just as you are, right here, right now. And I will help you to realize
the dreams I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, Plans
for hope and a future."
If politicians gave speeches like that--and more importantly, could KEEP
those promises, what a world this would be. But I'm not making
decisions based on what's happening in THIS world--because my permanent
home is a little bit North of here. It took a long time to decide that
it was worth it. But I have and that's where I'm going.
Have you made a decision yet? It is NOT six of one or half a dozen of
another. It is where you will spend eternity.
Fondly,
Stephanie
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