Are Things What They Seem?

           We visited a friend’s house on the East Coast who have a small river behind their home, even though they tease and say it’s no more than a stream.  The water is brown and dirty.  The thought of even jumping in for a swim repulses me!  

            Once while visiting a state out West when our children were young, we stopped at a river in the mountains and helped ourselves to the crystal clear, cool water. It was wonderful.  Was this wise?  At the time, thirty years ago, it seemed fine.  

            There are beautiful cool, clear waterways in the Great Smoky Mountains, and other areas of the country, as well.  They appear pure and clean, but with the air quality from pollutants of sulfate nitrate and mercury from power plants and other industrial sites, along with acid rain, it makes a body wonder.

            As Believers, we are able to have a relationship with our Creator.  Through this relationship we can see our lives changed from the desires of the world to the desires of Christ through a cleansing found no other way.  

            Our lives are easily made brown and murky from all the evils of the world. It might not seem like those little things of life could make much of a difference.  What would it matter if we gossiped a bit or drank a little?  What’s wrong with smoking a cigarette, or gambling some?  Who is really going to care if we use bad language or try drug use, just once? Surely it can’t matter.

            Yet, each of these behaviors inevitably evolve into another and then another.  The culmination of all of these or any combination of these, has the potential to muddy our lives to the point of despair.

It’s like the metals and chemicals that get dissolved into our waterways.  You can’t see them.  But the “poisons” being filtered or even “dumped” into the water, affects the fish and other aquatic species, as well as, the other animals who drink from the shore. As the animals become contaminated with the pollutants, it destroys their lives.  The fish and game hunted for humans to eat, are also tainted, even though, with the human eye, it may not be visible. 

But there is hope.  We have a forgiving Father and one who understands temptation. He has the ability to purify all that is murky in our lives and make it pristine clean.  He can turn all the passions we have for this world around, so we no longer desire them.  And He can change our desires so we want only to use our gifts and talents to further His Kingdom.

So I encourage you to reflect on those “harmless things of this world” and see if there is a desire greater than the desire you have for God.  When we give all that we are and all that we have to God first, our lives can be rich and pure.

Standing Alone

         

           I remember as graduation from high school neared, I along with about ten others from my class, sat around a large table in the Media Center/Library.  Somehow the conversation turned to drug use.  Each person around the table shared just a little about their experience, even if it was “just trying it once,” with drug exploits.  I was the only one at the table who did not have a story to share! Thankfully, the sharing wasn’t in order, but rather randomly across the table, so I’m not sure who or how many even noticed that I did not participate in “the sharing!”

            Standing alone can be horribly difficult.  It takes conviction and determination to go against the grain, and sometimes those people who you have always called “friend,” or perhaps worse, your family! Our nation’s history records such an incident which certainly must have created uncomfortable scenarios between many involved on both sides of the equation; the North and the South. Records show Andrew Johnson, a democrat during the Civil War era and sitting senator for Tennessee, a slave state, stayed solid with the Union, even when his home state was seceding from the Union as they formed the Confederate States of America.

            Politics are often a great topic of discussion, and sometimes it can be very uncomfortable.  Often when in a conversation of this type, we prefer to have a partner or more than one or two other people who share our views. Politicians are very good at having a group of people who can support and strengthen their views.  It brings a degree of solidarity and confidence that enables the speaker to press on, knowing if he falters, likely someone else will step in to pick up the slack.

            This concept is also true in the sports arena. A sport team relies on every one of the members to score points.  No team can win effectively when all the scoring is dependent on a single player. It takes everyone’s participation! This is also true during a debate.  Not everyone thinks the same or at the same speed!  Experience often dictates how we think, react and respond to given situations and discussion.

            When Christ walked the Earth, twelve ordinary men were called to walk and minister with him.  Jesus taught, demonstrated and trained daily, the truths he knew these men would need to know when his work on Earth was finished.

            The day came when Jesus stood alone and faced the angry mob as Pilate washed his hands of the entire situation.  Christ knew he would suffer pain and would ultimately stand alone on the cross as He would be the ultimate sacrifice for the world.

            We all have situations where we are called to stand alone, much like I did in high school, or in other discussions where there is great disagreement.  Fear can cause us to withdraw from what we know we really need to do.  We freeze and are unable to share our view, even when it's the message of Christ, for any variety of reasons. That’s when we really need to rely on God for guidance in our conversations and our lives in general.

            I encourage you to share your faith testimony, even if it means you must stand alone.