Capitulation?

Today's Word:
Ezekiel 37:21-28 (God will restore the nation of Israel from the Exile)
(Psalm:) Jeremiah 31:10-13 (The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock)
John 11:45-56 (Caiaphas: "One man should die instead of the people, that the whole nation may not perish")

I am prompted to consider the subject.

For the last six weeks I have put to consideration who I am and where I've been. It's one thing to do it privately. But by the very nature of putting those words in print, be it on paper or in a blog, it becomes public.

Methinks perhaps I whineth too much. I didn't think so, but I could be.

None of us were meant to walk alone. Most of us have family or friends with whom we interact and display our inner selves. But even to the most reclusive, God is there. A few days back I quoted Paul of Tarsus (to distinguish him from Paul of Cornerstone) who wrote that nothing separates us from God.

Nothing. No separation.

Then why do we look at our weaknesses as those things that separate us from God? Is it some tricky wordplay designed to blur that which God puts deep inside each one of us?

Ever since Johannes Gutenberg was inspired to create movable type, thus making the printed word readily accessible, technology has moved in such a way to put so many words in front of people. And so many, that the latest technological innovation challenges us to say the most with the fewest characters. Text messaging and online sites like Twitter only give you so much space, so you have to make it short and sweet. Often, though, that makes it about as boring as reading a TV program's brief synopsis in TV Guide.

Words have become way too cheap. Many make statements they cannot or do not intend to stand behind.

If I claim to have grown through my experiences, I have to be prepared to back it up. Change that - I have to willingly back it up even if not presented with a challenge that would require it.

We got on the scale this morning. Wife and son both gained about 2 pounds; I lost just over a pound. When this occurs, a change in habit is going to follow. Nobody likes that. As the one who lost weight, I could have let my loved ones argue things out and just come over to the computer and blather here about myself. Instead, I chose to get involved. Allowing an argument such as this between a parent and a teenage child solves nothing and puts everyone in a foul mood that could last the day.

I took son outside for fifteen minutes. Not to engage him in the argument he was having with mom, and not to sympathize with him, but to give everyone an opportunity to bask in relative silence, in which the voice of God is often best heard. It is a beautiful albeit chilly spring morning, and that slight chill is enough to clear my head.

Those closest to me know my story turns out. I have been challenged to describe how I've grown from the experience. That is forthcoming. I don't intend to quit now. Still, growth doesn't occur (at least with me) without acknowledging that you work through the challenges, obstacles, and potholes that are strewn across life's highway. Some are just too big to drive around.