Each one makes a pass and looks in
the doorway.
Finally Mickey peeks his
head around the edge of the door frame with eyebrow cocked upward and
expectation in his eyes. He's asking if
I'm ready. It's time for our daily
walk. My reply is "Almost ready
buddy." I rarely disappoint
him. Those walks, wrestling three dogs,
is good for them and me.
I respond to that reminder and continue with my morning
routine, brushing teeth and hair, washing face, dressing. I include a quick trip in the middle of the
routine. I pop onto the scale. For some reason I check my weigh often but
the information the scale displays does not gain my response. Been seeing those numbers for years and they
are nothing to be proud.
Micah, the prophet, deliver God's reminder to His people to
turn from their wicked ways and follow His way.
He reveals plenty of consequence.
In chapter 2 verse 6 the people reply.
"Don't harp on those things!"
(from the New Living Bible) "It's disgraceful, that sort of talk.
Such evils surely will not come our way."
How like us when confronted with a reminder of ill behavior,
talk or thought? As Sunday's sermon
reminded me, we would rather deceive ourselves and change the context of our
behavior to feel better about our condition.
Too often we turn away from anything that might convict us
and make us feel uncomfortable. It's too easy in today's world to find
acceptance in any area that we choose.
We can always defend our actions by comparison. Plenty of
others are behaving much worse than I.
Yet, as Sunday's sermon also reminded me, when I ignore the reminders, I then become a
slave to the web of self deceit I create.
God is not harping at me to burden me. God wants it to go well for me. (I learned that in Deuteronomy! That was the real reason for all those rules
and laws.) God offers me freedom. His way is really the easiest and it leads me
when I really want to go.
I've been reading the classic, Pilgrim's Progress by
John Bunyan. (Don't be too impressed,
it's the modern English translation and I have a study guide!) The heroes of the story, Christian and
Hopeful engage a self professed believer, Ignorance. Ignorance has convinced himself that his
spiritual state is just fine as it stands.
Christian challenges him.
"How can you imagine that you believe in Christ when you do not
see that you have any need of Him? You neither see your innate nor your actual
sins, but you have an opinion of
yourself that plainly puts you beyond the need of the Redeemer. How the do you
believe in Christ?" (Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English, John
Bunyan retold by Jamesh. Thomas, p. 140)
I do need a Savior!
So my challenge for today:
How will I respond to God's gentle reminders? I have two choices, the easy way, that would
be God's way or the complicated way which means I try to deceive myself into
comfort.
Hmmmm...... I
always respond to Mickey's inquiry about the daily walk. He's so cute ! Maybe I should have Mickey
tell me how much I weigh!
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