– Monday Muse –
Dear One, when I mentioned to a friend that I had parked in a handicap parking spot, the man covered his ears. He did not want to think that I, who does not need close access, would take a spot meant for someone in need.
I did not get a chance to explain my actions to him for our conversation was an on-the-run, chance meeting. After he had walked away, I stood there covered in conviction. I had quickly realized that there was not anything to explain; there was no ‘good’ excuse. I was guilty. Sure, the car I was driving displayed a permit, but it wasn’t meant for me, and I was alone.
I was ashamed. Oh, sure, I know, it’s not like I had robbed a bank, but I had done something unethical. By doing so, I had stepped onto the slippery slope. And I knew that while on that path, I could easily lose my footing and slip a little further down, and d-o-w-n further. Maybe I would give into sneaking a snack into the movies Friday night where Dinesh D’sousa’s Death of a Nation was playing. I have thought of doing such a thing. And if I did, what other dishonorable acts would I consider, and might they become more blatant? Certainly, even the thought of such behavior displeases the Lord.
Yogi Berra, 1925-2015, a Major League Baseball player, was known for many paradoxical statements. One was, “When you come to a Y in the road, take it.” His words were often quoted and given many accolades as ‘words of wisdom,’ but the Y statement never made any sense to me. Finally I happened to hear him being interviewed on the radio. He said that he lived at the back of a cul-de-sac, so when guests were driving to his home he would tell them, “When you come to the Y in the road, take it.” Either route took his guests to the desired destination.
But Life is not made up of a series of Y’s which take us exactly where we ought to be. Each day is made up of a series of decisions, some small, some big, but all important. And they are not made up of whether we turn left or right. It is a matter of right or wrong. The right being…not what pleases us, but what most pleases God.
Each righteous act seems to lead to other righteous acts. Right behavior seems to build a strong foundation for supporting a pattern of acts of righteousness. All other acts take us down, by some degree, the slippery slope…further from God’s will and desire for us.
It is not the Y in the road which leads us to where we should go. No. It is the ‘Decision,’ be it the most significant or insignificant decision of the day…like, for me, where should I park?
“Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.” Proverbs 4:26
Blessings,
Susanne
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