RICHER STRIDES

I sit here this afternoon typing away at this posting and struggling with a recent downturn in my labors. Basically, I made a major blunder. Those are never joyful and I wish they never happen, but they do.

I could have opted to try and cover up my mistake. And I might have even succeeded. But from the moment I discovered my fiasco, the burden of choice resided on my shoulders.

So I opted to follow my conscience and admit my mistake. It was one that I would end up volunteering to pay to cover the damages, but for me the cost of not admitting it would have simply been too expensive.

I don’t think I’ll ever adjust to the idea of how many times people who claim to be Christians and very spiritual actually worship money. It isn’t that I consider myself more spiritual, I’m just aware of the times when the Lord truly challenges my heart in terms of whether I’m going to worship him or money. I like to hope I will always make the right choice.

One of the danger signals to me that a Christian has to be on guard against is the temptation to do things such as acts of charity for the purpose of impressing others. That negates the value in the Lord’s eyes.

This last year my wife and I have been engaged in a special project and it has brought us into a situation of dealing with this one person. I found it a mixed blessing to deal with this person. The individual genuinely clings to a self-image of being full of faith and being loving and caring.

That might be wonderful if it was true. However this is person, who despite being affluent, worries constantly about money.

It was to the point of being absurd when this individual made a major deal of boasting about all the good deeds that the person loved to claim to have done. It gave this person a great many chances to try and impress others with being so charitable.

However as time passed almost everything this person promised to do of a generous nature evaporated when there was a cost related. The individual loved the credit for appearing generous, just not the reality of when it carried a cost.

Sometime the walk of faith includes a stop in the place of sacrifice. Still, if one accepts that detour there are times the riches of self-discovery truly offset any cost to the pocketbook.

That isn’t something you can always expect everyone to accept. Some will always find a way to justify why they cling more to gold of this life than the real treasure of eternity. It is a choice we make even if we don’t admit to same.