Choosing Battles

March 2012 is coming in like the sweetest lamb ever born, at least in my part of the country.  It's windy, as March is supposed to be, but warm and bright.  Spent some time this morning with three of the grandkids and their mom.  We went walking through the woods, then sat by a waterfall eating our McLunch in the car with the windows rolled down.  My six year old grandson sang a song about how much he loves Jesus, off-key, as we drove home.  It was a very special ordinary day.  I just love those!

I've been wondering what to write on my brand new blog this second day, knowing I need to bring it down-to-earth since I spent yesterday knee-deep in metaphors.  Wandering around in my mind is OK, even important (to me personally) on occasion.  But life is really about muddy boots and sticker bushes, feeling four little fingers wrap around one of your adult fingers as you hike a trail, answering endless questions, and having impromptu Happy Meal Celebrations.  Real life is often messy and loud and surprising.  It's unpredictible and precious, everyday.

Searching for inspiration, I read a CNN blog today stating the stories in the bible are very gritty and real, especially when translated from the original languages with no regard for polite terminology.  I agree, from my own limited studies.  The cruelty apparent in our generation is not new, and the people back then were grossed out by many of the same things that get us gagging  But, the subject matter isn't what got my attention.  What interested and inspired me was the incredible number of insulting responses the blogger got for having faith that the bible is the Word of God.

I have no problem with differing opinions...iron sharpens iron.  You do NOT have to believe as I do to earn my respect.  But several biting remarks were made stating that people who believe in God or the bible as His Word are judgemental, weak, and stupid.  Blind to their own harsh judgements, they labeled an entire group of people, situating us neatly under one broad, bigotted banner.  But then, in all fairness, these comment-makers weren't well educated themselves.  Few of them could put together one entire sentence without a spelling or grammatical error, let alone pull off a full paragraph.  The errors were more than just fingertip slips on the iPhone, too.  You had to read and re-read to get the meaning.  It appeared the comments were intended to show the intense intellect and sophistication of the people sharing them; they were spun slick and sarcastic.  But, these comment-makers weren't fresh from the college debate team.  They tried hard to convince the reader otherwise, it just didn't work.

I guess in these situations God would rather we consider the source and show mercy.  Bless those who persecute you and all that.  Why should we expect people to say nice things about us when they called Our Lord a drunkard, party-lover, glutton, and blasphemer?  Folks haven't changed that much in 2000 years!  Guess we better grow up and see these situations for what they are.  They are not opportunites to give reason for our faith, but temptations to throw our pearls before pigs.  I played that game once.  Once was enough.

Well, I think I'll quit typing my thoughts and go sweep the mud off my front porch.  Time to get real again!  "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me"...if I make the choice not to let them.  I do.

Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors I made in this blog.  Whenever I point my finger at someone else's weaknesses, three point back at mine...it never fails!  God laughs, and I smile back at Him with my head bowed.  It is what it is!