You know I drive a school bus during the week. It does two things provide extra income and keep me in touch with the real word. The primary task of the bus driver is to????? Say it with me (drive the bus) not crowd control but that can easily become the most pressing event. A Thursday was one such afternoon with two individuals, crowd control. Mom’s think that is the most important thing. Children think that is the most important thing. Until there is an accident and then. Those two got under my skin along with several others. So Friday morning as I was walking with the dog, I was thinking about what to do with those two to change their behavior and the situation. As life goes I was reminded that praying for them would provide the answer for which I was searching. I decided as I turned the corner I would pray for them. Then I came in the house.
My tea was not ready (I drink hot tea in the mornings). I had to feed the dog, so, after feeding the dog while I waited for the tea to steep I sat down to review e-mail and then “facecrack” (Facebook) and clicked on the debate highlights. Politics are important our nation elects individuals to make decisions on our behalf in our best interest so it is good to be informed but that was not the best thing for me to do. I got up and went and prayed for those two students. THAT was the best. The hardest decisions are between better and best NOT good and bad. The differences between better and best decisions are not as clear. They have much more subtle differences between them and therefore are harder. Either can work but we believe one will be better more in the will of God than another. It is our heart that must be in the will of God and not the decision.
Back to my bus story, I have a common phrase that I tell the children and often times the parent when we wrestle with crowd control. I remind both that what the student needs to do is “sit in the seat and ride home.” That’s it. Nothing more in fact anything more is wrong and nothing less that’s wrong too. It seems so simple “sit and ride home” but it is far from simple if you want to do something else. That “want to” is our distraction. We blame all kinds of things for distraction but the most devastating is our “want to.” Sunday as I was sharing this with my church it dawned on me (really the Holy Spirit revealed this truth) that being in God’s will is just as simple.
Jesus invites us to follow him. Nothing more, nothing less in fact anything more or less is wrong (sin) really. It really is that simple AND that hard. The distraction is my “want to.” The old hymn “wherever HE leads I’ll go,” has been sung hundreds of times if not thousands but I wonder how often that was a lie? It may not have been at that moment but very soon there was an opportunity that required an excuse to explain why we could not go there. Oh yes, it was a good reason except Jesus was asking us to follow and we said, “No Lord” because we did not want to. Distracted by the better yet once again to follow not. Because of free will (a dangerous gift) we have a choice. The choice to follow or not. It’s up to us. Yes, it is that simple.
What have you chosen today, this minute, this second? What distraction do you succumb to? Choose better. Choose the BEST to follow!
In HIS Service and Yours,
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