Leslie A

I love the sunshine.  The sun beating down on my face on a warm summer day…the way it brings clarity and beauty to almost anything it shines upon…the clear blue skies or the puffy clouds that accompany the sunshine.  Can we ever have too much sun?  Well, we all know the answer to that.  Of course, we can.   Yesterday I heard my husband say yet again how dry it is and how worried he is.  Our company is very dependent on the weather.  When it doesn’t rain, the lawns turn brown and go dormant (and sometimes die).  When the lawns turn brown, they stop growing.  When they stop growing, our lawn-mowing division runs out of work.

There is another side to this equation, though.  We have experienced too much rain, as well.  With an over abundance of rain come different problems.   When it is too wet, the lawns and plants are plagued with fungi, unsightly mushrooms, and disease.  If it continues to rain, flooding occurs and lawns and plants eventually die.

As I was thinking about the balance of sunshine and rain that the ecosystem needs to survive,  my thoughts turned to my life.  You see, we have a tendency as humans to do an awful lot of complaining about the rainy days.  When will the sun shine again?  How long will it rain?  This rain is ruining our picnic…or baseball game…or trip to the amusement park.  We feel frustrated about this thing that is beyond our control.  And, interestingly enough, we often do the same thing when it “rains” on our lives.  Bad times come and we complain.  Why me?  Why now?  “I didn’t need this right now” is often something I will murmur under my breath when something goes wrong (which begs the question -when exactly would I have liked the negative circumstances to occur? )

But just like the earth needs a balance of sunshine and rain to not only survive, but to operate at its optimum level, so we, too, need both kinds of days in our lives.  The sunny, peaceful days and the stormy, shadow-filled days.  The moments filled with confident decisiveness and the moments filled with questions and doubts.   The tears of joy and the tears of sorrow.

I don’t always understand why some have so many storms and others seem to have  a lot of sunshine.   I was talking the other day with a friend who is going through a very difficult time.  She jokingly said she is trying hard to learn the lesson the Lord wants to teach her so she can shorten the learning process!  We all sometimes feel like that, don’t we?  Let me learn the lesson, so that the rain will stop.  But sometimes there isn’t a specific lesson to be learned.  Sometimes we end up under someone else’s rain cloud (maybe a spouse’s or a child’s bad decision) or perhaps it is to further God’s kingdom.  But no matter the reason for the rain (and often we never find out why certain storms came our way), we need to make a choice to grow in our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father.  Because to choose otherwise, is to choose bitterness, resentment, or anger.

I Peter 1:6,7

So many of our Christian conversations and questions revolve around what forms of entertainment and behavior are “allowed” for a Christian. There are many varied views on this topic. What about all the gray areas that aren’t covered in scripture? The accusation of legalism is a common one if one shares conviction on any “gray” area.  But I would propose that maybe the question isn’t “Is this right or wrong?” but instead “Will this move me closer to or away from the God I love?” A second question that must quickly follow this one is “Will this help or hinder my Christian brothers and sisters in their walk with Christ?” This changes the whole conversation, doesn’t it?

So much of our gray area conversations are rationalizations on why it is okay to do things that go against principles in scripture. We grab the typical passages used out of context for our arguments. But in thinking through what direction I want to go–towards God, if I am a believer–I have to challenge myself to think through WHY I am trying so hard to rationalize a particular behavior or action. Oftentimes it is for my own self gratification. It is because it is something I want to do and has nothing to do with bringing glory to Christ, reaching others for Him, or furthering His kingdom in any way, shape, or form.

The other thing worth mentioning here is that there are certain things that are not going to be cut and dried. For instance, while a  glass of wine with dinner or attending a horse race may be fine for some, these activities are going to present some pretty serious problems for the alcoholic and the gambler. And, while, perhaps some of us can do these things without stumbling,  it is imperative that we, as believers, show love and care for our fellow believers and not tempt them unnecessarily; always taking very great care in all that we do.

When it comes right down to it, our walk with God is all about love. But it is not only His love for us, but it is also our love for God, which translates itself into our selfless actions–denying ourselves worldly pleasures and showing immense selflessness towards others (see James 1:27).

So perhaps we have been asking the wrong question. Perhaps I need to ask myself will this help me or my fellow believers in their walk with Christ? Or will it be a detriment?  Will I please the Lord with this action or will I grieve Him? Do I love the Lord enough NOT to do this thing I really want to do in order to please Him? We need to stop trying to rationalize and, instead, take an honest look at our hearts’  intentions.  The excuse that “it isn’t specifically in the Bible” is pretty weak when we ask ourselves the question of direction, rather than the question of legislation.

Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.