Where's My Easy Button?

Have you seen the commercials with the easy button? People who find themselves in difficult situation reach for a red button and everything turns out fine. I would like one of those buttons. It would be particularly useful on days when everything is going wrong. Or those times something pops up at just the wrong time. Just one click of the easy button and everything is back to smooth sailing. The other day I saw one of these buttons for sale at the store. I pushed the button only to hear a voice commenting on how easy that was. What a disappointment! My difficulties were still staring me in the face, smirking at the Easy Button.

Life is full of difficulties. If your life is like mine, the difficulties come at the most inconvenient times. Expenses come when money is already thin. At the end of a frustrating day, an irritating person enters the scene. Without an easy fix, I sometimes want to run away and hide.

This is not the time to run and hide, but to stand. Arnold didn't get his muscles by working out only when he felt like it. Even though I know and understand this, it is when I don't feel like standing when the difficulties come. I think of 78 reasons for why its ok for me not to stand today. Lately I have found I'm ashamed of myself when I give in to fear, when I listen to my reasons and I don't stand in my time of difficulties. In the end, the difficuly didn't crush me like I thought it would. Instead, the difficulty is an opportunity for me to grow.

For now, I'll let Staples have their Easy Buttons. Not just because they don't work, but because I would rather go through the difficulty and come out stronger than I was going in.

How Far Is Too Far?

To say that we live in a sexually charged society would be stating the obvious. As a single Christian, I know it's God's desire for me to be sexually pure. Every person I talk to has drawn a different line in the sand that shouldn't be crossed. So how far is too far? I found a new perspective in John Thomas' answer at Boundless Webzine. Even though his answer is being applied to sexuality, it can be applied to anything in question of how far is too far?

Boundless Answers: How Far Is Too Far?

Thirsty

Empty. Nothing left. It had been full when I started my journey, but now my water bottle was bone dry. I thought I had more than I needed. In fact, I was happy to share with anyone who asked. When I saw I was nearing the bottom, I guarded it carefully. Taking only a sip now and then, I made it last as long as possible. That last drop was several hot miles ago.

"Lookin' kinda thirsty." Startled, I looked for the source of the voice. He looked as old as the dirt he wore.

"I ran out of water the day before yesterday. This bottle was full when I started out. I thought I'd have more than enough."

"How long ago was that?"

"A week ago."

"Why don't you fill it up again?"

"What?"

He cocked his head and raised one eye brow. "Well, let's think about this. Your thirsty. Problem is your water bottle's empty. Way I figure it, the way to solve both your problems is to refill your water bottle." He chuckled, I assume in reaction to the look on my face. "How long have you been walking beside this creek with an empty water bottle?"

* * * * *

I started my spiritual walk with my heart full and overflowing. I was so full up with God and His love, there was no way I'd ever run out. I shared with anybody and everybody. After a couple of years, I got settled into my walk. I realized my heart wasn't overflowing like it was, but I still had plenty. One morning I woke up and realized my heart was almost empty. There was a little left and I made it last as long as I could. Inevitably, the day came when I was bone dry. I was becoming a walking dead man. I was dying of thirst within reach of the Water of Life.

Taking time to spend with God is challenging to me. The alarm clock already goes off too early. It's all I can do to get to work on time already. The rest of the day is spent trying to keep up. Night time comes and I am so tired, I cannot stay awake for fifteen minutes with God. Tomorrow, the whole cycle starts again.

It is easy for me to forget about spiritual realities in this physical world. I'm dying of spiritual thirst while focused on things that are dehydrating me. Meanwhile, I'm walking right next to an endless, pure Source. Thankfully, He doesn't hang me out to dry. He continues to persue me, continues to remind me where real life can be found.