Good and Evil in combat

March 4, 2010

Today’s swing thought:

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
(Galatians 5:16-17)

Okay there is the “out”, the “excuse”, finally someone to blame. I have been playing the blame game my entire life. It’s not my fault, right? Ever heard about this game? Or heard someone say: It’s not my fault I did not go to college, It’s not my fault I was late, It’s not my fault I’m overweight, It’s not my fault I filed bankruptcy, It’s not my fault I’m addicted to ____. You could plug just about anything behind “It’s not my fault”. Is this not simply human nature?

For most it’s not. For the vast majority of people around the world doing the next right thing and not giving into sinful desires is perfectly normal. For me the scripture is not saying whose fault it is, but it is telling me life is all about making right choices. Sure I could go back and play the blame game for just about everything negative that ever happened in my life. I could say those were not bad decisions they just turned out with bad consequence, not my fault. But today I have to look at me in the mirror and the truth is I made the bad decisions that resulted into bad consequences.

I can look back, over the last 30 years, with a much clearer mind and see that many of my poor decision were the direct result of a spiritual problem. Some may not understand this next statement and no I’m not playing the blame game or sympathy card. But, one of the most glaring character defects in my life has been I’m a people pleaser. I allow others to influence my decision making (good and bad). I wanted to fit in so much that I would do just about anything to be apart of the “in crowd”. Hey let’s smash some mailboxes, okay. Let’s toilet paper the high school, okay. Let’s see how far you can drive with the lights off on this back road, okay.

Once I crossed the bad line a few times, early on in life, and received some pleasure or relief from the internal conflict going on in my mind, then I continued on a path of destruction that was going away from God, “into the woods”.

I like to say, at the time, I was young and dumb. But, the truth is some of this occurred in adulthood. Let me say – on the outside I was an adult. But, inside, my core I was still a scared little boy. I had really never grown up and I really had never stopped to think how the choices I was making were shaping my life. Looking back I’m not really sure where I lost control of the Spirit. But, today my desire is to “Live by the Spirit”.

Due to God’s grace, whatever good I receive or comes out of me today and is shared with others is more than I deserve.

See you in the fairway or on the green soon.

Chris