WHAT WOULD JESUS DO

WWJD, you see those letters everywhere, especially on peoples wrist.  I’ll admit that I haven’t put much thought into it.  I’d like to say that I have, but I probably haven’t.

Recently I’ve become aware of some adult parent child relationships that aren’t what their families would like them to be.  When we’re children, the parent child relationship is pretty simple to understand.  As adults we find the parent child relationship fairly simple to understand, too. We know our roles and responsibilities.  Most families function (or dysfunction) in the same way.  They raise their kids … the kids grow up and move on … they leave their parents … the parents grow old together (or not together).

What does that have to do with WWJD?  Remember when Jesus turned water into wine?  Jesus was an adult at the time when Mary, his mother, asked him to do it. Jesus wasn’t ready to do it and really didn’t want to.   He probably didn’t appreciate his mother putting him on the spot like that!  Do you think he ever expected that his first miracle would be turning water into wine at party?!   

So why did Jesus do it? I believe he did it out of love, respect, and obedience for his mother Mary, his father God in heaven, as well as for his earthly father Joseph, too.   I believe Jesus was obeying the Fifth Commandment of the Ten Commandments.  After all, if anyone knew the reason and intent of them it would have been Jesus.  Even though Jesus did not agree with Mary at the time, he honored her.

Does honoring your parents as an adult mean that you always have to obey their wishes?  Do we have to turn water into wine?!  I don’t think it does.  I don’t think it even means that we have to agree with them all of the time.   Jesus would not have killed someone, or sinned, if Mary had asked him to.  He wouldn’t break one commandment to keep another.    He did what she asked, even though he didn’t like it, because it did no harm. 

Respecting the position of parents does not mean you have to agree with them.  No group of adults ever completely agrees on everything, much less fathers and sons, or mothers and daughters … brothers and sisters weren’t even listed in the commandments!  

Adults can and will disagree, that’s okay.  Christians will disagree, they always have.  That’s okay too.  Adult families will disagree from time to time. That’s okay as well, so long as it does no harm to the loving relationship of the family.   There is strength in unity and love conquers all.

As adults I think we’re asked to give each other grace, love, and forgiveness.  That’s What Jesus Would Do.  Jesus offers us his grace, love and forgiveness …  daily, hourly, minute by minute, and second by second.  Parents should remember this (and so should kids).  

There you have it. Pass it along if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie                                    

LOST CONFIDENCE

I’ve been asked a few times “what’s happened with your blog?”, or “why haven’t you written”?  I guess I’d lost my motivation, or commitment … I’m not exactly sure why.  What I think happened is that I’d lost confidence.  I’d lost confidence in myself, my writing ability, and this blog.  I’d also lost confidence in Americans … at least where politics is concerned.   

I haven’t lost my confidence in you because you’re here.  Who have I lost my confidence in?  I’ve lost it in Americans that continue to support a political party and president that have proven to be untrustworthy.  I’ve lost confidence in an opposition party and politicians that do not stand firm with the people that have stood with, and by, them. 

I used to write because I thought that maybe there were others that thought the same way as I did about our country and wanted it preserved.  So my confidence in Americans and my blog weakened and I stopped writing.  

It seemed to me that there had been a sea change in American thinking that I’d missed it.  Americans no longer cared to preserve the United States as it was founded and developed. It felt as if the USA was passing away and that another nation by the same name was developing. 

That is until last week.  A couple of people asked me when or if I was going to write again, and a friend on Facebook asked, too.  Then a friend in conversation asked, “Eddie how do we stop what’s happening?’.   The topic was politics in Washington DC.  My reply was this:  We stop it the same way it got started.  I told my friend that the very same tactics the Democrats have used to advance their plans can be used to stop them.  If Saul Alinsky’s ideas can work for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, they can work for anybody …. on the left or the right.

We talked about electing politicians that accept that they’ve been sent to Washington DC to serve the people, not to be served.  And that it is also necessary to support brave leaders like Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and Bobby Jindal …. all nontraditional Republicans, all conservative through and through.   

Of course Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and Bobby Jindal aren’t the only ones out there, but they’re among the most notable.  People like them remind me of the old Timex watch slogan, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!”.   That’s why I admire and respect them.  They’re steady.  They love the USA and want to preserve it and protect it.  They also want to make it “a more perfect union”.  Don’t we all?

There you have it.

Pass it along if you want … or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie