Instructions

I found this absolutely darling set of dishcloths the other day.  Crocheted.  So I hunted all over the place on the web and found the directions -- read the first line and was already lost.

How hard can they be?  Maybe I can just wing it and save myself the frustration.  They are a longitudinal slice of an apple all the way through.  A leaf is still attached at the top, in fact.  The meat of the apple is a bright white and then the edges are done in either red or a bright green.  A few stitches of brown yarn makes the seeds at the center.  And there you go.

If I buy all of the yarn I'd need, then I'll have made a commitment to this project meaning that somehow I have to learn how to make them.  A trip to Joanne's yesterday netted me some yarn but not the kind for this project.  I'm not ready for the commitment yet, I guess.

And that sort of reaction is what people do also, when they have a decision to make to commit to a relationship with God.  They size up what they might have to do or give up and then they think some more.  Maybe they make a trip to church.  And then while there they just can't quite go to the next step in the process.  Because it's a commitment and they know that it might be difficult.

What might they have to do?  Why are they afraid?

• Give up something, like swearing or lying.  Well, why wouldn't you want to give up both of those anyhow?  Either one of them is bad in the long run, no matter where your soul is.  We were watching that show where the boss becomes an employee at one of his own businesses.  He was working with one of the servers and noticed that she used really bad language with the customers.  At the end when he was giving out money and aid to some of the employees, he offered her $5,000 if she quit swearing.  And in the end she admitted that her choice of language wasn't a very good for her career goals either.
• Get up Sunday morning.  I know, some people just love to sleep in.  It's easier for me to say because I really don't.  I like to get going and see what the day might bring.  But when you do get up for Sunday morning church services, there is something rewarding about it.  You are re-energized in your faith by the people around you and come away from church renewed.
• Change.  People are notoriously stubborn about changing.  In the Bible, we are referred to as a stiff-necked people and we are, aren't we?  We tend to find a rut and just keep driving in it no matter what.  Even when there is a lovely paved road right next to it, we keep driving ourselves into the pits and ruts and often get stuck doing it.  When those who are being called to a relationship with God see the ones who have made that commitment, they see something really good but it also seems unattainable.  They know their own faults and don't see how they could possibly fit in.  Well, here's the best part.  We don't have to "change," per se.  We will change but God will do the changing once we get our hearts and souls in the right place.  Even the holiest of people had to start somewhere.
• Money.  The church will want some money.  Well, what are folks doing with it now?  Are there things they buy that they could do without?  Are they buying things and going places because life is a little boring and slow?  It isn't because life is boring and slow; it's because that person is boring and slow in a sense.  The joy that comes from a relationship with God fills up the longing that we have inside ourselves and that we try to fill while being in the "world."  The longer we walk with God, the less that the world's temptations pull at us.  And the more that the beauty of this place fills our souls with the peace that we are seeking.  So any money you offer the church is not going to crimp their style.  Their style is going to change.
• Fitting in.  People worry that they will be identified as religious fanatics by co-workers, family and friends.  They are concerned that some of those relationships will suffer.  They are right.  It just might happen, but making that commitment to God is much more important.  And who says that some of their families might just take a closer look at their own relationship with God?  Sure, making that commitment is going to shake things up but it will feel right and it will be right. 

There are probably many other things that hold people back from making the commitment.  For adults, probably the biggest one is the spouse.  If one person feels called to a relationship with God and decides to make that commitment, the spouse is going to be confused, afraid, and resentful.  They are also going to feel pressured, even when there is no pressure.  It may create some problems at home, but as the song says, "We are called. We are chosen. We are Christ for one another. We are promised to tomorrow while we are for Him today.  We are sign. We are wonder. We are sower. We are seed. We are harvest. We are hunger. We are question. We are Creed."  We have to move forward and make that decision.

Ask any Christian if they regret their decision to walk with God.  You will get some very interesting answers, but the bottom line is that they will say absolutely, "No, I don't."

Have a great Wednesday!  Wish me luck.  I'm trying to get my eyes to shed more tears so I can wear my contact lenses again and hope the eye doctor can help.  I really miss them!!!