Today I had several builders visit my Michigan home at different times. After conversations with each of them about a back yard deck I have in my imagination, they all promised exact estimates by the middle of next week. Listening to them describe their individual takes on the sketch I made, I realized there are as many ways to approach deck-building as people willing to build them. But it’s always a good idea to get a second or even a third opinion.
Mary and Bervin have had to go through that process too, with her diagnosis, surgery and treatment for cancer. Wisdom dictated getting several opinions, weighing the differences, and making a well-informed choice. Scripture says there is safety in a multitude of counselors, but of course it matters who we choose to advise us.
The same is true of our spiritual choices. Of the many gods available to follow these days, which one should we choose? I remember an old TV episode on a show called “7th Heaven.” It was the story of a protestant pastor, his wife, and 7 children.
One episode dealt with the subject of being unkind to others and the “guilt-gut” that inevitably followed. The problem, then, was how to get rid of it. During the show, two of the younger children went on a search for the answer, visiting clergy members representing several “isms”: Buddhism, Judaism, and Catholicism. They were collecting opinions, first, second, and third. Their quest was for relief from guilt, wanting to substitute peace instead. Each religion suggested something different.
Their quest was representative of the spiritual choices all of us have to make. God created us with consciences, and when we do something that produces “guilt-gut,” we want to straighten it out a.s.a.p. But where do we go for a first, second, or third opinion? Do we honestly seek truth, or do we look for advisers who will agree with the point of view we already have?
Mary and Bervin sought the experts and chose well. Committing to Minnesota open-endedly wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one. (They’ll actually be driving back there again this weekend for additional tests and a chemotherapy plan.)
As for my deck (a choice that’s trivial compared to the decisions Mary and Bervin have had to make), I hope I choose well. Concerning spiritual choices, the best Counselor is the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to the one true God. It’s the only decision we’ll ever make where no second or third opinion will be needed.
And BTW, this one true God is the only one who can effectively remove “guilt-gut.”
“Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Romans 5:1)
Mary’s Prayer Requests
- Praise for one pound gained!
- For continued weight gain
- For the Lord to guard her heart and mind during the night when fears sneak in
- Praise for a beautiful weather-day and time spent sitting out in the sun