Genesis 49:15 - When [Issachar] sees how good is
his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the
burden and submit to forced labour. (NIV)
I was quietly nursing my coffee in a local restaurant, but I couldn't help
overhearing the conversation at the next table.
"I was forced to get married," said one fellow to his friend. "I got my
girlfriend pregnant, and so in those days, you had to get married."
"Forced!" Exclaimed his friend. "No! You weren't forced! You were self-forced!
You forced yourself to get married because of your actions."
Whew! What a blow those words were to me. I am always complaining about my
weight, but I had just finished eating a "self-forced" bagel with extra cream
cheese.
Let's be honest with ourselves and admit that we have "self-forced" ourselves by
our choices and actions into more than a few extra pounds. Speeding tickets?
Quarrels? Destroyed relationships? Cluttered closets? Lonely lives? Need we say
more?
Where are our actions leading us today? Personally? I am giving up on
"self-force" and starting over again today. I'll start by making better choices
and then taking responsibility for those choices.
Prayer: Lord, You have given us free will, but when we use it incorrectly, help
us to be honest about the results and the consequences. Thanks, Lord. In
Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
Brenda Wood brenda.w@nextcom.ca
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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