Trade offs and compromises…

There’s been a load of compromising
On the road to my horizon
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me

_Lyrics from “The Rhinestone Cowboy”, by Glenn Campbell

*****

The jaded cynic, who sees a self-serving ulterior motive behind everyone’s actions, doesn’t get it.

The self-righteous moralist, who is confident that everything is either black or white and they know which is which, doesn’t get it either.

The truth is, life is full of trade offs and compromises for those who want to leverage their lives to make a lasting impact.

Shouting about every issue that matters to you eventually just makes you a nuisance to those who might care but only have a capacity for so much.

Bombarding people constantly with your outrage grows wearisome even to your friends. Eventually you become an annoyance to be avoided not a champion to be followed.

The truth can only make people free if they’re ready for it. (See John 8:31-33)

Ever heard of Amram and Jochebed? No?

I bet you’ve heard of their son…his name was Moses.

Amram and Jochebed lived at a time when every Israelite male child was to be killed. Unfortunately, they could only save one little boy, but eventually that one boy was the means to saving an entire nation.

The truth is, you can’t do everything and you can’t win every battle. Sometimes the hardest thing in life to do is to ignore the good in order to devout your life to the best.

Even harder is to sit on your hands while things get worse so that you can prepare yourself to be ready when your time comes.

It’s tough to be silent, measured, and patient.

It’s tough…if you really care.

The ONE THING for today: Every day you will be bombarded with worthy and righteous causes. As tough as it is to do, it’s okay to pass on most of them. It’s even okay to be silent (except in prayer) when everyone else is shouting from the rooftop.

It’s okay, that is, until it is not okay.

Then you have to step up and meet the challenge.

Knowing when you’ve hit that “it’s not okay to be silent” stage is the essence of wisdom and courage.