Inspiration in a bucket (advance warning)

I'll start with the advance warning. I won't be able to continue my blog a day routine. This weekend, Jenny and I are going up to a cabin with some of her family. I won't be at my wireless laptop right before bed, and likely won't find anyway to post. I'm okay with that. You'll have a couple of days without hearing from me, and you'll have to deal with that.

On another note, after yesterday's Seminary paper post (my response to a baptism question) I find myself with little internal motivation to be creative. So, I'm turning to my trusty buckets folder, where I keep documents, and notes that are important to me at different times.

Today's comes from a book called "Let Your Life Speak." It says this:

"I had missed the deep meaning of a biblical teaching that I had always regarded as a no-brainer. 'I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Therefore, choose life' (Deuteronomy 30:19). Why, I wondered, would God waste precious breath on saying something so obvious? I had failed to understand the perverse comfort we sometimes get from choosing death in life, exempting ourselves from the challenge of using our gifts, of living our lives in authentic relationship with others."

I can relate to these thoughts. I can remember times when I wanted to be depressed. Times when I wanted to cry. Times when I hoped for nothing more than a pity party, because it would exempt me from doing the things that I could and should be doing.

I can relate many truths to myself through soccer analogies. Here is this one. I can remember times on the field that I was alive and confident. That I wanted nothing more than the ball at my feet, or the chance to shine in a penalty kick shootout. I can remember wanting defenders to fail so that I could save the day. I can also remember when I had chosen differently. I can remember times when I hoped a forward from the other team would stay close to me, so that no one would pass me the ball. When I would encourage other people to make smart runs because I didn't want to be the person involved in the action. Why sometimes do we choose death?

Life is so fulfilling, and I spend too much time of mine, trying to avoid it.

When do you want to avoid life? When does "death" (whatever that means at the time) seem like a better option?

Choose life. You won't regret it.