By Pastor Joe Palmer
Fellowship Baptist Church
The song I think of when I think of Frank Sinatra is, “My Way.” In this song, Sinatra ends each verse with “I did it my way.” It has an appeal for all of us. No one wants to be bossed around and enslaved to someone else. We want to be thought of as brave enough to be free. There is, however, a limit to the freedom any wise person would cherish. There is a point at which a wise and good person will say, I will no longer just do it my way, but instead I will obey.
When we depend on others to the point of being demanding and of being in conflict with them, we find ourselves not only angry with others but also hating ourselves. Where does one go from here? We either destroy ourselves, or we arrogantly determine to find a way to cope and get what we want. (This often leads to a neurosis of some sort.) OR, we can go back to the beginning and rethink our perspective of the universe.
If God is there, and if He is good, and if He loves me, and if He has a plan for me which will include freedom from guilt and the hope of eternal life, then I can quit demanding from people the things I think will make me happy. I can love them instead. I can bear with them, and I can humble myself to admit my faults when I am at fault. If God loves me, then I can love Him and obey Him when He tells me to love my neighbor. – Freedom in the greatest way is experienced as I learn to do it God’s way.
Feel free to email me at joeandsuzypal@yahoo.com.