If You Insist on Having Your Own Way...

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the way of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)A few nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with an incomplete sentence of eight words clearly imprinted on my mind:"If you insist on having your own way... ." I wondered what that meant, particularly because I do not think of myself as being that kind of a person. I thought to myself, "I can't even remember when I last insisted on having my own way."

Immediately three disturbing thoughts sprang into my head, one after the other. "What about an argument or a disagreement with someone, like the 'discussion' you had with Belle just a few hours ago? What about willfully and deliberately doing something that you know perfectly well is absolutely wrong, like speeding up at that intersection yesterday when the light turned yellow, instead of coming to a stop, and nearly having a collision as a result? And what about going ahead and doing what you want to do, without considering anyone's wishes or feelings except your own, like the time when you ... ?" "Goodness," I thought, "I insist on having my own way all the time, don't I."

"But wait a minute. Now that I think about it, what's so wrong with that? That's human nature, isn't it? I mean, after all, who else is going to look after our interests and see that we get the things we want, if we don't? In this world, if you don't stand up for yourself and fight for what you want, the way everyone else is doing, you will never get anywhere, and you will be trampled down by the crowd. So what's so wrong with that?"

Even as I raised the question, I could hear the answer. It was not audible, but I could hear it just as clearly as if it were."If you insist on having your own way... ," and then the rest of that incomplete sentence followed, "you will never know that there is another way that is far superior to yours, which is my way. And you will you never know the incomparable joy, and the absolute victory, and the great excitement, to say nothing of the release from fear and uncertainty, that comes from refusing the temptation to go your own way and to 'do your own thing,' and deliberately choosing to trust me and to go the way that I will show you. If, over and over, in little things and in big things, you habitually choose to live for yourself, sooner or later you will discover that you have chosen the path that inevitably leads to loneliness, bitterness and unhappiness. Ah, but what if you dare to choose my way? Where will that lead? You will never know until, in faith, you choose it."

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Contributed by Stephen B. Elmer
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