I’m not sure if you read what’s been going on with me in last week’s devotional; if not, here’s the link to do a quick catch up.
Last weekend, I was still feeling the lingering effects of that “thing” from a few weeks ago, so I DECIDED I needed to get out the house and get some fresh air. The weather was beautiful, it was 60 something degrees, the sun was shining – it was the perfect day to get outside. And what better place to go then to my happy place, The Atlanta Beltline. I don’t know exactly what it is about the beltline that makes me happy; the energy is so good, the creative energy I get from it, it’s always a lot going on at the beltline – but a good lot going on, you know?
But it’s Atlanta, it’s Saturday, it’s 60 something degrees outside and the sun is shining so please believe everyone else thought the beltline was the move too. When I say there were tons of people out and about…I mean TONS! OK, Alright. Lauryn and I were masked up and ready to walk our usual 4 miles – not too far into our walk, Lauryn (of course) had to stop to take those Instagram worthy pictures (what is that with teenagers?). I snap a few pictures of her and we’re back to our walk. A few feet ahead is a restaurant/bar that has a large outdoor space called Ladybird, and let me just say it looked like a whole super spreader event happening right before our eyes.
People were everywhere and close to each other, like in each other’s face, laughing & talking & definitely enjoying themselves…all without masks on. Ummmmmm ok…as people walked the beltline and passed the crowded Ladybird several people took pictures and video of the crowd, I’m sure in amazement as I was.
Lauryn and I continued our walk…
I’ve thought about the crowd of people at Ladybird all week for a number of reasons, but none more important than the fact that COVID is REAL. I am certain that everyone reading this knows someone who has been affected by it; or maybe has experienced the effects firsthand. Loved ones have been lost, our economy has been impacted, the world as we once knew it (less than a year ago) has definitely changed. Even one our team members and her family is currently on the tail end of their quarantine – but THANK THE LORD, their symptoms were minimal, and they all are completely healed in JESUS’ name!
And even with all of that, there are people who are determined to do what they want to do. And here’s the thing…they have every right to do what they want to do because God gave us that – it’s called Free Will. And man, we wear that thang out (some more than others) because we all want what we want when we want it. What’s interesting about free will is God will certainly let us continue on our path of choosing…he’ll give us “nudges” along the way to help ease our journey but ultimately the decision is left up to us to choose. Now God being the gentleman that He is, He will NEVER intrude on our decisions, He just stands there patiently waiting for us to invite Him into the decision-making process.
Hmmmmmm…so thinking back to last Saturday at the beltline and all those people at Ladybird, I put it in the context of Free Will. We all are free to choose, but always remember freedom ain’t free. Every choice, every decision has a consequence good or bad, but always consequences.
And then I think about those nudges that God gives us along the way. Those nudges are His gentle reminder that His Plan is always far better than anything we could ever dream up. That He wants the absolute best for us and wants us to always make the right decisions…but He also knows that we will not always do that. And yet and still He is right there with us waiting for us to invite him in.
So, guess what Lauryn and I did with God’s little nudge last Saturday after passing Ladybird; we walked maybe another quarter of mile or so to Kale Me Crazy to grab something to eat…and walked ourselves right back to the car. So needless to say, we did not get our steps in on Saturday…hmmmp
Remember choices always cost us something…so just make sure we can afford to pay.
