The Three Sides Of A Coin

The Three Sides Of A Coin…

I remember one day in my childhood when I was in a quandary over something and just couldn’t find the best way to go. As I approached Grandfather with it he asked: How many sides does a coin have? Two I responded. Humm, he said, You go think about it for a little bit and come back with your answer.

I was raised believing we all exist in our own worlds. We each have our beliefs, our opinions and our own take on things. Life for us revolves around what we see and think along the constraints we set up in our own little world.

By joining worlds with our friends we expand our beliefs and feeling to include those of others to the extent of where they don’t infringe on our personal feelings.

There I found my answer, a coin has three sides and so does life. As a coin has a front and a back, it also has the edge. As we combine our worlds we find we don’t always agree on everything, but we find common ground.

Sometimes we alter our personal feelings when someone presents something that makes more sense to our world. It’s called compromise and we learn to live within the new boundaries we set for ourselves.

Some religions encourage members to stay within the world of the church, keeping true to its beliefs and staying away from outside influences. The Amish and Menenite Religions do this and have been quite successful in keeping their communities closed. They do interface with the outside world for business only, but do have some of the younger ones starting to wander to the outside. Some of the Evangelical Churches are encouraging members to seek friends and activities from within the church community. It is a study on how people grow in life in a closed community. I guess everything we do is a study in some form.

However, the outside world is the real world, the world we are forced to see every day on the news and for sure is outside our world of comfort. It is not a very compromising world and is a very hard nosed – my way or the highway place. I have not found an easy way to mix or merge the two worlds together. Sometimes we find ourselves at odds with what is happening out in the real world and can find no easy way to adapt with it.

But we, as Christians, are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves so we have to find a way to get along with each other and find common ground. We learn that not everyone will agree with how we live and we certainly don’t always agree with how they live, but we should respect each other for their right to live as they choose. This is the third side of the coin. Its called compassion.

I guess when you really get into life, we can make is as easy or as hard as we want. Life is as good as we decide to make it. We make all the decisions and choices that determine and shape our world. Grandfather always said that life is simple, only we can complicate it. He was a very wise man!

Yes, a coin has three sides as does just about everything in life. It all comes down to how willing you are to work together and find some common ground in life. Love – Compromise – Compassion – these are the keys of a good physical and spiritual life.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

So, how open are you to accepting others thoughts and beliefs that are so different from yours? Life is different for everyone and everyone has their story.

A closing thought: God has a plan to fight injustice and that plan is us — his people. There is no plan B. Its called Grace on Tap.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed