Twists

There is a na?ve hope, belief for some, of how things will change with the right behavior on our part.  It is as if a simple good decision, choice, or action banishes greed, ego, and exploitation in a single move!  Unfortunately there is far too much evidence in our current history which says exactly the opposite.  Doing the right thing isn’t always recognized or rewarded.  Being honest, filled with integrity, and true may not reach the hearts of those we encounter.  Yet there is one we always touch, our self.
 
When I walk the streets of New York, interacting with the familiar and less so, I find myself wondering if anything I do makes a difference.  New York is anything you might say about it; big, small, simple, complex, dirty, beautiful, overwhelming, and awesome.  It is all this and more.  In the middle of everything what can one person do?  Even if one was in your community, larger or smaller, simpler or more complex, sophisticated or a postcard of days gone by, the problem remains; do we change the course of the stream we swim in?
 
When God turned back to Israel history accurately anticipated that “the nations among whom they lived will actually escort them back home, and then Israel will pay them back by making slaves of them, men and women alike, possessing them as slaves in God's country, capturing those who had captured them, ruling over those who had abused them.” (Isaiah 14.2)  In short, it is the scorpion stinging the rescuing angel.
 
Yet again the question rests on a simple premise.  Do you do well, pursue truth, and reach out to those around you because of the potential result?  If so they may pay you back with something quite different than you expect.  In contrast, if you take the action because it reflects your values, echoes your priorities, and speaks of the truth your heart longs for, the action in itself is the reward.  Outcomes don’t matter!  Results are never relevant.  Life’s twists are only turns in the road to truth’s home.