Wild Goose Chase

It has been quite a while since I've posted a blog. Over a year infact. Grad. school tends to take the fun out of writing. Now that it is behind me, I hope to become more regular with posting.

Several weeks ago, Alisa came home from a trip talking about an excerpt she had read from a book. She then purchased the book and read it. At one point she read some to me. I confess, I really did not like what it had to say. It affected her very strangley. She started behaving very uncharacteristically, and I really didn't like that either. She started being nice to people she had no business being nice to. However, at her insistance, I began reading the book. To be honest, there are parts I still do not like very much.

I am reminded of a scene in A Few Good Men. Tom Cruise playing the young and impetuous Lt. lawyer is pushing for Jack Nicholson to tell the truth on the stand. Jack in his blustering way playing the part of Col. Nathan Jessep replies "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"

Quite honestly, I couldn't handle nor did I want the truth the book spoke. Mark Batterson (2008) writes in Wild Goose Chase, "If you want to impact someone's life, love them when they least expect it and least deserve it" (p. 104). I'm sorry, I've been through some things that leave me shaking my head at this quote. I'm just being transparent here. I'm mad at some folks, and I like my mad. It gives me comfort and more importantly control... or at least the perception of control.

Then Batterson has the audacity to go and reference Jesus in relation to love and forgiveness. The problem with holding back love and grace is it's propensity to produce large amounts of guilt for me. Guilt is no good for anyone. My counseling professors taught us the incredible effects of guilt on individuals seeking counseling.

Batterson puts it this way, "Guilt has a shrinking effect. It shrinks our dreams. It shrinks our relationships. it shrinks our hearts. It shrinks our lives to the size of our greatest failures.
Grace has the opposite effect. it expands our dreams. it expands our relationships. It expands our hearts. And it gives us the courage to chase the Wild Goose (the Holy Spirit) all the way to the ends of the earth" (p. 114).

So suffice it to say, I'm working on getting my mind and actions around this truth. I still don't like it mind you. But just as I don't like the taste of the medicines and vitamins I take daily, I know they are good for me and so is this nugget of truth.