All or nothing

I come from a family of people who are extremist in thinking. It's either in or out, a resounding yes or an emphatic no, all or nothing. And when it comes to major decisions, there is no room for compromise.

And once you put "your hand to the plow", there is no turning back, no regrets. Die, die, must go all the way.

It hasn't won me any popularity contests and I've been accused of being hard-nosed, stubborn and unyielding, to which I reply simply, "I just know what I want out of life so why should I settle for less when only the best will do?"

So I have chosen to follow Christ and the church His death gave birth to, founded by Peter, the apostle He tasked with being the shepherd of His flock.

This means following the teachings of the Church , not just selectively adopting the teachings that sit easy with me but the whole enchilada: teachings on the dignity of the human person, the respect for all life, whether it be in the womb or non-human and the sanctity of family and marriage.

Upholding age-old traditions and teachings in the modern world may seem anachronistic, ridiculous even, but having lived my life both ways, I find that "keeping to the rules" of the Church have given me the freedom and space to be the unique individual that I was created to be and to be happy, at peace with myself.

While I have always tried to be non-judgmental about the life choices of friends and family members, loving them unconditionally, I hold myself to a standard that not many of them understand or appreciate.

Certainly a standard I hope they will one day adopt, but it's not one I expect them to adhere to unwillingly even though I do happen to think that it is the way, the truth and the life. (That's the other thing about my family, we always think we are right...because we are. Hah!)

I spent a long time going down the road of compromise that led to many dead ends. So now that I've found the narrow path, uncomfortable it may be at times to tread, it is the road I've chosen to travel on and I am very focused on keeping to the path. No detours allowed.

For the thing about compromise is this, it opens the door a crack and before you know it, you have rationalized your way to a wide-open door of confusion and pain, much like Pandora's box*.

We all know there is no such thing as a little bit wrong and two wrongs definitely do not make a right, so don't even go there.

I do admit it gets tiring and disheartening at times, having to explain my views and being misunderstood by loved ones, but I will not go back to living in fear, or have my freedom circumscribed by what people or society think of me.

Anyway, whatever I have to face in life pales in comparison to what Jesus had to - rejection of his identity, hatred born of fear and an excruciating death for loving (and healing) people the way He did.

When I think of how much Jesus loved and loves me - at all cost - as His follower, I can only follow the advice of the prophet Samuel to "serve him, faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you."

Alleluia. Amen.


* In Greek mythology, Pandora's curiosity led to her opening the box (or jar) that contained all the evils of mankind and hope, and thus she let loose all evil in the world but still kept hope captive inside the container.