It's been said that there are 2 absolutes in life. They are taxes and death. Everyone pays taxes and everyone dies. Both have variables that alter when, how and where they take place. However, the two will happen absolutely! Sometimes people think there are other absolutes in life. Like, "You are absolutely wrong." I may be wrong but not absolutely! When we think of our kids, they "are absolutely the best!" Maybe and maybe not. Then, we also have the "perfect" absolutes like, "I love my job, it's perfect for me." Maybe today it seems like it is. What happens later in the day, next week or a year for now. A true test of absolutes is they don't change with time or events. Inclusiveness comes into play as well. For instance, "I love to garden." Okay, I do love to garden in some ways. I don't love to pull weeds, kill bugs, or any of the dirty work. Absolutes come in many presentations even if they aren't absolutes. I'd like to suggest another absolute. Jesus is absolutely wanting you to come to know him personally. No conditions, no pressure, and it's your choice. The offer is absolute. Jesus wants to absolutely bless you...no strings attached. Jesus wants absolutely wants us to spend eternity with him in heaven. Yep, absolutely. In the meantime we still need to deal with taxes and death.
When we use words like "absolute" we bring up expectations and conditions in our world. The conditions seem to follow the depth of desire to be held to those conditions by others. Definitions of what those conditions are differ from individual to individual. See, even words don't mean anything absolutely perfect. Your definition of absolute, conditional, or perfect will absolutely be different from mine in some way just because we are different people having our own particular background. Some people expect you and I to be perfect. It may be a spouse, a child, a parent, a boss, a teacher, or even a friend; but perfection by their definition is expected. Expectations are simply spoken or unspoken biases that shape how we see and interact with life. My biases are going to be different from yours. Your biases may be right or mine might be right. They may even be right in both circumstances just because they are endemic to us. Our biases have been and will continue to be formed by our engagement in life. If we engage life as God wants, those biases are his biases and we do well to accept them. However, liking to play god, we develop biases of our own learned out of dysfunction and misunderstanding our world and God's world.
Here is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. We absolutely have free choice. We can choose to not pay taxes. Taxes will still be there but the absolute nature of how they are applied to me is altered. We also have the absolute right to choose what happens to us when we die and not if we die. We have two choices regarding our own death. The first is to choose heaven and the second is to choose hell. Be keenly aware that this becomes an eternal absolute choice after the absolute episode called "death" takes place. It is unalterable after we physically die. That is an absolute truth. So, are out choices absolute? Yes. Do our choices have absolute consequences? Yes, they do. Do the choices we make have absolute effects on those around us? Yes, for the most part. The empathy and energy people put into relationships determine whether they care about or choices or they couldn't care less. Finally, we like to think we hold some sway over those who are involved in our lives. We even like to think we can get even God to see our side of the issues and have Him too change. God cannot change...absolutely!
From the moment we are conceived there are absolute truths that are in our lives. We absolutely will pay taxes. We will absolutely live a life with choices about everything. We will absolutely have the consequences (positive and negative) that come with our choices. We absolutely have the freedom of choice whether or not we choose to give our lives to Jesus. We absolutely have the right to retain those parts of our past lives whether they are healthy to us or not. The smallest of choices have absolute affects on that moment and then through time itself. That mustard seed of faith can and will move mountains if we choose to believe. Our faith makes it possible for others to "see" Jesus and make that life saving and changing decision regarding Jesus. We are left with the choice of letting Jesus live his life through us or not. Both choices are absolutely ours. What kinds of choices are you battling and have yet to see that without Jesus those choices are futile?
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