Patricia's Principles for Living

In the grocery stores some time you see carts that are filled with merchandise near the check out stands. Or sometimes you see clerks pushing these carts up and down the aisle. They look like reverse shoppers- putting things back not picking them up. These things are called go backs. People got to the check-out stand and for whatever reason they did not want the item. They either plainly changed their mind, the cost was too great, the item wasn't needed, it was a spur of the moment decision or some other reason. Nevertheless they don't purchase the product. That's fair. If you don't want to pay for it you can't have it. However the store owners want to have some profit. The owners have their employees put the items back on the shelf. How like the Christian life, some see it and want it. They are Oprhahs as in the book of Ruth. She went with Naomi and Ruth for a while. However when Naomi started the questioning process of real commitment Oprhah counts the cost. Naomi...

It was the last lap of the meet. The winners had won. Gasping , and stroking, the lone swimmer looked ready to climb out of the pool. She already lost the race a long time ago. Why bother? I looked at the fatigued competitor. She didn’t look like she could lift her hand one more time. The concerned coach got up walked to the edge of the pool and started to yell, "You can do it Amanda!" "Go, you can do it,"he yelled. The teams on both sides cheered her on, “You can do it, go.” At the pool’s edge the coach accompanied Amanda step by step, yelling encouragement. Amanda’s tired strokes looked like she was pushing against pudding, not water. I didn’t think she could make it. Amanda couldn’t see or feel my doubt; she was tuned into the coach. Finally, exhausted and totally spent she touched the edge of the pool. She had to rest a bit before dragging her body out of the pool. With the encouragement of the coach who walked her through, she made it. I started to cry. I...