Okay, so Adam and I finally jumped on the Breaking Bad bandwagon and watched all the shows up to the current season. While this show is entertaining and suspenseful, it is totally the opposite of my life in a lot of ways -obviously. But the other day, I started thinking about how the lead character, Walter White, first started his slide down a very slippery slope to unethical, illegal, and selfish behavior and how it is probably similar to the way a lot of people start addictions and get into destructive and corrupt situations. Initially, there is a rationalization of behavior and a justification that it’s only because of ‘blank’ or I need to do this because ‘blank,’ etc. Next thing you know, this person’s addiction is at the center of his/her life and their self-control has been compromised. This person’s wants and selfish motives drive his/her behavior. For Walter, his bleak cancer diagnosis prompted him to figure out a way to provide for his family since he thought that he would die within the next several month. As he started down the path of cooking meth, his ego and his greed dominated his decision-making.
I read or heard somewhere a great quote that I’m probably going to butcher, but it was something to the effect of “everyday is a battle between thinking we’re God and letting God be God.” So every choice we make, we are either going to give in to what we want or give up what we desire for God’s best purpose for our lives. I’m sure most of us can’t relate to committing murder or selling vast amounts of methamphetamine or dealing with the Cartel, but we all face a daily battle to choose God’s will over our own and to have character and integrity even when no one is looking. When we continuously seek God, our dreams will align with His plan for our life and we will be able to do the seemingly impossible. Our desires will be fulfilled because they are also what God wants for us. (“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:4)
A few months ago, I read an awesome paragraph in the book More than Ordinary: Enjoying Life with God by Doug Sherman that addresses this perfectly:
“The absolute perfection of God’s will means every step I take to follow His leadership is a monumental trade up. Every decision, attitude, comment, response, and sacrifice I make to please Him is vastly better for me (and everyone around me) than if I am self-led. In every situation I face today, following His leadership is not a little better but much better. And the consequences of going my own direction are far worse than I usually imagine.”
For those of you who watch Breaking Bad, you know how disastrous the consequences of Walter’s actions have been for his those who care about him the most, not to mention his soul. When we make ourselves gods, we become self-focused and close ourselves off from true joy and peace. When we surrender to God, we place our trust in him that He wants the best for us and others. “We know that all things work for good for those that love God, who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28.
Keep listening and believing! Have a great weekend!
above image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
A Dreamer's Wife 