And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9

Doing right, fixing my thoughts on right, seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? We know that it matters.

Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. – 1 John 2:29

And it seems that even babies could figure out what’s right and then do it. But the truth is the opposite.

For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5:13-14

It’s heavy stuff, this recognizing right. It’s made heavier by pain and fear and other things that we who are chronically ill deal with on a daily basis. It’s meaty stuff. It requires maturity. It requires training.

In an average life, the lines between right and wrong can sometimes seem blurry. Our love of “situational ethics” makes matters worse, to be sure. There in fact are definitive lines. Some things in fact are right or wrong, period. Period.

When life becomes even more complicated by chronic illness and disability, and all the baggage that comes along with that, well it’s hard not to blur the lines even more and call it “compassion” or “extenuating circumstances”. There in fact are definitive lines. Some things in fact are right or wrong, period. Period.

He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.
By his wounds
you are healed. – 1 Peter 2:24

This scripture is true for me. It was true for me when I was a healthy, busy, amazing young woman. It’s true for me now that I am a chronically ill, surrendered, amazing woman. It will be true for me in twenty years when I am a disabled, dependent, amazing woman.

See, the problem is that we’ve allowed our circumstances to dictate which scriptures apply to our lives. We’ve allowed our physical condition to decide which definitive truths we must live by. God never intended for these temporary and earthly things to have an effect on our salvation or our commitment.

We are to live for what is right. Do we?

By His wounds you are healed.

Let’s act like it. Let’s redraw those lines in permanent marker. Let’s reject situational ethics. Let’s need no further compassion than what Christ has offered. How could it be any more?

Let’s fix our thoughts on what is right. Let’s get into the Word, gain in maturity, continue our training.

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. – 1 Peter 4:19

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. – Ephesians 5:8-9

You have the light. Just use it.

Father God, please strengthen our commitment to be and do what is right. Never allow the condition of our earthly bodies to cause us to waver. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…

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May God Bless You,

Shelly