Kirkepiscatoid

Lately, my planet has been full of things that require choices and decisions and the choices/decisions on either side have not been great. Each side has the potential to put me in emotional, personal, or financial peril. Each option requires commitment to the choice and discipline to carry out the choice. It's not fun.

For some reason, I decided to call my old colleague Bill. His way of seeing the world seems to mesh with mine at times I need it. He said, "It's the two turkey choice again!"

"Remember when we were residents together?" he continued. "You were going home for Thanksgiving and it was always your job to bring the turkey...and every year your grandmother gave you hell because the turkey was either too big or too small. Remember what I told you? I said to buy two turkeys. Cut her off at the pass. Hold them both up and say, 'Which turkey do you want? The one that is too big, or too small?' Well, I think when considering all these choices, you just need to walk in with two turkeys every time and wait till THEN whether you need the one that is too big or too small."

Well, and you know, there is precedence for that in the book of Exodus, right after the plague of darkness...

Exodus 10:21-29

21Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23People could not see one another, and for three days they could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had light where they lived.

24Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you.” 25But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the Lord our God, and we will not know what to use to worship the Lord until we arrive there.”

27But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. 28Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29Moses said, “Just as you say! I will never see your face again.”

Well, gee whiz...Moses chose to take two turkeys, too. Pharaoh got pretty testy about it, too, but Moses was adamant about the ability for his people to continue to choose.

In these choices I am pondering, it's not like there are distinct "right choices" or "wrong choices"--there are good and bad sides to all of it. I really AM picking between "the turkey that is too big" vs. "the turkey that is too small." That is sort of an emancipating thought, really. I worry sometimes that my choice is "the place that the Lord will choose for you" (a phrase that gets used repeatedly in the book of Deuteronomy). But the "two turkey choice" has liberated me to a degree. I am starting to realize that "the place that the Lord will choose for you" is usually not a matter of picking the right sized turkey. You can get to "the place that the Lord will choose for you" by picking EITHER of the wrong sized turkeys...it's the awareness and willingness to adjust, and to cook the turkey appropriately, choose the side dishes, etc. God will not chew me out for bringing the wrong sized turkey to the table!