Considering matters of the New Year, the description of Solomon bothered me this morning. It said, “Solomon loved the Lord, walked in His statutes, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.” Seems he started well but finished poorly. Made me wonder about the “excepts” in my life.
You know what “excepts” are. They are those things that usually follow something really good that once mentioned, make what was really good not so good anymore. “Except” automatically excludes. You can have a great list of stuff going and all of a sudden it falls apart when you throw in an except.
I really love you…except. I had a great time…except. You’re really special to me…except. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done…except. I thought it went pretty well…except.
Describe a person’s beauty, skill or talent, then say “except” and most people forget all about the first stuff and measure by the except.
I read of a super model who by all opinions was gorgeous but said she didn’t like her nose. She saw some flaw that was imperceptible to everyone else. In her opinion that exception made her not as perfect as she wished she was or as others thought she was. Whenever she saw a picture of herself the first thing she looked for was the nose. Sad.
I’m thinking I don’t want any excepts in my life this coming year. I don’t want to end 2011 with a long list of good and great and then mess it up with except this one thing or these two moments or this period of… Excepts become our regrets. I don’t want any regrets.
So my resolution is to try and live honestly and carefully, to consider the consequences of my attitudes and actions, not in terms of the trouble I might get into, but the reflection it has on my commitment to the Lord.
I don’t want someone to say of me one of these day, “He was a good and godly man, except…”
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