Your Opinion: Who do you love?

Your Opinion: Who do you love?

Sue Bower

Jefferson City

Dear Editor:

Who do you love? Your spouse? Children? The Cardinals or Chiefs? The Tigers or KU? Your parents? Or is the question really "What do you love?" Winning? Republicans or Democrats? Money? Art? Growing crops or animals? A clean house? Using Facebook/Meta, computerized games, apps, your iPhone? Your pets? Alcohol or drugs? A good meal? How about God? Your answer(s) really do say a lot about you.

I love God, but it is sooooo hard to love Him the most. He is intangible, not like our babies or spouses or daddies or Spot, Garfield or Flicka. (I am dating myself.) Many of us had dear family members choose the Democrats or Republicans over or us. "I hate ______, and when I see you, I see ______. I hate _____ so I hate you!" Wow! I hope you are not one of these haters, but if you are ... well, I hope you have better days.

Someone said every decision we make is either a selfish, human-directed or God-led decision. Giving money to a beggar? Having an abortion? Cheating on a test? Doing anything to be popular? Joining your friends in making fun of someone because of their disability, physique, dress, tin ear, clumsiness, etc.? Giving a ride to someone waiting for the bus in freezing temperatures? Helping someone carry a heavy load? Standing up for what is right? Rolling that skirt up to barely cover your bottom? Giving to the Red Kettle at the grocery store?

We all learn from books and TV and movies and friends, but what are we learning? The best lessons are learned from role models, Scout leaders, parents and grandparents (hopefully), and – most of all – from our failures. Our successes come and go (unless we are braggers), but we learn from our mistakes. Thank goodness for that. Study harder, practice harder, be more careful, drive slower, don't drink and drive, keep a better eye on the kids, don't cheat or steal, don't hurt others.

Today there are too many ways to learn violence, how to get revenge, how to be sexy, how to be bad and do bad things. Are these roads to success or to the ultimate failure? Are these God's roads or roads that only lead to lasting destruction? If you are at a fork in the road, "Choose wisely my son."