Is it really black and white?

Do you remember seeing this test image before? I think what you see is supposed to reveal something about you or your brain or something. Since I seem to know so very much about it, what's it doing here?

I was thinking yesterday during all the time I spent it my car hurrying to meet this appointment and then that one and then this other thing...about Paul and how much I admire his personality. We talked about this for just a minute in our Bible study, but Paul was a sharp guy. He knew his stuff. He had convincing arguments for the Judaizers so he knew the law and the requirements but he was also smart enough to let them go. He could see easily how Jesus replaced the law.

And then we read about how he confronted Peter. What a man of conviction to go up against no other than Peter, leader of the early church, and the Jews in the church at Antioch who were being hypocrites. And in public, no less. There's a reason I admire that: I am in no way prepared for confrontation in public. Peter would have wiped the floor with me. Maybe. Probably. I would have thought of snappy comebacks. Three days later.

So how lucky we are to have both men, both Peter, who is so human to make mistakes and still lead and be used by God, and Paul, who knows his stuff so well that he can correct even men like Peter.

Paul didn't live in the gray area that I live in. I understand from his letter that he very much lived in a black and white world. You're either right or you're wrong. There is no in between.

Those people are hard to find. And usually, I don't want to spend time with time. Because gray is more comfortable. Tolerance is more comfortable. Going along to get along is more comfortable. "Situational ethics" is more comfortable. And still, even for all the comfort, these are terrible choices when it comes down to the important decisions in life. So I probably need to do a little more black and white and a little less gray.