What to say ... what to say ...

So, faced with the question, what would I say? Man, oh, man ... this is a hard one.

I'll tell you, yesterday's toss up sure did prompt a lot of great comments. And honestly, I would like to think that I would say YES without a minute's hesitation. But realistically, I'm human. I don't really know what I would say, especially if my son was there at that very moment. Having waited so long to have a child, my heart would literally break in two. Actually, I think any mother's heart would, so that's not really a fair statement. I, too, was moved emotionally with the thought of my child having to witness someone shooting his mother for saying "Yes, I believe in God" and then, I was moved again to think that I would not be there for him as he grew, changed, matured, or when he would skin his knee, fall off his bike, get hurt by a friend, fall in love for the first time, graduate from high school, college, medical school, become a wealthy doctor, marry, and have his own children. Okay, maybe he won't go to medical school and become a wealthy doctor (a mother's dream), but you know what I mean, right? That made it difficult for me to be "sure" if I would say "yes."

Some might argue that we don't know for sure that the gunman would actually pull the trigger. True. But is that a chance I'm willing to take? And, if I said no, as many of you pointed out, I don't think I could live with myself knowing that I had denied God. How awful life would be after all was said and done.

Peach from Just Peachy shared from Philippians 1:23-24, "I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." Now, I'm pretty sure that this is right where I'd be. And, of course, I'd only have a fraction of a second to really think about it, but the beautiful faces of my husband, son, and family would flash through my head, and I'd probably think to myself, "what to say ... what to say... how can I word my answer in a "safe" way?" Well, is there really a safe way to say, "Yes, I believe in God?"

Jenn from Showered with Grace and Reflecting Him stole the scripture right out of my mouth (hehe) -- "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." Luke 12:8-9. I was waiting to see if anyone would bring this scripture up in the comments. Yay, Jenn. It is very direct -- and leaves us absolutely no wiggle room. No. There is no "safe way" to get around saying "Yes, I believe in God." Either you do, or you don't.

Finally, I acknowledge that I am human (I know! What a shock!), and yes, I will make many mistakes in my lifetime (another shock!), but this is one I hope never to make if placed in that position. And our ever-young-junior-in-college-intern ... "Pastorboy Z" ... shared with us steps that can help assure that we will be prepared to say, "Yes, I believe in God" without a moment's hesitation... and yes, this is a very abbreviated list -- a whole sermon rolled into 7 points:

Hebrews 12:1-3 -- 1) Focus on Christ; 2) Get rid of sin; 3) Get rid of anything else that entangles you or holds you back

Ephesians 6:13-18 -- 4) Put on the full armor of God; 5) Pray without ceasing

Philippians 4:8-9 -- 6) Get into the word, daily think about it, educate ourselves about it, and put it into practice.

Titus 2:7-8 -- 7) Have integrity, be serious, have soundness of speech.

Anyway, young Pastorboy Z's message was good. And, very thought provoking, as you have already noticed. So, I thought I'd pass it along to you so you could have something to think about too ... and look at that! You did, and left some great comments!

Thanks for participating in yesterday's Toss-Up, and thanks to the new commenters and visitors! I'm glad you popped over, and I'll be visiting you through out the week!