In the world of mixed up phrases, “I beg your pardon” is one that always felt weird to me. Is it a polite way to say ”I didn’t understand what you said, could you repeat it?” or is it a way to say “I can’t believe you just said/did that!” Surely it cannot be both, can it?

In our daily study topic this morning, our pastor used an example of a convicted murderer rejecting a pardon for his crime and punishment. It certainly does not seem right to pass on freedom over continuing imprisonment. But in some fashion its what a lot of people do everyday in their spiritual lives.

Rule 16 is a good one that I paraphrased quite a bit (as usual). The harder the problem, the more limited the competition; you might be seeing an opportunity for greater reward. I know it’s a mouthful, but paragraph long rules aren’t better.

One strip I read today had Calvin asking Hobbes the typical question; ”I wonder where we go when we die.” Its not really a scientifically answerable question as life provides no concrete answers. Especially not ones from we can get from a stuffed tiger. It’ is a big question for a six-year-old, but its one we all generally get to, eventually. 

In this spiritual sense, we all start out as little kids not knowing where we are going; we are lost. Not lost in the sense that Calvin can get lost and yell for his mommy, but in the sense that we don’t know which direction to go to get to what we want or need.

Life is actually a hard problem. It is not really a competition against others so much as it is a competition against our sinful self. We don’t have to beat others; we just have to see the opportunity and reap the rewards.

As Christians, we see the opportunity to accept Christ as the path to reaping the rewards of an eternal life in heaven, but it is more than that. Our reward is to live life with a goal, a purpose, a joy, a peace, and the comfort of a loving heavenly Father to share the journey.

Whenever we see others in the world who have not accepted Christ, they are in one of two places: they either have not heard of the opportunity before them or they have rejected the pardon provided. Our mission is to present the pardon and let them decide to beg for it or reject it. I respect that everyone has a choice, but how can we not weep for those who reject the pardon.