Don't go against the grain

^9-11"If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you're from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up."  Rom 2 (Message Bible).

Seems like I was always the one going against the grain.  The saying is: you can do hard time or easy time but your're going to do time.  Well, I almost always did it the hard way.  Instead of going with the flow of God - asking each step for guidance and then following it - I usually tried it my way first.  I preferred not asking because it was easier to seek forgiveness instead of permission that I thought would be denied anyway.   As a teenager (so many years ago) I thought that what God had for my life was like green beans.  You know, "eat your green beans, they're good for you."  I hated green beans and wouldn't I hate what God thought was "good for me," too?

Now, 60 or so years later I can look back and see that God only brought me good - true good.  So I can look ahead and know that only good is in my future.  I don't have to go against the grain.  I can embrace the way God does things and get the wonderful payoffs: peace, joy, happiness and that full feeling that comes with a very satisfying meal.