I've had a few interesting scenarios with friends lately. I've seen a few go through some crises, and they will look at options that I don't deem consistent with my religious beliefs for solutions to those dilemnas. That's not a problem, as long as they don't share my faith or ask me for advice.

The problem comes when they ask me for advice (or put out a general appeal for advice). My advice has a bias; I will readily admit to that. The bias is my Christian faith, and my advice to that end is likely to be from the Bible (not out of context quotations, mind you, but a thorough examination of what the Bible has to say).

Frankly, though, that's usually not what they want to hear. More often than not, when a person poses such questions, they are looking for a rationalization for their behaviour. And, if their behaviour is incompatible with scripture, I just can't give them that rationalization.

I CAN'T say; "Find your own way". I DO believe in truth, and I DO believe that there are eternal repurcussions for those missteps. That is who I am, and I am so without apology.

I'm not without empathy. I'm not without an understanding that sometimes some things need to be discovered for onesself. But, to be true to who I am, I can't state what I don't believe in response.

And so, my response is often silence.

I spend a lot of time second guessing myself for a silent response. But I know that a silent response is usually better than a poorly worded response. And so, I remain silent, despite the fact that it occasionally is emotionally painful to me to do so. I would rather retain a friendship at some level, no matter how small, than to alienate someone by a misspoken word.

And yet, I wonder how many people I've encountered understand that.

Respectfully submitted,

Gideon MacLeish