You Know Better

Whenever I get to sections of the bible where it seems to repeat itself, I think my childhood. I remember how it seemed that my parents would say the same things over and over again. 'Don't do this'...'don't forget to do that'...and my favorite, 'now, you know better than that.'

In my past few bible reads, I keep getting the same message, You Know Better, through a few scriptures I've seen. The scripture that sticks out for today is James 4:17 - Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Pretty common sense, right? Even Spike Lee knew to do the right thing. So why can't we get this right? Better yet, why can't I get it right?

There are situations that have recently occurred where I knew the right thing to do and didn't do it. It wasn't anything Earth-shattering or Lifetime movie/Snapped worthy or anything where my 'Christian card' should be taken away from me. Sometimes it's those little decisions throughout the day that can really show us who we are. I know within the past month I have no always done the right thing.

I can use every Christian excuse in the book if I wanted to. For example, I could say:

• I haven't been reading my word on a daily, so I don't feel my closeness with God, so I felt it was Ok to ask like I never knew him.
• I just sinned this time. Does it really matter?
• I paid my tithes. Does it really matter?
  
• I didn't go to church on Sunday, so shouldn't I have a 'get out of knowing Jesus-free week'.
• In my defense, the bible is a huge book with a lot of things to remember. There's no way I can obey all of your commands.
  

I could go on and on with my Christian excuses. I know these statements may seem a little Scared Straight: Bible Edition, but some days I truly feel like that. Yes, I knew better than to do certain things, but I'm human. I'm flesh. I am but dust. Why does God expect so much from me? Maybe it's not God that expects so much from me than me not thinking higher of myself. Maybe God wants me to realize that I am settling in my life when I don't obey him and follow his instruction. When I think the temporary high will be better than the long term reward. When I think that my language or lying or gossiping will give me the biggest laugh when in actuality God's pleasures of peace and being still will make my laugh more joyful and will ensure I rest easier at night.

Ultimately, God wants us to know and do better because we are better people than we think of ourselves sometimes. When I was in the world and not treating my body as I temple, it took someone who misused my body to tell me that I was more than what was between my legs and the breasts on my chest and the long hair on my head and the skinny statue that I was. That guy was trying to tell me that I am worth more. God wants us to be worth more. I always thought it was strange when the bible would have the word, remember, at the beginning of the sentence. I mean aren't we supposed to remember the whole bible?! After reading this verse, I get it. The word is thrown in there because even God knew we would have to remember to 'remember' who our lives are really for and that the poor decisions we make ignorant and foolish and well, like we don't know any better.