Jesus would definitely take a shot of tequila with me.

I often wonder if I am a worse person after my time in Uganda. I saw the worst of humanity and I saw the worst of myself. But then I wonder what "worse" is and what standard of "best" I am comparing it to. Am I comparing it to some standard that I have declared ultimate and final? Or do I think I am worse because I am comparing myself to the person I used to be and to the standard of "better" that I used to believe in? I'd say the latter is more truthful.

When I first became a Christian everything thrown at me was so black and white. The pressure I and others put on me was far heavier than I could ever carry. I wanted to make sure everyone knew they were loved no matter their actions, but I held myself to a different standard. I had to be exactly like Jesus.

But... Jesus is God. As in the Creator of the universe. And I am clearly not. WWJD? was what I would constantly think. Would Jesus take a shot of tequila? I didn't think he would because who could be watching? Who could I lead into temptation? I had so many people watching me because of the leadership roles I held. But in all honestly, I think He would take a shot of tequila, but with the right audience. He definitely would have taken a tequila shot with me, at least.

I believe there is an absolute Truth out there. And I believe that none of us will ever be able to clearly define it until our time on earth is over. I also believe that God is FAR too creative to expect each and every one of us to act in exactly the same way. Some people see a tattoo as defacing your body and sending the wrong message, which I understand. Others, like myself, believe tattoos tell your story. And even when your story changes, that tattoo represents how you got to where you are today. It is art. It is your story.

I believe opinions and beliefs like this are our personalities, backgrounds, experiences, predispositions, and they often influence, if not decide, our opinions for us.

This begs a question. How much control do we have over our actions? On the extreme, I have watched numerous interviews with those who have committed some of the worst of crimes and most all of them believe what they did was wrong, but they can't understand or explain it. This is one of the reasons I believe there is an absolute Truth written in our hearts. And this is why I am getting a graduate degree in Forensic Psychology.

I think all of our hearts are different and I think our hearts are what really matter. Whatever life is about, it has to be a heart condition.