Doing the right thing isn't always easy.

When you are a child, your parents normally teach you to do the right thing, from whatever belief system they followed and tried to instill in you.

Mine happens to hold Sunday as a day of reverence and dedication to Christ. Sunday is a sabbath day, as its been called.

Part of my observances on this day include going to my house of worship for services, taking a sacramental bread and water, studying holy scripture, resting and praying. A day devoted to rest, reflection, worship. A day separate from most "worldly" things.

It is important to me. I left at the time a secure job I had for almost 8 years due to never getting time for Sunday and was eventually blessed with a good hospital based job where I rarely worked Sunday. My fairly open employment over the years in San Diego has still allowed me to do that. Heck, I even made it to church when I worked in Iraq!

(Just physically being "in church" is only worth so much. If you are there and not trying to live it, be it, study it or whatever, then the most you are doing is forming a habit and hopefully being around people of good influence. But that's it. While I don't personally necessarily believe it is the place that counts, I do believe in the benefit of regular worship of your choice.)

So when you are a child and your parents teach you things like "don't do drugs", "don't get your girlfriend pregnant", "please don't use vulgar language", if you make the decision THEN to do those things it makes it easier to it in the moment when confronted with making the real life decision.

I have decided that I like in my religion's vernacular, "to keep the Sabbath Day holy." I mean, isn't it a commandment in all Judeo-Christian religions? So what's the big deal you ask?

A good friend of mine asked me to be a part of something I really really really want to do. On Sunday. For me, probably a once in a lifetime sort of thing.

I hemmed, I hawed, I thought, I schemed and I tried to rationalize. But I ended up saying, "sorry, but I can't make it." I know for my core beliefs I made the right decision, but it still wasn't easy.
(One of my favorite sayings that should be in the "words I live by' part of this blog is "Nothing easy is worth it.")