This year the children are studying Math, as they always do. It's not exactly a favorite subject in our family, but definitely holds rank with reading and writing as one of the basics. I can't remember which one of our children, to be exact, but one of them was studying Geometry.

You may not know which angle I'm coming from ...I'm not sure myself, but I'll get to the point.

Yes, that's it! My point ...I mean, an angle consists of two rays with a common point.

A ray is simply a point, which then points in a given and precise direction for eternity.

Similarly, in that respect, out lives are like a ray. We are born at a set point in time, and we will travel in one direction.

Now, you may say, "That's simply not true!" I guess, like most things in life, it depends on how you look at it. If you look at how I walk through life, "my" actual path is rather curvy ...and I often feel I'm traveling in all sorts of directions.

But to say our lives are like a "ray", there has to be one direction that we point to ...and that direction becomes our far-reaching reference point. My timely realization is that this is also true of my friend, Ray.

Ray was born at a set point in time, then the reference point that determined where he will go for eternity, was defined, or you could say, brought to light when he was "born again" ...his reference point, as is mine, being Jesus.

I believe that every person is born that same ray, I mean, way. But all do not point to Jesus.

What do I mean by that? I believe we are all eternal. I don't believe that only some have an after-life, and all others just die. I believe our existence goes on, in a different realm ...the only difference is whether that eternity is filled with all the wonderfulness of Jesus, or not. If an after-life is not filled with what Jesus offers us, then what would the other proposed after-lives be like? To say it simply, they would be without Jesus.

Wouldn't it be like an after-death ...an eternal death?

There are those who don't believe in a place like that. Whatever you call it ...it does not bring satisfaction.

If it were a movie, it would be a horror movie. And if you've heard favorable reviews, you would be convinced you were in the wrong theater. But this is not a movie, nor a dream. Whatever attempts are made to entertain you in this life, would likely be much different ...and to some, shockingly, it would be void of any form of enjoyment.

If you are looking for a book of virtues, you would not usually inquire at a brothel.

Honesty is a virtue ...and you may find a bit of stark reality and honesty at a brothel, but you likely would find little else of virtue. Honesty, can never fully be found in yourself, or others ...and neither can goodness.

To aspire to goodness, there must be correctness ...a desire to make things right, to remove errors, to compensate. Honesty only demands correctness to the degree that you desire to maintain it.

Correctness involves honesty, and the admission of our failures to achieve it.

Truth can feel like a visit to the dentist. It may be painful, but it aims to correct.

Truth can be both freeing, and convicting.

Conviction involves ...convincing.

A strong conviction is a strong belief.

A strong conviction involves accepting the truth and being prepared to live with it ...understanding possible consequences, and celebrating the freedom of confession to a compassionate and forgiving audience.

Love is an absolute. It only exists if its source cannot be shaken or diminished. And it cannot be truly shared unless freely given, with a choice of each to accept it.

Selfishness thrives when "taking" is preferred to "giving" ...and it breeds an ungrateful and unforgiving nature.

With a selfish and ungrateful nature, conviction does no freeing ...it fuels wild dissatisfaction, claiming no identity, while binding itself. The internal struggle inevitably succeeding to break free of its fetters, all too often with uncontrollable anger, and often undetected by those infected by it ...and sadly oblivious, or unconcerned about others affected by it.

Without changing its claim, the spirit quickly spirals downward, lessoning the chance of recalling the truth, let alone the possibility of accepting it.

Without accepting the truth, we live out our deception. We need not devise it, for it to be ours ...we need not claim it, for it to claim us.

Yes, it may seem dire and hopeless ...and that is because it is! But it depends on where we stand. Hope springs eternal in returning to the truth. Where do we find the truth? The truth ...is evidenced through Jesus. Through and of ourselves, we cannot achieve goodness ...but Jesus made things right, removed the error of our sins, and compensated by paying our debt. Yes, the penalty for all our wrongs was taken care of by Jesus. We must not be too prideful to accept it, thinking we are fine without Him ...or we will be. Or we'll be without Him, that is, certainly not "fine".