Principled Living, Breaking Rules

June 4, 2025- Wednesday 

Question of the Day: What station are you tuned into? Find your frequency. Sometimes we find our frequency by holding on to a moral bottom line in the midst of chaos. Sometimes we find it by breaking the rules and running the red light to get home. 

Over the years, I have worked to live a principled life.  I have worked to live on Biblical principles and let that be the basis for how I live my life.  That certainly does not mean I have been anywhere close to perfect, and I have had my share of bad behavior and bad decisions usually because I didn’t control my emotions well in those situations.  

There is also the matter of being hypocritical in situations. I have worked to minimize those situations in my life but I’m not stupid and I know I need to be more sensitive about that. The complexity of life and social pressures makes this difficult at times.  

I am a rule follower so if rules are in place, I assume they are in place for a reason. I drive the speed limit or close to it not because that’s the law.  I do it because I don’t want to waste money paying a speeding ticket. My motivations or justifications for following rules are many and sometimes they are situational.  There are rules in place all around us that have no practical basis. I’m much less likely to follow those rules.  

Other rules I will break if I decide there is no risk to me or anyone else.  I will also break rules to help someone even if there is some risk involved because the benefit is worth the risk.  I really want to do what society feels is the right thing to do.  I have also worked to develop a Biblical worldview and there are times when what society accepts and what God accepts are two different things.  At that point, I want to feel I have a principled life and rely on those principles to govern my behavior.  That approach is not always popular. That is the price I choose to pay.  

I guess you can say I am tuned into the station of principled living accompanied with what I consider logical critical thinking skills and decisions.

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