Polylemma

I love this new word I learned! Polylemma:
noun: A choice involving multiple undesirable options.

That perfectly describes what we often face in life. 'Dilemma' just doesn't cut it sometimes. The 'dilemma' of only two lousy options doesn't always describe the predicament we are in. Sometimes you need a word like polylemma. Since I started writing for the political blog, Conservative Fifty, I have been reading the paper and online news much more thoroughly. I have thought much more deeply about the issues facing our country and our world. And one word sums up the state we are in: polylemma. No wonder I had a dream a couple of nights ago of jumping off a cliff.

I am now reading through Moses' toils and troubles as he leads the Israelites through the desert. They are bickering the whole way. He gives them too little water, then too much water. Too little meat, then too much meat. They come to him with problem after problem asking him to solve it. The desert is too hot, the sun is too yellow, the feet are too sore, the people are too weary, enemies behind them and enemies before them...and Moses must make it all better single-handedly.

Moses probably said, "When it rains, it pours!" I suspect the word Polylemma hadn't been invented yet. But if it had, I bet he said, "Lord, this is too much. It is a polylemma."

Here is the good news! God excels in polylemmas. And somehow, out of the most intractable polylemmas, God finds a way to bring about Good. Just when you think there is no way out of the morass, the wilderness is too immense, the paths too narrow, the thorns too tangled...He sends a ray of Hope.

To Moses, he sends helpers to ease the burden. Moses didn't even ask for helpers. It was his father-in-law who noticed that poor Moses was crumpling under the weight of all he had to carry. Sometimes we need to trust when others warn us that we need to find a new way out of the mess we are in. Sometimes we are so deeply entrenched in the mess, we don't even know we need help. There is a very big clue that can alert you when you have reached this point. If you find yourself enamored with words like polylemma, it might be time to pray for God's assistance.

I read a post by a Facebook friend yesterday. He said he had been in prayer for so long that he lost all feeling in his legs! When he tried to stand back up, they were numb. That is the answer to polylemma, I thought - for the polylemma our country faces and the polylemma we face individually. Grow numb in prayer rather than despair.

Exodus 18:18,23 (NIV)
You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. [23] If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Nehemiah 1:5-6 (NIV)
Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, [6] let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants...

-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org