20/20

Many historians seem to think Jesus was born around 6 BC, and since this is the year 2014, that means, if those scholarly folks are correct, Jesus was born 2020 years ago.  Whether they’re exactly correct in their fixing of Jesus’ birth year or not, realizing He may well have been born 2020 years ago made me think of a way we often use the number 2020, and that is to refer to perfect vision, 20/20 vision.

In keeping with that thought, truly when Jesus was born, when God came to earth in the person of His Son, God did what He did with perfect vision of your life.  What I mean is that when Jesus, the Savior, was born, God gave what He gave, the life, the salvation He provided, with perfect awareness, 20/20 vision of your life, your need.  He provided a Savior, knowing you and I would need one.

We usually think we want God to act reactively.  We do something, experience something, need something, or think of something, and perhaps we then turn to God and ask Him to react to our new need, problem, or desire.  But in the birth of Jesus, as is so often the case, God acted proactively.  He went ahead and did what He knew we would be needing someday.  God is that organized and that caring.  In the sending of His Son, God acted perfectly and proactively.

As I said, that’s not the only time, but it’s probably the best example of how He does that so very well.  The point being, the next time you turn to God with a request, rather than waiting to see what God might do in response, you might consider looking for what God has already provided, put in place, so as to be ready-when-needed.  He has 20/20 vision of you and your life, so go ahead and thank Him for what He’s probably already done to bless you in the present and the future and forevermore.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Have you heard people say that?  It’s another one of those statements that people often throw out there as if it’s a universally-accepted fact (“as everybody knows…”).  It’s also another example of how often those idioms people lightly offer up are negative and convey a sense of futility that isn’t accurate or helpful.

Supposedly, when people say “no good deed goes unpunished,” they’re saying that very, very often it doesn’t pay to try to be considerate, helpful to others, because efforts like that tend to bring a backlash of harm to the person who was just trying to be nice.  For example, someone might perform some “good Samaritan-like” deed to help someone injured or ill out in a public place, and as a result that good Samaritan might get sued and saddled with some part of the beneficiary’s medical bill, etc.

So, if we heed this “word of wisdom” what might result?  For one thing we can all sit and cry about the injustice of it all and what a terrible life is ours that things often work out that way such that no good deed goes unpunished.  For another thing we can stop doing good deeds so as to avoid the inevitable punishment good deeds bring on a person.  Again, I really must wonder, why would anyone ever utter this way-less-than-helpful statement?

It truly is not in the Bible!  The Bible says not to think that good deeds will equate to salvation, but the Bible encourages us to do good deeds, to be a blessing to others, to this world.  “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Ephesians 2:10).  “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Maybe sometimes it is risky to do the right thing or perform the good deed.  Maybe sometimes there are negative repercussions we couldn’t have envisioned beforehand.  But I would contend those instances are the great, great minority of instances, and that the truth is, the great majority of the time, it’s worth it.  When in doubt, just bless ‘em, just do the golden rule.  Think this world is a lousy place?  Imagine what it would be like if nobody took a chance and did good!

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

I grew up in a lower-middle class household in the BCC era (before credit cards).  As such I learned all about deferred gratification.  If a person or family just making ends meet could find a way to set aside a little savings each week or month then someday they would have enough saved to purchase that item they needed or wanted very much.  But the gratification that would come with the purchase would have to wait until all the money needed, the full purchase price, was saved up and was in hand.

That upbringing not only built into me a tolerance for deferred gratification, it also taught patience.  Even in the CC (credit card) era, or any time really, patience is a good trait to possess.  I don’t think I’ve heard people mention any other character trait they would rather have than more patience.  So, if the saying, “good things come to those who wait” is true, then those who can wait (can defer gratification or who have patience) are in luck!  They can simply bide their time and look forward to the day when good things are piling up on the doorstep at last!  If that saying is true, does that mean that those who aren’t able to defer gratification or don’t have patience are out of luck and are simply going to have bad things coming their way?

Truly, there are some very good and important things that come our way if we give them time to develop, grow, and mature.  Relationships are that way.  Some vocational pursuits might be that way.  Many financial investments would probably qualify too.  But “patient” and “passive” aren’t the same thing.  Good relationships come with time and nurture.  Good experiences in our careers multiply as we work diligently and consistently.  Financial investments that compound again and again come with research and analysis.  So perhaps we should say that good things come to those who wait and work, with patience, commitment, and intentionality.  Good things come to those who can chart a course and stay the course until they’ve fully run the course. 

In case you were wondering, that saying isn’t exactly in the Bible, but there is something similar in Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.”  Actually, I think what that might mean is that God is being good to you even now, even if it doesn’t look and feel like it, it’s just that sometimes we have to wait a while to see it.  That’s faith (in God), trusting that good things are in the works, just sometimes on layaway.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

I’ve been listening to the proverbial old sayings that people employ quite often.  I find that I don’t have to listen for very long before someone comes forth with a maxim that’s supposed to be automatically accepted as truth.  One such saying is the one in the title of this post, “all good things must come to an end.”  Another such saying is, “when it rains, it pours.”  The interesting thing in so many of these commonly-employed sayings is that they’re basically negative in nature.  I keep hearing these universally-accepted “words of wisdom” that all have a negative bent to them!!!  Why is that?  What’s that say about us?

You could be downright cruel with the statement in the title of this post (attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer).  Someone could be telling you about something really good they’re enjoying these days and you could haul off and rain on their parade by reminding them not to get too excited because as everyone knows, all good things must come to an end.  Even if you do just turn the statement on yourself when something good in your life comes to an end (or seems to), it’s still pessimistic, pointing out the perceived inevitability of goodness always having a limited run.  What a lens through which to view life!

I suppose we adhere to a belief that this statement is true because we think about the certainty of death, which many think of as the coming to an end of a good thing (life on earth).  After all, as another one of those negative truisms goes, “nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

The part about the certainty of taxes isn’t in the Bible, but both the Old Testament and the New Testaments of the Bible would agree about the inevitability of death (Ecclesiastes 3:2, Hebrews 9:27).  But as far as death being the ultimate expression of “all good things must come to an end,” the New Testament, the gospel of Jesus, the resurrection celebrated at Easter, offers a different view.  That different perspective on all of life, giving a much more positive bent to this temporal life, is that for the person following Christ, all good things get even better.

Why Do You Eat?

I had a grandfather who used to say, “I don’t eat because I’m hungry, I eat to keep from getting hungry.”  Even if he was telling the truth, I don’t think that would be true of most of us.  Why do you eat?  Whenever you eat, it’s probably for one of the following reasons:

·        It’s time (according to the clock)

·        It’s time (according to the stomach – i.e. you’re hungry)

·        For comfort

·        You “deserve it”

·        You have a craving for a particular food or for something sweet or spicy or salty, etc.

There could be other reasons you eat, but really the thing I would ask you to consider is this, whenever you eat, for whatever reason you eat, why do you eat what you eat?  Do you eat what you eat primarily for the taste or for the nutrition?  Is the choice of what you’ll eat mostly driven by what will taste good to you, or what will be good for you?

As you contemplate that, think back in your history and consider, has that changed over time?  Regardless of how young or old you are, has the choice of what you’ll eat changed over time?  If so, in which direction have your choices changed, and why?

While that might be a fascinating conversation to have with ourselves, it led to me to see a connection between my choice in what I eat and my choice in what I’m after in life.  In my earlier years I ate what I would enjoy most, what tasted good in my mouth, and similarly, what I wanted out of life was to have fun, enjoy myself.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve started eating what provides the most health benefits, what’s good for me, and similarly what I want out of life is meaning, significance.

How about you?  Are these shifts I’ve noted just coincidental as we age, or, regardless of age, is there a connection to be made between what you want out of your food and what you want out of your life?  “You are what you eat” isn’t in the Bible, but I wonder if what we eat reflects what we are after?

Deal with the Dead Squirrel

Friday is my day off each week, and yet I usually have a “to do” list for Fridays.  A couple of weeks ago my Friday “to do” list started with the words, “deal with the dead squirrel.”  You know any day that begins with “deal with the dead squirrel” is going to be a good day!

A few weeks earlier my wife had noticed a dead squirrel lying on the ground by the back of our house and had brought it to my attention.  (In the division of labor at our house, dealing with dead squirrels is in my domain.)  While it was bitter cold outside I wasn’t very motivated to do anything with the squirrel, but as the weather began to warm I thought about the implications of that for a dead squirrel and I did begin to get motivated to do something about it.  So, I made note-to-self that first thing on my upcoming day off I would deal with the dead squirrel.  The appointed hour of the appointed day arrived, I went outside to survey the scene and determine a course of action, only to discover that the corpse was gone!  Apparently some other critter also had it on his “to do” list to “deal with the dead squirrel” and had beaten me to it.  And I was OK with that.

The fact that I had prioritized that unpleasant chore to the top of the list for the day brought to mind a quote attributed to Mark Twain, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.  And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”  Obviously, I agree.  I too would rather do the unpleasant thing first rather than continue to dread it, knowing it continues to loom in front of me.  And if there’s more than one unpleasant thing to be done I would rather do the most unpleasant one first.  If it has to be done I too would prefer to go ahead and get it done, get it behind me, and move on to the more enjoyable things that await.  Postponing the known unpleasant task just seems to be an invitation for an attitude of sloth to enter in and seep into more aspects of my life, and I would rather nip that before it starts.

Every day has its share of both, the pleasant and the unpleasant, and we probably have some discretion over the order in which we approach those tasks.  It’s not in the Bible, but I do think it good for us to subscribe to the wisdom offered, “If it’s your job to eat a frog…”  

Better Than an Aha Moment!

One season ends, another begins.  Last week (March 5) Christians began observing the season of Lent.  That was preceded in the Christian calendar by the season of Epiphany.  I like the season of Lent just fine, but I really like the season of Epiphany because in my simplistic way of thinking it officially sanctions epiphany as a season rather than just a moment.

We tend to think of an epiphany as a moment of awareness, an “aha moment”.  That’s what we say, an “aha moment.”  We don’t usually talk about an “aha season.”  I think that’s a shame, because if you’ve ever experienced a season of insights, growth, new understandings that seem to stretch on for a while it’s a wonderful thing to be appreciated and celebrated.

Even though we have now “officially” entered into the season of Lent, I’m still in a season of epiphany.  I’m in one of those “aha seasons” and I like it.  I feel like I’m gaining wisdom.  I feel like I’m in a spurt of character development.  I’m growing and as a result I feel good about myself and life in general, more than usual, because of this sense of increase that is my current reality.

I share this with you today so as to encourage you to be open to more than just “aha moments”.  There can be “aha seasons” and recognizing them as such will add to your appreciation of them when they come your way.  As for me, I hope this current season of epiphany lasts a while; perhaps throughout Lent and into the Easter season that follows.  I don’t expect it to last indefinitely, so I’ll enjoy it while it’s here and just see what comes next.

As I’ve thought about this matter and what is, and isn’t, in the Bible, I’ve thought about the passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which talks about how there is a time, or season, for every purpose under heaven.  The list of cycling seasons found in that passage doesn’t include a time for epiphanies or “aha’s”, so I guess this does indeed qualify for inclusion in the category “it’s not in the Bible.”  But I think the Bible does shed light on what we can expect regarding such things as “aha seasons” in that, as with the other things described in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, this season will have its duration, and then something will change and a new season will begin.  Such is life.

My Parent Lives in Me

As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed more and more of my parents’ traits coming out of me.  For example, I’ve been told I’m quite a taskmaster toward myself, that I’m ultra-responsible, and that I seem to go to any lengths to stand by my word.  In all of those things, I see my parents.  It’s now become my voice rather than theirs telling me “a day’s work for a day’s pay,” “if it’s worth doing it’s worth doing right,” “you’re only as good as your word.”  And behind all of that is the question my parents often posed to me, “What if everyone did it, would it be a better world?”  In those formative years, when my parents were raising me, coaching me, forming me, I heard their words, but I never dreamed they were becoming so entrenched in my own thinking, my own worldview, my own way of treating myself.  But taking a moment for a bit of introspection I see it clearly, my parent lives in me.

Thinking about issues of character in that way has helped me appreciate the ways God is at work in my life and yours.  When Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:3) that he (we) must be born again, it’s getting at establishing a new “parent” in us.  When Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), he’s describing our new Parent’s character traits becoming more naturally part of who we are.  Through the scriptures, worship, Christian fellowship, prayer, God sets about raising, coaching, and forming His children.  As time goes by God’s words become more entrenched in our own thinking and our own worldview.  It’s not brainwashing.  It’s spiritual heredity.

As I marvel at that process taking place in the life of any individual I can’t help but ask the question often posed to me, “What if everyone did it, would it be a better world?”  I think that’s the plan, actually.

Word Replace

You know how they say we should think before we speak?  (Did they think before they said that?)  Sounds like good advice.  I think some of us do more thinking-before-speaking than others of us.  For some of us, it seems to be a pretty short route from initial thought to mouth with not much contemplation along the way.  For others of us there are several moments of crafting and editing that take place within us before the perfect statement comes forth to bless the world.  How does all that work for you?

Perhaps we could think of it this way; it’s like we have an internal word processor.  Maybe we don’t use it much to change fonts in our thoughts, but we use it to assemble our thoughts, cut-and-paste, delete, bold, and other similar functions.  Here’s one function it would be helpful to put in place in our internal word processor: word replace.  As you roll a thought around in your mind, if it begins with the phrase, “I know” and also contains the word “but”, try replacing that word with the word “so.”  The intended outcome would be that instead of us saying to ourselves or others, “I know… but…” we would say, “I know… so…”.

What gets us into predicaments so often is when we acknowledge we know the right thing, the most helpful thing, to do in a situation, but we consciously choose to do something other than the most helpful thing.  Hence, “I know… but…”  What I’m suggesting is that we listen to ourselves say the truth we know and then choose to follow through accordingly (“so…”).  If an example would be helpful, instead of saying, “I know I shouldn’t interfere in his business, but I think I will anyway” we would do the internal word replace to make it come out, “I know I shouldn’t interfere in his business, so I won’t.”

Stuff about internal word processors is not exactly in the Bible, but all of this goes along well with the wisdom of many of the Proverbs in the Old Testament and with a statement from that little book of wisdom in the New Testament, James, “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin” (James 4:17).  Just something to think, and perhaps speak, about.

A Cart with Good Wheels

I went to the store last week and I pulled a shopping cart from the line of carts.  I started my adventure into the store, pushing my cart, waiting to see and hear what this particular cart would do.  I exaggerate not; most of the carts I get usually have a noisy limp.  As a rule, one of the four wheels won’t turn or won’t swivel or won’t roll smoothly for some reason, and the dysfunctional wheel usually comes with a loud and obnoxious noise that will draw the attention of other shoppers to you as you make your way down the aisles.  Of course, their shopping carts usually have an issue as well, but these issues do seem to come in varying degrees of annoyance, so I suppose shoppers are making comparisons amongst themselves, some of them thinking, “Well I guess it could have been worse.” 

But on that particular occasion last week I happened to be the lucky one millionth shopper (or something like that) that got a cart with four good wheels.  I pushed and listened, pushed more and listened, but nothing, no inappropriate noise was coming from the cart’s wheels.  With that discovery, I froze for a moment.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.  On one hand I expected a supervisor to come and take the cart back, explaining it was reserved for the employee of the month.  On the other hand I expected lights to start flashing, balloons and confetti to start falling, and employees to start singing to me like servers at a restaurant serenading a patron having a birthday.  There was none of that.  Just your basic shopping trip followed from there, but I wanted to tell you about the good thing that happened so you’d know it is possible.

I’m going back to the store this afternoon.  No great expectations, but I’m more hopeful as a result of my last experience.  What I’m thinking is that grace happens.  It doesn’t exactly say it that way in the Bible, but it’s true, grace happens, sometimes pertaining to stuff more important than wheels on carts.  It usually happens without fanfare, but it happens.  And knowing that, may you be more hopeful as you go about your day.

The Scorpion and the Frog

You may have heard the fable about the scorpion and the frog.  It goes like this: A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too."  The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp "Why?"  Replies the scorpion: "It’s my nature..."

People can feel like the scorpion.  We can feel like certain negative habits or tendencies we possess are just our nature and there’s nothing we can do about it, “even if my life depended on it.”  Or we might think other people to be “scorpions”, possessing a destructive nature that forecloses on any potential for good that might have come their way.  So why bother?

But people are not scorpions.  People are better than that.  People can weigh alternatives.  People can learn.  People can make choices, new choices, different choices, better choices.  People can change. God can help.

In the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and throughout the records of His teaching it becomes clear that while on earth in the flesh He operated completely under this assumption.  He was fully convinced that people could change and that He could help.  He devoted His earthly life and death to that conviction.

People should be compared to scorpions?  It’s not in the Bible.  The Bible is clear that people are not to be confused with scorpions.  People are made of better stuff than that.  People can change.  People can be “born again.”  People can be redeemed.