I acknowledge that my brain works a little "differently". That is to say...I question everything. You could surmise (and it has been said) that I'm a rebel. For some reason, God hardwired me to not only see the elephant in the room...but to ask the room full of oblivious people: Why the heck is there an elephant in the room and no one is doing anything about it?
Such is my life.
Now...I have happened to become quite comfortable with my hyper-analytical, logical and questioning self. But I recognize that it's not exactly easy for some people to share in my comfort. In fact, in the last few years, I've begun to notice that some people keep me at arms' length because I might discern a little bit too much. No...I am not going to point out the big, hairy mole on your nose...but I honestly don't understand how the Holy Spirit will sometimes lead conversations and bring thoughts to my head in a way that makes others want to squirm.
Believe me...I don't go seeking out these opportunities!
Keep that in mind as I share something I came across last week in the Bible study I'm doing. My brain is warped...and I'm not looking to pick a fight...I just don't want to back down from the proverbial elephant either.
I was reviewing the week's lesson to see if there was some material for blogging and this idea lept off the page. It follows fast on the heels of my Living the Vision mini-series. The entire study revolves around the life and lessons of Joseph, son of Jacob. [You can find a link at the bottom of the page.]
In the midst of our lessons regarding the betrayal of Joseph's brothers, author Mary Englund Murphy provides a column where we can list some things we think the world values versus what God values. (see page 62 of the study). On the day I read this, I specifically asked the Holy Spirit to give me some insight. Here's what I wrote-
The World Values: God Values:
Education Wisdom
Experience Passion
Great conquerors/competitors/heroes Humble servants
Power Sacrifice
Indulge desires Delayed gratification
This is where I stopped, mainly because I ran out of space...but I think the list could go on much longer. And here's what I noticed...even most Christians I know are caught in the trap of the first column. I know I am!
It is so easy to place all of our faith in education and experience to pull ourselves up and out of less-than-optimal circumstances. But what if being savvy and wise and also passionate about life and work were valued just as highly.
If you think I'm blowing this out of proportion, then I'd love to have you analyze your opinion of fast food, retail and warehouse workers. I recently had a Christian hint to me that her summation of adults in one of these industries was that they must have made a "mistake" to be stuck there.
I almost blew up an entire post about this one...but I wasn't angry with the person for her comment and if she read it, I didn't want to make her feel bad. What absolutely frustrates me though is that even Christians have formulated castes and pecking orders to our society. I know I'm generalizing, but I think this person merely put words to a pervasive attitude that I have discerned.
*Why can't someone spend their life serving Jesus in a poor working class occupation, love people, be a light and live out redemption in an otherwise very dark place? Do we really only have to take a vow of poverty if we're going to go serve in a third world country? What if 'selling everything you had and giving it to the poor' (see Matthew 19:21) wasn't just your possessions...but also "selling" your idea of what it means to be successful...or "selling" your own comfort in order to give your very life away to the poor? Poor, financially yes, but the poor of spirit, soul and mind.
*What if, instead of obsessively following sporting events like the Super Bowl, Olympics or March Madness, we wagered our lives on humbling serving the people around us. What if your favorite "team", the ones that received our devotion and the one whose clothes and paraphernalia we purchased were the widows and orphans? Single moms, women rescued from trafficking, ministries that give to orphans and feed starving people...what if we bought the clothing they produce, the purses they make or jewelry they fashioned with their own hands. There are far too many organizations to mention here, but a few of my favorites are I Know Hope, It's Only Fair, Carabello Coffee and Hands Against Hunger. If you don't know where to start just contact me and I'll put you in touch with someone who can. I truly believe almost anything we buy could be purchased "smart" and with purpose. Maybe we could buy less and make it matter. I mean really? Does the NFL need one more dime of my money for their merchandise?
*What if, instead of glorifying the strong and powerful, like politicians and celebrities...we taught our children to look to those living sacrificially as role models? When a Disney kid grows up and goes rogue, or yet one more football player is arrested for brutality, wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to debrief our children? Wouldn't it be amazingly beautiful if their heroes were Mother Theresa, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pretty awesome Pope Francis? None of these people were (or are) perfect, but their contributions to humanity are astounding.
*What if, instead of buying whatever we want, whenever we want it, we set aside that desire long enough to seek the Holy Spirit's wisdom about whether we actually even need it or not? This is a huge struggle for me. When you live in the land of stupendously, outlandish plenty...why would you stop and ask if you even need to go to the store to buy that one ingredient that you're missing? Do we really need the latest iPhone, iPad, software update or gadget or are we allowing the marketing gurus of Madison Avenue to rule our very lives?
I guess basically I'm wondering if Jesus really meant what He said and if so...how come we're not living like it? If you read the Living the Vision series, you're probably sensing a theme here.
I may not know much...but I know when there's an elephant in the room and there's a humongous one lurking in most of our American-version-of-church lives: God, through Jesus, has shown us how He wants us to live, what our priorities should be, and why this life as we know it is not all there is.
In other words, we have been called out to be set apart...living lives of sacrificial love, peace and joy. Once again, I will ask so why aren't we living like it?
Such is my life.
Now...I have happened to become quite comfortable with my hyper-analytical, logical and questioning self. But I recognize that it's not exactly easy for some people to share in my comfort. In fact, in the last few years, I've begun to notice that some people keep me at arms' length because I might discern a little bit too much. No...I am not going to point out the big, hairy mole on your nose...but I honestly don't understand how the Holy Spirit will sometimes lead conversations and bring thoughts to my head in a way that makes others want to squirm.
Believe me...I don't go seeking out these opportunities!
Keep that in mind as I share something I came across last week in the Bible study I'm doing. My brain is warped...and I'm not looking to pick a fight...I just don't want to back down from the proverbial elephant either.
I was reviewing the week's lesson to see if there was some material for blogging and this idea lept off the page. It follows fast on the heels of my Living the Vision mini-series. The entire study revolves around the life and lessons of Joseph, son of Jacob. [You can find a link at the bottom of the page.]
In the midst of our lessons regarding the betrayal of Joseph's brothers, author Mary Englund Murphy provides a column where we can list some things we think the world values versus what God values. (see page 62 of the study). On the day I read this, I specifically asked the Holy Spirit to give me some insight. Here's what I wrote-
The World Values: God Values:
Education Wisdom
Experience Passion
Great conquerors/competitors/heroes Humble servants
Power Sacrifice
Indulge desires Delayed gratification
This is where I stopped, mainly because I ran out of space...but I think the list could go on much longer. And here's what I noticed...even most Christians I know are caught in the trap of the first column. I know I am!
It is so easy to place all of our faith in education and experience to pull ourselves up and out of less-than-optimal circumstances. But what if being savvy and wise and also passionate about life and work were valued just as highly.
If you think I'm blowing this out of proportion, then I'd love to have you analyze your opinion of fast food, retail and warehouse workers. I recently had a Christian hint to me that her summation of adults in one of these industries was that they must have made a "mistake" to be stuck there.
I almost blew up an entire post about this one...but I wasn't angry with the person for her comment and if she read it, I didn't want to make her feel bad. What absolutely frustrates me though is that even Christians have formulated castes and pecking orders to our society. I know I'm generalizing, but I think this person merely put words to a pervasive attitude that I have discerned.
*Why can't someone spend their life serving Jesus in a poor working class occupation, love people, be a light and live out redemption in an otherwise very dark place? Do we really only have to take a vow of poverty if we're going to go serve in a third world country? What if 'selling everything you had and giving it to the poor' (see Matthew 19:21) wasn't just your possessions...but also "selling" your idea of what it means to be successful...or "selling" your own comfort in order to give your very life away to the poor? Poor, financially yes, but the poor of spirit, soul and mind.
*What if, instead of obsessively following sporting events like the Super Bowl, Olympics or March Madness, we wagered our lives on humbling serving the people around us. What if your favorite "team", the ones that received our devotion and the one whose clothes and paraphernalia we purchased were the widows and orphans? Single moms, women rescued from trafficking, ministries that give to orphans and feed starving people...what if we bought the clothing they produce, the purses they make or jewelry they fashioned with their own hands. There are far too many organizations to mention here, but a few of my favorites are I Know Hope, It's Only Fair, Carabello Coffee and Hands Against Hunger. If you don't know where to start just contact me and I'll put you in touch with someone who can. I truly believe almost anything we buy could be purchased "smart" and with purpose. Maybe we could buy less and make it matter. I mean really? Does the NFL need one more dime of my money for their merchandise?
*What if, instead of glorifying the strong and powerful, like politicians and celebrities...we taught our children to look to those living sacrificially as role models? When a Disney kid grows up and goes rogue, or yet one more football player is arrested for brutality, wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to debrief our children? Wouldn't it be amazingly beautiful if their heroes were Mother Theresa, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the pretty awesome Pope Francis? None of these people were (or are) perfect, but their contributions to humanity are astounding.
*What if, instead of buying whatever we want, whenever we want it, we set aside that desire long enough to seek the Holy Spirit's wisdom about whether we actually even need it or not? This is a huge struggle for me. When you live in the land of stupendously, outlandish plenty...why would you stop and ask if you even need to go to the store to buy that one ingredient that you're missing? Do we really need the latest iPhone, iPad, software update or gadget or are we allowing the marketing gurus of Madison Avenue to rule our very lives?
I guess basically I'm wondering if Jesus really meant what He said and if so...how come we're not living like it? If you read the Living the Vision series, you're probably sensing a theme here.
I may not know much...but I know when there's an elephant in the room and there's a humongous one lurking in most of our American-version-of-church lives: God, through Jesus, has shown us how He wants us to live, what our priorities should be, and why this life as we know it is not all there is.
In other words, we have been called out to be set apart...living lives of sacrificial love, peace and joy. Once again, I will ask so why aren't we living like it?
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