The Difference

If ... God doesn’t make mistakes

Then ... everything God makes is perfect, amazing, beautiful, praiseworthy, and holy.


I know a lot of people who are really down on themselves. That’s Sad.
I know a lot of people who are really down on others. That’s Bad.
Today it is customary to build oneself up by pointing out fault in others.


There are two very different uses for the word “fault.”
The 1st meaning is “a defect or imperfection; a flaw.”
The 2nd meaning is “responsibility for failure or a wrongful act, a misdeed or transgression.”

In the simplest language, then, a “fault” is either something wrongfully done for which one is responsible (meaning #2), or something fundamentally wrong with a person, period (meaning #1).


People who are really down on themselves are inclined to believe that they are defective, that they are a mistake. They are not. But it is SAD that they feel that way.


People who are really down on others are inclined to communicate that there is something defective about them, that they are flawed. They are not. But it is BAD that they are treated as throw-away mistakes, not made by God.

The Challenge ... (a very old one at that) is to both be able to receive criticism and give criticism on the level of meaning #2 without attacking or feeling attacked on the level of meaning #1.


Meaning #1
“Fault” has a sibling named “Shame.” They are the henchmen of the Devil convincing the world (and doing a pretty good job of it right now) that God made mistakes everywhere. Perhaps they have also convinced you of your unworthiness (which of course is a lie)


Look at yourself. Look at others. And say, “God made me/God made you. No defect, no flaw. There is nothing in me or you, in and of ourselves, to be ashamed of. I am/you are not a mistake.”

Meaning #2
So, if God didn’t make mistakes, where do mistakes come from? Mistakes don’t come from God. They come from God’s human creations (perfect in their being) who do imperfect things.


“Blame” and “Guilt” are also siblings. But they are the servants of God. Their job is to address the horrors of human behavior while yet preserving the splendor of created worth. “Guilt” and “Blame” focus on the wrong. They assign responsibility, encourage repentance and restitution, and assist those wishing to do so to adjust their behavior to better reflect their created splendor.


The Difference ... it’s yours to make.

Find, love, and affirm the admirable, the God-perfection, in everyone (meaning #1)

Where there is wrong, address it with vigor, but as one who is also wrong, for only God is perfect (meaning #2)

The Suffering of the Cross

Adapted from a conference by Saint Thomas Aquinas, ca. 1265 A.D.

Q. Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us?
A. Because there was a great need,
first, as a remedy for sin, and
second, as an example of how to act, and how to fashion our lives.

Christ on the Cross is the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends.

Christ on the Cross is the example of patience: he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth. Great patience occurs a) when one patiently suffers much, or b) when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid.

Christ on the Cross is the example of humility.

Christ on the Cross is the example of obedience. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.
Christ on the Cross is the example of despising earthly things and following the King of kings in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches. They stripped him of his clothes
Nor to honors. They ridiculed and beat him, and spat in his face.
Nor to greatness of rank. They crowned him with a crown of thorns.
Nor to anything delightful. They gave him only vinegar to drink.

Q. Is it not true that Christ exemplifies every virtue on the Cross? Is it not true that the Cross itself is the perfection and fullness of God?

Don't Let Money Have Power Over You

Proverbs 15:16 “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.”

1 Timothy 6:6, 8 “Godliness with contentment is great gain. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.”

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned that in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.”

It’s Lent.
I’m thinking about voluntary sacrifice, after the model of Christ.
I’m thinking about money, and time, and commitment to God, too.

I’m thinking that God’s economy differs quite a bit from commonly accepted economic theory. Here’s an “In God’s Economy” question to lift up that point.

Debt and savings each have their incumbent obligations. Which obligations are easier to get free of?
The obligations of debt, of course. With hard work and responsible planning one can get free of debt and its obligations. But who wants to get out from under the obligations that go with accumulated savings? Who wants to be free of those worries?

Here’s the rub. The message of Jesus, indeed of the whole Bible, is that when money, whether it be money saved or money owed,...when money defines your choices, you are not truly free, and your choices cannot truly be Godly choices.

“You cannot serve both God and mammon,” says the Holy Word.

To the contrary, when your choices are driven by the principles of God – mercy and grace, justice and love, compassion and righteousness – when money is not in the equation, blessing abounds.

Please do not misunderstand. I am not suggesting poverty. The Bible tells us to work, and earn, and take care of our families,... and as “our brothers keepers” to take care of them too.

Having money has power.
Not having money has power.
Don’t let money have power over you.
Don’t let its gain or its lack steal your heart from God.
Don’t let it compromise your “good-doing.”

Learning to Thrive

To really enjoy life, enjoy it with someone else. From the creation story at the very beginning of the Bible to the final description of eternity with the Lord at the end of the Bible it is clear that God made us and all things in relationship.

When God created, God created two, a man and a woman. Throughout the Bible God calls individuals into community, into relationship with each other, into relationship with God, himself.

It seems to me then that God’s purpose is that we not only learn to live with others, but that we learn to thrive in relationship with others. What is the greatest commandment again? but to love God, and your neighbor as yourself.

My challenge to you, if this thought resonates with you, is to not merely try again on improving your existing relationships, but that you also reach out, perhaps to one who would benefit from your mentoring, to someone younger, or someone less experienced at your specialty. Make a new good friend. Thrive on the energy their life brings to your life.

How to improve your existing relationships? Basically, pretty much stop talking and start listening. Then let what you hear, not what you know, govern your next step. One of my facebook friends, a guy, posted this. Hey fellas, don’t you think it time to listen to your wife? She’s smarter than you. Jesus says it best, and more gently: Put others before yourself.

How to reach out as a mentor? Basically, pretty much stop talking and start listening, listening to the people around you, listening to their dreams and frustrations, listening for where a the helping hand of a servant friend (which is NOT a word of advice!!) could make a difference.

Basically, learning to thrive in relationships boils down, then, to spending less time with one’s own ideas and more time with the ideas of others. It requires facing one’s insecurities, momentarily stepping away from things and ways that provide comfort, and accepting the challenge to appreciate another just as he/she is.

To thrive, just go for it.

To Eternity and Beyond

The great quote out of the mouth of Buzz Lightyear in the Movie Toy Story is “… to infinity and beyond.” It is a quote expressing endless possibility, a quote sure to catch the fancy of every dreamer, of everyone wishing and hoping for a better tomorrow. In a way, to the ears of my spirituality, it connects with that yearning for eternity God planted deep in my heart. Surely the fire under your hopes and dreams is stoked when you entertain with Buzz Lightyear the thought of “… to infinity and beyond.”

Well, that is what Jesus Christ calls us to, invites us to enter, and makes possible for us. The maker of time, more huge than the whole cosmos, wants us to be a part of his eternal being, … and wants us to engage with him in fulfilling his eternal purpose, which is to establish his glory by bringing all creation into perfect harmony with him.

Could it be possible that I might participate in God’s great purpose … “to infinity and beyond,” or might I say “… to eternity and beyond?”

I’m a forward looking person. All my life the thought of living into the future has been a prominent one. The thought is constant, but the reality so often eludes me. Why?

The first realization I have come to about this is that I have to take the first step.

The second realization I have come to is that I almost always skip the first step, and the second step, and generally the third, fourth and fifth steps as well.

The third realization I have come to is that I am never really able to live into the future because of skipping the first several steps.

So, if the crowning achievement of our lives is to be one with Christ and engage with him in fulfilling his eternal purpose, what is the first step? And the answer is … fitness, personal fitness. We have to be personally equipped for the journey -- spiritually, physically, financially, academically.

Athletes don’t start with playbooks, they start with pushups. Astronauts don’t start with algorithms, they start with mental toughness. So too, those in the Lord’s service must start with fitness.

- Financial fitness (free to serve, whether like Mother Teresa or like Bill Gates)
- Physical fitness (strength and stamina to meet God’s every assignment),
- Academic fitness (truth sufficient to dispel all criticism, heresy, and doubt), and
- Spiritual fitness (in constant communication with Christ, the commander and source).

The first step in serving Christ is your personal fitness -- body, mind, soul, and spirit. Get fit. It is a Godly thing to do, and the first step to “… eternity and beyond.”

Stuck

We all know Stuck. Been there! Way to many times.

We all know there are two ways to get un-stuck. Either you get a Push, or you get a Pull.

Pushing is hard work, and generally not the most pleasant. But it sure beats being stuck. Push ahead.

Press on. Work through it. Get psyched. Just do it.
Shoulder to the wheel. Where’s your drive? Dig in. Let me help.

We know about pushing. It’s pretty much what we do.

On the other hand, we don’t know so much about pulling. We use it less often, are less practiced at it, and rarely consider it as an option. Pulling is still work, of course. The big difference with pulling is that the focus is not on where you are, but on where you are going. It’s sort of like the difference between pushing water with a plunger, or drawing it with a siphon.

Pushing is to “get you out from where you are.” It’s focus is on the right now, on being un-stuck, on un-doing the negative.
Pulling is to “get you on to where we are going.” It’s focus is on the horizon, on moving forward, on reinforcing the positive.

The Bible is full of Push-Pull. Push in the Bible has to do with taking a hard look at human reality in the flesh. Fallen, sin, repentance, judgment, forgiveness and hell are push words. They express the needs of the soul and generate “help me” prayers. Pull in the Bible has to do with taking a good look at human reality in the spirit. Risen, redeemed, grace, mercy, thanksgiving, and heaven are pull words. They express the contentment of the soul and generate “thank you” prayers.

Both are totally necessary. How about you? How well do you balance the Push and the Pull in your life? Are you mired down in the muck of the Push side of things so much that you lose sight of the promise and joy on the Pull side?

Do you need a good kick in the rump, a push, to get you life back on a godly course? Or maybe you need a powerful new experience, a pull, to draw you up and move you into a more godly lifestyle?

For me, I only need a push when my pull is too small, and that’s most of the time. This holiday season I’m going to dwell on the Glory and Majesty of God, ponder the huge-ness of God’s grace, and wonder more about the genius of creation and the miracle of salvation.

Keystone Habits

Habits are killers, aren’t they? Well, sometimes, anyway. Bad ones run our lives amuck and ruin our health. But, on the other hand, good ones are the drivers that turn every effort into success.

There’s a new book out, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, which studies how by simply changing one habit a person can totally turn their life around.
‘Keystone Habit’ is the name given to that transforming habit. A Keystone Habit can be any habit. Duhigg tells the story of one major corporation that went from near financial disaster to abundant profit in one year by focusing on one habit only, safety.

In 2009 a group of health researchers published how Tracking, that is, keeping a food journal, or writing down everything one eats, helped a study group of 1600 obese participants change their eating behaviors and lose weight. But surprisingly this Keystone Habit -- food journaling – did more, it created a structure that helped other habits to flourish. Six months into the study, people who kept daily food records had lost twice as much weight as everyone else.

Keystone Habits make our life better. God knows how true that is, and in the Bible suggests several, any one of which will change your life forever and for the good. Here are a few. Love God. Treasure God’s name. Pray daily. Worship weekly. Give your first and your best, i.e. tithe. Be thankful for everything. Forgive over and over again, even your enemy. Respect/honor your parents as long as you live. Feed the hungry. Visit those in prison. Welcome the stranger or sojourner in your midst. Oh, the list goes on and on.

Here’s the deal. Just pick one of God’s recommended habits. Commit to it daily. Track it daily. You will probably need an accountability partner to stay at it, so get one. And in no time your life will be more satisfying to you, more a blessing to others, and more glorifying of God.