Headwinds or Tailwinds?

The other evening I listened to an interesting podcast on behavioral research called the Headwind/tailwind asymmetry. The study describes a human miserception that our barriers are always greater than our benefits. It seems that when we are struggling we are very aware of our struggle and wish for the time of trial to be over. But, when we are no longer struggling we can afford to ignore the situation and so we lose awareness of how we may be benefiting from a particular blessing.

This leads to some troubling problems. It leaves us with a sneaking suspicion that others have it better than we do. Other pro teams have easier schedules than our team; the opposing political faction has an easier time of raising money; and of course we all know that our siblings had it easier than we did growing up.

Wait . . . is it really possible that everyone’s sibling had it easier? The research suggests that at least the perception is real.

The other problem this “poor me” attitude promotes is the rationalization for cheating. Apparently the thin line between ethical behavior and cheating gets blurred when one is convinced the deck is stacked. I suspect we just begin to think that minor cheating simply levels the playing field, a bit. Well, it’s only fair, right?

I am thinking the corollary to “God is good. God is good; all the time.” must surely be “Sinners are sinful. Sinners are sinful; all the time.” We have even found a way to turn blessings onto sins. We simply ignore our blessings and pacify our hurt feelings into justification for creating our own blessings.

Next think we know we will be insisting that Lent is all about us. It is about our suffering and our afflictions. This must be true because we seem to be suffering all the time. Yet, Luther reminds us that “We should, therefore, always have an eye on the long list of divine benefactions, both natural and spiritual. Then we shall see that where there is a drop of evil, there is also a veritable sea of God’s benefactions.” 

If we take an accurate account we need only remind ourselves that sin earns us nothing better than constant affliction. Yet, Jesus offers constant grace.

Even when we sin, forgiveness waits for us.

Even when we imagine we suffer ill treatment, salvation has been earned for us.

Even when we find it difficult to love ourselves, God loves us:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:1-5

No, Lent is not about our suffering. In spite of the fact that our suffering is deserved, our God blesses us and stands with us, providing strength and comfort. We have no reason to complain and every reason to rejoice in gratitude. Furthermore, even that gratitude is a blessing given by God.

We are blessed and loved, indeed.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the same, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 1-2

Spring!

Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky. Psalm 85:11

Aaaaaachooo! Spring has hit Nebraska; at least the part of spring that I am allergic to. Earlier today I took a walk around my yard to check on the new plants we put in last summer. I am sure my neighbors wondered who I was talking to as I happily greeted each small plant with a word of encouragement.  Spring is certainly springing up out of the ground. Now, if we can just get some good rain from the sky.

Sometimes we can feel like we are being attacked on all sides. Anxiety, depression, and grief seem to greet us around every corner. I know too many people struggling with cancer and I have been to too many funerals, lately. Selfishly, I am a bit concerned about the numbers in my bank account. It is easy for me to give in to what crowds in around me. This keeps me from seeing the blessings in between the challenges.

What I like about this verse is how it describes God coming at us from both sides; faithfulness springing up from the ground and righteousness reaching down from the sky. Like a favorite blanket at nap time, we are tucked in between for peaceful safe-keeping.

God’s faithfulness is seen in His abiding love. It matters not what the winter brought, God’s faithfulness springs up from the ground reminding us of the gift of grace.

God’s righteousness looks down from above and because of the sacrificial acts of Jesus, because of the  forgiveness offered to us each day, God’s righteousness judges us justified rather than condemned.

Yes, I encourage the beautiful grasses, bushes, ground cover, and trees planted last year to grow and fill their space. I look forward to the colors of summer and fall. In this space I also look forward to growing in God’s grace and love.

May this blessing of spring be yours, also; minus the sneezing, of course.

The Dust in our Lives

If you have ever had a kitten this clip will not be a surprise to you. Kittens try to catch anything they see in order to learn the moves they might need to catch something they can actually eat. It is sort of a feline version of role play. 

As parents, we often see our children doing things we do not understand. Much of child behavior is about learning. They may not always pay attention to what you say, but they are always watching and frequently mimicking what they see. The brain of a child must always try to make sense of the world and practice for what comes ahead.

It’s a parent’s job to be what children practice. And that is a tall order, indeed.

We are often amused and sometimes confused by what children do in their process of learning to be adults. Raising children to be happy, healthy, and honorable is an immense task; especially when we do not always feel those words describe us.

Our ability to be good parents, not perfect parents, but parents who fail and continue to strive to do the right thing, comes from God. When we draw close to God, when He surrounds us like dust, we find He has already blessed us with the wisdom we need.

Seek God, worship Him, and teach Him to your children. 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! Psalm 111:10

Total Permeation

I missed the Oscars and the surprise finish, but the next day I saw this clip of Jimmy Kimmel surprising a tour bus full of people hoping to make a sighting of a real movie star. They came in the room and found themselves in the front row of the Oscars.

Something about the clip annoyed me and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then I realized how many of the tourists (and movie stars) held their phones in front of their faces. I could barely see their reactions because all I saw were rectangles with lenses in the corner. 

So, here we have a group of people who presumably like movie stars, after all that is why they were on the bus for a tour of stars homes. They suddenly find themselves face to face with the people they desperately want to see and yet they put a phone up to block their real view. Seeing these stars through a camera lens and recording something that was already on camera was more important than putting the phone away and interacting with a real person. It is a strong indication of how phone/camera/video technology has permeated our lives. 

The point of me bringing this up is not to criticize the tourists. I certainly do not know how I would react if I suddenly walked onto the set of the Oscars. “Stupefied” is a word that comes to mind. No, all in all, I think they handled themselves quite well. I bring this up because it reminds me of something that easily infiltrates our lives to the same extent as phone technology. 

I am talking about fear.

Fear walks around in our back pocket and is pulled out when examining any new information. It becomes the lens through which we see the world.

We understand politics based on what politicians tell us to fear. We must do this or else something worse will happen.

Fear makes it okay to hurt others as long as we can justify it with the promise of safety. However, because this is the world that is an empty promise making the pain we cause less than justified.

We view our lives through the fear of the “what ifs” that lurk in the corners of our heart.

We see our relationships through the fear of wondering if we can really trust, if we really know what someone is thinking, if we can really rely on this person.

We view our past, present, and future through fear also.

“What if I hadn’t . . . . then where would I be?”

“What if this is the wrong choice?”

“What if this isn’t enough?”

“What if I am hurt, or ruined, or unsafe?”

It is bad enough when our leaders convince us to act out of fear, but it is truly devastating when fear keeps us from seeing our God.

It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

My study Bible calls these words an exhortation. That puts it substantially above a “suggestion” and well into the “urgent persuasion” category. God is with us, we do not need to fear. In fact, we are not to indulge in fear.

God is stronger than our worries. He is stronger than our mistakes. He is stronger than anything that can harm us. And He is stronger than the politicians who hold power over us when they convince us to be afraid or angry.

Furthermore, as children of God who live in the world but, not of the world, the typical fears of this world should not be ours. We were created for a different kingdom. Certainly we need to be wise in our actions. However, every thought, word, and action should be made by a person who knows and believes the following: 

“And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b 

We are safe. We are saved. We are perfectly loved.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear. 1 John 4:18a

Take your fear out of your pocket and throw it away. There is no room for fear in our lives or in our faith. We have a Savior.

Love your Enemy

 Click for a devotion written for Wheat Ridge Ministries.
 

The Little Things

This four minute clip is a great TEDtalk from a volunteer firefighter who encourages us to do the little things. This from a man who works for a non-profit and regularly trains for a part-time volunteer gig as a hero. He knows about the big things – yet he advocates for doing the little things. 

I am the kind of person who likes to do big things. This is why I love teaching because it is a long string of little things that sometimes add up to a big thing. I still save those notes from kindergarten parents and occasional student evaluations that tell me I made a difference, but, for most of my students I was only a little thing. 

My desire to do big things is how I am able to set aside my anxieties about public speaking and driving in strange cities in order to speak to audiences of teachers and administrators. I am certainly not a big time speaker but I seek to leave a reassuring message. I suspect that message is most often found in a small story.

The truth is most of our work for God is not found in the big things, but in the little things:

A note of encouragement

A shared Bible verse

A prayer

A donation of money, time, or materials

A seat beside a grieving friend

A mindset of empathy

God does not often ask us to do the big things. Most of the time, the work He sets before us consists of small tasks. He does not often allow us to see how these small acts of mercy lead to a big thing. He does not promise us this. Instead, He asks for our humility and obedience.

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. Psalm 25:9

St. Paul understood this. At the beginning of his letter to the Romans we see the sum total of his resume. 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. Romans 1:1

Paul could certainly write himself a fancy introduction. He could tell many stories of big things including new churches, jail escapes, shipwrecks, and snake bites. He knows, however, that what he does is not so important as who he is. Furthermore, his identity is found only in what Christ has done for him. This is how the little things add up to big things – the big things belong to God.

May God bless you as you seek to accomplish the little things He sets before you.