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A few days after the Nashville flood, my five-year old approached me and said, “Daddy, can we give toys to the other little boys who got all the water?”
“How cool is that?” I thought to myself. My kid is volunteering to give away some of his toys to flood victims. So, we rounded up a small box of toys and set it on the counter to take to the church.
Later that afternoon, we were in Target, and my son took my hand and led me toward the toy aisles. He told me we needed to get more toys because he gave his away. A ha! Ulterior motive. At five! New toys for old toys. That is a smooth move.
His heart was actually in the right place. And although he missed the point in the end, he was on to something. He was making room for better things. Old toys for new ones. Giving something that might be perceived as good to create space for something great. Okay, it’s not the best approach for charitable actions, but it is how I need to approach my walk.
God has asked me countless times to let go of certain things in my life. To make space. To make some sacrifices. And in return, he promises something so much better. Something great for something “good” that might not even be all that good anyway. And yet, like most, I grip tightly to my old toys, I pull them in close, I hover over them and slap away anyone who would encroach. Meanwhile, the one who approaches is simply trying to trade out the old ones for shiny new ones. Something of greater value. Much greater value.
Do you have any old toys lying around? If so, pack them up, move them out and make some space. See what God puts in their place. I bet it is much better. As for my toddler, he didn’t get any new toys at Target. And we never got around to dropping off the old toys for donation. That feels really familiar to me. Getting as close as boxing up the old stuff, but not quite getting it out the door. Being so close to the new toys, yet so far away from bringing them home. Tomorrow is another day, another opportunity to create some space for God to work, to clear out the old and make room for the new. To receive so much more than I give. All I have to do is let go, and let God.
“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” – Proverbs 17:14
Anyone who has spent 5 minutes in a corporate setting has had to call the “help desk” for computer issues. And anyone who has had to call the “help desk” for computer issues can predict with 100 percent accuracy the very first thing the “help desk” will ask you, no matter what issue you are trying to fix. Say it with me…Have you tried rebooting?
As much as I make fun of “help desks” the whole rebooting thing is actually pretty good advice. Sometimes it is needed in our spiritual walk as well. Sometimes disruptive change is required to force us from deeply dug ruts. Sometimes we just need to reset and start over. Clean the system and power back up. Computers usually respond well to the rebooting process. They run better, faster, etc. It only stands to reason that we function more optimally as well when we press the restart button on our walk. I know it has worked well for me. It helps us break free from the same old infinite and repetitive loop of failure. A clean slate can be an inspiring, motivating thing.
Sometimes, instead of rebooting (or in addition to it), we need to rewire. Change the circuitry inside our machine to bypass our transgressions.
In one of Aesop’s Fables (The Fox and the Lion), the moral of the story is that “acquaintance with evil blinds us to its dangers. ” We grow numb to the action. It hurts less, carries less guilt, generates less remorse, every time we repeat the same sin. We also begin to distance ourselves from the consequences. We begin to dismiss the odds of serious repercussions occurring as a result of our actions. We develop a habit, form an allegiance, firmly attach the vice to our daily lives. After a while, we are incapable of thinking or acting differently.
The psychological term neuroplasticity suggests that, even as adults, learning and re-wiring of the brain can happen through changes in the strength of connections, by adding or removing connections or by adding new cells. This is great news because it means we have an innate ability to literally change our minds. Not suggesting it is easy, but if we can reconfigure our thoughts to join our actions more closely to their potential consequences and to alter the auto pilot nature of sin, we greatly increase our chances of replacing the habits of worldly man with the pursuits of a Godly one.
So reboot, rewire, restart. There is great power in the re.
I was reading a few pages in Paradise Lost the other day, and I came across the word Belial. As cited in Milton’s work, this is Hebrew for “worthlessness” or “vanity.” That puzzled me at first. I’ve always thought of vanity as the opposite of worthlessness. I mean, how can you be vain if you feel worthless?
After some quick research, references to vanity appear often in the Bible, and the word has a variety of meanings such as meaninglessness, wickedness, falseness, idolatry, worthlessness and futility. The way we typically use this word today to mean “boastful” is actually not that common in the Bible. That just happens to be the default definition of vanity as I know it.
And then it was clear to me. Vanity (meaning boastfulness) many times is a symptom of self-doubt and low esteem. It’s almost like vanity is the act of trying to convince oneself and others that he or she actually is valuable. I’ve mentioned before that self-esteem has been a bit of a problem area for me throughout my life. It sometimes causes me to over-analyze my actions, to focus too much on me, to actually become vain or self-centered. It’s ironic. We who doubt our worth the most, become the most self-obsessed. Vanity and worthlessness. Not that far apart after all.
One of the most helpful strategies for me in my journey has been to take a closer look at myself. In continuously diagnosing where I am, I increase the likelihood of reaching where I want to go. After all, the most important key to solving a problem is accurately defining it. Most of us are not naturally self-aware. Myself included.
I recently found a passage and a parable that has not only helped me as a diagnostic tool but also provided me with a model for more effectively approaching my faith walk. Luke 8: 11-15 talks about seeds scattered, some falling by the wayside, others on the rock, others among thorns and finally those landing on good ground. The parable goes on to describe what happens to each group of seeds. I’ve adapted it below to put it in categories that work better for me, using descriptors that are emblematic of our most common challenges as Christians. It’s important to note that three of the four categories are negative. It’s also important to note that you can find yourself in more than one at a time, although I’d bet that you can always identify more strongly with a single category.
Walls – Like the wayward seeds, you have heard the word but it has been quickly taken from you, and you don’t believe. You’ve built walls of doubt. You are cynical about God and skeptical about what He can do for you. Maybe you even question the very existence of God. Either way, you lack the belief necessary to progress in a relationship with God.
Chains – Like the seeds that fell on the rock, you have no roots and temptation quickly causes you to fall away. You are owned by sin, consumed, trapped, unable to exert self-control. You fall into the same snares over and again. You feel like you can’t overcome human nature.
Idols – Like the seeds that fell among the thorns, you are choked with cares, riches and pleasures of life. You likely have your priorities out of whack. You consistently experience fear, worry, stress. You are trusting in yourself instead of God. Focusing on things that expire instead of things that are eternal.
Fruits – Like the seeds that fell on good ground, you are producing. You are patiently progressing toward a deeper relationship with God. You have momentum. You are on a journey.
So where do you fit?
If you find yourself stuck behind walls, your main struggle is with your ability to believe. In your mind and your heart, you have to buy in to the salvation story, to the promises God has made. You might have to find ways to come to grips with doubts you have or internal struggles which prevent you from believing. If you are bound by chains, your fight involves obedience. You are failing to follow God’s instructions for your life. You have to gain small victories in resisting sin and build from there. Those in the idol category are misplacing their faith and trust, finding purpose in worldly things, relying on things other than God to sustain them. And finally, those of you fortunate enough to find yourself in the fruits category are experiencing growth, making progress in your pursuit of God.
This model, or framework, helps me organize my approach to growing with God. It also ties directly to my earlier post (You Are Not Alone), where I discussed 2 Peter 1:5. I believe as you progress in this model, you begin to outwardly display the attributes from that passage. Faith. Virtue. Knowledge. Self-Control. Perseverance. Godliness. Brotherly Kindness. And finally, Love. If you are able to more completely believe in the promises of God, trust Him and pursue him above all else, resist temptation and be obedient, then you will grow, your roots will deepen, and you will produce much fruit.
Last night, I had the pleasure of doing one of my least three favorite things: attending a wedding. It’s not that I have anything against the institution or anything. It’s just that suit + strangers = a very uncomfortable situation for me. And that’s before you get to the reception where you mix in dancing with strangers (sounds like a great new reality show).
This wedding was rather painless as weddings go. Nice, short ceremony. Good food. Interesting people. And I even let my wife drag me to the dance floor for a few songs. Back to the interesting people. At our table, we had a young couple from San Francisco, a couple who recently moved back to Nashville and were expecting their first child in a few months, and a martial arts expert who spent the last 15 years training young men for special forces assignments. He formerly was the one accepting special forces assignments, going on covert, top-secret, high-danger missions across the globe. I sized him up, fascinated that I had the exact same size and build as this Chuck Norris character. As he talked about some recent cage matches he had attended (seriously, cage matches), I joked that I would last about 20 seconds in a cage (depending on how long it took the other guy to catch me). He responded very matter of factly by telling me it’s just all about training, like everything else.
Later, as the conversation continued, he posed a question. “Why do you think that elephants at the circus can be restrained with just a small chain on their leg? Don’t you think they could break that very easily?” He went on to explain what he called “the elephant theory.” I feel like I’ve heard this before, and assume that anyone reading this likely has as well. But combining his brief explanation with a quick and dirty Google search, here it is.
Supposedly, when an elephant is young, a chain is placed around its leg, the other end fastened to the trunk of a tree. After several attempts to wander past the boundary imposed by the chain, the elephant realizes it can’t break free and so it adjusts accordingly. When fully grown, the same elephant can be restrained by the same chain, despite the fact that it could easily rip it apart, because it has been programmed to believe the chain is too strong. Resistance is futile. The chain wins.
As I was sitting down to write my blog post for today, the following analogy came flying right at me, so thank you Chuck Norris. I have no doubt it has been used in countless sermons. I am under no delusion that I am the first to successfully map “elephant theory” back to a spiritual truth. But God did share it with me, so I’m paying it forward.
A struggle I have is that I feel like I’ve been programmed, unintentionally, to be chained by sin. At an early, impressionable age, we all learn that we are not worthy of salvation, that it is by grace we are saved, not through works. Please understand, I believe that to be true, 100 percent true, but I also believe that many of us are set up for failure in our walk because we hear “you can’t overcome sin on your own” but internalize “you can’t overcome sin.” Uh oh, just missed a few important words on the end of the transmission. Two big words.
Even if we get it right in translation, this truth is what chains us when we drift from God. I wrote earlier about idols, meaning things we rank in front of God, and how they impose an utter lack of prioritization. Here we are talking about chains, the self-imposed challenges we place, building on the idols in our lives with a complete lack of trust in God. We’ve been trained that we can’t overcome the tiny chains of sin. And we don’t trust that God will provide. So we are leaving it up to ourselves, and we know we can’t win.
What is the outcome of this madness going to be? A powerful elephant that could be demonstrating its strength is instead led around by a small chain for the world to witness its weakness.
It’s not just that we do a bad job of internalizing the teachings and trusting in God. We also are all human, and have all made mistakes. And just like elephants, we have long memories. It’s funny, I sometimes leave the living room and forget what I needed before I get to the kitchen, but I never forget for one second any significant transgression or failure that I’ve had in my time on this planet. Whether they be spiritual struggles or otherwise. By holding on to these past transgressions, even the ones we’ve served up to God, we create chains. We tie ourselves down. We place ourselves in bondage. We accept future limitations based on past truths. We don’t for a second stop to think that we might be stronger now, or that we could grow stronger. We are defined by a past we can’t forget. We can’t run because of chains, despite the fact that we could shed them fairly easily.
It is a very effective tactic for Satan to use against us. He takes a truth about us not being worthy, and then uses that deeply seeded belief in unnatural ways to construct a chain that says because of this, we can’t successfully overcome sin. Because of this, we have failed and will fail again. Because of this, we also aren’t worthy to pursue God, to be in community with God, to have a deep relationship with Him, to contribute to His Kingdom. I don’t think many of us consciously think like this, but it’s the internal hopeless feeling that many of us have about our current situation where this comes into play. We haven’t fully trusted God, and we’ve failed on our own, so we just pace in circles around a tree, accepting the limitations imposed on us by our selves and our surroundings. You’ve heard it. You’ve said it. “I can’t change this. I can’t do anything about this.”
Oh yes you can. And you can start by forgetting what isn’t possible in the first place.
Philippians 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
Once again, thank you Chuck Norris. I am in training, and have been in training for a while now, preparing for my own cage match. This training will equip me to overcome any physical, mental or spiritual limitations of mine that would give an advantage to my enemy. I can’t wait until I get my mind right, forget the preconceived notions built by the past, rip this chain off my leg and start running to freedom. Care to join me?
Repetition. Get the vibe of this post yet. Repetition. It’s about the power of…repetition.
Take Psalm 107 for instance.
Some wandered in desert wastelands, hungry and thirsty, their lives wasting away.
Verse 6: Then they cried out for the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, as prisoners, because they rebelled against the words of God and despised His counsel.
Verse 13: Then they cried out for the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Others saw the works of God on the seas, but in their peril their courage melted away, and they reeled and staggered like drunken men.
Verse 28: Then they cried out for the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Getting the picture? Whether you are lost, rebellious or weak, it’s the same outcome. Cry out in trouble, and be delivered. Again, and again. Repetition.
2 Peter 1:12 – So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.”
For all of the adult learners out there, we need to hear things more than once. We need them reinforced so that our muscle memory responds correctly when we really need it. It’s important that we meditate on what we know to be true, and that we continue to revisit in the name of remembering. It isn’t really memorization as much as it is keeping our minds sharp. Otherwise, we’re very likely to forget a lot of basic things that can come in quite handy.
The other nice thing about repetition is that is provides consistency and predictability. Security, if you will. It’s great that God is unwavering, that with complete accuracy you can predict His response. What if others could say the same about us and how we respond to the world around us?
Typically, when I think of idols, I immediately picture a golden calf or a carved statue. An idol is something silly people way back in the Old Testament foolishly invested in, mistaking a man-made god for the real deal. But as I watched Simon unapologetically shred several semi-talented young women tonight, the show’s title smacked me against the head. American “Idol”.
I think what we all know deep down, but routinely forget, is that idols are alive and well here in present day. It could be your job. It could be your hopes and dreams. It could be your favorite transgression. It could be the winner of a reality TV competition. A person, place, thing, or even idea. It’s whatever we place in the space intended for God. So, what’s your idol? And what are you going to do about it? Shred it like Simon, or continue to let it entertain and distract you? Phone lines are open America. Time to vote.
As for me, I need to take inventory and then action, because I’m afraid I have several idols at the moment. Bet you do as well.
I must confess that I am writing this only because I have to, only because I promised to be diligent and committed to feeding the lake. I am in a bad mood, in a funk, just not happy. Work was stressful, our family dinner out was stressful, and then shortly following dinner, the kids came unhinged, grew that second head and turned into deviant little beings that screech and howl and destroy anything within their wake. Ok, so tonight it was more of a second head that cries at anything that moves, full-scale meltdowns at a moment’s notice, basket cases in the blink of an eye.
Not. Happy.
So, after pouting around for a bit, and even getting into a slight altercation with a cd holder, I forced myself to sit down and write. I yanked my Bible off the shelf to complete my journaling from the book of Isaiah. I referenced my jumbled notes from the last section I had read (the last section by the way…yep, finally made it all the way through) and there was the scribble “64:9 – Don’t be angry.” Well, now that sounds like something I needed to hear. I flipped back to the passage.
The passage reads, “Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord; do not remember our sins forever.”
What do I have to be angry about? If the Lord chooses not to be angry at all we’ve done, how do we justify being angry at our circumstances? Especially when I can’t even put my finger on exactly what created the anger I am feeling right now. Whatever it is, there is no doubt it is trivial in comparison with the sins of the world, with all that God has forgiven me for to date. I can’t imagine how mad I’d be if someone had done to me what I’ve done to God over the course of my lifetime.
So, am I still angry? Yes, indeed I am. I still want to throw something. But at least I have perspective. I know I’m being irrational. I know I need a chill pill. I know that I’m not helping my situation. So here’s a post, written while slightly punishing the keyboard. Somewhat cathartic. I’m just trying to be obedient. Next, I’ll try a few deep breaths and maybe an episode or two of The Office. Thank God for Michael Scott.
In my reading recently, it has occurred to me that I need to be more proactive about combatting sin and the evil spirits that serve it up. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to be more effective in staying on course and thought I’d share a three-step approach that I’m putting into practice. This is how I suggest dealing with the devil.
1. Know Your Enemy. Satan has simple goals. As John Milton writes from Lucifer’s point of view in Paradise Lost, “But ever to do ill our sole delight: as being the contrary to his high will whom we resist. If then his providence out of our evil seek to bring forth good, our labour must be to pervert that end, and out of good still to find means of evil.”
To even talk about Satan nowadays is like discussing UFOs and poltergeist. Or maybe voodoo. Societal norms have made it uncomfortable for us, like we’re off our rocker for believing that evil spirits are on the loose and active in our world. But if we believe in Heaven, and God, and all that is good, we absolutely have to believe what the Bible says about Hell and the Devil. They are real. And since they are real, and they are active, we need a game plan to combat them.
It is very important to understand what your adversary is after and how he does business. In sports, teams will study film of their upcoming opponents in order to learn as much about the way they approach the game as possible. Their tendencies, their preferences, their tricks. If you know the team you are playing loves to blitz on defense, or run the ball on first down or use a lot of reverses and fakes, you can show up prepared for what they do best and potentially take it away from them. At the very least, they won’t catch you off guard.
Satan is a very creative and evolving enemy, but he does have some common tactics and tendencies. Consider these passages:
Acts 13:10 – You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never
stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
2 Corinthians 11:3 and 11:14 – But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ…And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 12:7 – To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Ephesians 2:2 – in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
In short, Satan deceives. He tempts. He disguises. He distorts. He preys on weakness. He enters through disobedience and spreads like a virus.
2. Know Yourself. What are your weaknesses? What are your struggles? What doors have you left open and unguarded? I deal with a combination of low self esteem and unrealistic expectations. The result is that I feel like I never measure up. I always come up short, no matter what. Obviously, this affects me at work, at home, with God, with other people. It is unhealthy. It causes me to perform for validation and approval. It causes me to push myself too far and too often. It causes me to stumble. When I first signed up for this journey I’m on, I immediately began brainstorming about what grand adventure I would conquer, what mountain I would climb. I’ve discussed this previously. This is the door that I leave open for Satan. It’s a wide open door that you could drive a truck through, but I’m working hard to close it as fast as I can. Be self aware and be honest with yourself. Believe me, it’s not all that much fun. But it is effective.
3. Know What to Do. Armed with knowledge and insight, you will be much more prepared to defend your turf when the enemy arrives. Having a specific plan of action is helpful as well. The Bible provides proven strategies to help good prevail over evil.
Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
James 4:7 – Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Ephesians 4:27 – and do not give the devil a foothold.
The game plan is simple but worth repeating: Suit up in the grace and the glory of God. Submit to God. Be self-controlled and alert. And don’t give the devil anything to grab hold of.
Way back, when I was just getting started with this journey, I went to a place that typically provides me with wisdom and peace. No, not my parents or a pastor or a mentor. No, not the Internet. I went to Barnes and Noble. There are few things that help me clear my head, relax and gain perspective more effectively than prowling the aisles of a good bookstore with a hot coffee in one hand and a stack of potential purchases in the other. I did less browsing on this visit than is usual for me, because I had a specific need to fill. I even passed up the coffee in my singular pursuit, as I marched toward the religion section.
I was prepared to comb through several rows of books and devotionals to find something that might be relevant for where I was in the journey. I had no recommendations and no preconceptions, not the foggiest idea of who or what the right author, subject matter or style of writing might be. I was just there because it was a place I trusted, and because I thought I was supposed to be there to take the next step. As it happened, I almost immediately came across a book called Wide Awake by Erwin Rafael McManus. The cover is stark white with a large steel-blue eyeball staring out at you. It felt like it was staring RIGHT AT ME. I picked it up and read the first paragraph from the jacket. It said:
“Maybe you have been asleep. You have never lived up to your potential. You have unfulfilled dreams and longings. If you’re dead, let Jesus raise you up to new life. If you have been sleepwalking, it’s time to wake up and start dreaming wide awake.”
That’s all I read before rushing to the counter and taking it home with me. I devoured it over the course of three days and gained a lot of insight. It was just the book I needed to read at that moment. A good swift kick in the pants to energize me, but in a positive way. Thank you God, and thank you Barnes and Noble.
On page 196, McManus made a rather salient point that jumped right off the page at me. He said that the “only way you are going to stop being pulled around by destructive desires and passions is to allow God to awaken those passions and desires that will bring your life to wholeness and health and make you fully alive.”
His point is that we are constructed to passionately pursue. And when we lock in on passions of the flesh, of the world, we make a straight line to self destruction and are owned by them. The only way to break that cycle is to replace those earthly passions with Godly ones. Replace the dark fire with a bright one. My immediate inclination when I’m dealing with sin is to remove it somehow. I think what McManus is saying here is that instead of removing sin, we need to replace it with something more powerful, something from God. Without fire, we grow cold.
I once again encountered that steel-blue eyeball this week as I was digging through some piles in search of a folder for work. It lured me in again, and I had retraced about 20 pages before I realized what I was doing. I haven’t pressure tested the overall theology of Mr. McManus, but I’m a big fan of how this book motivates me to get my act together and to light a fire. Just beneath the eyeball, it simply says, “The future is waiting within you.” That creates a tangle of hope and frustration within me as well, as I seek out the specific path that awaits (within) me.
the way to (t)here 
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