Keeping Pace In The Right Race

I thought that I liked my life, well elements of it anyway, that is until a conversation with a friend a few days ago. What I learned is that not only am I discontent with where I am, he made it clear that my life is not envied by him or apparently anyone else for that matter. After all, I'm approaching 30, still single, I live with three others guys, and I'm at a job that I hate. Okay, so maybe that's not exactly what he said, but it was close! When I asked him why he is so dead-set on finding a wife at such a young age, he replied: 'Because I don't want to end up like you!' Wow. I probably would have fallen backwards in my chair had the springs not bounced back and sent me flying forward. Did he just say that? It's been a long time since my feelings have been hurt. It just doesn't happen easily; but those words ripped through me like a kitchen knife through a Monet painting. I tried to explain away my lackluster life with, 'Now that I'm older I know who I am.' And, 'I enjoy having roommates; I think it will prepare me for marriage.' Then, there's, 'I spent so much time focused on my career after college'. But even I wasn't buying it.

I don't think my friend knew how much the words had stung. I've known for a long time that I wasn't happy or even content with where I am. Perhaps the hardest thing was realizing that someone else thought I had hit a dead end. Then again, I began to think about what is more important to me: what I want for my life? Or living out God's calling on my life? The physical or the spiritual? To the Christian the answer is obvious. Yet, I have no reason to boast here. Saved at the age of 11, one should reasonably expect that I would be some sort of spiritual giant, not the tallest in the land, but well on my way. Instead, my growth is stunted at 27.

3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load. Galations 6

A former mentor of mine is completely sold on God's sovereignty. He is worthy, and we are worthless; that is without His gift of grace. My friend says we are all depraved. (adj. : morally corrupt, perverted). In essence, we are sinful people. Our perfection has been perverted.
Why is it that we always want to compare ourselves to others? The truth is sometimes we want to feel better about ourselves. It's the reason I watch Dr. Phil. There's always someone on his stage who's life is much more screwed up than mine at the time. But we also don't want to be behind. The human condition often leads to competition. Yet, the Bible tells us to take responsibility for ourselves: compare the current me with who God's called me to be. I'm perfectly okay for 'it' to be all about me when others are looking to see. I just don't care for self-scrutiny.

Have you ever noticed how runners win races? They never look behind or to the left or right. They look straight ahead. Looking back to see who's coming up will only serve to slow them down, and looking to the side could create a distraction from the finish line. If we want to win this race, we must keep pace. Paul said he had his eyes on the prize. I don't think there's anything wrong with being inspired by those you consider to be giants in the faith. The problem is when we compare ourselves to them. I think they serve as an example of where we're headed, not where we are or where we've been.

Words are easily said and readily read. How many times have we heard that faith without works is dead? So my question is this: are your words those of a committed, compassionate Christian looking to serve as a post-resurrection John the Baptist? Looking to proclaim the way just as J the B prepared it? Or are you a simply a used car salesman Christian who's pitch is to tell someone they're going to hell unless they buy into your pigeon hole religion?

Living Works of Art

Few days are as perfect as the early days of fall in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The extreme heat has subsided, replaced by a cool, fresh breeze. It makes for what I like to call ‘porch-sitting’ evenings. How well I remember sitting on my grandparents’ front porch in my hometown. Their little brown house with the bright orange door had two wooden swings that hung facing one another across a wide concrete platform. I would sit opposite the two of them, talking about important things and nothing all at once. The conversation would shift from how I was doing to ‘do you know who so and so is and that they’re related to such and such’.

The sweet sound of wind chimes gently striking against one another was occasionally interrupted by the sharp chirp of a bird in a nearby tree, a passing car, or the annoying bark of a dog to which my grandpa replied that he should go get his gun (one of many you can be sure). Of course the only real threat he posed was not to the dog but to everyone else in the vicinity of the crying canine considering my grandpa was legally blind. How I miss that stubborn, funny old man and his outspoken and gentle at the same time wife whose love was as close to Christ's as I've ever experienced.

Looking back, those are the memorable moments I love most; being surrounded by loved ones while seeing the simple sights and hearing the slight sounds of God’s magnificent creation in the background. As one of our teaching pastors recently asked, ‘Who but God could come up with that?’ I firmly believe that all creativity comes from God himself; after all, He is the Creator of everything! Yes, man can take and pervert His perfection, but we cannot create anything that the mind of God has not already conceived. All of our art is merely a reflection of what has already been done.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 1:9

Note the wording there: nothing new under the sun. What about from above? God has promised us a new heaven and new earth. His creative juices haven’t stopped flowing. Perhaps one day we will get to see the Master Artist at work. The Great Commission calls us to go into ‘all the world’ teaching and preaching the gospel. Yet, Paul writes in Romans that even without having heard the story of salvation, man cannot be unaware of God’s existence.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. – Romans 1:20

Creation itself tells the story of God. His art is alive. Forget about the splashes of paint and charcoal markings on a canvas; forget about the sculptures carved from marble; forget about the actors on a stage attempting to portray something He has already conveyed. We are part of His art. We have a real role to play. Why waste our time worshiping things that don’t and won’t make a difference in eternity?

"Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. – Habakkuk 2:18

Since a man has carved it… What makes us think we’re so great? Pride has prejudiced us against the beautiful reality that unless we create to reflect His glory, then our work is in vain and our art has no value.