Reason for the Season

Our focus often changes when the seasons, settings, events, and even circumstances alter our lives. My house this year before Thanksgiving was decked with pumpkins, chrysanthemums, various Fall colors and décor. Now the pumpkins and mums await the trash haulers while pines, twinkling lights, and colors of red and green decorate the house. It feels like we have somehow abandoned thanksgiving and launched into a commercial frenzy too often associated with Christmas. Some of the décor makes sense. On the other hand, inflatable Star War figures, Zombies wielding candy canes, and Disney characters in sleighs on front lawns just do not compute in my mind with the Christmas season. It is as if the season has morphed back to Halloween.

     I recall as a teenager how my focus at Christmas was dramatically altered by an event that took place in the summer between my Junior and Senior years of high school. Christmas prior to that time was when I focused upon stuff. Subtly was not my strong point! Months before the gift giving frenzy of Christmas morning, I strategically left well-marked catalogues on the counter where our incoming mail was sorted. Discussions around the supper table revolved around mentioning what was the current craze among my fellow classmates. I even bribed a friend to ask me when my mom was in earshot, “Hey, what do you want for Christmas?” After having manipulated as much as I could, I sat back and salivated as I anticipated the packages that would be placed under the Christmas tree near our stone fireplace.

     The Christmas of my Senior year of high school was different. My Mom had to ask me for some ideas about what gifts I wanted for Christmas. I remember saying, “Whatever you chose will be fine with me.” Was I maturing? Not on your life! I was still as immature as ever, controlled by raging teenage hormones, and lacking common sense. The only thing that was different I suppose was a new focus that changed the way I was looking at life and seeing what was most important to me.

     One Christmas Eve a major snowstorm shrouded our Philadelphia suburb in a deep blanket of white. I barely made it home from work and had to abandon my 56 Chevy on a side road near our house. I had to shovel a path to our driveway and made just enough room to get the car off the street. The house was warm, the aroma of Irish bread greeted me. Colorful lights of the Christmas tree reflected outside on the snow deeply piled against our living room windows. The Christmas tree was also buried - not in snow but in colorful packages! It was indeed a Currier and Ives picture.

     Mom and Dad told me as I headed upstairs for bed that after breakfast, we would be opening presents. I asked if we could wait for that until after I got back from the service at a local church several blocks away. My parents glanced at one another with a quizzical expression. I had never gone to church on Christmas. I was too busy shredding paper wrapping, and giving the perfunctory remarks, “Gee, thanks! How did you know?” Their comment to my suggestion still lingers after all these years. “What for?”

     I don’t remember my response. As I think of a response now it would have been, “My focus has changed.” It indeed had because of what had transpired that summer at a Christian camp in the Adirondacks. I received the greatest of gifts that summer when I accepted the gift God offered of eternal life. No temporal gift could be greater. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the gifts around the tree in our living room. But my perspective and focus had been altered. I just wanted to take some time to think about the great gift God had given me through Jesus Christ. I wanted to praise Him. I wanted to remember that Christmas was really about an eternal gift come down at Christmas.

     The next morning, I ate breakfast with my parents. After bundling up in winter fare, I followed the tire tracks in the unplowed streets. I wondered if anyone else would be at the Christmas service. Several doors of the church were blocked by the snow that slid off the steeply pitched slate roof. Once inside I was greeted by fellow worshipers who likely came to recognize the reason for the season. The eternal gift that God gave was festooned in swaddling clothes and placed in a humble manger. I don’t recall the hymn that was sung that began the service. An appropriate one could easily have been, “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” That is why I was there. I do remember this; a tear filled my eye - a tear of gratitude - for what I had received this past summer. An altered life looks at things differently. Still does. Focus over the years has sometimes become distorted. Thankfully a clear focus has always returned. May you have a wonderful Christmas this year focused upon the reason for the season. What a gift God gave!             

Focus on the Right Things

What do we focus upon in life? Living in a distracted world tends to cause individuals to divert their attention from one issue to the next without really giving proper attention to things that are wise or profitable. Positions often crowd out what is truth and people flit from one cause to another. Without carefully processing and evaluating existing evidence, realities, and consequences, people too often focus upon things that that distract them from living a meaningful and just life. The focus is shrouded in the haze of prejudice, presumption, and personal desires that are often influenced by life as we want it or bitterness that has jaded us. To counter such perspectives the Apostle Paul challenges the church at Philippi to, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 NLT). In another letter he challenges the church of Colossae to, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians3:1-2 NLT). In both admonitions Paul is addressing people to focus on the right things to derive the right outcome. He wants them to think differently from the way the world around them processes life.

     There is a 6-year-old girl that lived this way named Ruby Bridges. Her life was epitomized by thinking differently from the world around her. She “set her mind on things above and not on earthly things.” There is a painting that captured her spirit done by Norman Rockwell in 1964 entitled “The Problem We All Live With.” The painting shows the little girl being escorted by federal marshals each day into the Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Ruby had been assigned to that school on November 14, 1960, when the federal courts ordered the desegregation of the public school in that city. The picture shows this petite black girl, surrounded by federal marshals, walking with her eyes focused straight ahead. Behind her on the school wall were racist words and remnants of tomatoes thrown at her. Each day she walked past angry protesters that shouted at her, shook angry fists, and threatened to kill her. Eventually she was the only child to attend her class that year as every other classmate stayed away.

     Later in 1960s Dr. Robert Coles, a psychiatrist, and Harvard Medical School professor, decided to study effects of stress in Ruby Bridges. He interviewed Ruby, her parents, and teachers. He was amazed to find no signs of stress in the little girl. In one interview, Ruby’s teacher indicated that Ruby appeared to be talking to the protestors each day as she passed through the mob as she entered and exited the school. Dr. Coles asked Ruby what she was saying.  She told him she was praying for them. Dr. Cole found out that Ruby’s family prayed together every night for the demonstrators. She had picked up from her pastor that when Jesus suffered, he prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” So, she prayed that prayer every day for those who shouted at her. Ruby’s focus and faith so touched Dr. Coles that he could not get her out of his mind, and he began his journey to personal faith in Jesus Christ. This story was retold 38 years later on an ABC special movie in 1998.

     A proper focus may not change our circumstances, but it changes the way we view the circumstances. The biblical record constantly records people who stayed properly focused upon “things above, not on earthly things” and were able to view life without fear, bitterness, or retaliation -- even displaying love for others that may not have deserved such compassion. David focused upon God who was enabling him, not the giant, Goliath, that threatened him (1 Samuel 17:44-46). Daniel focused not upon the injustice he endured or the lions he faced but upon God who shut the lions’ mouths (Daniel 6). Stephen did not focus upon those who were stoning him to death but upon the glory of God who was with him (Acts 7:55-56) -- even praying for his murders (7:60). Paul and Silas did not focus upon the injustices they faced, or the beating they endured, or even the prison where they were held. They focused upon the Lord as they issued praises and prayers to God (Act 16:25). Staying focused upon the right things generates endurance and squelches distractions.

     In these days of multiple distractions, focus upon what matters most. There are concerns and crises that could consume us and cause us to worry and fret. Allow the blinders of faith in God’s person, power, and promises to keep your eyes fixed on Him. The wisest of all men, Solomon, advised his son, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT). Ancient advice from the past that is certainly appropriate for our day!                    

Who Is in Charge Anyway?

 On the afternoon of March 30, 1981, John Hinckley shot and wounded four men as they walked outside of a Washington hotel. Among the wounded was President Ronald Reagan. In that moment the nation was placed in a chaotic and perilous situation as the government wrestled with the question, “Who is in charge?” In the chaos Secretary of State Alexander Haig stated those famous words to reporters in the briefing room when they asked the question about who was in charge. He said, “Constitutionally gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order, and should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so. As for now, I’m in control here.” Many historians point out that “Haig was wrong to say ‘constitutionally.’ The constitution mentions the secretary of state only in an actual transfer of power and then it places him fourth in line.”

            Humanity it seems always wrestles with the question, “Who is in charge.” People do not like leadership vacuums and seek to fill voids whenever they perceive one exists. We are coming up to the mid-term elections where various candidates are saying the nation has a leadership problem. These individuals have stepped forward to fill the leadership void they perceive exists. The problem seems to be that those who want to take charge all want to lead with an agenda that they feel is the right one. This is irrespective of the fact as to whether it is or not. Some appear to be more focused upon the power of leadership than on the principles and policies necessary to lead properly, justly, and righteously.

            This leadership problem is not limited to politics. At a large pastor’s conference where thousands of church leaders had gathered, there was a large banner prominently hung over the platform which read, “Relax Everybody, for Once You’re Not in Charge.” Catchy saying. I perhaps would have altered the sign by adding the following phrase, “…And You Never Were!”

            There is a lot of leadership “elbowing” as people vie for a leadership role in life. In families, parents and children posture themselves to oversee things in the home -- not to mention husbands and wives. In the workplace, employers and employees seem to be vying for control of the organization. In society, various factions protest the way they perceive that they are marginalized rather being given control over the various social issues. From where does of this leadership unrest originate? Could it possibly be that we too want to announce what Alexander Haig did, “I’m in control here.”

            In the Bible’s book of Job, we see several individuals who suggest that they were in charge of how life should be understood, and their guidance should be followed. Job had suffered immeasurable loss, and various people in his life tried to lead Job as to how he should respond. Job’s wife’s advice was give up. She says, “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). She tries to lead her husband to see that death is preferable to the painful life he was leading. Job’s friends gave their leadership advise from the point of view that obviously Job had sinned. They wanted him to fess up and repent (Job 22:5, 23). Job even tries to take control of his life’s situation by declaring that he has done nothing wrong. He suggests God owes him an explanation for the way He is treating him because it is just wrong. God who is in complete control, and always was even when Job thought He wasn’t, responds, “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it” (40:2). God is pointing out to Job and those who are trying to take charge of Job’s painful life, that God is in control even when you can’t see, understand, or explain what He is doing.

            There is no leadership void when one really understands that a sovereign God is deeply engaged in His world and with the people He loves. I may not understand all His leading in my life or world, but I can trust His leadership. Therefore, my response to God’s leading is submission not frustration, accusation, or question. Secondly, since God is sovereignly leading and in control I need to respond with obedience and not conjecture, second guessing or panic. Therefore, I can relax -- I am not in charge -- God is.  

            Job ultimately answered the question, “Who is in charge?” He concluded, “God is.” Then he replied to the Lord, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me… I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes” (42:2-5).

            Job was trying to figure out a painful and perplexing life. He did when he arrived at a place where he saw God was in charge. He could relax and not fret. Charles H. Spurgeon wisely observes, “When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” There is a pillow to relax upon!           

Relying on the Unreliable

 A number of years ago, my wife and I were visiting dear friends in Yaak, MT. If you have not heard of the place don’t feel bad. It is seven miles from the Canadian border and the state line of Idaho. It is made up of a mercantile/café laundromat, and the Dirty Shame Saloon. There are not a lot of people in the region and the residents like it that way. God planted the town in the middle of the Rocky Mountains in possibly the most scenic location imaginable. Our friends were in the process of transitioning to the area as part of their retirement plan and part of their ministry vision to fully establish a local church in the area. Yaak was forty miles from the nearest town.

     The weeks we were with them are some of the most memorable of my life. Along with some construction, we had plenty of play time to do some R&R. All day four-wheeling on the fire and logging roads were amazing. We ended up at breathtaking mountain vistas and hidden melted snow lakes nestled in between. The wildlife was abundant, and the people were not. It was rare to come across anyone else on the trails -- except the rare sighting of a border guard and DEO official -- at a time when this was considered important in law enforcement. The temperatures were hot in the daytime (100+) and the evenings were cool (40’s). So one wilted in the day time in the “Big Sky” country and pulled on an extra blanket in the evening. Evening was a perfect time for huckleberry milk shakes and stretching the mussels cramped from the bumpy off road trails.

     One day we decided we could take a leisurely float down the Yaak River. Near the mercantile the river was pretty placid and flowed past our friend’s ranch. It was not many miles and the river was reasonably warm in the first three feet from the surface. Below that it was a bit breath taking. At church on Sunday, we asked if anyone had inner tubes to aid us in our adventure of floating the Yaak. The puzzled look should have been a warning that this did not happen often, if at all. After discussion the local folks suggested we see a local down the road who had some spare innertubes. The next day we paid him a visit and he took us to a back shed. There was a pile of mostly deflated tubes. Here was another warning we overlooked in our enthusiasm for this adventure. We borrowed them and took them back to the ranch to inflate them. It looked like they would hold air, so after lunch we launched. Probably a couple hundred yards after the mercantile was out of sight, we noticed tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of the inner tubes. We also noticed we were getting lower in the water. Not a good sign!

     We paddled faster to get closer to our planned exit point, but we were now really dragging in the water. We looked for an exit strategy along the steep banks and decided to “abandon tubes” as we approached a spot in the woods that had little undergrowth. Walking barefoot is not pleasant for tender feet. Thankfully, Facebook did not exist, and no incriminating evidence was posted of four adults walking gingerly over the forest floor! What a lesson to learn. Do not rely on the unreliable!

     Our experience is not unlike what others have faced. We put our trust in things that that are untrustworthy. How many have trusted a get rich scheme only to lose a fortune? How many have trusted a leader only to find he is a charlatan? How many have trusted a political system or party and discover they are no better that the party one has distained? How many have trusted a religious leader who sounds like they can be trusted and soon discover they are corrupt and exists for personal gain or glory? In the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah, laments over the state of the nation for their foolishness in following the unreliable and ignoring their reliable God. They are in peril. Jerusalem has fallen. What they had relied upon rather than God has betrayed them -- “There is no one left to help her [Israel]. All her friends have betrayed her; they are now her enemies… she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out… I begged my allies for help, but they betrayed me… Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me… (Lamentations 1:2, 9, 19). Jeremiah adds that even spiritual leaders were unreliable, “Your ‘prophets’ have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not try to hold you back from exile by pointing our sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hopes” (2:14). A sad state of affairs for the nation and any other people who think that relying upon God and His direction is insufficient for their lives. What we rely upon other than God often betrays us. When we need help, they are helpless.

     Jeremiah realizes as one person summarizes, “Governments rise and fall; economies crumble; even spiritual leaders disappoint us. But the Lord’s mercies never fail.” (The Daily Walk Bible). Thus, he lifts his eyes and concludes boldly and confidently with tears streaming down his face, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (3:22-23 NLT). Have you made the realization that our God is reliable! Has that reality given birth to trust in Him rather than in that which is unreliable? We can trust our God; He will hold us up!              

Let It Rain

The media headlines are filled with reports of droughts throughout the world including parts of the United States. With those reports we hear of corresponding devastation of massive fires, food shortages, insect infestations, shortage of drinking water, and many other related issues. Throughout the ages droughts have been recorded in ancient and modern historical records. What is striking today is that people are now looking to pass blame regarding their causes and propose solutions to correct their occurrences and devastation. A debate rages between those who espouse global weather changes on humanity’s impact upon our environment and those that propose that current weather is more related to weather cycles naturally occurring throughout history. Still others conclude droughts are the product of a combination of both factors. So, what should be done?

     A story is told that years ago a community in mid-America was facing a crisis because of a drought. The crops were failing, and financial ruin faced the region. They were so desperate that the community leaders called for a special prayer meeting for the community in the town square. The people flocked to the prayer meeting under the cloudless, blazing summer sun. One little guy came a little late to the gathering dressed in rain gear and brandishing and umbrella. People rather bemused looked at him oddly and commented on his attire. He responded, “I thought if we are praying for rain then I should be prepared.” He had a different view about prayer and how God answered. The townspeople saw prayer as an expression of desperation. The lad looked at prayer with anticipation that God may alter the most desperate of situations. Faith-energized prayers can alter our perspective so that our desperation can be morphed into hope-filled expectation.

     A biblical account in the Old Testament speaks about Elijah the prophet’s drought experience (1 Kings 17-18). God had given him a message to declare that there would be a drought for at least three years in Israel. Their national sin had activated a curse upon the nation (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). The biblical record portrays Elijah, not as a super-saint, but as “a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17-18). Yet, with all his weaknesses – even becoming so discouraged that he wished he could die and being so fearful that he ran for his life – he came to God by faith and prayed. When he prayed, like the little lad in the previous story, he did so with anticipation believing that God would answer his prayer.

     Elijah previously experienced a number of miraculous events including food, life, and fire from heaven. After all these provisions, he wants one more thing from God – rain from heaven. He announces to an evil king that there was an “abundance of rain” coming (1 Kings 18:41). Then he prayed. After a bit he asked his servant to check – not ACCU weather – the sky. Nothing! Prayed again and checked again. Six times he had the servant check, and the forecast was the same – nothing! What may have been going through Elijah’s mind as the reports came back? “I feel like an idiot.” “I guess God has let me down.” “I need to pray harder.” “This is useless.” “I give up.” His response was to keep praying. On the seventh observation the servant reports, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” (18:44). That was all Elijah needed to hear. He announced to Ahab, that evil king, “Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you” (18:44). He saw in that small cloud a hope-filled expectation of what God was going to do – abundant rain!

     How unlike the lad with the raincoat and umbrella, or like Elijah at Mt. Carmel, I am. I go through the motions of praying and asking God to work in the circumstances of my life. However, I often do not expect things to be altered. If there is not an immediate result, I assume that praying is useless and the issue must be beyond God’s intervention. I need to remember that my praying needs to reflect anticipation and persistence. In the New Testament I have gleaned additional reminders. God may choose to answer prayers in a different way than I expected because, “God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT). Also, I am reminded that the scope of my praying should be expansive. Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Nothing is too little or too big to bring to God in prayer. The boy in the raincoat with an umbrella knew this. So did Elijah. Do you and me?       

Finish the Assignment

Perspective is a funny thing. It causes people to see things differently than another individual simply because of the vantage point one has. Individuals look at the very same thing and yet draw different conclusions all because their outlook differs from another’s. I have observed how differently children respond to rollercoaster lines at an amusement park. An excited child looks at a line winding before them as unending, feeling it was progressing too slowly, envisioning the thrills about to occur, and fearing the ride may close before they ever get there. Seeing the same line, another child with some sort of apprehension concerning the ride sees the line moving too quickly, conjuring scenarios of potential catastrophes, and hoping the ride would close down before they got to the boarding spot. Same line, different child, alternate perspectives, and resulting in different emotions.

     Life is often like that as perspectives alter the way we process what will happen in the future. In some ways we are all headed for a “rollercoaster” called life and view that prospect very differently. Some have an adventurous spirit built into their DNA while others are injected with a sense of apprehension as they process what lay before them. The adventurous seem to be inoculated with a sense of immortality. Another, bearing the weight of apprehension, feels their mortality deeply and often events in their lives are seen as a threat to their longevity. The reality the Bible enjoins is “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1 NIV). Neither the adventurous nor the apprehensive has a perspective that is assured.

     The tragic events that have occurred in recent months has made clear that one’s perspectives may not reflect or alter reality. A trip to the grocery store, a day at the elementary school in the last days before summer vacation, or a night of relaxation on a city street may be drastically altered by the deviant and distorted perspective of another. In other cases, a trip in a car, a ride on a bike, a walk on a country road, a rumble of thunder on a Spring evening, or attendance at a religious service, all can end very differently than anticipated. Does this mean we should shelter in place because nowhere, no time, and no one is safe? Does this mean we embrace a fatalistic view of life, “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die?”

     David the Psalmist suggests that there is another alternative as we face the rigors of life. David has gone through numerous difficulties before his writing of Psalm 39 and is cautions as to how he responds to those painful experiences. He curbs his tongue. He acknowledges the distress that is boiling in his life. He then asks God to give him a necessary perspective in life. He writes these powerful words, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath… Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest—a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me” (39:4-5, 12 NLT).

     Perhaps adversity and age help one to appreciate what David is saying. As people travel through life, they experience the tears of misfortune and understand what was churning in David’s emotions. Others advanced in years have seen or experienced hardships in what they consider a brief life. They process how life moves so quickly and not without difficulty. Perhaps that is why the “Prayer of Moses” is recorded in the Psalms, “But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone…Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (90:10, 12 NLT).

     One activity that has recently caused me to appreciate Psalm 90 is to read the obituary pages in the newspaper. Years ago, the obituary had little interest to me. These were old people. I had as Robert Frost said, “Miles to go before I sleep” (“Stopping by woods on a snowy evening”). In recent years I glance at the obituary pages with a different perspective. I am seeing people that are more my contemporaries. Suddenly I’m sensing, “Maybe I don’t have so many miles to go before I sleep!” Then the follow-up question is, “What am I doing with the miles, or years, that are left?” Perhaps the request in Psalm 90:12 is a wise one, “Teach us to make the most of our time.”

     What do we do to “make the most of our time?” Perhaps Jesus summarized it well when he said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind… equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39 NLT). What kind of adjustments do you think would occur in our lives if this was the monitor of the moments of our fleeting life? Maybe more time would be spent developing our friendship and intimacy with God than developing friends or likes on social media. Perhaps it would mean less amusements and more investments of time in healthy relationships that reflect our love of people. Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life shares an important reminder, “Life is a gift... Life is a test... Life is a temporary assignment....” I would add, “Boldly finish the assignment we are given in life to the glory of God.”       

Wisdom Infused with Integrity

Tis the season of college graduations! Mortarboards and tassels will be flying as exuberant graduates are flooded with joyful emotions. Grads fling those awkward headpieces skyward and give a collective shout of glee. Common sense will arrive a bit later when they must collect those academic caps and turn them in to the administration to avoid a fine! Now that a milestone is past – bring on the rest of life! You know – the real world. The world where college loans will be paid back (at least they have been historically), where they enter the work force at the bottom of the totem pole, where they try to transition into a world where they cannot cut commitments, and where there are no extensions on deadlines that are given. Some will have little problem adjusting because they were already living in the real world. Others will struggle because their extended adolescence has finally come to a screeching halt.

     Last year (2020-2021) according one source (www.thinkimpact.com/college-graduates-statistics) there were approximately 4,000,000 college students graduating. That number was broken down into 983,000 associate’s degrees; 1,998,000 bachelor’s degrees; 833,000 master’s degree; and 187,000 doctor’s degree. That is a lot of flying mortarboards! Congratulations to those who have accomplished this milestone. Not all who begin post- secondary education accomplish this goal. Only 34% to 62% of the students in Bachelor degree programs – dependent on the type of institution – graduate.  

     Those who are graduating are likely filled with assumptions and dreams that they have attached to their accomplishments. Many expectations are enhanced as graduates hear about the shortage of workers. Visions of certain positions, compensations, and perks dance in their heads. However, some will come to the sad realization that their aspirations were but delusions of grandeur. They will enter the work force realizing that what they had planned may have to be drastically altered. Shortages in the work force do not diminish competition for positions.

     What does the world around us look for in a potential person to hire? I am sure there are a litany of suggestions. Perhaps the legendary Warren Buffet, highly respected multibillionaire and Chairman/CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, makes the greatest observation. Buffet says, "In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." In a world that prizes knowledge, character is held in higher esteem. It seems to me that there is an abundance of knowledge and a dearth of wisdom that is infused with integrity. Wisdom is applied knowledge. Integrity is the constraining force that positively influences one’s character even when no one is looking. Many a wise person has become a shipwreck when they cast off their anchor of integrity.

     Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu political ethicist, observed the world and concluded, "There are seven things that will destroy us: Wealth without work; Pleasure without conscience; Knowledge without character; Religion without sacrifice; Politics without principle; Science without humanity; Business without ethics." Integrity is cross cultural. Tragically it is absent or greatly diminished in many settings and it appears increasingly so. The character of integrity is desired worldwide because humanity is made in the image of God. Thus, His character is designed to be reflected in those He created. Often, however, it is not.

     When young King Solomon was assigned the mega task of ruling the people of Israel following the impressive rule of his father King David, God visited him. God asked him what he wanted. Solomon’s reply was, “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9 NLT). He knew he needed wisdom (“understanding heart”) but it needed to be coupled with integrity that involved knowing the “difference between right and wrong.” God was pleased with his request (3:10). Fusing these two qualities, wisdom and integrity, would indeed make a good king for God’s people. The result was that he accomplished great works, acquired great wealth, and the nation was blessed. Decades later as his reign ends, we see an old man who is now lacking integrity. This occurred because “his heart was not loyal to the Lord His God” (11:4) and the “Lord became angry… because his heart was turned from the Lord” (11:9). Integrity must always be maintained. One hymn writer realized there is a danger to drift from a life of integrity and wrote, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, oh take and seal it.” He is aware of an integrity drift and asks God to keep his life on course.

     Are we living lives that are pairing wisdom with integrity? Perhaps we are allowing influences around us to reset our course in life. Maybe passions in our lives are driving us and we are seeking not what is right but what makes us feel good. Possibly entitlement has deluded us into thinking we deserve what we want or are doing. Could it be we are just living careless lives and not evaluating what we are doing?

     Harvard Business Review concludes “behavioral integrity,” where words and actions are in alignment, is a necessity in business. It is in all of life. Solomon shared this proverb with his son, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed” (Proverbs 10:9). Sadly, Solomon lacked “behavioral integrity” and it showed. May we seek to be people who not only talk about and want integrity, but also allow integrity to be fused with wisdom as we live our lives in this world.   

Hope Restored

   

  A repeated phrase often heard lately is, “We had hoped…” This is followed by an aspiration that has suddenly vaporized in the chaos of a world that feels like it is in freefall into an abyss of despair. Two years ago it was, “We had hoped to celebrate our anniversary in a special way.” That hope morphed into a backyard cookout for two and a zoom call from family and friends garbed in individual masks. Last year we had hoped the Covid catastrophe would be over. That hope also vanished as stage two of the pandemic kicked in and restrictions continued, and uncertainty reigned. This year the normalcy we anticipated was trashed by hyperinflation, war, and worldwide gloom. Now we simply hope to pull up to the gas pump and fill up the tank without taking a second mortgage on our house. Hope has pretty much been absent in our vocabulary in recent years. It now is something we dream may once again emerge in our world.

     The effects of this lost hope have emerged in numerous ways. The Harris Poll, compiled March 1-3 for the American Psychological Association’s (APA), found events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflation are causing significant stress among the American public. APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. concludes. “But these data suggest that we’re now reaching unprecedented levels of stress that will challenge our ability to cope.” Larger stresses have bred numerous individual stressors such as short tempers (“Get off the road stupid!”), fractured communication (“Think like me or you are an idiot!”), increased family dysfunction (“What do you mean I am hard to live with?), engaged in poor health practices (“Pass me another sleeve of Oreos now!”), and dozens of other such indicators. The same APA poll reported that a high percentage said their mental health was greatly affected by what has felt like a "constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years" (nbcnews.com/health/health-news).

     Perhaps the most obvious malaise is the depressive state many people feel when hope vanishes. The World Health Organization found a “global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine what the percentage might be now with all the other negative issues around the world. Lindsey McKernan, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, observes Americans were "already in an overwhelmed and depleted place." Now she observes there exists a "new threat to our safety."

     When hope is lost, despair quickly fills the void. While we often think of the Easter as a glorious event filled with hope. Remember that first Easter did not start out that way. The biblical records women very early in the morning coming to the tomb where Jesus had been hastily buried. They were not coming with hope. They had come with all the essentials to deal with the dead body of Jesus (Luke 24:1). When they entered the tomb, they were perplexed not finding the body of Jesus (24:3-4). An angelic being had to remind them of what Jesus had been saying – he would be raised on the third day (24:5-8). This hope-filled reminder infused them with renewed hope, and they returned to doubtful disciples who dismissed their report (24:9-11). Later that same day two disciples walked on the road to Emmaus and discussed what had happened and were sad faced (24:13-15, 17). Jesus appearing clandestinely among them asked what was discouraging them. They shared the information, but the crucifixion part of the account had so overwhelmed them that the news of Jesus being risen was not even embraced (24:19-24). Their summation for their depression is encapsulated in their words, “But we had hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel” (24:21). Their hope was gone. Defeat and depression ruled. It took the intervention of Jesus by his teaching of the Scriptures and fellowship in a meal to open their defeated lives to recognize the risen Christ (24:25-32).

      Hope reentered their lives. They retraced their steps and returned to their fellow disciples to give the hope-filled announcement, “The Lord is risen indeed!” (24:34-35). Moments later Jesus appeared confirming their report and underscored that, “These are the words which I spoke to you when I was with you” (24:38-46). Hope can be restored when people are reminded of what Jesus has said and embrace his promises. The disciples were overcome by the trauma of the horrible crucifixion. Now once again they became hope-filled individuals.

     The perils we face in this world are real. The person, promises, and power of Jesus are also real. They can transform the bleak circumstances and prospects we confront in this conflicted world. One promise should stand out like a beacon to us, (John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Easter displays the success of his overcoming work. This Easter season focus your eyes on a triumphant, risen Savior, and not on the bleakness of a broken world. Remember the transformed message the hope-restored disciples proclaimed, “He is risen indeed!”  (Luke 24:34). May this assist us to remove the gloomy clouds that might be overwhelming us.                    

Cover-up or Cleansing?

The media seems to make its living by exposing cover-ups. Almost daily there is a breaking story reporting that some individual or organization has been exposed as covering up some unwise or inappropriate activity. It appears that humanity feels more comfortable camouflaging an error rather than correcting one. In doing so, most often the cover-up becomes more disastrous that the actual event being concealed.  Business advisor, Price Pritchett correctly concludes, “Everybody makes honest mistakes, but there's no such thing as an honest cover-up.”

     What is the definition of “cover-up?” According to Merriam-Webster the term means “concealment of a crime, misdeed, or other wrongdoing, as well as to the act of assisting the wrongdoer in concealing a crime, misdeed, or wrongdoing.” In essence it is trying to conceal what one never wants revealed. One person volunteered that it also refers to a loose outer garment worn at the beach to cover our caloric misdeeds or sedentary practices. That is a secondary meaning perhaps to be considered at another time!

     Cover-ups are designed to disguise rather that remedy an issue. The American rapper, record artist, and fashion designer, Kanye West observing our culture suggests, “We buy a lot of clothes when we don't really need them, Things we buy to cover up what's inside.” Masking and making over our outward appearance will never obscure our internal problems and pains no matter how much we assume others have been deceived. What is concealed will ultimately be revealed regardless of attempted cover-ups. Perhaps it is wiser to consider another alternative. Dan Allender states a better option saying, “Christ never intended to cover up the dark side of life, but rather to illuminate a path through it.”

     There is an Old Testament character who thought he could change his circumstances by covering up a horrible crime and heinous sin. His name is Moses and he tried to cover-up murder. In Exodus 2 we see him as a man of privilege, passion, and presumption. He was an adopted child of Pharaoh’s daughter. He was brought up in her household and enjoyed all the privileges that were associated with that position. Perhaps he had adopted the worldview of his culture and had a lowered value of a human’s life. Perhaps he developed an inflated view of privilege and assumed he could do whatever he wanted to do as a part of Pharaoh’s family. Whatever he presumed because of his privilege, it became fused with his passion.

     Evidently, he had maintained a connection to the heritage from which he had come. On one occasion he observed the mistreatment of “one of his people” (2:11). He allowed passion to control his life and decided he would intervene and deliver the mistreated Israelite. He acted presumptively. He could have stopped the man who was beating one of “his people” by a command as Pharaoh’s household member. But he resorted to doing what he knew was wrong. He “looked this way and that and seeing no one he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (2:12). He was concerned with what humans may see and overlooked the unobstructed view that God had. He then used the shifting sand of Egypt to cover-up what could not be concealed.  Andy Stanley observed, “If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a feeling we would all get real motivated to [properly] deal with the source of what ails us.”  

     After digging the hole to bury the Egyptian, did Moses walk away thinking he had successfully dealt with what he had done? The problem is buried. Life goes on as usual. What a delusion if this was his thought. The cover-up was brief. Scripture reports that “the next day… two Hebrews were struggling together” (2:13). He again tries to assume the role of “deliverer” and is startled to discover that his cover-up has already been uncovered. The man in the wrong rebuffs Moses by saying, “Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (2:14). Moses realized what Jesus said centuries later, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:2-3).

     What is the result for Moses once he realized his cover-up was blown? Exodus 2:14 reports three consequences. He was afraid. He lost favor in Pharaoh’s family. He had a death sentence issued against him. He runs for his life. Remember, cover-ups do not correct issues. They simply delay consequences at best, and at worst make life even more of a mess than they were. This is why it is so encouraging to see how God deals with our failures and sins. Author and blogger Sharon Christian writes [God] “Doesn't try to cover up our flaws; He starts from scratch and makes us new." The Apostle Paul states it this way, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). Thankfully God is in the business of cleansing our sins and failures, not covering them up! That is God’s mercy and grace!

Time to Restart

We are now a month into the new year and many of the well-intended resolutions have already bit the dust. New Year’s celebrations consuming mouthwatering snacks, and the left-over holiday sweet treats, when coupled with binge watching football games, has left our dietary intentions in shambles. Eating healthy is but a mirage. Losing pounds we acquired this past year is but a figment of our imagination. In fact, it seems our girth has grown! The exercise program we envisioned remains in the planning stages. We only have gotten as far as buying the exercise clothes, Googled exercise programs, and collected excuses as to why we should wait for more appropriate weather to start this process.

     U.S. News & World Report reported some disappointing findings about resolutions. They revealed, “By the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolutioners are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror — the remorse of disappointment.” Great expectations embedded in our resolutions often only yield great exasperations! There are certainly many reasons for this happening. Psychology Today suggests that there are some contributing factors to this lack of success. They propose that there are “… four common ways you are standing in the way of your success… Your goals aren’t clear… You feel overwhelmed. You feel discouraged… You’re not ready to change.” It appears there are more barriers blocking our resolutions than there are bridges to our success.

     With this disappointing news it probably comes as no surprise that many have determined such intentions are futile and simply say, “Why bother?” On one website (discoverhappyhabits.com) they share a plethora of statistics concerning resolutions that they amass and update from year to year. They reported that only “31% of survey participants plan on making resolutions for 2021 while 19% are still undecided.” It appears that a majority of people have concluded, “Why create undue frustration? I’ll just forgo this whole process.” In that same website they discovered that about “one in 10 people who failed said they made too many resolutions.” In essence they spread themselves too thin. They tried to address all the issues needing to be tackled. Their divided attention was such a distraction that they failed in their goals.

     One biblical character who I admire is the Apostle Paul. He had a healthy way to look at life and this enabled him to accomplish much. He was a preacher, a church planter, a theologian, a disciple maker, a defender of the Christian faith before the secular world, an encourager and exhorter of people, and a traveler throughout the Roman world. He expended tremendous energy and effort (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) to carry out the mission he believed he was given by Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3:12-14 he shared the philosophy energizing his life. While he did many things, he was single focused “this one thing I do.”

     How did he carry out that single focus? First, he did not see himself as having arrived. He knew he had lots of growing to do to be all that God wanted him to be. Too often a person thinks so highly of themselves that they do not consider that there is room for improvement. Such an individual will be slow to make changes, if they are even willing to make them at all.

     Second, he did not focus on his past failures or successes. When our focus is on failures of the past we can be weighed down in discouragement. Focusing upon successes may cause one to think there is no more to accomplish. Paul focused ahead and envisioned how God might work in him. Such a forward-looking vision keeps one seeing the future as the place of potential as one moves ahead.

     Third, he realized that energy must be merged with vision for the future. He says he was “straining forward to what lies ahead.” Too often great intentions die because energy and effort are not propelling us in the direction we believe we need to go. I remember watching the salmon in Alaska expending great effort to swim upstream in the mighty current of the Copper River to their spawning grounds. They were motivated to lay their eggs and produce the next generation of salmon. If I saw a salmon floating downstream with the current, I knew it was dead. It takes a live fish to swim against the current. Any dead fish can simply go with the flow. People can learn a powerful lesson from those salmon!

     Paul also shared he was pressing “on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He knew that he was living life not for himself but for God. Living for something bigger than ourselves is a great motivator in our resolve to accomplish great things.

     Perhaps we need a restart in the new year. Resolve to learn from the words of the Apostle Paul and do the one thing that needs to be done to see your life transformed to impact the world around you.