Here Comes Mother’s and Father’s Day

Children, heads-up, Mother’s Day is May 14. Closely following is Father’s Day a month later on June 18. I prefer not to assume, “Best is first,” and rather think, “Ladies first!” Then again, since Father’s Day was made official in 1972 – 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official – one may wonder if there is some sort of preferential treatment of mothers! Whatever spin you put on the dating of events, it is noteworthy that someone saw fit to single out a date to honor these individuals who are important in our lives. Parents are important!

     But does everyone see this truth as valid? An uproar ensued in November 2022 when The National Educators Association tweeted, “Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive” (twitter.com/NEAToday/status). Giving the tweet the benefit of the doubt, the implications of the statement were at least not well thought out. Afterall, who has not said or written something rather carelessly? Perhaps parents reacted less than positively because they may feel marginalized in the rhetoric of current culture. Parents are essential in the lifelong learning of their children. Study after study emphasizes the benefits of parental influence as well as the detriment in a child’s life when that influence is missing. I have learned much from the highly committed teachers that impacted my life. In some ways I learned even more from my parents who were able to teach by both life and lip many other things I needed to navigate and problem-solve in a chaotic world.

     There are many ways that parents can teach and impact a child’s life. Perhaps several analogies may illustrate the ways a parent may influence one’s child – a car carrier, a guard rail, or a tow truck. When a child begins their journey in life, they make few decisions. They are on a “car carrier” taken from place to place without being asked their opinions or given options. Parents are super engaged in the child’s life and decision making in this stage.

     As a child grows the parents take on another role. Perhaps we could say they become “guard rails.” The child develops more independence on the “road of life.” The parent places well placed guardrails to keep a child from drifting off course, protecting them from danger, and helping them discern direction by their own observation. The child still has limitations, but now they realize there are consequences when traveling through life if you ignore the “guardrail’s guidance” – i.e., a scratch, a dented fender, or worse. Here the parent is still engaged in a child’s life and giving guidance as decisions are being made. Life is now being lived while experiencing elements of freedom as they live in a dangerous world that could seriously damage them if they do not use their freedom wisely. Parents can live life with their children and the child sees how the parent manages or mismanages life. Have you ever observed a mangled guardrail? They teach a life lesson even if it is simply, “One needs to be careful when navigating through this part of life.”

     One thing a parent does not want to become to their children is a “tow truck.” Some parents think a child learns best by unbridled experience. The child is cut loose and then the parent follows at a distance to service the breakdown of a mismanaged life. Even worse, sometimes they are called to clean up the wreck occurring through unwise decisions, leading to misguided actions, and producing tragic consequences. Parent’s strategic engagement is important in a child’s life that extends well beyond formal educational environments. Life on life is an essential element that must be provided by healthy and helpful parental engagement for a child’s wholesome development.

     In 1 Samuel 2:12 ff there is a sad picture of a parent, Eli, who failed in his role. He knew his role. As a priest he had the Law that defined his parental duties i.e., Deuteronomy 6:6-9. But he was living in a time when culturally “all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25). It seems that Eli parented like his culture operated. The result was that his two sons “were corrupt” (1 Sam. 2:12). Their father became a “tow truck” to clean up their messes. How did they get like this? First, no instruction in spiritual things – “they did not know the Lord.” Second, Eli provided no “guardrails” in his sons’ lives. He allowed his sons to live like the lawless culture around them. He heard “his sons made themselves vile” and “did not restrain them” (3:13). Lastly, Eli modeled that he did not honor the Lord. He “honored his sons more” than he honored the Lord (2:29). His failure to lovingly restrain his sons cost Eli and his sons their lives.

     It is true you do not carry children all their lives. It is equally true that as children are given more personal responsibility a parent must provide guardrails for their lives. Neglecting to do these things is parental negligence. Children failing to heed these things are foolish.

     As you approach these special days when parents are acknowledged, children thank God for the parents he gave you – good or bad they are teaching or have taught you something. As parents, evaluate the kind of parent you are and ask God to enable you to be even more effective in your divine calling.

     Again, happy Mother’s Day and Father’s Day… or vise versa. You decide why the order was chosen!              

    

Trivial Pursuit or Risk?

Which game most typifies your life — “Trivial Pursuit” or “Risk”? If we were able to take an accurate inventory of how we spend our time each day, we might be rather amazed by our time investments. According to the latest stats in the “American Time Use Survey” from the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average American spends their time in a variety of pursuits including some of these: sleeping (average of 8 hours and 33 minutes); working (for people with full-time jobs average 8 1/2 weekday hours at work); pursuing educational activities (averaged 28 minutes a day — with students considerably more); engaging in household activities (18 minutes house cleaning, 11 minutes a day doing laundry, 34 minutes a day preparing meals and cleaning up); enjoying leisure activities (people spent 5 hours, 16 minutes a day — watching TV 2 hours 48 minutes a day; socializing 38 minutes a day; exercising and sports — men 1 hour 42 minutes working out or playing sports and women exercised 1 hour and 18 minutes); eating and drinking (hour and 11 minutes for meals and snacks); and grooming (51 minutes a day). This summary simply portrays that time is not “squirreled” away; it is spent in small incremental investments that will eventually run out. Everyone has 24 hours per day, 365 days per year – 8,760 hours every year of our lives. What do we do with it all? Too often we use the time in trivial pursuits rather than investing that time in meaningful pursuits that may involve some risks.

      As we approach the upcoming Holy week in the Christian calendar, we see contrasting perspectives between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was on a mission that involved great risk — to move toward his enemies in Jerusalem who desired to take his life by crucifixion on a cross (Matthew 26:1-4). By contrast the disciples were preoccupied with the trivial issues of life. When Mary risked her precious possession by anointing the feet of Jesus with costly ointment in anticipation of Jesus’ death (John 12:3-8), the disciples saw her action as a waste (Mark 14:4-5). Jesus saw her action as a good work (6) and concluded it was no trivial pursuit but as a risk worth taking (8-9).

     Judas by contrast saw an opportunity to make a profit by betraying Jesus to the religious establishment. He was intent on amassing material wealth and ignored the spiritual bankruptcy reflected in his own life (Matthew 26:14-16). He completely ignored the teaching Jesus had proclaimed earlier, “What does it profit a man. To gain the whole world and forfeit his life” (Mark 8:31-38). Even Peter objected to the risk Jesus was incurring on that occasion and was rebuked by Jesus telling him, “You mind not the things of God but the things of men.” How often are so-called-followers of Jesus risk adverse yet passionate about things that really do not matter where “moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).

     When Jesus was finally betrayed by Judas, essentially all the disciples betrayed Him. None expected that they would ever do this even when Jesus announced they would stumble and be scattered (Mark 14:27-31). The most outspoken was Peter who assured Jesus that he would not fail Him. He was up to the risk of standing with the Lord in the face of opposition. All the disciples said the same thing (31). Yet faced with the religious leaders and soldiers that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, “they all forsook Him and fled” (50). The risk to their life in that moment was too great. They were committed to the pursuit of staying alive. Brave declarations are not the same as brave actions. Even Peter’s emotional promise of being more loyal than all the other disciples (14:29) vaporized in the face of a servant girl’s testimony of Peter being a follower of Jesus (14:67, 69, 70-72). Trivial pursuits do not seem as trivial when we are ruled by emotion and fear more than unswerving commitment to what matters most in life.

     Jesus was willing to take the risk required to fulfill the mission he was give by his Heavenly Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was faced with the full cost of the risk he was taking as he faced the cross before him. The risk produced sorrow as he moved into the garden, he “began to be very sorrowful and sore troubled. Then he said unto Peter, James, and John, ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death’” (Matthew 26:37-38). Even as Jesus prayed the weight of the risk bore down on him and he asked the Father, “If it be possible, let this cup pass away from me” (39). The statement of submission to doing the Father’s will is stated succinctly, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Living a life that is willing to take the risk is not easy but is often necessary to accomplish God’s will.

     The rest of the story involved Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of the world, a resurrection, and an ascension into heaven to be the advocate for those who are His children. The writer of Hebrews challenges us to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus avoided the trivial pursuits of the world and embraced the risk of obedience that the Father had set before him.

     What are we pursuing in life — trivial things or things that which really will make a difference? Jesus is the example to follow. Use the 8,760 hours you have each year to invest in the eternal. Then you will not be engaged in trivial pursuits.    

Human Beings or Human Doing?

We need to remind ourselves that God made us to be first “human beings” not to be “human doings.” Unfortunately, we sometimes live as if our life is measured more by what we do than by realizing we are human beings made in the image of God for His glory. We are designed to do something, but that something is not ultimately the measure of our life. Our lives are measured by how God is glorified in the human being God has made us to be. Apostle Paul reminds one church that even in the ordinary things of life God can be glorified, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). As human beings we are valuable as God is glorified in and through us.

     Some years back Harry Gray, then CEO of United Technologies, wrote a piece entitled “How Important Are You?” which appeared in the Wall Street Journal. It presented some analogies showing how important each human being is in the grand scheme of life. Answering the question he writes, “More than you think. A rooster minus a hen equals no baby chicks. Kellogg minus a farmer equals no corn flakes. If the nail factory closes, what good is the hammer factory? Paderewski’s genius wouldn’t have amounted to much if the piano tuner hadn’t shown up. A cracker maker will do better if there’s a cheesemaker. The most skillful surgeon needs the ambulance driver who delivers the patient. Just as Rodgers needed Hammerstein you need someone, and someone needs you.” God has made human beings by His sovereign design so that they can contribute their part in the world to bring glory to God.

     Too often we go to extremes as we process our lives. We may inflate who we are by what we do and become arrogant in our estimation of our value and position in the world. The other extreme is equally dangerous as we marginalize our value as we look at what we do and conclude, “I am only a _______.” Such a view casts dispersions upon God’s plan and purposes for which He has made us as human beings. The estimation causes us to undervalue our worth in God’s sight, even wondering, “Why did God even bother creating me?”

     It is interesting that when we emphasize our “human doings” a sister problem often arises. We can easily become envious of what another does, and the green eye of jealousy keeps us from rejoicing in how God is using someone else for His glory. Director Oliver Stone cautioned, “Never underestimate the power of jealousy and the power of envy to destroy. Never underestimate that.” Perhaps that is why the English poet Philip Bailey wrote, “Envy's a coal [that] comes hissing hot from Hell.” When a human being focuses upon the “human doing” a destructive result easily occurs. The definition of envy Chuck Swindoll gives is right on target, “Envy is a painful and resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another… accompanied by a strong desire to possess the same advantage. Envy wants to have what someone else possesses.” How devastating that can be.

     In Mark’s gospel (12:38-44) Jesus warns the crowds to be careful of emphasizing our “human doings” rather than being “human beings” that live to glorify God. The religious leaders of that day were making a great show of their doings. They lived to put on a show for the people to observe. Jesus said of them, “They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers” (38-40). They lived to put on a show that brought glory to themselves. It was all about doing and self-display.

     In contrast to these displays, Jesus then reports on a widow he observed. There were people making a great show of their generosity as they deposited their money (41). But Jesus took note of a poor widow who possibly made a disregarded deposit. It was a small gift in the eyes of people (42), but enormous in  Jesus’ estimation. Being aware of all things he says, “Out of her poverty, [she] put in everything—all she had to live on” (44). Jesus gave this evaluation, “This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others” (43). What was Jesus evaluating? He was not merely looking at her as a “human doing” but as a “human being” that was living to glorify God with an act of worship.

     Was she envious that others had more to give because they had a better station in life? It is unlikely. Her full focus was that she was able to glorify God with what God had given her as a human being made in the image of God. God wants us to stress the right things in life. We are more than what we do. We are the sum total of who God has made us to be as a human being designed to glorify Him.   

Guided by Principle or Resolution

We are now several weeks into the new year. How are you doing with those resolutions that you had hoped would alter your life or at least adjust it for a period of time? Blogger Mick de Boer shared a survey and article in which he reported “19 Mind-Blowing New Year’s Resolution Statistics (2023).” He indicated that 38% of US adults set New Year’s resolutions every year. The largest demographic group to do so are young adults (18-34) at 59% of those who make them. The top three resolutions are health-related with “exercise more” being the top one. However, the great intentions did not necessarily produce great results as 23% quit after the first week, 36% do not make it past the first month, and only 9% keep their resolution throughout the year. He also discovered that “People over 55 are 3 times less likely to have resolutions compared to younger adults.” Perhaps Stephen Shapiro, author of “Goal Free Living: How to Live the Life You Want Now,” offers a correct assessment as to why older folks quit making resolutions. He writes, “At some point, people just decide to stop hurting themselves, and they call the whole thing off.” So, if your resolution to avoid the leftover holiday candy dish and walk three miles a day is still in place, congratulations. Call me to come over to empty your candy dish to help you!!

     Perhaps the grocery-list-of-resolutions is the wrong approach to make life altering course corrections. Maybe establishing a guiding principle for all of life is a better approach. The principled life is one that allows the bigger, all-encompassing goal to alter all the lesser goals for life. This is the approach the Apostle Paul uses as he is encouraging a church that was living in a culture that could easily sabotage the zeal a person might have for an altered life. He shared this guiding principle, “So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Don’t act thoughtlessly but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT). Running one’s attitudes and actions through this grid would certainly cause one to stop and consider what they are doing. Simple questions like: “Is this wise? Is this good? Is this thoughtful? Is this what God would want me to do?”— would certainly have a great impact upon how one would live in this world. The guiding principle and related questions would also have a broader impact on our lives. The principle would give us an expansive outlook into other areas of our lives beyond the selective resolutions we make.

     Bernard Baruch, an American financier and international statesman, once said, “Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life, have been the consequences of action without thought.” Too often our impulses lead us and not guiding principles which give one the opportunity to pause and reflect upon the unintended consequences of our actions. Thus, we rush into decisions that are both harmful to ourselves and damaging to others. Many times, we have said, “If I had only thought that one through…” But we didn’t. The guiding principle for our life was neglected and as a result we are surrounded by the rubble of the disaster of misguided decisions.

     While reading a little bit about the sinking of the Titanic recently, I was intrigued by the guiding principle that was ignored as the “unsinkable” ship cruised through the North Atlantic on April 14, 1912. The result we know was a disaster and the catastrophic loss of 1,514 lives. On the 100^th anniversary of the tragedy, Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News, wrote a piece entitled “10 Causes of the Titanic Tragedy.” Among his findings were clear facts that showed that there was a key guiding principle ignored. This contributed to the catastrophe. One of the 10 causes that stands out was that the iceberg warnings went unheeded. The warning should have altered the ship’s speed and extra precautions should have been taken. They weren’t. Captain Smith maintained full ahead speed of the ship as he decided to beat the record of a sister ship in the White Star fleet. Another cause Boyle noted was the binoculars for lookouts were locked up. They could have aided the lookouts on the night of the collision. Some historians have speculated that the fatal iceberg might have been spotted earlier if lookouts had them. These are some of the issues that stand out possibly underscoring the major factor that the general principle of “safety first” was not guiding the officers of the ill-fated ship.

     How many have “sailed” into this new year wanting a different outcome and make resolutions. Would it be more advantageous to seek to carry out an overarching guiding principle that would help us navigate all of life. The Bible provides numerous principles. They are worth considering and implementing. Sail through this year as a person that has a wise principle guiding them as they journey through 2023.           

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!