Archive - Purpose RSS Feed

Welcome to the World

September 30, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

It was an unfortunate case of reading too quickly. I read what I thought the sermon title was instead of what was actually printed. I quickly realized my error though when the message began and the sermon was about the importance of taking God’s Word like it was the Word of God. Oops – “Welcome to the Word” is was my mind should have registered. Chalk it up to a hasty assumption – I thought the sermon was going to be about our place in the world. It’s only one letter different but it definitely changed the tenor of things.

“Coincidently” I had already been thinking a lot about our place in the world – perhaps the reason for my accidental misinterpretation. Reading a book called “Not On Our Watch” I learned about the mass atrocities that are being perpetrated in Darfur. I had heard a lot about the situation in Sudan but had mistakenly believed that the peace treaty signed in 2006 had brought to bear the weight of the international community and that remedies were being put into place. What I hadn’t realized was that Darfur was specifically left out of the treaties. Suspicious of any cause that garners the attention of celebrities, I hadn’t paid much attention to the details of the arrangement which is perhaps why I had neglected to pay attention to the continue cycle of violence, sexual assault, and mass atrocities that are being suffered by the people of Darfur. Fueled by ethnic tensions and backed by government support, thousands of been subject to unspeakable crimes and even more have been displaced as a result of the ongoing violence. Ignorance is bliss, and my previous ignorance was definitely more peaceable than the compelling knowledge that I now must contend with. Its probably why I don’t like to watch the news – too much responsibility comes with knowledge.

However no longer protected by the thin veil of ignorance I’m left to struggle with what I can do in situations that far outweigh my abilities. The truth is I haven’t quite figured out the best way to participate in a solution. What I do know, however, is that as a Christian, my concern has to be for the people who are suffering. Jesus never commanded to love only if the result of that love would solve problems. We are instructed to think of others ahead of ourselves and when His children suffer, regardless of where they are in the world, our heart should break right alongside His. Our place in the world is to be the extension of His compassion. It may not solve international crises but its impact on singular lives can not be underestimated. Its easier to stay in our bubble, but being a Christian isn’t supposed to be easy, and the value of a human life is far outweighs the cost of our comfort. It’s our job to join in; to do our part to show others Jesus’ love. Without us, His truth remains a mystery. Without it, evil wins.

Welcome to the world. It needs you.


Escaping Expectations

July 25, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

I know I’m not alone when I say I hate to disappoint people. Like many others, I have this tendency to want to make other people happy. Thankfully, I have friends in my life who help make sure that I don’t get too carried away. One such friend regularly reminds me to have a mental makeover in order to make sure that I’m doing things for others out of a spirit of generosity not obligation. It definitely helps me stay sane.

Because of my desire to try to please people, I often find myself attempting to lower expectations. In fact, given the opportunity, I try to disavow them all together. I don’t want someone else to think I can do something or be someone that I’m not sure I’ve progressed to. So I strive to lower the bar, to set other people’s eyes on what I’m fairly confident is achievable. It’s my way of managing other people’s potential disappointment.

Sometimes we do the same thing with God. Especially for those of us who are blessed with having been raised in a church, we usually have a fairly good understanding of what God expects from us and what He doesn’t. In fact, He intentionally makes it difficult to obscure. “Follow Me” is what He said to the disciples . . . and its what He still says to today.

The simplicity of Jesus’ instructions don’t make them palatable. We know that we should give up all rights to ourselves and we also know how much we want to do our own thing. We know we should love others with a greater magnitude than we love ourselves yet we find ourselves sitting in judgment. We try to tell God, “no, Lord, don’t send me.” because we’re not sure that we’re up to the task.

Expectations, however, only seek to define that which has not yet been determined. If we fail to live up to God’s expectations, He’ll find another way to accomplish His purpose. When we evade God’s expectations, we avoid the risk of failure and the reward of obedience.

We can’t escape the expectations of others. But when we run from God’s expectations for our lives we disavow our chance to be involved with His agenda and to be used for His renown.


Trapped

May 22, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

The other day I got stuck between two people having a conversation and mentioned in an offhanded remarked that I felt trapped. Someone asked if I meant like a fish in a net, and I affirmed that the feeling was similar. Later, as three people discussed something about which I had absolutely no frame of reference I stated that I felt like a fish out of water. (Both of these remarks prompted an interesting discussion about what kind of fish I would be. A discussion that I was ill-equipped to have.) Without exactly meaning to, i had created an interesting parallel. Both times I was equated with a fish. Both times the analogy was apt.

Whether a fish is trapped in a net or happens to find themselves on shore, they are not in the environment that God intended for them. All the things that fish were created to do are not possible in either of those circumstances. In the first, the fish has had outside forces conspire to remove it from its natural environment. There is very little that a fish can do to affect change once they are in the net; the idea is to avoid it. In the second situation, the fish itself has acted to get outside of God’s plans. Following what it thought was a better alternative created a situation in which it was unable to survive. The fish probably doesn’t intend for that to be the end result. Nevertheless, it is.

Sometimes I think humans are not that much wiser. We let outside forces surround us and prevent us from following God’s plans. Or, we ourselves think we know a better way, and so we jump out of the ocean of God’s goodness, intent that there is a better life for us on the sand. There never is. God made us for one purpose – to give Him glory. Any time we act on our own we’re supplanting that purpose with our own desires. Anytime we do that, we’re trapped. We experience bondage, not freedom. We experience death, not life. We seek to do our own thing, and than find that our own thing is not worth pursuing. We’ve been given everything we need to live the life we’re intended, if only we’re content to be what God’s called us.

I don’t know what fish I would be. I’m grateful that I don’t have to choose. I only hope that I can be the person that God intended and not let anything, whether outside forces or my own desires, prevent that.


A Good Year

May 21, 2007 in Purpose with 1 Comment

I love birthdays. Whether mine or someone else’s, there’s just something great about the fact that everybody has a day where they are celebrated. Birthdays are the perfect time to reflect on where life has taken you, who you want to be, and the steps (or missteps) that you’ve taken a long the way. They are also a great occasion for remembering what is special about another person and for recognizing all that they’ve meant in our iives. All of that, and you get ice cream, and there’s really just nothing else like them.

My love for birthdays is especially prescient because today happens to be mine. Being the introspective person that I am, I’ve spent the last week or so thinking about the previous year and how my life has changed. In a lot of ways, its been a tough year. Not because anything abhorently bad has happened. Thankfully it hasn’t. But the year has brought a lot of experiences that have stretched my perception of myself. It’s been a year of challenge as I’ve sought to define who I am without reference to what other people expect of me. In a lot of ways, this has been more difficult to deal with then when outside forces collaborate to bring about less-than-pleasant things. When things that are identifiably bad happen to you, other people come to your side and can engage in tangible activities to alleviate the situation. When the struggle is internal, that assistance is unavailable. You’re left with just the reflection in the mirror. Time marches on, and whether you march with it, is dictated by how you respond to the questions that have been raised.

For lovers of fine wine, time is also extremely important. Bottles are chosen and priced based on the year of their creation. A “good year” occurs when the vintage achieves the level of fullness that the wine maker intended. A wine from a good year is treasured because it has achieve the objectives of its creator. Although I don’t know a lot about wine-making I do know that not everything that the grapes go through is pleasant. They are processed, stomped upon and generally stripped of everything but their essence in order to produce a drink that will be enjoyed by thousands. The challenge with wine-making is that during this process the end result is not known immediately. There is an interim period where both wine-maker and wine-lovers must trust and hope that the process has its intended outcome. It is a time of waiting and of challenge, and it is only in retrospect that its effect can be seen.

Consequently, in a lot of ways, I have come to believe that this past year of my life has been a good one. I trust that whatever road God is leading me down, He is the One doing the leading. The Creator has a purpose and a plan, and just like every step before, this past year has been a part of that process. My job, just like the grape’s, it not to worry about what I’m going through, but to make sure that I’m responding appropriately. The year has been one of challenge and heartache, but its also been one of growth and blessing. It’s been a year that’s changed me, that has caused me to realize who I am at my essence, and to be stripped of much of what I believed to be true about myself. It’s also been a year of grace, as I’ve seen God’s faithfulness time and time again.

In the final outcome, I believe that I will look back upon this year as a year of transformation. And maybe that’s what a good year, in both life and in wine-making, is really all about.


Holding On Too Tight

May 9, 2007 in Being Content, Purpose with 0 Comments

By afflictions, God is spoiling us [i.e., taking away from us] of what otherwise might have spoiled us. When he makes the world too hot for us to hold, we let it go. – John Powell

Growing up I had a license plate frame that said “Not Spoiled, Blessed.” I was always a little self-conscience about it because it seemed very Orange County, but it was a gift from my parents, and so it stayed. (In fact when my mother reads this she’ll be a little sad that she was a part of anything that caused me the slightest discomfort. It’s o.k. Mom – I survived.) Desspite my awkwardness the license plate frame surely conveyed some truth. I was definitely blessed.

The problem with the frame was the perception that it engendered that somehow what made me bless were the possessions that I had. This was not the case, not because I didn’t have nice things, for I most certainly did, but they weren’t my truest source of blessings. That came from the fact that I was a sinner saved by grace, a saying that makes a poor license plate frame but contains everlasting glory. The problem is that most people won’t make the distinction between the two. They will be left with the thought that somehow what I have dictates who I am, and the condition of my being. This happens a lot. People hold on so tight to what they have that it begins to define them. When we are defined by what we own, we cease to be defined by God.

Chapter 5 of James has a lot to say about this subject. Primarily it encourages readers to remember that everything in this world is going to burn. When we aren’t willing to sacrifice material gain for heavenly glory our balance sheet is out of whack. Oftentimes God will work in our lives to correct this imbalance. He’ll use the things that we’ve placed ahead of Him to show us His proper place. God makes a poor second fiddle, and in His love for us, He’ll spoil that which supplants Him.

Being spoiled isn’t a bad thing, if what we are spoiled for is any work but what God has intended. If we are completely useless except in bringing Him glory, if we can offer nothing but all that we have, than we truly are blessed.


Perceptions of Greatness

March 1, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

One of the hardest lessons that is learned on our journey to adulthood is that we are not what we think we are. The perception that we have of ourselves is rarely the same perception that others have of us. This can be both good and bad. For example, I tend to be my own worse critic so in a way this could be good news for me. On the other hand, I also think that I’m pretty witty, and the fact that few might fight my humor laughable kind of makes this bad news. We tend to think of ourselves as being a certain way, and because we are intimately aware with our inner thoughts, feelings and motivations, we are justified in believing that this is who we really are. But others aren’t privy to this internal dialog, so they form their opinion based solely on the part of our lives with which they have experience.

Leaders, maybe more than any others, have the potential to be the hardest hit as a result of this consideration. After all, their behaviors are observed by a greater number of people than those who aren’t leading, and leaders are less likely to be really known by those that follow. As my dad has told me “it’s lonely at the top”. Being in a position of leadership means that there are few people who can relate to you; there are only a few that understand you. Even these individuals can not fully appreciate the struggles that a leader must go through and the careful balance that must be maintained between the various contingencies. Leaders are known of by many, but only known by a few. Perceptions of who a leader is abounds, understanding of the leader is scarce. And perhaps the hardest part of the equation is that the reality matters very little. Perception will form the basis of judgment. Many leaders try to manage perception but after awhile that gets pretty futile too. Each person will interpret actions based on their own experiences and biases. Leaders can not make decisions and consider these hidden agendas.

So, what is a leader to do? The right thing. It is only through doing what the leader knows to be right that the leader can be sure that perception doesn’t matter. The leader has made a decision based on what he or she believes will accomplish the most good and which will serve his or her followers. If its a Christian leader, they will also be motivated by the opportunity to bring God the greatest amount of glory. Knowing that the decision is concurrent with the right thing to do, makes misperceptions easier to manage. Even if misperceptions persist, the leader can rest in the knowledge that their decision was motivated by the proper reasons and that the final judgment will vindicate them.

Leadership is never easy. Being judged by others isn’t either. Knowing that you did the right thing can make both manageable.

“One of the hardest tasks of leadership is understanding that you are not what you are, but what you’re perceived to be by others.”
–Edward L. Flom,


Starts with Goodbye

February 12, 2007 in Hope, Purpose with 2 Comments

I’ll often tell people that I hate goodbyes. The reason I say this is because its true. I do hate goodbyes. There are probably several reasons for this, many of which have been explored elsewhere on this blog. From the feeling that something is ending to the loss of control, goodbyes are not my strong suit.

I know that I’m not alone in my distaste. Goodbyes have caused pain since the beginning of time. In fact, in a sense, God’s punishment for man’s sin was a goodbye – an eternal separation from God’s presence. It’s why we talk about Jesus providing a way back to God – we were separated from something we once knew and our relationship needed to be restored. Goodbyes are often associated with bad things and we rarely look forward to them with anticipation.

But goodbyes are also necessary things. As Carrie Underwood sings, “sometimes moving on with the rest of your life stats with goodbye”. You can’t take hold of what’s next until you let go of what you have. It’s like the third grader who tries to grab the next run on the monkey bars without ever picking up her hand. It’s impossible to do. The moment of faith and despair that lingers as the hand moves from one bar to the next is necessary for forward progress. It’s a step that must be taken and letting go of what she already posses is required. So it is with us, we must step out in faith to move forward.

Just like the girl on the monkey bars, there’s that moment where we’re holding on to nothing. As our hand swings from one bar to the next, there’s a huge chance we might fall. In fact, in no other time in our journey does excitement and fear mingle so closely together. But the progress that’s made makes embracing the fear worth the effort. And the excitement of what’s next propels us onward.

The thing to remember is that sometimes we have to let go of good things to move on to even better. Letting go is not an acknowledgment that we don’t care. It is, however, an acknowledgment that the time has come for something else. And whatever that something is, God has ordained it for a particular time and place in our lives. To miss it, would be missing out on His blessings. To eschew it, would be denying His will for our lives.

This doesn’t mean that I’ll start liking goodbyes, but it does mean that I can approach them with a heavenly perspective, recognizing that even in the sadness of losing something, God is preparing something that is good.


A Living Eulogy

February 6, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.”
–Walter Lippmann,

We’ve probably all done it. It’s the exercise that’s supposed to prompt you to think about how you want to live your life. The purpose is to consider the memory that you want to leave behind after you’re gone. Writing your own eulogy and making a comparison to where you fall short is supposed to show you where you need to make progress in your life. It’s a way to set goals, identify dreams and realize aspirations. Contemplative writing designed to startle you into compliance.

As with most contrived things, I never placed a lot of value in the exercise. Sure, there was a purpose in it, and I understood that, but did one really have to go through the process of writing their own eulogy to know what was missing from their life. Besides, it seemed that it was more likely that you’d be setting yourself up for disappointment when you fail to achieve what your self-created eulogy said. One never knows what life will throw at you. How could you begin to anticipate what you want your legacy to be?

In a lot of ways, I still believe that this is true. The biggest impact that we have is not summed in quantifiable statistics that can be anticipated prior to our demise. Sure, we may desire to live in a big house, be a successful businessperson or find the cure for cancer, but our chances for success in these endeavors can not be readily ascertained early in life. The things that we can purposefully impact have to do with how we conduct our lives rather than what we achieve. It’s in the manner which we impact other people that our legacy is solidified. They are the ones who reflect who we were after we’re gone. It is with others that our impact is eternal.

It’s probably why Jesus didn’t choose to leave behind a monument or an autobiographical tome as our guide to the Christian life. Instead, He poured His life into others and left behind a group of disciples that reflected His teaching. His disciples were His legacy and they led the way for those that followed. He imparted to them His Spirit and the will and conviction that salvation comes from faith alone. It was this conviction that propelled them to reach the world.

Had the disciples written their eulogies prior to meeting Jesus, they probably would have said something along the lines of “He was a great fisherman”. Thank goodness they decided to be fishers of men instead.


Are You Ready?

January 21, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” – Acts 21:13-14

Preparing for any time of testing is difficult. Whether it’s a competitive game, a academic exercise, or a real-life circumstances, there’s prepartion that is required before success can be anticipated. Preparation refines our skills, teaches us lessons, and builds our strength. If my life is any indication, usually we know when we’re ready or if we’re just going to try to get by on a wing and a prayer. We know because we have confidence that we have done the work necessary to achieve our goals.

I think sometimes though we don’t undertake the same level of care with our spiritual preparation as we do making sure that we are ready for other events in our lives. We approach life with the recklessness of the rookie, rather than with the discipline of the battletorn soldier. We trust that our instincts will get us by, without refining what our instincts should be. We like to believe that God will supernaturally reinforce us without taking the time to build a foundation. Bad circumstances overwhelm us, because we never prepare for their eventual return.

In this case, and maybe in it only, what is true in athletics is also true spiritually. We can’t hope to achieve readiness in the midst of the circumstance; readiness is achieved beforehand. Knowing that te purpose of this life is to bring God glory and to worship Him, our preparations should consist of becoming more adept at that. Our practice comes when things are good, when life is (relatively) carefree and we don’t feel the desperate need for God that comes in times of trial. It is through this preparation that our skills are honed and our responses become instinctual. Right response is then not based on feeling, but on Who God is.

Paul had a very clear idea of what he would face as he entered Jerusalem. He made sure that he was ready to face it.

Are you?


As the world changes

January 21, 2007 in Purpose with 0 Comments

“We’re just waiting, waiting for the world to change”.

In his anthem justifying Generation X’s perceived ambivalence, John Mayer expresses what many of his cohorts believe – that the reason for their inaction is not lack of caring – it’s because they believe that with the current power structures their ability for effectiveness is minimal. So, it’s not that this age refuses to act, it’s just that they refuse to act until things change.

There may be perfectly good reasons for this position, but I’m struck by how different it is from what the generations before believed. Imagine if America never acted in War World II because they were waiting until peace was restored. Imagine if civil rights leaders never protested because they were waiting until full rights of citizenship were bestowed. Imagine if Mother Theresa never held the hand of a dying man because she was waiting for the cure for AIDS.

Right actions shouldn’t wait for circumstances to change. Right actions are correct regardless of the forces that impede them. This generation shouldn’t be waiting for the world to change. They should change it.


Page 10 of 11« First...«7891011»