The Cost of Trivial Excellence

Once there was a man who set out to get rich so that he could afford all the things his heart desired. He hung pictures of expensive cars and boats, luxurious homes, exotic vacation resorts, and the latest entertainment technology on his wall. He believed that these pictures would motivate him to work hard for the things that he wanted. He devised strategies to meet persons of means and influence, to impress them, and to earn their trust. He believed that these people would provide him with opportunities to make money.

So the man worked very hard, met all the “right” people, and eventually became very rich. Then he discovered that the amount of work required to maintain the lifestyle he had built left him with little time to enjoy that things he had accumulated or the people he had so impressed. He found himself very lonely. He eased the pain of his loneliness by turning with even greater intensity toward the thing he had learned to be good at, making money. His life grew increasingly complex. More money required more work, added stress, and even greater isolation. He was left with no time to love or to be loved.

Is your life filled up with busyness in the pursuit of things that lacks eternal value? Do you keep doing something you’re good at just because you’re good at it? Do you avoid things that are more important because you’re not good at them? It takes great courage to evaluate the value of what you do. Purging your life of trivial busyness can be as challenging as overcoming an addiction.

What kinds of pictures do you hang on your walls? These are the same images that hang on the “walls” of your mind and heart. They are the things that drive you; they are the things that you love. It has been said that one kind of person loves people and uses things; another kind of person loves things and uses people. Do you find yourself being inauthentic with people in order to get what you want from them? If so, than which kind of person are you?

~John

Fear and Love

I just finished reading Lifesigns, by Henri Nouwen. Though written in the 1980’s, I found his message timely for 2008. He says we are driven by fear or love. The two cannot coexist. “Fearful questions never lead to love-filled answers,” Nouwen claims.

I often think of love as the opposing force to hatred or apathy, but seldom have I considered love the alternative to fear. Yet how often does sheer survival hinder my relationships? It seems innocent enough. “If I call her, she might need something and I really don’t have time right now.”

“You volunteer once or twice, and then it never ends.”

“If I praise him for pulling up his grades, he’ll think B’s are good enough.”

Fear – of a runaway schedule, unyielding demands, or underachievement – stops love in its tracks. Though I want to extend my arms, fear suppresses my desire.

I’m thankful the God of love is stronger than my fears. By his grace, he nudges me along, to choose compassion over isolation, generosity over selfishness, encouragement over criticism . . . love over fear. What fearful questions are you asking today? How is God challenging you to ask different questions?

~Joyce

The Quiet Voice of God

I plopped down at my desk. Staring back at me was the Bible I hadn’t cracked in several days. Next to it was yesterday’s “to do” list with less than half the tasks crossed off. Lingering in the background was a darkened computer screen loaded with fresh emails which, with the faintest touch of the mouse, would steal the spotlight from the gold-edged pages waiting for today’s verdict. What a poignant picture of my life right now, I thought.

“Read your Bible first,” the Spirit inside me whispered.

“But I have so much to do,” my flesh argued back. The knot in my stomach twisted and tightened as I pondered this week's demands. “If I can just get through my list, then I’ll have time to focus on my Bible reading and give God the attention he deserves,” I reasoned, knowing full well how that strategy had panned out yesterday.

The gentle whisper answered back, “In whom are you depending?”

Guilty. My reluctance to open God’s Word betrayed my distorted view of God and myself, for that matter. Today, I saw no power in Scripture, just a duty to read it. Through the years, I’ve learned to follow that sense of duty when it’s all I can muster.

I opened to 2 Samuel. “Drat, I lost the flow by skipping several days,” the excuses started to flow. “Was Abishai a priest or Joab’s brother? Now I have to look up all the names again.” In time, the frustration dissipated and God began to speak to me through his Word. In today’s passage, revenge’s stench was strong, but mercy’s beauty proved more powerful. My heart and mind were transported from the broken freezer and the Open House guest list to the company of my Creator, who knows my daily anxieties but wants to offer me more than a rescue. He wants to elevate my heart, soul and mind to a place where my daily worries are small when compared to the greatness of the Father who loves me.