Week 20 Questions
"novastock0040" by Gerard Fritz is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Question 1 Consider how knowing defeat is certain might be a source of strength when standing on God’s principles.
Knowing you are going to lose with certainty can be a mind-clearing experience. Or it can lead to nothing but distractions. We get a choice. Scramble through all the possible permutations and options, searching in vain for something that can win or decide how we will lose?
I tend to go with the former. I don’t like to lose. I am hardwired to see everything as a competition, with winners, and losers, keeping track of how much everyone accomplished and who is “ahead.” When I was younger, if I couldn’t win, sometimes I would slack off and coast, doing only what I needed to do to maintain the finishing place I determined was inevitable at that point. Other times I would look at ways I might sabotage other people to keep them from either winning or getting ahead of me. In both cases, neither set of actions helped me do better.
Over the course of the long haul, I’ve realized that approach harms me more often than it helps me. Yes, I have a competitive spirit. Yes, I strive to do better. Yes, I excel many times, but more often than not, I still don’t “win.” I don’t do now what I did then when I see I’m not going to “win.” I’ve at least grown in that respect.
Now, I compete more often than not against my number one adversary in life, myself. I know what I’ve done before; can I do better than that? Still, the answer is no, but now when I realize I cannot do better than before, I ask myself, “why?”
Why this time did I fall short? Why this time did I fail to improve over last time? Why this time did I not beat myself? Why? It’s a powerful question, but it leads to hard truths and should only be asked by the brave when their gaze is turned inward. The answers can be debilitating.
Question 2 Do you base your life’s principles on God’s principles? Why/why not?
Yes. Because one of my principles is that the Bible is truth. If I base what I believe on scripture, then I know I am firmly rooted in what is true, and from that position, I can draw strength when doubt creeps in.
Question 3 Make a list of your life’s principles and the associated scripture each principle is based upon.
I did this some time ago. The following principles are the foundation for what I believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible. Everything about my theology flows from these seven ideas. Those who have been around me for any length of time or sat in my Sunday school class will recognize many of these. This is who I am and why I say the things I say. I believe these seven ideas with all of my heart.
The Basic Human Condition
23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
Jesus is God
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (KJV)
God Loves All of Us No Matter Who We Are, What We Are Doing, or Have Done
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (KJV)
We Can Learn from the Things that Happen to Us
11My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
12For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Prov 3:11-12 (KJV)
Patience is Key
8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Eccl 7:8 (KJV)
Studying the Word of God can Answer All Questions
15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Tim 2:15 (KJV)
We are interested in gaining wisdom, not proving our own ideas correct
14The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
Prov 15:14 (KJV)
Question 4 If you cannot immediately identify scripture for the things you fervently believe, commit to figuring out first what principles you hold and second what scripture on which they are based. If you cannot find a scripture to anchor that principle, consider that position might not be something God approves of, and it needs to change.
I did not arrive at those seven ideas above overnight. It took a great deal of effort, study, research, and writing. I journaled; oh, I journaled a lot. I changed also. Some of the change was very difficult. Other pieces I swapped out overnight. Which changes were hard and which easy was a function of the person my experiences made me and when I chose to lean on God and when I chose to do it on my own. You can guess which times were easier and which were harder but not always. Sometimes, even when we lean on God, it isn’t to make the task ahead easier. It gives us the strength to walk through the hard times that are inevitable. I’m still dealing with the consequences of some of my younger choices and will for the rest of my life. Regret can become a constant thorn, but it can be turned to a useful purpose to remind us of things not to do or avoid.
Question 6 How does serving God unwillingly detract from the witness you provide when people realize God is the motivation behind your actions?
I skipped question 5 apparently when I wrote up the lesson, so I decided not to correct it here. It seemed fitting.
Hypocrisy. Some who watch us see our reluctant obedience not as the beginning of change but as disagreement with the observed idea or principle. What does that mean? It means they don’t know us, know our situation, or why we are doing something. It means they have no grasp of the struggles of personality we go through when a decision is made. It means they judge the book by the cover rather than even bothering to flip it over and read the back cover for more information.
This is an especially important point to understand.
As you read the last paragraph, you likely reflected upon a time when you did something you didn’t want to do but did it anyway because someone convinced you it was the right thing to do. You might not have understood it at the time or even agreed with the principle, but you trusted the person who talked you into it that you should do the thing for whatever reason. Either during the action or later, perhaps you reflected upon it after the fact and realized why it was a good thing but not while doing it, which changed either or both your demeanor and approach while doing the thing.
Now, flip that approach. Re-read the paragraph beginning with the word ‘Hypocrisy’ above only this time, don’t be the person reluctantly doing the thing. Instead, in your mind’s eye, switch places and be the observer watching you reluctantly going about the thing.
Sometimes we are the ones who judge the book by the front cover and don’t even bother to turn it over to read the back. That mental exercise should hurt a little if it were done properly. If it doesn’t, contemplate that for a while.
Does all that mean we shouldn’t do things reluctantly? No. The Twelve Steppers tell us the first step in recovery is admitting there is a problem. The first step in changing ourselves for the better is admitting we need to change. That reluctant going through the motions with a grim demeanor is sometimes all we can muster. It is and will become something better. Don’t avoid becoming something better because there might be someone out there negatively impacted by their opinion of what they see. You don’t control their thoughts. You only control your actions. Make sure you do you better today than you did you yesterday, whatever that may look like.