FOCUSING ON THE IMPORTANT

Recently a highly respected and dearly loved member of our faith family died. At age eighty-two he was not a young man and health issues had been a concern for some time. At his memorial service I noticed the size of the crowd who had come to show their respect for this long-time community member and support for his family members.

 

From one perspective I was a bit surprised at the lower attendance than I had expected. This gentleman was born in the area and had been a community servant for decades. Few major positions in the church had not felt his presence through the years. His character included such coveted qualities as humility, a positive outlook, generosity, and active kindness. He had been a friend to many in the best sense of the word. So where were the masses who had been touched by this man’s life?

 

Yet I had to remember this man’s age. Though not exceptionally old, he still had outlived many of his peers. Many who had seen his quiet and humble gentleness in action could not be present. They had preceded him in death, become confined due to their own health issues, or simply feared the possibility of COVID contraction. Perhaps I should have been pleased to see as many as I did.

 

Regardless of the numbers who were present to join in the grief of the family or to celebrate all the wonderful memories shared with this now gone friend, there was one image that overshadowed all. They had come to show respect for a man who had lived a life of integrity.

 

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians contains a verse listing a set of qualities embodied by this man.

 

“Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12, Christian Standard Bible)

 

To be honored for worldly accomplishments is one thing, but to be honored for living a life of integrity is beyond all monetary value. There will be no statues or monuments for this man. In time only a few records will exist to show he lived among us.

 

Yet in the mind of God this man will live forever. He now occupies his place in glory with his Savior Jesus Christ. His reward for a faithful mortal life is an eternity of peace and joy free from all sorrow, pain, and grief.

 

This public reputation, this quiet character, was not developed in the last moments of life. It accumulated over a lifetime of living out the qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and the accompanying qualities of willingness to forgive and to love as he was loved by God. Staying focused on what is most important in relationships leads to a reputation that says people are more important than possessions, than fame or fortune. Such a priority gives others the benefit of the doubt and a second chance when things don’t go so well. A helping hand is offered rather than words of judgment and condemnation. Encouragement becomes a mark of relationships, and competition to get ahead is avoided.

 

What is seen as important in our lives all too often is not recognized until the end of our lives. How important it is for us to live lives of integrity that honor our Creator each day we are given so at the end we are seen to have been consistent from our earliest days. People will say at our memorial service we had lived with integrity all our days and not just at the end in an effort to redeem a wasted life.

 

Matthew 9:36 The Importance of Compassion

“When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (Christian Standard Bible)

 

There is something unique about the emotional and spiritual dynamics of the intent of compassion. It is not something you can feel from a distance. It is not something that you can feel and then walk away unchanged. Compassion says that something must be done, and you may be the one to do it.

 

Jesus was moved with compassion. He got this as a part of his reflection of his heavenly Father. God saw man trying to reach beyond himself into that arena of life which he could not see, could not truly understand, and could not reach on his own. He saw man failing miserably at every attempt at trying to reach the Divine. So he decided that since man was incapable of reaching him, he would just come to man instead.  We call that the Incarnation, Emmanuel, God with us.

 

This desire to be with man and to show man just what his destiny could be was in great part motivated by compassion. God created man with such potential, not only for this world but also for the eternal realms. Man in his weakness, his disobedience, and his open rebellion was missing everything that God knew would have made life here abundant and a true manifestation of the image of God that man carried. Man was falling far short of God’s original intentions.  So God intervened, motivated by compassion.

 

Compassion has love as its foundation.  It is marked by self-sacrifice. Compassion acts.  Compassion suffers.  Compassion makes the effort to change the situation even though it means personal cost.  God in Christ gives us the living definition of compassion.  He saw.  He came.  He became involved.  He paid the price.  He made change possible.

 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he felt compassion. That feeling was followed by action.  In this particular case the action involved getting the disciples to be involved in prayer. It was prayer that would get people involved in taking care of the problem and not just any people.  It would be people whom God would choose. He would see to the solution in his own way and time.  It was up to the disciples to become first and foremost involved in the divine activity of prayer.  The answer would be workers for the fields.

 

Jesus was motivated by compassion when he saw crowds that acted like a bunch of sheep with no shepherd. He had compassion when he saw the lame, the blind, the deaf, the dead, the tortured by self or by others. He had compassion anytime that he saw people struggling and losing in a battle that their Creator had never intended for them to have to fight.

 

Jesus’ compassion led him to take the only path that would offer mankind a way out of their trap of destruction. His innocent death revealed a God who had compassion, who would take whatever steps were necessary to make a relationship with man possible.

 

Compassion brings hope to the hopeless, strength to those who are weak, guidance to the lost, light to those in darkness, music to those who are deaf, and life to those who are dead.  Compassion doesn’t offer empty words.  Compassion offers itself even if it means dying.

 

Compassion doesn’t so much ask “Why are you like this?” as it does “Would you like something better and are you willing to pay the price to get it?”  Compassion gives out of an appreciation for the inherent value of the other, but also opens the opportunity to move beyond what has been experienced before.

 

Compassion is in the business of healing.  Compassion moves into the arena of broken relationships.  In Christ the priority is placed upon the relationship between God and man because all other relationships must find their foundation in this Creator-creature bond. Agape love and compassion find their common ground in the divine revelation of Jesus Christ.  Love must relate.  Compassion must reveal itself within relationship.  Both find their greatest expression in the event that is called the Incarnation.

 

Time Well Spent

In recent days I have had two most enjoyable experiences. In both cases it involved time spent with two gentlemen several years older than myself. This says something about their age as I have already celebrated my own three score and ten years.

 

The first event involved three hours of delightful conversation and reminiscing with a long term friend. This wasn’t just sitting on a front porch in a rocking chair. The first two hours were spent driving no more than a mile from home while noting the changes in our town.

 

I have lived here only about nineteen years. This community had been the home of my older friend for most of his life. His description of businesses, homes, streets, and most of all, the personalities that had shaped the town made local history come alive.

 

After our time in the car, we spent the final hour in a local coffee shop continuing our conversation over drinks and sandwiches. Often he paused and apologized for having forgotten names or dates for events. I assured him I had the same problem.

 

When I took him home, I could see the change. His step was a little livelier and his smile a little broader. Yes, he had forgotten bits of history, but it was obvious in our looking back through the years, he remembered people and events long forgotten. It only took a short drive around town and a grilled cheese sandwich to reclaim the memories. Time well spent.

 

An extended conversation by phone brought about much the same result in another older gentleman. He had been absent from the Bible study I lead each week at the local Senior Center. His upcoming surgery was a concern for our group.

 

With his permission I called him to check on how he was doing. For the next hour he explained the details of what he was facing, the preliminary doctor visits he would have to have, and with what he was dealing on a day to day basis. His attitude was optimistic and he looked forward to rejoining our Bible study “family” soon.

 

During our hour of sharing, few subjects were left uncovered. It appeared my friend had had few opportunities in the recent past to share his opinion on his favorite topics. My call and willing ear gave him that open door to opine on the conditions of the world both macro and micro.

 

The tenor of the conversation rapidly cycled between laughter and critique, between jokes and seriousness, between hope and disappointment. In all ways there was an uninhibited freedom to express long held viewpoints and perspectives. Limitations may have existed in some fashion with mobility, but they did not extend to a willingness to share life. Time well spent.

 

Time is a most precious commodity. How we use this precious possession reveals our value systems and priorities. Each day we have is restricted to twenty-four hours. We all have the same number of hours each day even if we have a different number of years. Each of those hours is precious.

 

The question for each of us is what does our use of time reflect about our values and our priorities. I suggest bringing an interruption in the loneliness, or even aloneness in the life of another who is alone too often, is time well spent.

 

Jesus once said about doing good for others, “The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!' (Good News Bible)

 

PHILLIPIANS 4:6-7 Why Worry

 I hope to publish here every two weeks. On alternate publication dates the blog will focus on personal insights and the other dates will be shared biblical insights on a particular passage from the Holy Bible. My prayer is they will be of some benefit.

DON'T WORRY? YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING!

 

6 Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.

7 And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. (Good News Bible)

 

I never read the story Pollyanna, but I understand it carries the same imagery we intend through using the phrase, "looking through rose-colored glasses". A person has the attitude that everything will turn out fine. Personally, I find that impossible!

 

Worry is what makes the world go around, not love. People worry about the future so they plan and save and buy insurance and make wills and keep guns in their houses and put up fences. People worry about their health, how much money they have, if moles are destroying their lawns, if their neighbor's swimming pool cost more than theirs, and if their children are dressed in the right styles, and on the right soccer team.

 

People worry if the sun will melt the snow on the ski run too quickly, if it will rain on their day off, or if the snow will keep the kids home from school. They worry if the house payment will be too much or if the shoes will not cost enough. They worry if the Democrats get into office or if the Republicans get put back in. They worry about the news on CNN and lack of it on the Weather Channel. They worry about taking care of their grandparents and their grandchildren all on the same day! And the Apostle Paul has the nerve to tell us not to worry.

 

Worry proves the connection between thoughts and bodily functions. Worry is the impetus behind creative action in the midst of emergency circumstances. Worry is also the immoveable object we call paralysis in the same emergency situation. Worry is the source of pain for millions. Worry is the source of divine comfort for millions. Who can escape worry?

 

Worry looks inward and becomes self-destructive, or it looks outward and finds fault and places blame. Worry rarely works toward finding solutions. Worry rarely looks for win-win solutions. Worry puts butterflies in the stomach, twitches in the hands and kneecaps, pain behind the eyes, and sweat on the brow. Worry wastes time just like Spider Solitaire.

 

Paul proposes an option - Prayer. Prayer is doing something. You don't have to understand the process of what you are doing. You don't have to understand what the results will be. You don't even have to understand the how and when of God's actions. You simply have to pray.

 

Praying instead of worrying is a letting-go process. Praying as opposed to worrying involves confession. I cannot handle this by myself. Praying is acknowledging. God, you are big enough to handle this. Praying is accepting freedom from responsibility. God, you are not holding me accountable for handling this situation all by myself.

 

Paul's directions don't let us off the hook. Refusing to worry doesn't mean that we are not intimately involved in the process of reaching an answer in the current messy situation. We don't just let go and let God. We become part of the material he will use to work out his plan. We put God in the driver's seat while we move to the back. We are still there, just not calling the shots.

 

Prayer is getting in God's face. Talk to God. Tell him what you want. Be honest. Be thorough. Be sincere. Be humble. Put yourself in his hands to be protected, strengthened, and used as a part of the solution to your request. Be thankful that he is always present, always ready to listen, and always ready to help according to his unlimited wisdom and on his time table.

A New Freedom

It has been nearly two and one half years since my last post for this blog. Life changes and that has included my life as well. My last entry was soon after my mother at the age of ninety-three passed away. Since then my life experiences have included celebrating my seventy-first birthday, drawing my first Social Security check, retiring from my life vocation as a Christian minister, and beating cancer for a second time.

Now I look at life from a different perspective on freedom. For most days I decide when I get up and when I go to bed, when I eat meals or if I eat at all. Meetings are few and far in between, and most are occasions for voluntary participation. It seems the only required ones are the occasional doctors’ appointments and my volunteer work at non-profits.

 There is, however, one major stressor. That is accountability. Does that sound strange? I have a new source of accountability. It is neither an organization nor a time clock. It is neither a human boss nor a set of laws. I am accountable to my sense of self-worth.

 In John 8:32 Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We all know we are never truly free. Laws in the natural world limit us in one way or another as do political laws. If we intend to stay alive, growing older is one of the big ones. Freedom has to be seen in a different light. Part of that different light is who will hold us accountable.

God has said and shown I am worth the life of his Son Jesus Christ sacrificed upon a Roman cross, the innocent for the guilty. In that act of love I see myself having tremendous worth, and therefore I must live a life that reflects that worth.

In the remaining years of my life, however many that may be, my love for God must reflect that self-worth. My love for mankind must reflect that sense of self-worth. My love for myself and how I care for myself must reflect that sense of self-worth. This includes not only caring for my physical being, but also being careful about what enters my eyes and ears and then into my heart.

God will hold me accountable for the commitment I have made to him. It will shape the use of my time and material resources. It is a commitment to be revealed in my roles as husband, father, grandfather, friend, and as a member of the Body of Christ.

The changes that have occurred over the last two and a half years have made me even more aware of how I must make decisions based upon who I am and not who others think I am. Always that self-worth is based upon what God thinks of me. There provides me with true freedom.

John 8:36 “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.”