10.31.2020 - week 78
perspective.
surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
but as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
for I envied the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
psalm 73:1-3
so i was talking with this friend of mine the other day. i’m raising money for something and we were discussing what he might be willing to give. he’s a very generous person and he asked me what i was hoping he might do. i took a deep breath and said a large number. he said
‘no, i can’t do that much, but how about ____?’
still a wonderful + generous provision for my project. we continued chatting for a few minutes and as we were wrapping it up, i joked offhandedly,
‘well, if you wake up with the winning powerball ticket in your pocket, be sure to give me a call’
he got real serious all of a sudden and said, ‘luke, i have had a winning ticket in my pocket everyday for a long time. after where i started and what god has done for me and the family and business and life i have been able to lead? i have been blessed beyond belief.’
that’s perspective.
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perspective is very valuable but quite unusual. often those with a lot of money + power + position struggle the most to have it. maybe your candidate won’t win this tuesday … but most of the people who have lived on this earth had a permanent ruler they never picked or wanted. maybe your trip got canceled because of COVID-19, but you live in an era + have the resources to plan another one. maybe your kids are driving you crazy right now … but lonely folks everywhere would give 10 paychecks to have annoying kids around.
the ability to see outside my own experience and favorably compare my situation to others is the gift of perspective. maybe i’m not as young as i used to be, but my mind is still clear + i have learned the lessons of youth. maybe i’m not as financially secure as i would like, but i have a job that’s paying my bills. happy people are people who have the gift of contentment and that gift is almost always not because of their circumstances, but because of their perspective
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
I was a new mom in 2010 with a soon to be one year old and by the end of the year I would have another baby. As the new year approached I declared Psalm 19:14 as the verse I wanted to focus on. You can laugh if you want but at that point in time I found it hard to get into God’s Word. Between the early morning wake ups of a toddler and the morning sickness of pregnancy and adjustment to life as a young mom and wife, many times reading the Bible was the last thing on my list. Over the last ten years and again this morning I came back to this verse as a prayer. The two things that often get us in the most trouble are our mouths and our hearts; often our mouths go faster than our brains can restrain and our hearts get caught up wanting things we don’t need.
I was reading in a book this week that talked about compliance versus transformation and that compliance is a change in behavior whereas transformation includes a heart change. And so often I have fallen in the trap (as have many Christians I think) of I should just be better. If I don’t swear and miss church and don’t rant on Facebook then I am ‘being good.’ When the truth is God wants to do ‘heart surgery’ on you and me through His spirit so that we are transformed to be more like him. He wants us to trust in him and for our love for Him and awe of what he has done for us to result in living for him. When I read the whole Psalm I saw afresh the measure of what can transform a heart on a daily basis: God’s Word. Read verses 7-10 with me.
“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.”
I can’t say it better than that! As I have continued to grow in my daily study of God’s Word over the last ten years I have seen these truths play out in my life. I have seen that God’s Word is perfect, that there’s nothing else that comes close to it and that other things have passed away and it still stands (Isaiah 40:8). I have seen God’s Word revive my soul and fill me with peace and hope in seasons of discouragement and hardship. I have clung to verses about wisdom and prayed them over and over and seen God bring a simple jane like me insight that I didn’t have before. I have seen the blessing of God’s rules that often they are in place so I don’t hurt myself. Not to mention, I have seen the LORD’s ways come to pass in situations I couldn’t have orchestrated better myself.
Our hearts and minds are prone to wander, we need God’s Word daily to fuel our minds, hearts and mouths afresh with what is true and good and pure. You’re not alone in the struggle for everything that is trying to crowd out your attention from Him. My encouragement to you today is to put down your phone and to pursue his word. Hebrews 4:12 says, “it’s sharper than a two-edged sword,” and maybe just maybe it will prick your heart in just the way you need to be convicted or encouraged today and certainly remind you that He has this whole world in His mighty hands.
parent corner
kids are really emotionally perceptive, especially when it comes to their parents. they read our moods and pauses and furrowed brows while texting with ease. kristen + i are really busy + making tons of big decisions right now. it’s amazing how much kids mirror our stress back to us even when we think we are hiding it. as they are getting older, pretending it isn’t happening only brings them additional frustration. i am learning the power of calm clarity in communicating with them. rather than saying ‘sure i can do this math with you in 10 minutes’ and then inevitably postponing it for an hour (like i am doing right this second while i finish this weeks newsletter), they react so much better when we give clear expectations and then live up to them.
if we want them to grow up to be honest + dependable + emotionally regulated people, we must must must model that, not just say it. the more i trust them to know what’s really happening, the more i have seen them blow me away with their maturity. when i treat them like kids who can’t handle it, they tend to act that way.
(*stuff i’m learning .. which is not advice. because people who have never parented teenagers shouldn’t be giving parenting advice)
book review
this book fits in the long history of investigative books written since watergate by bob woodward. i always enjoy on the record + nuanced looks at important things. i have trouble putting much stock in strong opinions from people unwilling to add their names to them. i found the book interesting/insightful on our current president. i didn’t love the way (especially in the last section about COVID-19) woodward seems to be trying to build a trail after the fact of his wisdom + president trump’s lack of wisdom in the immediate response.
super christian guy
stuff for you to click on
1. no new message from me this week. bishop ulmer did a phenomenal series of events in the lead up to the election. i particularly enjoyed night 3 w. friends like charlie dates + albert tate + bryan loritts giving perspective on our current cultural moment. check it out
2. one of the most important albums of my adolescent is u2’s ‘all that you can’t leave behind.’ the combo of the songs + bono’s legendary super bowl halftime performance post 9-11 leaves me certain it will be in perpetual rotation. there’s a 20th anniversary re-issue out today that i loved. scope it out here …