11.21.2020 - week 81
i sometimes wish i knew as much as i (thought) did when i was 20. when you are young, the lines often seem so clear and the world so obvious. and then you age and that certainty gets kinda beat out of you by the complexity of life. as i am nearing a moderately important birthday (35), i have been thinking about learning and growing and why we are so brutal to each other sometimes. about 3 years worth of pondering this question is contained in the tweet above.
we hold too many opinions far too intensely. take right now … i have ideas about government closings and the progression of the virus and the response of the church and the election that just happened, but do any of them rise to a level of certainty that would merit trashing a fellow human. definitely not. they are worth sharing in conversation, but not yelling and dividing over.
i thought schools would definitely be open by the fall and that the cubs offense wouldn’t let me down this year: i was wrong. and i am wrong often. but if my opinions become so sacred that i must use them as a weapon against those who disagree, well not much comes in the long run from that. that mentality produces smaller and less healthy tribes of people who think exactly the same.
so much of our generational tension and ethnic tension and theological tension comes from a stronger desire to be right than to love. of course we should stand up for the truth. and of course we should have strong convictions, BUT …. what if the best route to spreading our convictions is the gracious way we treat those who see the minute of life differently than we do. or even those who see important things differently. other than an empty tomb or a sufficient cross or womb to tomb pro-life philosophy .. i just don’t see much worth pounding on other people about.
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
Are you stubborn as a mule?
I have a childhood memory of being on a daddy daughter adventure that included a horse or possibly a mule that would barely walk the path. Everyone but the horse was laughing because that animal decided against taking me on my ride. In an A+ effort my dad dragged that horse (i promise you the animal was not injured in the situation) around the path because it wasn’t going anywhere!
But really, how often are you like a horse or a mule? I started laughing while talking to someone on the phone last week because I was realizing in the moment how stubborn I was being. The Lord has to sometimes light a fire under my behind so I give in and heed the lesson he is trying to teach me. I think I laughed on the phone because otherwise I would be in tears since the lessons have been just that painful. I have a feeling I’m not alone and that pride can make us very similar to these animals.
Psalm 32:8-9 got me thinking about these creatures in the first place. It says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.”
What a beautiful idea that instead of staying like a horse or mule I can choose to lay down my obstinance and obey and that God counsels us all the way through. Let’s face it, at this point in 2020, we all need counsel. In fact, I have ventured back to the psalms for the next while because it feels like when I sit and soak them in I gain comfort and peace in the presence of God. These reminders of who God is and how he has always been faithful resonate in a necessary and powerful way.
As of late I cannot walk out of the same room as Felicity without her asking where I am going and her following my every move. Y’all, I can barely go to the bathroom in peace, therefore I loved this picture verse eight talks about. I take great joy in our loving father counseling us with his eye upon us. It reminds me of mothers of newborns who always have one eye on their babe when they aren’t in their arms, they make a peep and the mother can hear it no matter how minuscule it is.
I loved this quote from Enduring Word Commentary, “The idea is of one who waits upon another so attentively that a mere look at the eye indicates the will. A butler waiting upon his master at dinner can illustrate this; the master need only look at the salt shaker and the butler understands that he wants it. God promised that for those who diligently seek and focus on God, He will also guide.”
I’m not sure if you’re stubborn but I do know that God can tug on your heart to reveal that. We have a loving God who wants to lead and guide us on a wise, beautiful, abundant path. Don’t let your stubbornness get in the way of his leading & guiding.
parent corner
just skip the middle part
my 2nd grader graham is really struggling with focus. after he finishes zoom school for the day, he usually has about an hour of homework. it usually takes him more than 2 hrs because he gets distracted and tries to cut corners and generally drives his mother nuts. i am of course trying to figure out the best way to communicate with him to help complete his work in good time.
his cycle is be frustrated - complain/waste time - buckle down and finish. i keep saying to him, if you just skip the middle part, this gets better. there’s nothing wrong with being frustrated, just imagine if you added the time you are spending complaining and wasting time to your play time.
that’s kinda where my head is at for this next wave of shutdowns, it stinks. but wasting time and complaining simply won’t take us anywhere we want to go. so let’s just skip it and buckle down.
book review
if you are of a certain age (probably 33-40) and a certain background (probably white affluent and suburban) Kid A by radiohead is one of if not THE transcendent album of your youth. steven hyden the pre-eminent rock writer of the day (imho) has written a wonderful tome that connects this famous album and the elusive artists behind it with the world of its day. i absolutely enjoyed the storytelling and behinds the scenes info from a pre-9/11 / pre-social media / pre-covid world where access to celebrities was minimal. this album will always make me think of my friend zee-force sitting in the corner of our world history class listening to this album on his discman :).
super christian guy
stuff for you to click on
1. my mid-week service this week i think will be an encouragement to you. its a punchy 45 minutes of music + teaching, this week featuring a cameo during the sermon from my son graham. watch it here!
2. my knucklehead sons argue extensively about the 2nd half of the NFL Season in their new video, i think you will dig it. watch it here!
3. i loved this profile on joanna gaines, the patron saint of christian housewives, nice to see a secular outlet treat a christian with respect.
4. i also enjoyed this british profile on dave ramsey. the bemusement with which the author ponders the financial peace principles really made me smile.