A Brighter Day
Do you find that your best intentions wear down as the day progresses? If so, you aren’t alone. We spend so much of our lives trying to be something other than what God created us to be, that wearing ourselves down should be expected. Any way we metaphorically look at it, swimming against the tide, running uphill etc., it’s exhausting. Here’s a little gimmick that might be helpful in staying on track. When someone poses that simple query, “How are you”, expand their question into “How am I doing approaching life today in the way Jesus wants”? For example, don’t ask yourself, “how do I feel, am I happy, are things going the way I want today,” turn it completely outward, toward “have I approached each challenge or opportunity so far today the way Jesus taught me to,” and then reply accordingly. Those inquiring may not know what we mean, but it’ll help us to gently correct our course and get us back on track. From the Lord’s vantage point, it’s never been about how much pleasure or good we can absorb each day, but how much we can regularly spin off.
Simple queries can become our personal flash cards, but they won’t work if we continue to approach life from a pleasure seeking, self gratifying perspective. The “I” or “Me” generation(s) will have more difficulty with this concept than others. When we learn to actually love others as much as we love ourselves, a time will come when our answer to the simple inquiry “how are you”, will always be an heartfelt “great,” regardless of our personal dilemmas! Think about it, would we rather be surrounded by people who give or people who take? If your answer is “take” you’ve some control issues to address. I’ve always had my own issues with those of us who give with some disguised ulterior motive. If we expect to be repaid or made whole again, we aren’t giving at all, we’re lending. “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7 ESV). Many of us fool ourselves into believing we’re doing good works like this, but we’re only kidding ourselves and a handful of gullible onlookers. We certainly aren’t fooling God. When we find ourselves confronted with yet another piece of chocolate cake simply begging to be consumed, just give it to someone who might appreciate it. The other day in church, I was approached by a lovely elderly lady carrying a woven basket of candies, she was offering the treats with a smile and I’m absolutely sure she had no expectation of being repaid. It was a heartwarming second which brightened my day.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE (share)
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