Tag: Hope

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Purpose and Meaning, Aspiration, Not Occupation

Can we find true purpose and meaning through aspiration, not occupation? In today’s world, people often associate their identity with their careers or vocations, believing that their worth and purpose are tied to what they do for a living. However, Christianity offers a different perspective: true purpose and meaning come not from occupation but from godly aspiration—seeking to live out God’s calling and aligning our lives with His will.

“View yourself as a precious vessel He crafted for a unique purpose.” – Patricia Ennis.

The Power of Aspiration

In Christianity, aspiration is about more than personal dreams or ambitions. It reflects a desire to glorify God and live according to His purposes. When we aspire to love, serve, and reflect Christ’s character, we tap into something far more significant than worldly success. This change in thinking can take many forms: fostering compassion, spreading the Gospel, advocating for justice, or cultivating spiritual growth. These aspirations serve others and bring us closer to God, aligning our hearts with His divine plan.

Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Occupation vs. Aspiration

“What you are is God’s gift to you; what you become is your gift to God.” – Hans Urs von Balthasar.

While jobs provide necessary structure and support, they do not define us in God’s eyes. Many people feel unfulfilled in careers that do not align with their faith or deeper values. This discontent stems from the realization that work alone cannot fulfill the soul’s longing for meaning. The Bible reminds us that whatever we do, we should do it as unto the Lord.

Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people.”

Whether we are teachers, office workers, or stay-at-home parents, it’s not the job itself that gives meaning but how we use it to serve God’s purposes.

The Transformative Journey

“You were made by God and for God. And until you understand that, life will never make sense.” – Rick Warren

Even mundane tasks take on new significance when we focus on godly aspirations. Teachers may see their role as educating and shaping young minds for Christ. An office worker might find purpose in being a beacon of integrity and kindness in their workplace. By centering our lives on Christ and aspiring to live out His love in every action, our daily experiences become opportunities to witness and serve.

2 Timothy 1:9, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”

Cultivating Aspiration

“Your life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

To embrace this Christian view of aspiration, we must seek God in prayer and reflection, asking Him to reveal His plan for our lives. The Bible encourages us to set our hearts on things above, not earthly matters.

Colossians 3:2, “Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth.”

We discover our true purpose by nurturing aspirations that align with God’s will—loving our neighbors, spreading the Good News, and growing in faith. Surrounding ourselves with a faith community that encourages spiritual growth can help us stay focused on what matters eternally rather than temporally.

Conclusion

In the Christian pursuit of purpose, it’s essential to remember that our worth is rooted in being children of God, not in our jobs or worldly achievements. When we nurture our aspirations following God’s will, we unlock a more profound sense of meaning that transcends occupation. This perspective enriches our lives and enables us to fulfill our higher calling—to serve God and impact the world for His glory. Embrace your aspirations in Christ, for they are the accurate compass guiding you toward a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by renewing your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

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We have met the enemy, and he is us.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Walt Kelly popularized this statement in the comic strip Pogo in 1971. Walt Kelly used the modified version of Commodore Perry’s comment, suggesting that humanity itself is responsible for many of the problems it faces.

The quote is a play on the famous line from the War of 1812: the United States Navy defeated the British Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie. Master Commandant Oliver Perry wrote to Major General William Henry Harrison, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”

We are our own worst enemies. We allow negative thoughts to enter our minds and forget that we are sons and daughters of the Most High, who created us perfectly for the plan He has in store for us.

Humility

Surprisingly enough, this is about humility. Being humble is extremely hard. A line of thinking in psychology claims that all human actions are ultimately self-interested, even when they appear altruistic. According to this view, people help others because it makes them feel good, brings social approval, or avoids guilt. Most who believe that humans can be altruistic focus on the lack of need for worldly gains from their efforts. Then, there is the thought that merely intentionally trying to be humble is an act of pride. I’m getting a headache; let’s return to the original thought.

God commands us to be humble.

1 Pete 5:5b, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Humility is giving God and others the stage.  – Cortney Defoe, “In This House, We Will Giggle.”

Going Too Far

What happens when we take humility too far? What happens if we start to believe that we are somewhat inferior to others and, therefore, are not being humble but truthful? In his sermon about humility, Mike Browne suggested that self-incrimination is a form of pride that manifests in false and exaggerated humility. Much of our negative self-talk is about focusing on our weaknesses with an expectation that we should be better than we perceive.

“You cannot practice humility by just being humble. You must practice humility by finding safety and security in God that anchors the weaknesses that God actually wants us to display.” – Jackie Hill Perry.

We all have weaknesses. That is part of the story God wrote about you at your inception. You are unique and perfectly made for God’s purpose, including your weaknesses. Your weaknesses are part of your testimony.

God created you perfectly. God does not make junk. This exaggerated form of humility starts with the perception that we do not measure up. We set a standard for ourselves based on the performance of others. Somehow, we conclude that God gets this perverse joy in watching us compete with each other. That is a lie progressed by social media and human pride.

We are Unique

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man, he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody.

Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him.

If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

You can not be someone else, and no one can be you. God planned it that way. Be confident that God will support you in all your efforts if He is first. God will turn your weakness into a strength. Don’t ask God to take it away; ask Him how He wants you to use it. We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Don’t think less of yourself; think of yourself less. – Ken Blanchard

Philippians 2:2-4, “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

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Pick a Fight

Fight the Good FIghtPick a fight, really? I was reading Regi Campell’s book Radical Wisdom, and he talked about picking a fight. In it, he said, “It is one thing to defend ourselves when we are attacked. Most people will do that out of necessity. It is another to go pick a fight on behalf of someone or something.” He says, “It is a clue as to why Christians are so passive- they haven’t picked a fight. They’re just sitting in Church learning more stuff. They’re useless… as Jesus said, ‘like salt that’s lost its savor.'”

Isaiah 42:13, “The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.”

Behind my desk, and always within my sight, is a wooden statue of Don Quixote. It has been with me since I first read Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s novel in High School. When the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha came out, I loved it. This line in the song “The Impossible Dream” defines me, “And the world will be better for this, that one man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable star.”

Two critical images came to mind when reading this passage by Regi; the first is that Regi still speaks to me beyond the grave, and second, this is the hole in my heart that God has been trying to fill since my creation.

Deciding to Fight

1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith.”

As humans, it is easy to become defensive. Some of us are extroverts and can’t hold back, while others are introverts, allowing it to fester within. Neither of those choices is particularly the correct answer. We become defensive when we perceive our territory is under attack. Fight or flight kicks in when another is maligning something personal to us, and we mobilize.

Regi and Don Quixote make the point that there are issues out there that require our defense. God did not create us to let the fight come to us. He created us to take the fight to the enemy. It is about taking territory for Christ. Very seldom is that standing nose-to-nose and fighting until the last one standing. Mostly, it is about being obedient to God’s call.

Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

National Guard

I think of it as God’s National Guard. It is a voluntary organization comprised of like-minded people who freely give their time to prepare for war or disaster. When the time comes for action, they follow orders and enter the fray. They use all their previous training to overcome a wrong or defend others. In this case, we are to defend the underserved from the evil that has existed in the world since the fall.

“If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything.” – various sources.

Psalm 18:39, “For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.”

Each of us should define our field of battle. It can be homelessness, fatherlessness, loneliness, human trafficking, hunger, medical assistance, education, employment, or anything else. The person God created you to be has the skills and resources to enter the fight against something. We will never know what we are made of or made for until we pick a fight.

A fight musters resources, pumps adrenaline, creates urgency, and clarifies calling. Big fights force you to create alliances. It requires us to attack and defend, always keeping an eye on our adversary. Guess what? God is a master at this. He will ensure you have the resources you need to advance His kingdom. You’ll never fight alone as long as you do God’s will.

Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

The fight is not ours to win; it is ours to participate in. God, and only God, has the resources to overcome.

Echoes of War

Earlier, I mentioned that I realized that Regi was still talking to me from the grave. His voice echoes long after his passing. The fight he chose goes on even when he is not here. We each have that potential. Most of us either don’t believe it or choose to ignore it. Pick a fight. Make your moment count. Somewhere, sometime, someone will hear the echo of your existence.

Deuteronomy 20:4, “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

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God’s Tapestry of Life

Each of us is a double-knotted thread in God’s tapestry of life. In His greatness, He died for our past, present, and future sins. From sinful man, He created a new creation free of sin. But that new creation lives in a fallen and sinful world. He knew this when He created all our existence. It was done with a plan in mind.

Colossians 1:16, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

Tapestry

“God’s plan will continue on God’s schedule.” ― A.W. Tozer.

Before all creation, God created you. You are a specific piece in an enormous tapestry representing God’s plan for eternity. I remember a trip to Turkey, where I learned about the Turkish rug-making business. I was privileged to see how a Turkish rug was made, from the silkworm to the finished product. It is incredible that, to this day, it still holds to the ancient manual process created thousands of years ago. It has not been modernized. An authentic Turkish rug is made by hand in every aspect, from extracting the silk for the cocoon to hand-dying the silk using berries and leaves to creating the silk thread and weaving the masterpiece by double knotting each thread. It can take nine to eighteen months to make a single rug.

Isaiah 40:28, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

The fascinating part is that the weaver works from the back side of the rug. They see tied knots of multi-colored thread, row after row. It is only when they turn the rug over that they see the image. The image is made up of millions of tightly knotted multi-colored threads hand-picked from memory. If one thread is out of place, and the image is flawed, the weaver must undo their work back to the point of error and reweave with the correct thread.

Your Thread

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

You are a thread in God’s tapestry. You are important and special. Your life has purpose and meaning. The world looks like a mass of tied multi-colored knots that make little sense to us. To God, it is the perfect image of His creation. Your purpose isn’t to be the picture but to be part of the picture. Most of us are the predominant mono-color of the background. Our place is to frame the multi-colored threads that make up the scene. But without the contrast of the background, the scene loses its impact. We set the stage and make the introduction for the final product. We are the foundation that holds the tapestry together so that the total image can impact the viewer. The viewer is God and God alone. It is His tapestry.

Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Some of us are the multi-colored thread that brings out the scene. But before we give ourselves too much importance, we must remember there are millions of multi-colored threads, which must all accept their place to make the total image work. One does not carry more importance than another. It is all the threads working together to make God’s tapestry. He is the weaver, choosing the threads one by one.

Your Purpose

Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Do not look at your life as man looks at life, if you do it will only bring you pain. Look at life as God looks at life; each one is precious and important; each has purpose and meaning. God chooses each of us with love and compassion as He weaves the image of Himself. Take hope from the understanding that you are exactly who God made you be to achieve the unique purpose He planned for your life before creation. Embrace it and live it. Eternity is a very long time, and the final image is enormous; don’t get lost in the everyday.

Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”

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Point Nemo

Point Nemo is one of the most remote locations on Earth, officially known as the oceanic pole of inaccessibility. It is the point in the ocean that is farthest from any land. Specifically, it lies in the South Pacific Ocean, about 2,688 kilometers (1,450 nautical miles) from the nearest landmasses. The International Space Station is closer than any landmass.

There are times when I believe I am at the pole of inaccessibility. I’m disconnected from what is going on around me. The world is whirling around me; activity is everywhere, and I don’t care. I’m in my little world that seems frozen in time. My prayer life slows to a standstill. I pray, but not with conviction. I’m walking knee-deep in mud.

Psalm 32:1-2 – “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.”

The lies are impeccably factual. They contain no errors. There are no distortions or falsified data. But they’re lies all the same because they claim to tell us who we are and omit everything about our origin in God and our destiny in God. – Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Point Nemo

We all experience times when we seem to have been left behind by the world around us. We have concerns and issues that don’t matter to anyone but us. Someone has hurt us unintentionally; we know there is no real cause, but we feel it. When we feel disconnected from the world, even amid a crowd, it’s like a glass wall surrounds us—able to see and hear everything but not truly part of it.

Untreated, this feeling can mushroom into full-blown depression. For most of us, it is a fleeting melancholy. Generally, we are left feeling like we don’t matter; our goals and dreams are too far away. Our past controls our future. We don’t measure up to the people around us. Maybe because we can’t catch a break, everything is too hard. Money, work, family, friends, and society are flashpoints.

Psalm 32:1-2 – Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Traversing this storm in life feels like being caught in a cyclone where the winds of uncertainty howl and the rain of challenges pours relentlessly. Each step forward is met with resistance as if the very ground beneath is shifting, threatening to swallow us up. Amidst the chaos, there are moments of exhaustion, where the weight of the storm bears down, making every breath a battle. How do we escape the pole of inaccessibility?

Tranquil Journey

The raging storm is a mirage; it doesn’t actually exist. It is a construct of our mind. That is hard to believe. Isn’t it? Most visits to Point Nemo are self-inflicted wounds. Point Nemo is real, but the journey away from Point Nemo doesn’t require you to overcome a storm. You feel what you feel (Point Nemo), but the path to serenity doesn’t require a great physical effort. More importantly, you do not have to accomplish it alone. The more time you spend at Point Nemo, the harder it is to believe you can leave.

Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Seeking refuge in Christ is our only hope, whether we feel condemned by our actions or by the actions of others. Christ is our true identity, and our past does not bind us. Instead, we are defined by Him. Scripture continually guides us forward, reminding us that our identity rests in Him alone.

Remember that solutions take as much time to create as problems, and problems are not as spontaneous as you think. You will not change your thinking quickly when you have taken a lifetime to create it. The journey starts with prayer and proceeds through a path of willing friends and loving family.

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

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Cascading Decisions

Helping othersCascading decisions rule our lives. Millions of people make millions of everyday decisions in millions of places, causing a cascade that eventually affects us. The overseas workers can make the products we bring into our homes. Their decision every morning to work hard or blow it off can eventually affect us. People’s interactions with significant others, friends, family, or co-workers affect how they go about their lives and may encroach on our lives. Product developers in companies worldwide make decisions every day that eventually seep into our existence. People we never see, talk with, or know, make decisions that eventually cause difficulties.

Why is it important to understand this human dynamic? Every day, we face challenges created outside our sphere of influence. These challenges are ours; we own them. We are the ones that react in the wake of their existence. How we react is part of the millions making decisions that affect others. We see the immediate impact on those close to us, but we may not see the ripple effect across time.

The person we cut in front of in line at the grocery store who then speaks harshly to their mate, who then takes that out on an employee. The cycle goes on. A viral tsunami of vitriol emotions that spawns outward. Just as we are the recipients of cascading decisions made by others, so are others the recipients of ours.

Prayer

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” – Charles Spurgeon

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Why did this come to mind? It came to mind because of its impact on answered prayer. Yes, God can and does create miracles. But I don’t think He is in the miracle business. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus constantly comments on an unbelieving world that requires signs and miracles to believe. He does not want us to rely on miracles as evidence of our faith. He wants our faith to reveal the evidence of His miracles.

1 John 5:15, “And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

The example that comes to mind is the fig tree Jesus cursed as He arrived in Jerusalem. It did not wither and die immediately. The fig tree revealed the evidence of the curse the next day. Prayer works that way many times. Yes, I have had the experience of prayer being answered almost immediately, which is what I would describe as a miracle. But often, my prayers are answered in a very subtle way over time. Sometimes, if I am not looking, I miss them all together. It is later that I realize the impact of that single prayer.

1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

Cascading Decisions

Keep this in mind as you pray. We are not an island but part of an eight-billion-person ecosystem. Most problems we face are not simple transactions between two people but the cascading culmination of many decisions. The way God answers our prayers may affect more people than ourselves. This cascade of actions starts the moment we pray. We may not see the results of these actions for some time. It does not mean God does not go to work the moment you pray, but, like the fig tree, the results take time.

Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

Do not get discouraged when you feel that God did not hear you. Do not feel your faith is weak because the answer was not immediate. Be patient; let God work in the lives of all the people affected by His response. Many times, I miscalculated the complexity of my prayer only to see the impact on myself and maybe a few others. I don’t see the pattern of ripples as this one decision goes across time.

God Loves You

1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.”

God loves you unconditionally, even when we do not reciprocate that love. God never changes. He is not affected by mere human frailties; He knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows what you are going through. What He wants from you is for you to glorify Him by coming to Him with whatever is on your mind. He wants you to invite Him into your world.

Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

The world is not too complex for Him. He created it along with the universe. God looks over every person, animal, plant, insect, molecule, and quark He created. To us, it is a giant and hostile planet constantly buffeted by the afterglow of Adam’s betrayal. To God, it is His loving creation that He carefully cares for even when we do not see it.

Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

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We Only Get One Life

We only get one life, and time flows in only one direction. Every moment is unique and irreplaceable, never to be repeated. Yet, we often fail to grasp the true value of our time. Time is one of the most precious resources in life—finite and irreplaceable. It’s easy to overlook its importance, to pretend that tomorrow will always be there. But tomorrow never truly arrives; all we have is today, this present moment. Do we honor it as we should?

James 4:13-14, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

Most of us spend our entire lives reliving moments that will never come. We fill our heads with thoughts of tomorrow, conversations that will never happen, and events that will never come to fruition. We are so busy playing what-ifs with our future that we do not cherish the present. The very thing we have the most control over is the last thing we think of.

Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

We spend a tremendous amount of time worrying about what we can accomplish in the future, creating regrets about the past. We fret over lost opportunities and missing relationships. We forget all the time we spend building scenarios that never came to fruition.

Why do We Live in the Past

Isaiah 43:18, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.”

Humans are naturally inclined to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. Regret often arises from situations that feel incomplete or unresolved. Without a sense of closure, the mind repeatedly revisits these moments, searching for a satisfying conclusion or attempting to rewrite the past. When our actions or decisions conflict with our values or self-image, it creates cognitive dissonance—a psychological discomfort. To alleviate this discomfort, the mind frequently replays the regretful event to find a resolution or make sense of it. Regret is often tied to unresolved emotions like guilt, shame, or sadness. These powerful and persistent feelings can lead to dwelling on what went wrong and what could have been done differently

Ecclesiastes 3:14-15, “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; God will call the past to account.”

The past is not malleable; it is unchangeable. Our best approach to overcoming regret is to spend more time in the present moment, where our regretful actions have their genesis. God has given us this moment, right now, to do that which will resolve many of the regrets we may have in the future.

Living in the Present

Time is the brush of God as he paints his masterpiece on the heart of humanity. – Ravi Zacharias

That is not the life God has intended. God created us to glorify Him, but we cannot do that if we live in the future or regret the past. The greatest glory we can bring before God is to live the life He has planned for us. That life is not a life of worry and anxiety but a life of achieving, excelling, and joy. But if we do not take the time to experience it in the moment, then why experience it?

Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

You have one life to live. It is the only life God has given you.

Being a Good Steward of Time

Proverbs 3:6,” In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

The future is yet to come. Millions of decisions, made by millions of people from millions of places, have yet to determine it. We must be mindful of the future but not live in it. Be a good steward of what God has given you. Protect it, nourish it, and help it grow. Be mindful of the sustainability of your mission, but not at the expense of today. Otherwise, you will create a vast catalog of lifelong regrets. That future you worked so hard to create will remain elusive.

Job 8:7, “Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly.”

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Everyone has a Story.

Listen and SilentEveryone has a story—you have one, and everyone you meet has one. One of the most essential life skills is the ability to listen to those stories. In listening to these stories, we start to connect with other people. It is not their bias, preconceived ideas, or emotional state that brings us together—it is the stories of our lives. We can not earn the right to speak until we show compassion and listen.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“

Everyone’s Story

I have traveled worldwide and met people of many diverse cultures. What I have learned is that we all share the same DNA when it comes to life stories. It starts in tragedy, then crescendos to the impossible, and ends with great overcoming. The crescendo’s amplitude varies based on the environment, but the storyline remains intact.

I have found that the root cause of much of the conflict we experience in life is a lack of understanding about our commonality. We focus too much on our differences and not enough on our similarities.

Hebrews 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”

Everyone has a personal story of overcoming challenges, and these stories are profoundly individual yet universally relatable. These stories showcase resilience, growth, and the human capacity to adapt and thrive in adversity. Listening to these stories can inspire us, foster empathy, and build connections by highlighting everyday experiences and struggles. Each story is a testament to the strength and determination inherent in the human spirit, reminding us that we can overcome even the most daunting obstacles.

“Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” — Dean Jackson.

EARNING THE RIGHT TO SPEAK

Mark 12:31, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

How do you earn the right to speak? Most of us enter a conversation assuming we have the right to speak our minds. While this is conventional wisdom, it should not be the default attitude. A better way to position yourselves is to earn this right to speak.

Be Attentive: Eliminate distractions and concentrate fully on the speaker. Maintain eye contact, nod occasionally, and adopt an open posture to show you are actively engaged in the conversation. You are not listening until it is your turn to talk; you are listening to understand their point of view.

Proverbs 18:13, “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.”

 Avoid Interrupting: Let the speaker finish their thoughts without interjecting. Pause before replying to ensure the speaker has finished their point. Keep your emotions in check and avoid reacting impulsively. Allow the conversation to flow naturally without rushing. We almost always find something to respond to in the middle of their monologue. There is a natural inclination to stop the speaker while your thoughts are fresh. If you let them continue, you show respect, and you might learn something that changes your response.

 Show Empathy: Try to grasp the speaker’s emotions and perspectives. Acknowledge their feelings and experiences. This action shows that you understand and care. You can’t fake this. You care, or you don’t care. If you don’t care, why are you even having this conversation?

 Ask Questions: Ask open-ended questions to gain a deeper understanding. Questions should encourage the speaker to elaborate and share more details. The advice given to me is to convert every statement into a question. Instead of saying, “That won’t work.”, say, “How do you see that working?

 Avoid Judgments: Listen without forming immediate opinions or assumptions. Respect the speaker’s viewpoint, even if it differs from your own.

Benefits of Listening

Proverbs 1:5, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

When we become so wrapped up in our own story that we can not see or choose to disregard the story of others, we miss an incredible opportunity for grace. Rather than launching into a defense of our story, stop, take a deep breath, and listen to the story of the person in front of you. Here is what you might Learn:

Value of Empathy: Listening to someone’s story is a way to walk in their shoes, to see the world through their eyes. It fosters empathy and deepens your understanding of human experiences, creating meaningful connections. People do not create positions contrary to their experiences. There is a reason they think what they think. Discover it.

Personal Growth: Every story you hear can teach you something new. It can challenge your perspectives, broaden your horizons, and contribute to personal growth. We are all a product of our environment, and so are they. Try to understand the worldly forces molding their experience.

Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

The Power of Validation: When you listen to someone’s story, you validate their experiences. This acknowledgment can be incredibly powerful and healing for the storyteller, reminding them that their voice matters. Stories remind us of our shared humanity. In a world that can often feel divided, listening to others can bring us closer together and highlight the common threads that unite us all.

Inspiration: Consider when someone’s story has inspired you, changed your perspective, or motivated you. By listening to others, you allow yourself to experience these moments regularly. We all love overcoming that moment when the impossible becomes possible. We need to hear more of these.

This Week’s Final Thought

Listening to others’ stories isn’t just about them—it’s also about you. It’s a reciprocal act where the listener and the storyteller gain something valuable. A person’s emotional state is derived from their previous experiences. We sometimes misunderstand a current situation because we do not know its story. Ask them their story when you sense something greater is going on. This moment could be the moment when another great story begins.

Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

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RANDOM

Randomness seems so random. Simple concepts sometimes catch my attention. One of them is randomness. Did you know you cannot prove randomness; you can only disprove it? Just because you can not find the pattern in a sequence does not mean it doesn’t exist. But if you find a pattern, you know it is not random.

Interestingly, this also applies to a lie. If I had said that I was at home last night by myself, then the only way to prove I lied was to prove where I was. If you can’t prove the truth, the lie stands. Just because someone did not see me doesn’t mean I wasn’t out somewhere.

INCIDENTAL ME

Psalm 139:13-14, "You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this."

Let’s start with the most random event in my life: being born a white male in the United States during the 1950’s. The answer is incredibly small, 0.065%. That is sixty-five one thousand of one percent. Each of us has a number like that in our existence. For example, the probability of a male being born in Zaire in the 1970s is 0.14%. That means it was twice as likely to be born male in Zaire in the 1970s than in the US in the 1950s. My dad had a college degree, making him among the only 6.2% of people in the United States with a degree. That means only 43 out of every million people born in the US in 1950 shared my start in life. There were only 3 million births in the United States that year. In the world, as a whole, there are less than 140 people who started life with what I had. Why is this important?

Isaiah 64:8, "Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay; you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."

God is not random. The odds of my existence, 0.004304%, are not random. I take for granted that I am who I am. I do not question my heritage. But my existence, although seemingly random, is specific. God planted me here and when for His purpose. What I have experienced in my life is not the product of random behavior. It is part of a carefully crafted plan for all of creation. Do you believe that about yourself?

ARBITRARY YOU

Jeremiah 1:4-5, "The Lord gave me this message: "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations."

I get the incredible opportunity to meet people from all over the world who God created in a much different environment. Sometimes, it is hard for me to understand the context of their existence. Those are fancy words: “I don’t get how you can accept who you are and where you are.” I find insane potential with limited opportunity. But, just as I am a carefully crafted person, designed for a specific plan in God’s kingdom, so are they. So are you.

Every Christian is born great. Greatness is inside every new creation. This greatness is what makes you unique and distinguishes you from others. – Justice Kojo Bentil

When we spend too much time trying to be someone else or somewhere else, we are disputing the sovereignty of God’s wisdom. God created our purpose and meaning before we became aware of it. The country, ethnic group, economic status, gender, education, and even our disabilities are part of the careful crafting. In our weakness, we are made strong.

Psalm 139:16, "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

What we choose to do with that craftmanship differentiates who we become. Do we see ourselves as a victim of randomness or part of a glorious plan to save all of humankind? Are the events of our lives the random results of living in a broken world? Is God crafting us to be unique within His kingdom, or is He accepting what life makes us?

THE GREAT PLAN

Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

I apologize; I had an unequaled head start in most of the world. I did not recognize it for what it was and squandered the first half of my life, thinking it was normal and random; 0.004304% had to be random. Now I know that you, me, and every other person on this planet are specifically created to achieve a purpose designed within us at birth. It is not random; the creator of the universe intentionally crafts it. We, and we alone, get to choose.  

Psalm 139:2-4, "You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord."

CHOOSE WISELY

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Understanding Myself.

Understanding myself; evolving from information to wisdom. Like many Christians, I struggle with obedience. I have gotten to a place where I don’t struggle with the big decisions, but I struggle with the everyday reactions to meaningless situations. I become emotionally highjacked by simple events. Things that I can stand back and say to myself, this is meaningless; it has no bearing on my life or my salvation; it’s just wrong; the wrongness is a value judgment on my behalf.

I go back to Paul’s passage in Romans 7:15-20, one of the most grammatically challenging passages in the Bible, but its message is something we all can relate to.

Paul says, “I do not understand myself. I want to do what is right, but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. When I do the thing I do not want to do, it shows me that the Law is right and good. So, I am not doing it. Sin living in me is doing it. I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do good but I do not. I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I am always doing the sinful things I do not want to do. If I am always doing the very thing I do not want to do, it means I am no longer the one who does it. It is a sin that lives in me.”

Struggling with Repetitive Sin

We all struggle with sin. It is inherent within us to stray from God. The lure of the world is ever-present. That lure is not always selfish in origin; sometimes, it disguises itself as righteous indignation. We internalize our behavior as a way of making it more palatable. Sin finds a way of making us think that being right is better than doing right. Once being right is more important, we fail. We fail repeatedly, always wanting to improve but never quite getting there.

1 John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

The genesis of this thinking comes from a new project a friend and I are undertaking. As we grow older and watch our parents grow older, we want to avoid the pitfalls of aging. I don’t want to become that grumpy older man that people avoid. I want to be light in the darkness. As the saying goes, growing old is not for sissies. As we age past sixty, we realize we are slowly losing control of our everyday life. This loss of control can be frustrating.

So, my friend and I came up with a list of attributes that older people need to become aware of as they age. This list isn’t about how to live healthier or happier; it is about how to interact more positively with younger people who may not realize what you are going through. We then applied Biblical teaching to each attribute. This project was a self-improvement project, not an educational project aimed at others.

Understanding: Converting Information to Knowledge

Proverbs 17:27 – “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.”

The problem that came to light is that even knowing the issues, I still fall short. I struggle to convert information into knowledge, expecting it to become wisdom someday. I live my life like it is just information. Converting information to knowledge requires contextualization, evaluation, application, and reflection. We can not accomplish this in the rearview mirror; it must be forward-thinking.

I do not know myself; I don’t want to move my sin underground away from prying eyes, thinking sinful thoughts while responding with “Bless you.”  I want to turn away from sin altogether. Paul and I have a common problem. We know what to do; we don’t always do it.

The first step is engaging actively with Biblical concepts through discussions, teaching, or hands-on practice. Converting information to knowledge is active, not passive. Knowing something doesn’t mean you understand it and can apply it. In my case, I need to put our list of attributes into action and reinforce that action with discussions and introspection. We can not accomplish this in a vacuum.

Understanding: Converting Knowledge to Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 7:19 – “Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.”

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”- Charles Spurgeon.

It gets trickier to change knowledge into wisdom. Wisdom requires time and experience. Wisdom comes from the repetitive practice of trial and error. It is about getting knocked down and getting back up repeatedly. We need to use each opportunity to teach us something new. You start to get a deeper understanding and recognize patterns. There becomes this interconnectedness between the existing state and the desired state of our being. We develop more empathy and emotional intelligence, not just for our being but the being of others. We can’t change others without first changing ourselves.

Final Thought

Paul was more extraordinary than I could ever hope to be, and he still struggled. I can not expect to experience anything different. What Paul did was constantly push back against worldly traits. He never conquered his sin, but he didn’t give in either. He battled it every day. I can not ask myself anything more than that.

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
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