Tag: testimony

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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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A Problem Without a Solution is a Fact

“If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem but a fact, not to be solved, but to be coped with over time.” – Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres

Recognizing Facts and Moving Forward

Understanding that some issues are beyond resolution can be liberating. Consider the example of a parent who may not have provided the ideal level of support during your upbringing. This might have impacted your self-esteem or emotional growth. While this situation is unfortunate, it’s a fact of your past that cannot be altered. Instead of dwelling on the unchangeable, we can focus on how to move forward positively.

The Power of Perspective

How we handle problems differs significantly from how we accept facts. Problems can be dissected, analyzed, and tackled step-by-step. The future is open to influence and transformation. Conversely, some life circumstances are immutable, whether they stem from the past or exist in the present beyond our control.

1 Peter 3:9, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Problem-solving is part art and part skill. Some tried and true approaches help minimize the impact of problems. There are strategies for breaking a problem into manageable parts and solving each at a time. Sometimes, solving a problem requires playing a hunch or rolling the dice but in a predictable manner. The art must be grounded in skill. But how do we deal with a problem without a solution?

Navigating Unsolvable Problems

An insightful lesson from my college days comes to mind. I had a calculus professor who always put one problem on the test that did not have a solution. Although his responsibility was to teach us math, he also felt compelled to teach us about life. A student would flunk the test if they didn’t concede that some problems are unsolvable. They would spend all their time working on one equation that had no answer, leaving the other, solvable problems, unattended. Once students understood this, they were more careful about how they spent their time during the test. Now, the question is to decide which problems are complicated or unsolvable.

James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Accepting and Adapting to Facts

Many of us struggle to accept unpleasant facts, which can lead to frustration and wasted effort. Embracing reality allows us to redirect our energy towards meaningful pursuits. Acceptance paves the way for peace and purpose, freeing us from the burden of trying to change the unchangeable.

Romans 8:31, “What shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Creating a Positive Path Forward

A problem without a solution becomes a fact, and accepting it is the first step towards progress. We must forgive past transgressions, whether ours or others’, and focus on what we can influence. For instance, dealing with different personality types isn’t about changing others but adjusting our approach to create productive interactions.

1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
Living with Compassion and Faith

Compassion can transform relationships and situations. Slowing down, being humble, and accepting solutions beyond our control can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Trusting in Christ and embodying His love helps alleviate stress and anxiety, leading to smoother paths in life.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Trusting in Divine Guidance

Recognizing that God’s love can overcome all obstacles is empowering. Many of life’s challenges are, in fact, unchangeable, and we must turn these over to God. Instead of struggling against the inevitable, we can seek guidance, patience, and a way forward through faith.

John 8:36, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

By embracing facts and focusing on what we can influence, we open ourselves to a life filled with peace, purpose, and the transformative power of faith.

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Enter the New Year

Enter the New Year. It is the Chinese year of the rabbit, which is appropriate. As we enter the new year, time is fleeting. We must make the most of this new year before it’s gone.

So, as we enter this new year, I wanted to tell you a story that might help you set your objectives. It’s my story. Like David, Moses, and many other characters in the Bible, my life has had its bumps and bruises. But also it has a lesson. It starts with the first question I had to answer; “who am I?”. That was a tough question for me to answer. A lot of clichés’ came to mind. I also gravitated toward things that sounded grandiose but weren’t true. My true mission in life wasn’t admirable, but finding it and articulating it opened my eyes to what has happened. Writing this is cathartic.

Proverbs 1:8-9, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

THE STORY

Who am I? I am the only son of a high-achieving “greatest generation” father. My mission in life was to be like him but better. I tried to achieve my mission by outworking everyone around me. My dad had one college degree; I have three. He worked full-time through college, and so did I, three times. I studied for every meeting and every engagement like it was a final exam. I had to be the smartest guy in the room. No one could be on my team if they didn’t have my work ethic.

THE JOURNEY

I tried to be this person by emulating my father. My father was a successful engineer; He was President of the City Council in my city and President of the School Board when I graduated from High School; his signature is on my High School Diploma.

He was well-liked, had a good sense of humor, and was a man of high character, brilliant and unassuming He could multiply two eight-digit numbers in his head to entertain my friends. I loved and idolized my father.

Romans 4:4, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”

I was driven to succeed in everything I tried. I was raised to believe that you didn’t appreciate anything you didn’t work for. This drive manifested itself in anger and frustration. I didn’t feel I ever measured up. My father seemed so natural at it, and it seemed so unnatural to me. I was constantly pressing. Although it did drive me to a high level of success, it didn’t provide any satisfaction in that success. It created relationship problems in almost every aspect of my life.  My life and ambition controlled me. I was a slave to whom I thought I must be. My ego and pride painted over all my insecurities.

“To love yourself is to know that your past does not change your worth.”

THE AWAKENING

I was divorced at a young age. I was running 10 miles every day to help deal with the stress. By the age of 30, I had to have a pacemaker. Caffeine and stress short-circuited my heart’s electrical system. Success was killing me; I knew I couldn’t keep this up; I either had to abandon my mission in life or find a better way.  

I couldn’t abandon who I thought I was, so I turned to the Bible for advice. I turned to the Bible because I remember it from my childhood days attending church. Going to church still wasn’t in the plan; I was a self-made man. The Bible proved to be an owner’s manual on how to live—changing my approach to working with people significantly reduced my stress. Knowing that I was part of a plan that could not fail gave me confidence, even when things didn’t go well. I started to relax but still lacked purpose.

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

I decided I needed help from people who understood the Bible better than me, so I started attending church.

CLARITY OF PURPOSE

That was when I received my aha moment; it was the tangent point that changed the direction of my life. I was given a cassette tape of a one-person play called “The BEMA.” It was about what you have done for Christ since you met Him. I realized that life had never been about me. It had always been about others. My legacy was not in what I achieved to elevate myself in life but in what I was doing to help others elevate themselves. I found purpose with meaning.

The pressure was gone. The drive is still there, but it is focused on results that do not belong to me. Kingdom gain is the measure; material gain may or may not follow. My goal was to be obedient to Christ when He called.

I quit corporate America and started a couple of companies operating on Christian principles. I held Bible Study once a week in my business to show my commitment to Christ and hold myself accountable to my employees for living up to that commitment. In retirement, I now work with several Christian-based missions using the skills and resources developed in me by God through life experiences. Anger is long gone. I am at peace with the person God made me. And, I want for nothing materially that I do not have or can’t obtain. God is good.

THE LESSON

“Don’t let your past dictate who you are. Let it be the lesson that strengthens the person you will become.”

As we enter the New Year, answering the question of who you are, will open your eyes to what drives you. You might find that the wrong standard drives you. I didn’t realize my dad’s impact on my life until my sisters pointed it out. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until I was over 60. I was driven by an aberration. I know my father would never have wanted that for me. But I didn’t know it was happening. Christ entered my life and fixed a problem I didn’t know I had. I could not have written my story this way ten years ago. Ten years ago, I still saw myself as Don Quixote saving the fair maiden. Like the fictional Don Quixote, I was tilting at windmills.

Psalm 103:13, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

God has made us incredible creatures capable of amazing things. But when we try to control who we are or want to be, the wheels come off. Sometimes this control is subconscious. Give it to God. Why? God is good all the time.

Psalm 20:4, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

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My Testimony

Psalms 107:4-6, “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”

THE STARTER’S GUN

I was kind of late to Christianity. Although I was baptized at a young age, it was more because I was a joiner. By the time I left High School, I was the president of the Baptist Youth Fellowship at my small church. These things can happen in small communities; the one who raises their hand gets the job.

I went to college not because I had a life plan but because it was the next step. I worked full-time during college; my goal was to get a diploma, not an education. If you don’t know what you want to be in life, what is the point in getting too educated on stuff you may never use? Sorry parents, there are a lot of kids in college with this plan.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games, exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, as not without aim.”

THE TURN

After college, I packed up all my stuff in a Chevy Vega and headed 750 miles south to get a job; I didn’t know a person in town, had no business connections and had no direction. I was working on the next step in life; I got a diploma now get a job. A man has to eat. At this point, life was just a series of checkmarks. Next on the list was marriage and family. There wasn’t any real passion or objective to being alive. I was insanely insecure, insanely angry, and insanely driven. This mental state was a tightly joined lethal cocktail. My insecurity drove my anger which forced me to overachieve. I look back on it now, and it seems so illogical, but it all made sense at the time. The good news for me was that I was an ambivert, you know, the guy that fits well in a social environment but has to go home to hide. I could mask all of my daily issues and feed them when I was alone at night.

The weird thing was that I thought this was all normal; it was just life. Everyone was fighting to get ahead. But it was a formula for disaster; still, I didn’t see it. Even when I was in the lifeboat watching the last of the ship as it dipped below the waves, I thought, this is life; everyone has problems. A wrecked marriage and a pacemaker at thirty, stress was the fuel. Stress kept me focused; it fed the anger to be someone.

Jeremiah 12:5, “… you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,”

THE STRETCH

Finally, I had to agree that this approach wasn’t working. I couldn’t keep it up for a lifetime. There had to be better way.  Back in childhood, there was this book that was supposed to have the answers. So I got a copy, it was the Bible; I started to read. I wasn’t looking for salvation; I was looking for a better life. Up to this point, life was a sprint that turned into a marathon; I wasn’t prepared for it. I read the Bible from cover to cover eight times. Every time I learned something new about how God made me and the way I needed to live my life. I was convinced God existed; Christ was still a little iffy.

Proverbs 4:13, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”

I started going to church. Over time there grew a desire in me to become something bigger than just me. I began to question my existence. Just why was I driven to achieve, and what exactly was I to achieve? Then I read the book “A Case for Christ.” From both a historical and factual standpoint, it was almost impossible to deny Christ’s ministry. He had to be who He said He was; what did that mean to me?

My conclusion; I was dead in my sin. Christ did die for my sins. He did raise from the dead. Salvation was real. I rededicated my life to Him. With that rededication, I am a new person in Christ no longer driven by anger and insecurity; I was created in the image of Christ. But I was still internally driven, still focused on worldly standards. It was still easy to separate my Christian beliefs from my material efforts. The scoreboard was about using everything God had given me to become a better me. I started out embellishing my worldly resume, then I turned to embellishing my spiritual resume.

THE FINISH

I remember the day that I finally saw God’s truth. I was on the way to the airport in the early morning. I traveled five days a week almost my entire career; it was a typical Monday morning. A friend had given me a tape of a one-person play called “The Bema.” The essence of the play was to answer the question; What have you done for Christ since you knew Him? My answer was simple, nothing. It has always been about me; it went from me-pleasing-me to me-pleasing-God. But I was still the center of the story.

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in good works”

The epiphany was that it has never been about me. Everything God created, myself included, is for God’s glory, not mine. Everything I have, had, or ever will have belongs to Him; I’m just a caretaker of those things.  I bring glory to God by taking what He has given me and serving others. This concept was a pivot point. This was the point in my life that I started to become the man God had always created me to be. This was the start of a life worth living.

Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

Since then, I have tried to be more outward-focused. I want to see the opportunities God is giving me to serve others through Him. By the way, it took me several years to consistently give Him glory for what I was doing. I would serve someone, but I would forget to tell them that it wasn’t me but Christ in me who had served them. The first step in sharing the Gospel is living the Gospel. I’m getting better at a lot of things; I still have further to go.

Life is a marathon; within that race you can find a calming cadence provided by Christ that guarantees that you can finish the race confidently. My focus is not the road ahead, but the God of the Universe that created me to not only run the race but run it with hope and joy that the race is not in vain.

Hebrews 12:1-3, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

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The Redemption of Naomi

I went to Kenya as a member of the IMED team. We fund micro-businesses in impoverished third-world nations to raise them out of poverty; this assignment was the Riff Valley, about 90 km out of Nairobi. They were part of the Narok City community, where 85% of the homes have dirt floors and no water or electricity. It is the home of the Maasai. 

There are no security nets or entitlement programs; life is hard, to the very end.

MEET NAOMI

Naomi was one of our students and now the proud owner of her own business. She is a widow with six grown children; she is illiterate but brilliant. Naomi always wore a smile. At first, she seemed shy, not wanting to talk or make eye contact; most of our students, about half male and half female, interacted spontaneously. As time wore on, I got the sense that Naomi had an undefeatable steel core that would not be denied. There were moments when she made direct eye contact and, with a smile, seemed to say, “test me, I dare you.” She wanted to start a grain store, selling maze in the local market. We spent several weeks together getting to know the culture, the market, and the students. We taught them business principles, help them create business plans, and ultimately, if viable, funded their business.

THE TESTIMONY OF NAOMI 

During a lull in the activity, I asked Naomi how she came to know Christ. What she told me was a heartwarming story of redemption. Kenya, especially the Riff Valley, is a hard land. It has about 40% unemployment. Government support is almost non-existent. The average monthly expenditure for a family of six is twenty-five dollars. Naomi was married to a cattle driver; a cattle driver drives cattle to market in Nairobi by herding them on foot; it would be insanely difficult by American standards. For reasons that Naomi did not divulge, her husband started to exhibit signs of mental illness. Some of these signs were fits of violence and wild ranting. He has since passed.

Two weeks after giving birth to her sixth child, she reached a critical point of hopelessness in the midst of one of her husband’s fits. That crucial point is when we feel we must give up; life has hit us so hard that getting back up doesn’t make sense. scared, tired, and depressed; she had a newborn to take care of, children to feed, a husband unfit to provide, and no help in sight;

Two weeks after giving birth to her sixth child, she reached a critical point of hopelessness in the midst of one of her husband’s fits. That crucial point is when we feel we must give up; life has hit us so hard that getting back up doesn’t make sense. Naomi was scared, tired, and depressed; she had a newborn to take care of, children to feed, a husband unfit to provide, and no help in sight; she was overwhelmed

She went into the bedroom to cry, she laid on the dirt floor, entirely enveloped in despair. Then she recalled people in the marketplace speaking of this “Christ”; she prayed for the first time in her life. Her simple prayer was, “Christ, if you exist, save me from my situation.” What she said happened next is a fantastic description of God’s love.

REDEMPTION

Her testimony was, “And God painted a new picture of my life.”

The situation did not change, but her view of it did. She experienced hope. There was a calmness and clarity concerning the road ahead. It wasn’t about immediate answers as it was about knowing it would be alright. Christ would walk with her through this trial. Answers would come later. 

Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, believed that there is always one last vestige of freedom even under intolerable circumstances: it is the freedom to choose with how you view your circumstances. He said, “We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last human freedom – to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstances” Naomi chose wisely; she chose to hope in Christ. 

THE CHASE

When you start chasing your passion, you soon realize it has always been chasing you. You will meet the Naomi’s of the world, which will confirm that you are where God planned. As much as God wants us to change the world around us, He knows chasing our passion will inevitably change us too. 

Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

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