Well That’s Inconvenient!

 

Several months ago, Neal and I were traveling from one hospital visit to another.  Several events happened throughout the day which put us in a bit of a rush.  As you might expect, this is usually when something goes wrong.  On this day, we hit very slow moving traffic.  We looked around for flashing lights and for any sign of the problem ahead of us.  Eventually we made it up to a man whose car was in the middle of the road, with flashers on, and his hood up.  As we passed by the man and his broken down vehicle, Neal said something I won’t soon forget.  He simply stated, “No one is more inconvenienced than him.”

Far too often we get focused on our own little world.  We come across an accident and think, “Perfect…now I’m going to be late,” “I can’t believe this is happening to me” or, “Well this is terribly inconvenient for me.”  We need to change our perspective.  What we forget is that, while it poses a slight problem for us, not a single person is more inconvenienced than the person in trouble.  That person might have had some very important event or appointment to keep as well!  Instead of thinking of the other person, though, we think only of ourselves.

In situations like these, our lives become inconvenienced and we respond with grumbling and complaining.  Have we really become people who fuss and complain when things don’t go our way?  Today, we label people who fit this mold “spoiled brats.” 

Philippians 2:14 clearly states, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

This applies across the board in all situations.  It doesn’t say “some things” or even “most things,” but it says, “all things.”  Christians are to be people who aren’t complainers.  This is a difficult thing to do.  If I am honest with myself, and if you are honest with yourself, I think we could all say that we need to improve ourselves in this area.  We complain too often and too easily. 

This life is not about having everything convenient for us.  It’s about God’s will and what makes Him happy.  God doesn’t want us to be a bunch of complainers like the nation of Israel (Numbers 11:1-4).   Let’s change the way we think, act, and respond to situations that are inconvenient to us.

Emergency Contact Numbers

If any of the follow situations are happening in your life, please dial the appropriate numbers.

If you are unsure that God loves you, DIAL: John 3:16.

If you need faith, DIAL: Hebrews 11

If you need comfort, DIAL: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

If you are worried, DIAL: Mathew 6:25-34

If you feel depressed, DIAL: 1 Peter 5:6-7

If you hear gossip, DIAL: Proverbs 26:22-25

If you feel overwhelmed by some force, DIAL: 1 John 4:4

If you are unsure about your current friends, DIAL: 1 Corinthians 15:33

If you love worldly things in life, DIAL: 1 John 2:15

If you love money, DIAL: 1 Timothy 6:10.

If you are focused on succeeding in this life, DIAL: Matthew 16:26

If you want to be fruitful in life, DIAL: John 15:1-11

If you want advice with your investments, DIAL: Matthew 6:19-21.

If you aren’t sure about participating in something, DIAL: Philippians 4:8           

If you are experiencing sorrow or pain, DIAL: Revelation 21:4

If you are being persecuting, DIAL: Matthew 5:10-12

If you are being tempted to sin, DIAL: 1 Corinthians 10:13

If you have sinned, DIAL: 1 John 1:9

If you feel you can’t be forgiven and saved, DIAL: Isaiah 59:1-2.

If you are in trouble and need to be saved, DIAL: 1 Peter 3:21

All numbers can be dialed directly.  If you need to speak with someone directly, please bow your head in prayer now.  God is standing by.

(Idea was inspired by an article by an unknown writer)

Woman Gets Married to Herself

 

The bride, Nadine Schweigert, walked down the isle at a chapel in Fargo, North Dakota.  She was wearing a teal blue satin dress and clutched a bouquet of white roses.  Forty of her closest friends and family watched as she made her way up to the front where she stood there all alone.  Typically, people would have been concerned by the absence of the groom, but not for this ceremony.  On this day, Nadine was getting married to herself.

Nadine had an interview with TV host Anderson Cooper about the ceremony.  Here was her explanation for her actions, “It was me standing up for myself and owning that I’m responsible for my happiness.  There would have been a time that I would have placed that on others, to change myself to make them happy, or expecting them to change to make me happy and that really wasn't working, not at all.  I was very unhappy.  I started discovering that all the love I need, it's in here [gesturing to her herself]. No one else can give it to me…I did this to celebrate the progress I've made in my life.  Six years ago I would have handled a problem by going out and drinking.  I smoked, I was 50 lbs overweight.  This is just celebrating how far I've come in my life.”  Sticking with this commitment, Nadine also takes herself on dates, as she explained, “to be married to myself means I have to invest in this relationship.”

To be honest, this entire situation is strange and uncomfortable.  It is completely understandable that we should learn to love and be happy with who we are.  But actually planning a formal wedding ceremony for herself and taking herself on dates just takes it to an awkward level.

Beyond this, two main problems really stood out to me with this situation.  First, this boils down to selfishness.  I understand she is celebrating how far she has come through adversity, but that is just it, it is all about her.  She is focused on herself and now married to herself.  We might even call this the ultimate form of selfishness.  Everything in her future is now about what makes her happy.  Second, she is completely reliant on herself.  There is no focus or reliance on God.  Several times Nadine talked about how she is all that she needs and no one else can make her happy.  What she is really saying is, “true happiness is only found in yourself.”  No one else, especially God, is seen in this picture.

This kind of mindset is completely opposed in Scripture (Psalm 119:36; Proverbs 18:1; Matthew 22:37-39; etc).  Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

While there is nothing wrong with learning to love and be happy with ourselves, we can most definitely take that too far.  Our culture has become focused on self and situations like Nadine’s are simply products of this focus.  The more we focus on ourselves, the faster we will lose focus on God.  Let’s make sure we always focus on what is really important, God.

Ignoring Advice from Grandad

 

Recently I ordered several teen related books to add to my library.  As they arrived, I looked through the books and checked for any major problems.  As I was thumbing through the book Boys to Men: A Christian-Teen Survival Guide, written by members of the church like Kyle Butt and several others, I noticed a note tucked inside the front cover.  The note read, “Jack.  This book will be a very good guide for your life.  I hope you will use it for that purpose.  Love, Grandad.”

After I read this touching note, I began taking notice of the book’s condition.  The front cover was in great shape except for a little bit of wear on the corners.  The binding was in perfect condition and didn’t look like it had been broken in.  Every page was crisp and didn’t have a single mark on them.  While it’s possible Jack was a very careful reader, the book didn’t show any signs of ever being read.  Not to mention, this book is now located in my office instead of the teen boy’s room.  All indications point to Jack never reading this book or heeding his Grandad’s advice.

Whoever this grandad is, I give him a standing ovation for trying to keep his grandchildren in a right relationship with the Lord.  The book he gave his grandson is a good book filled with sound spiritual advice.  I don’t know what Jack’s spiritual condition is now, but I certainly hope he made better decisions for his future.  The evidence seems to suggest that Jack ignored good spiritual advice from his grandad.

What about us?  How do we respond to sound spiritual advice?  Typically, people don’t like their flaws pointed out.  We get set in our ways.  Sometimes it is very hard to listen to advice when it calls for us to change.  However, according to Scripture, we would be very wise to listen to such advice.  Notice the following Scriptures:

• Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”
• Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”
• Proverbs 6:20-23 – “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck.  When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you.  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.”

While not all advice is good advice, one can never go wrong when giving sound spiritual advice from Scripture.  We need more people who are willing to step out and invest in others’ relationships with the Lord through sound spiritual advice.  But more than anything, we need to be the kind of people who are willing to use and accept this good advice from others.

A Cricket in New York City

A Native American and his friend were walking on Times Square in New York City when the streets were busy, noisy, and filled with people.  The sounds of the city were almost deafening.  Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."  His friend said, "What?  You must be crazy.  You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!”  "No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."  "That's just crazy," said the friend.

The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing.  He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket.  In utter amazement, the friend said, "That's incredible!  You must have superhuman ears."  "No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours.  It just depends on what you're listening for."  The friend replied, “There is just no way.  I could never hear a cricket in this noise."  But the Native American simply replied, "It depends on what is really important to you.  Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk.  Even with all the noise of the crowded street blaring in their ears, nearly every person within twenty feet noticed the sound of the coins and turned to look and see if the money that hit the pavement was theirs.  "See what I mean?" said the Native American. "It all just depends on what's important to you.”

The same question must be asked to each of us, “What is important to you?”  As we go through our daily walk, where is our focus?  Is it money?  Entertainment?  Work?  God?  Far too many people are busy and focused on so many worldly aspects of life (Like Martha in Luke 10:38-42).  It is no wonder that people have difficulty seeing God working on earth and in the midst of difficult situations when they are focused on so many other things.  Consider the following scriptures:

• Proverbs 20:7 - “For as he thinks within himself, so he is…”
• Matthew 6:19-21 - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where is your heart?  What are you focused on?  The Native American was in tune with nature and noticed even the small details.  As Christians, we must be in tune with God and focused the spiritual things of this life.