Stumbling About for Truth

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Don't you know a new day is coming? That all hope is not lost? For one man, apparently all hope WAS lost. I received a call from a friend this morning and was informed that one of her friends had passed away. The situation sounded like it was possibly a suicide. My friend was shaken and upset as she had just spoken to her friend. I didn't know her friend, but any time I hear of someone taking their own life, it unsettles me as well and leaves me with a sense of regret for them and their families. They've chosen to miss out on so much without even realizing it. I also couldn't help but think of the few times I had thought about suicide in the distant past and how much I would have missed had I gone through with it. I was a 20-something who thought his life was over. I had lost all hope. Now, as a 40-something with a marriage of 18 years to a woman I love dearly, 3 kids that I wouldn't trade for anything, a meaningful career with an organization that helps others ...

Don't you know you have to be willing to suffer to grow in maturity? When you ask the really hard questions of people, silence usually ensues - even those who seem to be further down the path in their walk with Christ. Why? Because they quickly realize they may need to not only change their long-held views, but they may actually have to step out of their comfort zone and do something they don't want to do. Or if they're less than polite, they take you to task for calling something they've said into question, then roundly dismiss you (while wiping their brow in relief). The downright obstinate folks usually take their leave of absence uttering a few obscenities as they leave because they know they might have to deal with you again if they don't. All three categories need to consider the deeper, harder questions of the faith for that's the only way to grow and mature. On my own home front, I inhabit all three categories above all too regularly as well as...

Don't you know that happiness is not the point? It can't be. Why? Because happiness changes with circumstances. What (or who) you are happy with today, can, and probably will, change tomorrow. You've heard the old saying, "Don't like the weather in Texas? Wait a few minutes and it'll change." That's what it's like with happiness. Happy at the moment? Wait a minute, it'll change. Something will happen that you won't like. Heck I'm not even talking about a drastic change that takes you from exuberance to despair. Even going from say, the happiness of finding an unexpected $20 in your jeans while doing the laundry to the realizing you have 3 more loads to do, can be a real bummer and create a sense of boredom and monotony that is anything but happy. On an even tougher level, that boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse you're expecting to make you happy for the rest of your life? Not going to happen. Not on the level we usually expect. ...

Don't you know that life is fleeting – here one minute, swept away the next? I was visiting the local TV station's website to read about a storm system due to arrive in my area after 10 this morning. The page I was reading was set up as a live blog page, with reporters updating the situation as needed. The first update at the top of the page read like this: 7:30 a.m.: The fatal Forest Hill accident and the wreck in Dallas near Mountain Creek Parkway and I-20 mentioned in the update about an hour ago have both been cleared. Just like that, a fatal accident and it's remains (pun intended) are cleared away and life goes on for the majority of us. If I weren't writing this, I doubt I would even remember reading that line. It reminded me that we THINK we'll be here later today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year… but the truth is, we don't know what the future holds for us. Now I could insert a bunch of platitudes about WHO holds the future, living ...

Don't you know that love is the foundation of everything we are in Christ? Paul called it clothing every other virtue we are to practice as Christians in love (Colossians 3). I call it hard to do! I have been avoiding posting this one for awhile. I just didn't want to deal with the fact that I don't love others very well. But that doesn't lessen the truth of what Paul called us to do in Colossians. And while grace pardons, it does not excuse bad behavior. It actually demands we make right whatever we've messed up! God's grace came at the great and awful price of His Son's life. That mere fact screams out that we not hide behind the grace that was provided through such a sacrifice, but to take seriously our responsibility to love others no matter where they are at and to seek forgiveness when we fail. It's not an option in light of the forgiveness we stand in as redeemed children of God. So as a chief sinner, in the worst tradition of Paul in 1 Timot...

Don't you know that truth matters? In everything? Some think it's okay to tell little white lies. Some think it's okay to omit details - thereby not telling the whole truth. The problem is, when you allow for a little fibbing, you end up lying a lot. Sliding scales of truth-telling ends up being any but truth-telling. I think maybe that's because our society - made up of us - you and I - have a hard time dealing with truth. Why is that? Maybe because it's sometimes easier to just fudge the truth a little to avoid the hassle of having to tell the whole, unvarnished truth. Or maybe you are pretending you're protecting someone by not being truthful. Other times it may because it's uncomfortable to live in the unyielding light of the truth. I recently watched an episode of "My 600lb Life." It's a series of reality-based shows documenting a year in the life of a person's battle to lose hundreds of pounds in a year. Most of them I have see...

Don't you know that bad behavior has consequences? The Bible in Galatians refers to it as reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7). The terms are related to planting (sowing) and harvesting (reaping the results of your sowing). So if you plant corn seed in your garden in the spring , you get corn in the fall. Of course, it takes a lot of nurturing of that garden in order to reap the benefits of sowing. The corn reaped in the fall is the natural consequence of the corn seed that was sown the prior spring. You can probably see where I am going spiritually. There are natural consequences spiritually as well. If you sow (plant) an angry thought (seed) against someone, then nurture that anger over time, you'll likely end up doing something stupid like telling that person "just what you think of them" and hurting them. That's the reaping of the anger you sowed. That's the resulting sin of your anger. Or maybe posting something demeaning to another on a social media...

Don't you know that when I fail, when I act horribly, strike out in anger at someone or goad them into their own fit of anger, that I am exhibiting the very reason I need Christ? It's not an excuse for my poor behavior. It's reality. For everyone one of us. Don't believe me? Show me a person who says it's not true and I'll show you the very same person who grades sin on a sliding scale. Interestingly, it always slides in favor of their pet bad behaviors! So when you see my good works or my bad behavior - and I do indeed strive to always make them good works as opposed to the bad behavior - know that I am not saved by them, but in spite of them. And know that there are always consequences to them for me in spite of my relationship with Christ.