I HATE Mediocrity, and You Should Too

There's this thing I've come to see in my life that I don't really understand... some day, I hope someone explains it to me.

When it comes to people's jobs and what they do for money, many people like being good at what they do.  It's why people get college degrees and such.  Not everyone does this, but... going to college to get a degree that people are hoping they'll use for work is common enough, I don't know that I need to speak on working to be good at your job.  

However, what about everything else?

For me, I want to be good at most everything I do.  It's why I've read many chess books.  It's why I've watched videos on how to take care of cats.  It's why I listen intently when my dental hygenist gives advice on how to better care for my teeth.  And don't think I just read and not put it into practice- it's why I have two litterboxes for my cat instead one, or why I feed my cat wet cat food one meal a day (it's too expensive to do both meals that way)... or why I get my cat's nails clipped once a month.  It's why when I see someone on the street begging, I give some thought to helping them, almost without fail- and if I say no without thinking about it, THEN I often question for hours whether I did the right thing or not.  There are SO MANY THINGS I do because I've given careful thought to my ways, that the list would be staggering- it's just the way that I am.  If I'm going to do something, almost invariably, I'm going to do it well- that's how I live.  What I don't understand is, why aren't other people this way?

Why are people content with being mediocre?  Why don't other people read books about relationships and think hard about the decisions they make?  Why do people settle for half-assing it their way through life?  I'm guessing there are others out there who want to be excellent in all that they do, but where are they?  I think... people pick and choose what they want to be good at, or are content to assume they already know everything and don't feel the need to try to learn.  Few people want to be good at basically everything they do.  I don't like to think of myself as an exception, but... I don't think I'm exactly the rule either.

I would exhort you to not settle for mediocrity.  Work to be the best at all you do.  Don't settle for just "being okay at everything."  If there is something you aren't good at, then learn.  Talk to someone who is better informed than you are and follow their advice.  We all can get better at what we do.  Whether it's caring for your teeth, taking care of your pet(s), making things work with your significant other, etc... I exhort you to learn and try to grow.  Don't settle for anything less than excellence in all you do.  The world is full of mediocrity.  Don't be like them that way.

My Struggle With My Need to be Right

You ever have one of these moments where you realize you could be a better person, if you could just let something go?

I'll be frank.  I LOVE to be right.  

Now... I'm mature enough to avoid arguments that I think are unhealthy.  It's not that I have any thought that I might be wrong, it's just that I have a healthy respect for how hard it is to change people's minds and how much emotional energy gets invested in these arguments is too much for me.

But I have to be right.

I watched a comedian tonight admit that even though he was in an accident with a drunk driver, because the police officer at the scene was a piece of work the comedian was found at fault for the accident  He spent lots of time trying to nail the Los Angeles police department, because the officer knew that the comedian was not at fault and wanted the comedian to pay anyways.  At a point he realized that while he was right about the accident, that the way he was handling the situation was destructive.  So he did something I don't think I'd be able to do- he let this go and he paid for the guy's car.

I don't know if I could do that.

I know there was a situation I was in that can make me relate to this.  This is hard to talk about, but I think it might be therapeutic to talk about, and frankly it's the biggest experience I've had with this.  I had technically committed a crime.  I had.  However, there were extenuating circumstances that I felt if I could give justice to them, that I could be acquitted.  Yes, I had committed a crime, but the person that I committed the crime against WANTED me to commit the crime, or at least they (in a way I understood) communicated to me that they wanted me to commit this crime.  Anyhow, this was a hard situation for me.  Not helping matters was the fact I was not mentally well at the time (which I'M CERTAIN does not change the fact that this person wanted me to commit the crime- I wasn't that out of it).  Anyhow, I remember my lawyer telling me that if I took it to trial "I would lose."  Great lawyer.  Sigh.  The sad part is, I didn't learn the lesson I needed to learn from this- that sometimes you have to let go of your need to be right.

It's hard letting go of being right.  I'm pretty convinced I'm rarely ever wrong.  Don't get me wrong, I know it does happen.  It's just not super often.  I'm not very good at letting go of being right.  I think this is going to have to be an area of growth for me over the next five to ten years.  I've got to let go of my need to be right, even if I'm 100% certain I'm right.  Sigh.

Jehovah Jireh

 Tonight I had an epiphany.

Okay, so... as I'm trying to fall to sleep, a couple of situations were on my mind that I'd like to play out in certain ways, and I realized something that was a big help.  But first, an explanation about the title.

Jehovah Jireh means "on the mountain God will provide."  Now I believe God gave Abraham this name from when Abraham almost had to sacrifice his son- the provision spoken of is the ram, that replaced Isaac for the sacrifice.

Where I'm going with this is, we all have things we struggle to let go of.  We all have situations we want to go our way.  Whether it's a job we're applying for, a relationship of some kind (be it friendship, romantic significant other, etc.) we want to work out, an illness in the family we want to be healed... whatever it is, there are always things we want to go our way.  In the moment when we let go of those things, not only do we give ourselves the freedom to not worry about them- which might allow us to rest easier and sleep better- we also position ourselves such that God can do what he wants in the current situation, be it give you what you want, or give you something else that may actually be what you need.  

In life, we want things.  All of us.  Without exception.  Our ability to... "hold things loosely"... is a huge key to being content and happy, that will serve all of us well.  God will meet the need.  Maybe not in the way we are hoping for, or when we are hoping it will happen... but he will.  If you are a child of God and you are following God's will in your life to the best of your ability (we all have struggles- these struggles do not preclude us from receiving this promise), then you should realize that God is going to take care of your needs.  As long as we keep this in mind, we can stop worry about the specific way in which he does it or about the specific situations that you want to pan out your way.  Those situations may not pan out your way.  In time though, God will provide for your need, in the way he sees fit.  Our job is to trust him with our needs and not worry too much of how God does it and just believe that he will, even if it means having to walk away from things we want.  I found this to be very freeing- hopefully it helps someone else out there too.

What Owning a Pet is Teaching Me About My Faith

I had an interesting moment just now.  

I was refilling my medication weekly box, that allows me to know whether I've taken my meds or not on any particular day.

I have a cat now, named Helix.  And he was fascinated with what I was doing.  He thought I was making something for him.  However, I knew that what I was dealing with could easily be poisonous for him,  possibly even deadly poisonous.  If I dropped something on the floor and he ate it, it could be horrible.

So what did I do?  I put Helix in the bathroom!

He hated it.  He wanted to be let out almost immediately.  What he didn't realize was I was protecting him.  I didn't want him to get hurt.  As soon as I had the box full, I let Helix out of the bathroom.

What's the lesson here?

God does the same thing to us.  God protects us from things that we aren't even aware of.  You lost something right before you had to leave and you lost time finding it?  Maybe God was protecting you from an accident.  Someone is late to an appointment?  You don't know how that could be for the best, but it might be.  All the circumstances in life you don't like MIGHT be protecting you from something worse.  Or maybe it's a delay between a promise given and a promise fulfilled?  Maybe that way you'll appreciate the fulfillment all the more?

The truth is, we don't know the whole picture of why God does what he does.  And we (myself included) all need to give God the benefit of the doubt.

The Prophets of Late Night

Here's looking at you, John Oliver.

Also to a lesser extent- Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers all fit the profile to one extent or another.

I know what you are thinking- most of them aren't Christians.  Okay?  However, you don't have to be a Christian to have a similar function as a prophet.  All four of these guys spoke truth to power while Drumpf was president.  None of them shied away from criticizing the then-president.  

John Oliver is probably the one who most exemplifies this.  His recent pieces about welfare reform and timeshares are just the tip of the iceberg on how John tackles today's issues head on and tries to correct the issues that plague our culture.

In a lot of ways, a prophet is just someone that likes to speak the truth about issues to people, in the hopes of acquiring a course correction.  Often, what a prophet says is unpopular with some people.  A diehard prophet isn't afraid to say many things that are annoying or "against the grain" of popular culture to the people of their age.  While it's true that what these comedians say is not especially unpopular to a good percentage of the population, it also is wildly unpopular with another sector of the populace, and to me that's bold for modern culture, particularly as a comedian whose survival depends on being popular.  And annoying people in power seems at least a little risky, and these four have never feared retribution from Republicans or the Republican Party, or at least didn't fear it enough to shut up about the things that grieve them.

It's not just political speech either.  I watched this video here and it's obvious to me from this video that John sees the absurdity of the Oscars.  And I watched a tiny bit of the Oscars, and I get the feeling that Jimmy Kimmel kind of sees the absurdity as well- these vastly wealthy people self-congratulating on stage over doing their jobs... it's not the most impressive aspect of our culture.  I mean, you know Stephen Colbert's heart is in the right place- anybody who has seen "The Colbert Report" knows that Stephen has been functioning as a prophet in the political arena for some time now.  

We need more people willing to speak truth to power.  We need more people who have sold themselves out for the cause of truth and righteousness.  It's true, I wish they were all Christians, but sometimes you take what you can get.  I for one am grateful for these "Prophets of Late Night."  I hope you can see their value, too.

Faith and Grumbling

I was reading the bible chapters for my devotional, at that moment through the book of Exodus, and something struck me that I felt I needed to share about.  It's the fact that no matter how many times the Lord provides for us, we still struggle with the next instance in which we need help.

It's funny... when you read Exodus you see a people struggling with faith.  They've seen God provide for them over and over, and yet the next time there's a need they grumble all over again, saying (in effect) "God, no matter how often you provide for me, I still think you've abandoned me now- I don't think you are trustworthy."  I want to criticize these people... I want to tell them "Come on!  You saw how God delivered you out of Egypt, and all the other minor deliverances God has done.  Why are you grumbling now?"  Now, to be fair, I wasn't a slave in Egypt watching God doing all those miracles... so I have more cause to be afraid than they did.  HOWEVER, I have seen God deliver me out of multiple situations.  So then... why am I so afraid of whether the next deliverance will come?

I think... it's normal to wonder about God's provision, and maybe even be a little fearful, as God tests you by making you wait.  Regardless of how hard it is though, I think IT'S CRUCIAL to remember all the times God got you out of a jam in the past, and to draw on that in your current circumstances.  We must be people of faith!  And I question the depth of your faith if God has never gotten you out of a jam... that is the hallmark of the Christian faith, that God can be trusted.  We must trust the living God and know that he has a plan for us, that he will deliver us in his timing and not our own.

Next time you are in a situation where you need God's help... try to remember how God delivered you in the past.  And if you can, grumble as little as possible.  I do think God can handle our honesty if we are angry at him, but telling God "I don't trust you" is not going to acquire favor from the Lord for you.  Believe!  And trust in God's timing.  For God has a plan... he'll take care of us... but in his timing, not ours.  We must learn to trust and not grumble that God won't help us or that we were better off back in bondage.  Let us trust the Lord in all things, and believe his promises.  Our God is great.  Let us trust him in all things.

Why I Both Love and Hate "The Sermon on the Mount"

Before reading this entry, you might take a little time to become reacquainted with this sermon.  It is too long to put in this blog, so I will link it here.  

What I Love About This Sermon:

What I love about this sermon is the implied holiness of God.

You cannot come away from this sermon without realizing that when God says he is holy, that means an exceedingly high thing.  This sermon is a sermon no doubt Jesus followed, for he of all people would want his life to be built on the rock of these teachings.  If God is holy like this sermon, that to me means he is trustworthy, and that relying on him will keep us, each of us, safe.  I love any message that exemplifies the righteousness and goodness of God.

What I Hate About This Sermon:

These expectations are surreal.

No one can follow this sermon completely.  I believe Jesus himself had the strength to follow it, but... no one else.  It is very hard.  Some things in it I've incorporated into my life, like I try not to talk about any good deed I have done- I try to keep those things to myself.  If I do talk about them, it is to make some sort of point, not just to make myself look good.  Also, I've found the prayer in 6:9-13 to be very helpful to know how to pray.  Knowing how to pray is essential to following hard after God.  And of course the whole idea of laying up treasure in Heaven is very appealing to me- it is my life's work to store up as much treasure in heaven as I can.  But much of it is... very harsh.  "But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."  One of many impossible followings of Jesus.  I have been slapped before.  When it happened my mind was not on this sermon.  I did not retaliate, to my credit.  However, I did not turn the other cheek either.  I immediately reported it to the hospital authorities.  So I proved in that moment that this sermon is very difficult to follow- obeying God in moments like these is extremely difficult.  

If I were to break down every verse that is anywhere from "extremely difficult" to "wellnigh impossible for any mortal"... I would be going on and on.  One moment in particular stands out to me where I arguably dropped the ball- I was driving to a donut shop, ultimately on my way to Idaho from Corvallis (I was in Portland at this point, a place notorious for people who beg who are not really in need), when I missed the shop and had to turn around in this parking lot.  Out of nowhere this woman appeared and asked for financial assistance.  Now... in my defense, she did not seem to be in exceptional need- this was not a "Good Samaritan" moment where someone is obviously in dire straits due to zero fault of their own.  However, scripture is clear that if someone asks you for help you should help them, and Jesus even indicates in one particular passage in Matthew that we will all be judged based on how we treat "the least of these brothers of mine," which I've tended to interpret as meaning the homeless, the imprisoned... those whom life has been nasty and brutish.  However, in that moment I was unprepared.  Usually before someone asks me for help I have a moment to pray and ask God if he wants me to help someone or not, and in this case I had no such moment.  Moreover, my general way of handling the needy is not to give cash, but to go with the person in need and get them what they actually need, whatever that may be.  That is my practice.  And I had a tight schedule- I was meeting someone in Idaho later that day, and I did not want it to be super late when I go there as that was not even my final destination.  So I said no.  To this day I wonder if I sinned in that moment.

It's hard following this sermon.  Jesus did not sugarcoat what it means to be a disciple.  I wish it were easier.  I wish... I wish being a disciple was not... so intense.  Anyone who majors on Paul and the Pauline epistles may think that being a disciple is about grace, about "doing our best and accepting Jesus' forgiveness."  No.  Being a disciple is understanding just how terribly we measure up.  We don't just fail slightly... we are destitute and without hope except surrender to God.  We should put into practice as much of this sermon as we have capacity to- Jesus didn't preach this sermon as just some ideal that we can safely ignore.  We should try to follow it, fail, and wholly latch on to the notion that Jesus and his sacrifice are enough.  This sermon should teach us true humility, not a false pretense that God does not despise the way we live.  This sermon is a wakeup call, that all who call themselves disciples would do well to meditate on the plain teaching of scripture.

This is sermon is a hard word.  May we follow Jesus by following his teachings and learning to be like him.  Let us never take for granted the mercy God gives us.  Never.