3 posts tagged “life lessons”
"God created us in right relationship with Him."
This is a pretty huge statement. If you know me at all, you know that Genesis chapters 1-3 are some of my favorite chapters in all of scripture. They are also foundational to a solid understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Go read Genesis 1 right now. Now, go back through it and ask yourself these two questions: 1.) What is the one repeated commentary on God's creation? 2.) Every time He makes something new, what does He have to say about it?
It was good. - If we're ever going to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, we're first going to have to understand the goodness of God. From the beginning, the picture of God is a creative, all powerful being who makes GOOD stuff. He doesn't screw up in the creation process. He never needs some kind of cosmic eraser. Way too often our picture of God is some kind of cosmic kill-joy who hates you and any kind of fun thing you like to do. That's just not Him. He created waterfalls and mountains and sunsets and stars and fruit and all of creation. He invented the idea of sex and intimate relationship. He created creative human brains in His image that have come up with banana pudding, twice baked potatoes and water slides!
Application: 1.) You can go ahead and stop doubting God. He makes good stuff. He didn't screw up when He made you. His essential character is good even when we don't understand what He's doing.
2.) God's goodness is all around you. God created the creative brain who created the computer you're using to read this blog right now. God created the colors you're seeing, never mind the eyes you're using to see them.
It was relational. - God makes mankind in His own image and right away He starts talking to us. Literally the first thing He does after creating man is to bless them. In Chapter 1 of Genesis here are the interactions between God and man: 1.) God blesses man; 2.) God talks to man; 3.) God gives man commands; 4.) God provides for man; 5.) God gives man guidance.
The picture is God as a loving father instructing His children. He whispers in Adam's ear, "Hey go ahead and make some more of yourselves, it'll be a fun process and you're gonna love playing with your children." Two quick steps over to Eve and God motions over his shoulder to Adam, "I know He's awkward, but trust Me, it's gonna turn out alright."
He wraps His strong arms around both of them and says, "Look at all the beauty. I'm giving it to you to take care of it and to cultivate it. Eat all the green plants for food, they won't make you sick. Watch out for this tree, there are consequences and dangers, but I want what's BEST for you. I give you my blessing."
Why does it matter? See, the thing is that God doesn't change (Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:6). If He wanted to bless us and walk in relationship with us from the beginning then He still does. At the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a good, loving Father who LONGS for His children to walk with Him rightly.
He is bigger than us. - Let me just go ahead and stop you before you start reading this and thinking to yourself, "wow I must be awesome, look how much God wants to walk with ME!!!" The first four words of Genesis are very intentionally: "In the beginning, GOD". We're going to get into this more as we go, but from the start this thing is His. He's at the center. He created it. He started it. He blessed us. He provided for us. He made. He is good. He's worthy of all worship and glory. Him; not you.
The fact that God is relational is an overflow of who He is and how good He is, and NOT some expression of His loneliness or inadequacy. That being said, He wants you. He wants to know you. He wants to walk with you again. That's a pretty big invitation into the story of God.
My Senior year at Clemson University was very strange for a number of reasons. During my final semester, while student teaching, I almost decided that graduating wasn't important and considered dropping out of school. I was student teaching for Mrs. Diane Teal (Wren High School) and a comment she made will never leave me.
See, for the vast majority of my 23 year existence, I have not been any kind of a disciplined person whatsoever. That's not strong enough . . . Honestly, the thought of being disciplined in almost any way, shape or form made me wet my pants and run away screaming.
I had a lot of excuses: It will mess up my creative flow; I don't want to be that anal guy; I don't want to be a workaholic; people like me more if I'm the lazy class clown guy who acts like working hard is dumb.
So one afternoon, in our chemistry classroom, I was in panic mode (the natural result of a procrastinator) and said to Mrs. Teal, "You don't ever get panicked like this".
She responded, "No son. In my backyard, I don't let my grass grow high."
How much harder is it to cut grass that's four feet high? How much less pain would I be experiencing right now if I put ointment on right after the ultimate game? How much better would I be able to sleep if my leg was already healed? These are definitely lessons I am still in the process of learning.
LESSON #4: CUT THE GRASS NOW. Don't wait until the problem gets painful before you deal with it. Types of grass to take care of now:
a.) Conflict grass: Talk it out now (Eph. 4:26). Don't wait until the other person calls you out. Let them know what's going on.
b.) Financial grass: Your finances don't take care of themselves. Make a budget. Spend less than you make. Get a job. Stop buying crap you don't need and can't afford. Oh yeah, did I mention that finances are the number one most claimed reason why people get divorced, and the average college student leaves college with $15 K worth of debt?
c.) Spiritual grass: Go hang out with Jesus NOW. Put Him first (Exodus 20:3)
d.) Physical grass: The older you get, the harder it gets to get back in shape. You'll never be younger than you are today. Go ahead and start taking care of that beautiful body of yours.
LESSON #5: CUT THE GRASS CONSISTENTLY. Your grass will NEVER stop growing. Go ahead and deal with that fact. Then buck up and get to work. Discipline is a daily endeavor.
This past Saturday morning I cut the grass outside the White House, and felt satisfied and taking care of our house. We (especially us men) were designed to build and cultivate. Do work son.
My leg is injured. Injured bad.
(If you don't understand that reference, click here.)
The scene: ultimate frisbee.
The location: Finlay Park, Columbia SC.
The injury: I tore the skin off my shin by way of 2 simple baseball slides.
Now, this thing started as nothing more than a strawberry. I thought to myself, "eh that hurts. . . but it'll heal in a couple of days." It's the kind of injury you ignore. Yes, I ignore almost EVERY injury (including the broken rib this summer) but for real this thing seemed so minor!
Rather than put some ointment on it on Sunday, I just washed it in the shower and assumed it would heal. By Monday night, it was painful enough that I could barely go to sleep. Tuesday I employed the help of my trusted old friend Triple Antibiotic Ointment to make this thing go away.
Wednesday I learned the problem with my plan. Triple Antibiotic Ointment is supposed to go on BEFORE a cut scabs over. Otherwise it dissolves the scab and reopens the wound. This causes your wound to ooze and bleed all over again. The thing I thought would heal me turned out to cause damage.
LESSON #1: USE THE RIGHT REMEDY. Just because it worked in the past, doesn't mean it will work the same way for your condition now. How many times have you taken a friend's advice and ended up getting burned? How many times has an assumed solution turned out to cause you more pain? The subtle difference in ointment before a scab, and ointment after a scab means a WORLD of difference for my leg right now. But it's the same ointment right?
LESSON #2: THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME IS THE WRONG THING. Yes, I'm talking about that relationship that seems so good, that job offer that is so alluring, that financial decision that is TOO risky for your financial stability right now; WALK AWAY if it's the wrong time. Don't tempt yourself. More opportunities will come. Patience is not the worst thing you could learn. It just might save you some pain.
LESSON #3: READ THE SMALL PRINT. Once my leg was fully bleeding again and I'm FURIOUS (because as a man I want physical ailments to JUST GO AWAY), I decided to read the directions on the back of the tube that clearly say, "Do not use on a large area". So the HUGE scab covering a third of my shin probably qualifies as a large area.
Cuts and scrapes and burns are going to happen to your body, to your emotions and to your soul. The right remedy, and the right application of it can be all difference in whether you ever heal and how quick that process is.
