Have you been listening?

Elections are right around the corner.  Debates, reviews of debates, television commercials, this process is ever before us. 

As I was listening to the debates the other night, it seemed like both candidates had something good to say, although I line up with one more than the other, the fact is both of them were passionate about their side, both of them are intelligent men with different viewpoints.  They both desire to head to someplace better, and they both define it pretty much the same way, but the path to that "better place" is very different.

I was thinking about this as I was driving today, and the person in front of me stopped when they should have kept going.  "Why did you do that?"  I asked them, although only I could hear.  "What is wrong with you?"  In other words, "why don't you behave and think like I do?"

Then the connection came to me - we all view the world through our own frame of reference, we evaluate things based on our beliefs, our experiences, our fears and anxieties, our passions...  and then we draw conclusions and they are right!  Problems come when someone else has a view that is different, because that must be wrong - in order for my ideas to be completely right.

The alternative requires a ton of humility to realize that my limited understanding and ability to process information keeps me from being completely right about everything (and for some of us, we aren't right about much).  Pride keeps us holding on to a position of being right, all the while we are devaluing the people around us by making our thoughts the only correct thoughts.

Imagine walking into this world and actually being right about everything.  Think about what it would be like to know all, understand all, comprehend everything, and be surrounded by people who think they do - AND they are not even close.

Christ modeled for us what it looks like to speak truth in love with grace and humility.  It should be so much easier for us, because we are actually frail and imperfect, and when we recognize that humility should come so easily.  However, it seems that we don't listen long enough to hear everything that we need to hear, and we are so self-promoting that we want others to listen to us.

Oh, to be like Christ today in this way - to study to learn truth that I might be able to share it with others in humility with grace and mercy.  God grant me the mind and heart of Christ to be able to respond this way.

At the end of the day, what really matters?

Since I have written last, I have had many thoughts about our God and what it means to "Bless the Lord".  What is interesting is that I find it rather easy to "bless the Lord" with my words, and say the things that are most appropriate, or most "Christ-like", but the thing I have wrestled with is, what about my actions?  What about my thoughts?  What about my innermost desires?  Is God "blessed" because they line up with His will?  It seems so easy to say the things that we are "supposed" to say because we are disciples of Christ, but the question is, is God really blessed if the rest of me doesn't line up with truth?

The aim of our instruction, Paul tells us, is to love out of a pure heart, to have a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Tim 1:5)  It is not sufficient to be followers of Christ in our language alone, but in all of our actions, attitudes and thoughts.  How else could we maintain a "good conscience and a sincere faith" before our Father who sees all and knows all? 

The truth is, this is another reminder of the greatness of the Gospel in my life.  I am called to "glorify my Father who is in heaven", all the while knowing that my broken, marred, weak flesh cannot do it perfectly.  I need the righteousness of Christ to give me the ability to "glorify God" at all.  Yes, we can get it right occasionally, but perfectly?  Not a chance.

I was writing my daughter yesterday, and I realized even as I wrote that the conversation applied to me as well.  Perfection is not our goal as disciples of Christ because it has already been gained - I cannot add to the perfection of Christ.  However, in fleshing out what it means to follow Christ, I should continue to pursue excellence in every area of my life.  It is a progressing goal that allows for the flesh I still struggle with, but also does not allow me to be satisfied with failure. 

Well, the question was, "at the end of the day, what really matters?", and my thought today is that I seek to love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my might, and to love my neighbor as myself" not just in word, but also in deed and in truth!