so small

Airplane flights give me perspective. When I look out of the window, I'm overwhelmed by the number of people that each little dot of light represents. From so far above, you can't even pick out specific cities, let alone homes, or cars, or people. Yet, imagine what each of those people is going through, right at that moment. When you look at that city, you're looking at people crying, at people laughing, at people fighting, at people singing. Some single mom is sitting down to a meal her kids, another family is rushing to get to an event on time, while yet another is chatting while packing for a vacation. So much is happening, and we can't even begin to comprehend it all.


For me, flying is always a reminder of how little control I truly have. You can't preserve a sense of control when you're flying. Someone else controls the plane, as you soar thousands of feet above the ground, at hundreds of miles per hour. At the same time, as you watch the cities pass beneath, there's a sense of being so small. I am easily overwhelmed by daily dramas or studies - yet, in my city, state, or world, my little issues don't really amount to much.


I suppose that could lead to a feeling of insignificance...but for me it doesn't. I don't feel insignificant - I feel small. The difference is slight, but important. Insignificance implies an unimportance. Being small doesn't reduce the value of my life, or the importance of my situation, rather, it means that other people are going through life too. It's a simple concept - my life is just one of many - but when I watch cities slip away beneath my plane, it really connects. When I can see the lights that represent so many lives, it feels more real.


I can't control every situation in my life, and neither can any of the nearly-7-billion other people on this earth. At some point, we have to surrender our issues to someone who can actually exercise control.


I really like this short clip by Francis Chan. (I found his book, "Crazy Love" to be very inspiring - this video was part of his accompaniment for the book.) Although, it does make my brain explode a little.

I can't control my life, and neither can anyone else. When I try to manage every issue and control every interaction, life breaks down quickly. Very quickly. Each of us is just a one in billions, and our situations often threaten overwhelm us.

Yet, when I look out of the window of an airplane, it's not hopeless, and I don't feel insignificant. Someone has it all under control - and I am very grateful it isn't me.

It's so easy to get lost inside a problem that seems so big at the time

It's like a river that’s so wide, it swallows you whole

While you sit around thinking about what you can't change, and worrying about all the wrong things

Time's flying by, moving so fast -- You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand

What you've been up there searching for forever is in your hands

When you figure out love is all that matters after all

It sure makes everything else seem so small

Carrie Underwood - "So Small"

Excuses for Stupid

 YOLO   \ yoh-low \ , phrase;

   meaning: You Only Live Once

While it is true that you only have one life on this earth, actions you take have lasting consequence.

YOLO should mean “make it count,” not “I only have one life, so I get to do whatever I want.”  Often we see people doing ridiculous things, and then justifying their actions later with YOLO. This student threw his sandwich across the classroom (1). Others have tweeted about more dangerous actions, such as “Switching seats while the car is goin 100+ #YOLO” (2)

YOLO is used as license – as justification to do dangerous, reckless things. The fact that we only live once should cause us to evaluate life, and make sure our actions are worthwhile – not to adopt a devil-may-care attitude.

Robyn Dexter (editor, Illinois University newspaper), (3) “There’s nothing wrong with taking risks in life and trying new things. I’m totally for that. But there’s a fine line between living your life to the fullest and making spur-of-the-moment, completely irrational decisions.”

When applied as a justification for brash decisions, and an excuse for their consequences, YOLO does nothing but harm. This seemingly innocuous phrase puts people in danger, and creates hazards for those around them.

I find the phrase “Carpe Diem” to be a more positive version of YOLO. While YOLO tends to embody an attitude of teen-defiance, Carpe Diem captures the noble ideal of making life count.

Drake writes in “The Motto” (4): “You only live once: that’s the motto ***** YOLO / We bout it every day, every day, every day / Like we sittin’ on the bench, ***** we don’t really play / Every day, every day, **** what anybody say.”

The character of John Keating (Robin Williams) explained in the “Dead Poets Society” (5):  “Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”

The original reference to “Carpe Diem” was a Latin poem by Horace (6) which stated, “Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite – be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have already fled. Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.”

Again in the words of Robyn Dexter, ““YOLO” has become an excuse to do stupid things. … What if we were to turn the “YOLO” concept around and actually take it seriously? How about this: “Decided to study abroad in Africa in the fall because I realized my life is too sheltered, and I want to be a more well-rounded person. #YOLO” No way could I judge someone if they said that. But if you’re telling me you’re getting high before class and “YOLO” is your excuse, I have no pity for you. … Like I said, we’re not cats. We don’t have nine lives.

We have one and only one, so make the most of it.”

Jesus, Yoda, and Mom.

In Revelation 3, there is a letter sent to the church in Laodicea. The message carried is about lukewarm faith. The people in Laodicea are deceived, they think that they believe in God, but because they are half-hearted about their belief - because they are lukewarm - God warned that he would spit them out of his mouth.

     “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."  (Revelation 3:14-17)

Yoda agrees that half-hearted beliefs and actions are bad. As he famously stated, "Do or do not, there is no try."

Any mom (or the FDA safety handbook) will tell you that bacteria grows at room temperature. You can heat food, or freeze it to kill the germs -- but at that in between, lukewarm point, bacteria will flourish.

~~~

When you have God, Yoda, and your mom agreeing on something - it's probably true. ^_^ We should live in a way that gives 100%, be it to our faith, our beliefs, or our goals.

"...in our world and in our name have these things been done."

The Catholic health care debate has been all over the news recently. In January, the Department of Health and Human Services mandated that most religious institutions pay for certain health services that include those they find morally objectionable. ^[1] For weeks, there was intensive criticism over this decision, and the Administration amended their mandate in early February. This “accommodation” requires that these religious employers offer the health services, but their insurance companies would be the ones to pay for those services. ^[1][2] Realistically, insurance companies will not be willing to pay for these services. Either the religious organization will lose coverage, or their coverage will become, indirectly, more expensive. Religious institutions are being, in effect, forced to offer services that they find morally objectionable and that violate their rights of conscience. The Administration has "encouraged" Catholic leadership to listen to the "enlightened voices of accommodation." [3] Professor Stephen Monsma explained why this issue impacts everyone, saying, "It's a matter of religious freedom rights and if the religious freedom rights of some religious traditions are violated, the religious freedom rights of all faith-based organizations would be put in danger."[4] It isn't even constrained to the rights of faith-based organizations. When liberty for some is removed, it may also be removed for others.

In the 1900s, Pastor Niemoller wrote that we can easily convince ourselves, simply because we're not immediately or directly impacted, something is not our battle to fight. I like his writings, and I find them inspiring (as well as convicting), so I wanted to share a famous excerpt.

(Disclaimer: I don't mean to be inflammatory, and I'm certainly not making a comparison between the health care issue and the concentration camps, however, I think the principle Niemoller wrote about is applicable to today and this situation.)

~~~

“… when the concentration camp was opened we wrote the year 1933, and the people who were put in the camps then were Communists. Who cared about them? We knew it; it was printed in the newspapers. Who raised their voice...? We thought: Communists, those opponents of religion, those enemies of Christians – ‘should I be my brother's keeper?’ Then they got rid of the sick, the so-called incurables. - I remember a conversation I had with a person who claimed to be a Christian. He said: ‘Perhaps it's right, these incurably sick people just cost the state money, they are just a burden to themselves and to others. Isn't it best for all concerned if they are taken out of the middle [of society]?’ … Can we say, we aren't guilty/responsible? … I believe we Confessing-Church-Christians have every reason to say: mea culpa, mea culpa! We can talk ourselves out of it with the excuse that ‘it would have cost me my head if I had spoken out.’”

“We preferred to keep silent. We are certainly not without guilt/fault, and I ask myself again and again, what would have happened, if … Protestant pastors and all Protestant communities in Germany had defended the truth until their deaths? ... I can ... imagine that we would have rescued 30-40,000 million people, because that is what it is costing us now.”

"We must openly declare that we are not innocent of the Nazi murders, of the murder of German communists, Poles, Jews, and the people in German-occupied countries. … For in our world and in our name have these things been done." – Pastor Martin Niemöller

~~~

Wow.

How often do we not speak out, just because it's easier to sit down? Even apart from the rights of religious organizations...how often do we let things we disagree with just pass by?

Liberty cannot be divided. With liberty, you cannot pick some parts and leave other parts. Liberty isn't just a cliche - it's so much more. Freedom for all (popular or not) is the foundation of our nation. When we allow actions to be taken for our nation, and in our name, that infringe upon anyone's liberty - we are responsible.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--

     because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the incurably sick, and I did not speak out--

     because I was not a incurably sick;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--

     because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for the people in countries occupied by Nazi Germany., and I did not speak out--

     because I was not in countries occupied by Nazi Germany;

Then they came for me--

     and there was no one left to speak out for me.” – Pastor Martin Niemöller

no reserve, no retreat, no regret.

Hernando Cortez Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. Born in 1485 to Spanish nobility, Cortez performed dismally in his law studies, opting instead to become an explorer in the new American lands. He is known for overthrowing the Aztec Empire and winning Mexico for Spain. 

After living in the Caribbean for many years, Cortez received permission to lead an expedition into Mexico. Upon landing in the New World, he burned all of his ships. It was a signal to everyone in his mission: turning back was not an option.

~~~

For a history project a couple weeks ago, I wrote an essay on Cortez and his impact on the development of the Americas. Something that struck me was his commitment to his cause. Giving up was never even on the table. He isn't the perfect example: his cause was his personal gain, and many of his methods compromised his integrity - but it made me think. If someone can be so committed to a selfish end, and they can devote their entire life to completely pursuing that objective... what would happen if we completely devoted ourselves to pursuing a good and holy goal?

My goal is to be given completely over to God, totally surrendered. No reserve. I am resolved that regardless of what others do or say, regardless of what happens to me, this is and this will remain my choice. No retreat. I will always make mistakes – I’m just not perfect. But I determine to serve God with all my heart, and I determine to always give 110% towards my principles, my absolute best. No regret.

Leadership

I've got a couple thoughtful posts in the works, but I've been crazy busy, and haven't had time to finish them... So I'm going to share Hannah's thoughts on leadership. This is an awesome post.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. (John Quincy Adams)
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Harold R. McAlindon)

Tuesday Tunes: Dirty Dishes

Dirty Dishes - Scotty McCreery

Mama hollers "Supper time,

And don't make me tell you twice

Wash your hands and wipe your face.

The table's no place for your toys,

And try to use your inside voice,

Don't dig in 'til we say Grace."

So we put down our forks and bowed our heads

And then she prayed the strangest prayer ever said:

"I wanna thank You Lord,

For noisy children and slamming doors,

And clothes scattered all over the floor,

My husband workin' all the time,

Draggin' in dead tired at night,

My never ending messy kitchen

And dirty dishes."

We all got real still and quiet,

And daddy asked "Honey, you alright?"

She said, "Dear, ain't nothing wrong,

Noisy kids are happy kids,

And slamming doors just means we live,

In a warm and loving home,

Your long hours and those dishes in the sink,

Means a job and enough to eat.

So I'm gonna thank You Lord,

For noisy children and slamming doors,

And clothes scattered all over the floor,

My husband workin' all the time,

Draggin' in dead tired at night,

My never ending messy kitchen

For my little busy bees

Beggin' mama, mama can you please?

Always wantin' me to call their name

Loads of laundry pilin' up

Crayons crushed into the floor

And those little sticky kisses

And dirty dishes,

And dirty dishes...

Gratitude truly is a choice. Gratitude will sometimes seem like the "strangest" thing that you "ever said". Yet, gratitude is fundamental. It changes absolutely everything. 

“Something I learned early in college is to not worry about what I can’t control…But what I can control is my attitude, my effort, my focus every single day and that’s what I’m trying to worry about.” – Tim Tebow

Even surrender is something I can't do.

Jon Acuff writes the following in his post “Losing Your Religion.”

“I don’t want to experience the best of what Jon Acuff is capable. That’s small and tiny and insignificant. I want to experience the best of what God is capable. A supernatural God who breathed life into me and set the stars in place and moves with as much mystery and creativity as he did when he wrote a message on the wall for a king or burned a talking bush for a prophet.

I don’t want to be in charge of my growth, with effort-based faith that hollows me out and leaves me shiny on the outside and empty in the middle.

I want Christ to be in charge of my growth. A Christ that didn’t say to the disciples, “Come and you will learn how to be fishers of men.” A Christ who said, “Come and I will make you fishers of men.”

If you and I believed for a second that the same power that raised Christ from the dead was in us, can you fathom how different that day would be?”

This rings so true. Why don’t we see God’s power manifest in our lives? God hasn’t changed. He is still the same God who created the entire universe. He is still the same God who sent His Son as a sacrifice, and the same God who raised His Son from the dead. He is still the same God who parted the Red Sea. He is still the same God who parted the Jordan River. He is still the same God who healed the sick, and cast out demons. He is still the same God who told us that if we asked in Jesus name, and for the glory of the Father, He would grant our requests.

So why doesn’t it feel that way? It’s not because of God that we don’t see his power. It’s not because of God that our lives aren’t anointed. It’s not because of God that we aren’t truly sold out to Him and surrendered. It’s not because of God that we aren’t on fire and impassioned for His glory.

It’s because of us.

Francis Chan writes in his book “Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit” that followers of Christ should be described as “powerful”.  Are we afraid that God won’t show up in answer to our prayers? Or is it possible that we are afraid that He will?  God’s power can be kind of scary. Being on God’s side requires that we surrender. That we relinquish control. But isn’t it what we want? We certainly want to be on God’s side.

Often when I hear inspiring messages, my initial response is “Whoa. That’s amazing. I’ll have to try to live more in surrender.” Yeah. It doesn’t work that way. By definition, “trying” is making an effort to do something. But “surrender” is giving up control, giving oneself up.

Even surrendering is something I can’t do on my own.

I need God’s help to surrender to Him. I can’t conquer my controlling nature by controlling it more. I can’t even conquer my controlling nature at all. I must make my choice, and then rely on God’s power to conquer my control. He, and only He, can conquer my control.

The Law of the Pendulum

What matters is not what we say we believe, but what we do because of what we truly believe.


I was listening to the radio this morning, and heard a story about a man guest-teaching a Sunday school class. He had been asked to teach in a way that no one would forget.

He brought a giant pendulum into the class room. Assembling the class, he had the main teacher sit in a chair placed in the path of the oversized pendulum. He pulled on the pendulum, as if to start its swing, drawing it close to the chair. "According to the Law of the Pendulum," he explained, "it is impossible for the pendulum, on its return swing, to swing past the point I released it from. If the pendulum is defective, it will work less well, and will not swing anywhere close to the point I released it from." Then he asked the nervous man, "Do you believe in the Law of the Pendulum?"

Sweat beading down his forehead, the man clutched his chair, and nodded. The guest teacher looked around at the class, and then released the pendulum.

The man sat in the chair as the pendulum swung away from him. But as the pendulum began its return swing, and loomed toward the chair, the man jumped off and ran away from the oversize weight.

What a way to teach a class!

What we do matters a whole lot more than what we say. We might claim to believe something, but when we reach the point that those beliefs will practically impact our lives, sometimes we discover we don't actually believe those things at all.