Hey kids!
You will see it everywhere. People solely devoted to being the best at, well, whatever. Be it sports, academics, business ventures, you name it, a vast majority of your peers and neighbors will be bent on "making somebody" of themselves, spending sometimes insane amounts of time and effort toward this end.
While the pursuit of excellence isn't a bad thing, perfectionism is actually idolatry. We should work hard to get better at things that are important to us, because that glorifies God. But when those efforts start impeding our relationships with God and others, it's best to consider changing things up. Only you will really know if this is the case, although you may receive feedback from others that I would advise you to ruminate over. Sometimes others can see things we might be blinded to. However, sometimes others are simply jealous at ones accomplishments and are only trying to bring you down. Gotta be able to discern the difference!
Proverbs 11:14: "...In the multitude of counselors there is safety"
Have fun, aim high and glorify God with your efforts!
Love you!
Dad
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
"All Things Are Lawful"
Hey kids,
Your mother and I are trying to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas while preparing for family guests and Daisy's arrival. Got the lights up and the tree, although it's only decorated on the top half (thanks to Rhett's kleptomania)! Sharing advent calendars and Christmas stories with you boys, although you don't really understand any of it yet (other than gift unwrapping).
I just finished a fantasy football season with friends. The game will probably still be around by the time you all are old enough to know what I'm talking about. Am quite happy it's over because I found it a little too fun (invested more time than anticipated) although the players themselves a little too hard to root for. I love sports, but the professional sports world, like most things, is saturated with worldliness - violence, hatred, lust, greed, humanism, etc. Hard to find athletes to be proud of. Too easy to find ones that make you want to boycott their world. Decided to do just that, actually. Will still play sports myself, and certainly with you guys, but won't follow the pros (or college really). Not that I'll ban it or anything. Would just rather spend that time doing other, better, things - like investing time with you all!
The reason I bring this up is to discuss a passage in scripture (1 Cor 10:23):
"All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful"
Paul wasn't referring to things that were obviously unlawful, as referenced clearly in other areas of God's word. He was referring to the "gray areas". People in his time were not sure whether it was permitted to eat certain foods, employ certain customs, or take part in certain festivals, etc. He was trying to inform them that, while they are permitted to engage in pretty much anything (freedom!), they still need to judge rightly whether it is to their advantage to do so (responsibility!).
Getting back to my example, are sports good? They certainly can be. And in other ways, not so much. Are we free to play? Yes! Are we free to watch? Yes! Are those equally "helpful"? Depends on the circumstances. I have judged for myself that watching pro sports is not worth my time investment. There may be circumstances where I will tolerate it for the bigger good (social occasions), but I won't say I am a pro/college sports fan. Rather than try to explain this to others, I'll probably just say "I'm not really into watching, though I like to play".
Anyway, you get the point. There are other areas where I employ this verse too. Like music. If I get to choose, I would prefer to listen to Christian music because it is uplifting to my spirit. Not that secular music is inherently unlawful (although some selections are certainly dishonorable!). I am free to listen to anything. But the one I find more "helpful" than the other.
Another biblical quote that plays into this comes from Jesus in Matthew 15:11:
"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
To apply that to music, what goes in our ears does not defile us. No, we are already sinners, fortunately covered by God's grace! On the other hand, it would behoove us to choose rightly when our conscience beckons us. In other words, listening to "Running With The Devil" by Van Halen on the radio won't send us to hell, but certainly there is a better choice?
So, I encourage you to choose things that are helpful for you and honoring to God. Consider how you spend your time, what activities you take part in, etc. Feel free to leave behind the stuff that simply doesn't help you worship God, love others, or enjoy life. Enjoy the abundance of better alternatives!
I love you!
Dad
Your mother and I are trying to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas while preparing for family guests and Daisy's arrival. Got the lights up and the tree, although it's only decorated on the top half (thanks to Rhett's kleptomania)! Sharing advent calendars and Christmas stories with you boys, although you don't really understand any of it yet (other than gift unwrapping).
I just finished a fantasy football season with friends. The game will probably still be around by the time you all are old enough to know what I'm talking about. Am quite happy it's over because I found it a little too fun (invested more time than anticipated) although the players themselves a little too hard to root for. I love sports, but the professional sports world, like most things, is saturated with worldliness - violence, hatred, lust, greed, humanism, etc. Hard to find athletes to be proud of. Too easy to find ones that make you want to boycott their world. Decided to do just that, actually. Will still play sports myself, and certainly with you guys, but won't follow the pros (or college really). Not that I'll ban it or anything. Would just rather spend that time doing other, better, things - like investing time with you all!
The reason I bring this up is to discuss a passage in scripture (1 Cor 10:23):
"All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful"
Paul wasn't referring to things that were obviously unlawful, as referenced clearly in other areas of God's word. He was referring to the "gray areas". People in his time were not sure whether it was permitted to eat certain foods, employ certain customs, or take part in certain festivals, etc. He was trying to inform them that, while they are permitted to engage in pretty much anything (freedom!), they still need to judge rightly whether it is to their advantage to do so (responsibility!).
Getting back to my example, are sports good? They certainly can be. And in other ways, not so much. Are we free to play? Yes! Are we free to watch? Yes! Are those equally "helpful"? Depends on the circumstances. I have judged for myself that watching pro sports is not worth my time investment. There may be circumstances where I will tolerate it for the bigger good (social occasions), but I won't say I am a pro/college sports fan. Rather than try to explain this to others, I'll probably just say "I'm not really into watching, though I like to play".
Anyway, you get the point. There are other areas where I employ this verse too. Like music. If I get to choose, I would prefer to listen to Christian music because it is uplifting to my spirit. Not that secular music is inherently unlawful (although some selections are certainly dishonorable!). I am free to listen to anything. But the one I find more "helpful" than the other.
Another biblical quote that plays into this comes from Jesus in Matthew 15:11:
"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
To apply that to music, what goes in our ears does not defile us. No, we are already sinners, fortunately covered by God's grace! On the other hand, it would behoove us to choose rightly when our conscience beckons us. In other words, listening to "Running With The Devil" by Van Halen on the radio won't send us to hell, but certainly there is a better choice?
So, I encourage you to choose things that are helpful for you and honoring to God. Consider how you spend your time, what activities you take part in, etc. Feel free to leave behind the stuff that simply doesn't help you worship God, love others, or enjoy life. Enjoy the abundance of better alternatives!
I love you!
Dad
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