Whatever

• 

• 

When my daughter Leslie was a teenager, there was a word she would say that drove me insane. I know that’s only a short trip for me, but still… It wanted me to shake the teeth out of her mouth, but then there would be that dental bill. So I restrained myself. “What was that word?”, you ask? WHATEVER. I was boring her.

It was more than the word, it was the way she said….and her tone of voice. It would usually come at the end of a discussion about getting her to do something, or not do something. Honestly, I believe she said that word because she knew what it did to me. What does this have to do with Kingdom Life? I’m glad you asked.

Yesterday I was returning from making a hospital visit in Columbus, Mississippi and it was lunch time, but I also needed to get back home. So I decided to stop at a certain fast food chain and get something to go. I needed to make a pit stop, so I went inside to get my order to go. Remember, I needed to be somewhere else.

I walk up to the counter to get some “fast food” and be on my way. And…nothing. The employee who was covering the counter was looking away…looking bore. I looked at the other employees, even the shift manager….there it was–the Look of Boredom. Even after she finally saw me there that look on her face said, “Whatever.” That entire shift looked like prisoners to boredom…to “whatever”.

This time I didn’t lose my cool. I am finally discovering that with age, comes wisdom. Not always, mind you…I can show you many examples from a lot of people where age comes alone. I wasn’t impatient or demanding. Honestly, it surprised me that I wasn’t. Patience isn’t one of my strong suits. Instead of being impatient, my heart was breaking for that shift of workers.

And this morning I realized one of the reasons why my knack for impatience didn’t kick in at that “fast” food restaurant. It’s a disease that has infected and affected so many in my culture–the disease of boredom. Boredom is the result of feeling empty…yet longing for a life that has purpose, more purpose than is found in the 9-to-5 life.

It’s even in churches. Some may want to blame the music or the preacher for making it boring. Granted, some preaching and some music is boring. But boredom? That’s a carrot of a different color. Boredom, as I understand it, is the result of how one thinks–that “whatever” attitude comes from that deep well of emptiness.

Our desire for a life with meaning and purpose comes from our Creator. He put His image in us, and trust me on this, there’s nothing boring about God! And honestly, it is hard to be excited about asking, “Would you like a pie with this order?” But it’s more than what job we have or what we do in our ordinary days. It is about living with that razor-sharp focus–like Jesus did when The Creator walked among the creation as one He created.

There are many who think that boredom will disappear if they had a different job, a different person in their life, a different house, a different car, lived in a different place. Spoiler alert! If you do get that different job, person, house, car or “whatever”–your boredom will follow you…and patiently wait for that opportune moment to make you bored again. Then it becomes an endless cycle of “whatever”. So how does one break free of this cycle? Glad you asked!

It comes down to our thoughts–specifically–what we think about. Paul gives some wise advice on this in Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Eugene Peterson and his crew renders it this way in The Message: “I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” In case you are still confused about how to break free from boredom, allow me to break the code.

Focus on where God is at work. And where is God at work in our culture? Think back to the pattern He revealed when Jesus was in our flesh. Where was Jesus at work? Jesus was drawn towards both the best and worst places. A wedding in Canaan, a leper, a tax collector, a fishing village, the metropolis of the day known as Jerusalem. In short, wherever there were people, people broken and hurting and wounded–where people were joyful and full of praise–there we find Jesus.

He’s all around you. He’s got so much for you to discover–even at the counter of a fast food joint…even in dull music and even more dull preaching… But you will not find it until you surrender–your dreams, your will, your vision, your own interpretation of what will make you truly happy–to the one who “did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

I know, you think it would be easier to be bored with 10 gazillion dollars in the bank–but it won’t be easier. Happiness will not overcome boredom. The Enemy will make sure of that. But Joy–Joy that flows from what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable, will smash boredom like smashing that mosquito that has just come out of its winter hibernation. Don’t like the “Whatever Life”–live the Life Jesus revealed in His Life, His Death and best of all, His Resurrection.

And remember, Love God with all your heart. Love others the way Jesus loves you. And make sure all the glory goes to Him. It may be tough sometimes, but it is never BORING!

Advertisement

No Runs, No Drips, No Errors Attitude

Last week I was thinking about all the places I’ve lived.  In my Tribe, most churches provide the pastor with a home.  We call it a “parsonage”.  Most churches seem to have the attitude, “It’s just the preacher’s home.  It doesn’t need much upkeep.”  And it seems to me that some of my colleagues have the same attitude by how they treat, and leave the parsonage for their successor.  I remember what one Bishop said every year, “When you move, move.  And take the dog and piano with you.”  Obviously they weren’t listening because I’ve inherited everything from rusty bicycles to used auto parts.  But that’s not me.  Over the decades I have spent considerable time, effort and $$$ to improve its appearance.

This is a “before” picture of a door I once repainted.

I do not know who attempted to paint this door and I do not want to insult anyone, but it is a very poor job of painting.  It had runs, drips and errors, lots of them.  I spent over an hour trying to sand and scrape all those runs, drips, and errors before I added the paint.  Had I not done that, then those runs, drips and errors would have still be there.  The paint I would add would not have removed them, it would have just added another layer.  There was no attempt to do this job with excellence.  It seemed to be just an alleged attempt to paint without caring about the result.

Here is something I’ve recently learned at the feet of the Holy Spirit.  Many who claim to love Jesus is that while they do “their best” AT church, they don’t put much effort into doing “their best” IN the ordinary days.  I’ve come to realize that this lackadaisical attitude toward the ordinary things is a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem.  That problem is living without the desire for excellence in everything, all the time.  I’m not talking about being a Rembrandt at painting doors.  It’s simply desiring that whatever we put our hands to doing, that it be done with great care and the desire for it to be good.

When we don’t do ordinary things with the desire for excellence, it becomes a habit in the spiritual things.  The cancer of mediocrity has spread from the workplace into the body of Christ.  Though we could never repay Jesus for what He did for us on the Cross, we should have the desire to be thankful for that Sacrifice by honoring Him through our commitment to a (if you will allow me to borrow a baseball image) “No Runs, No Drips, and No Errors” attitude in the ordinary things of life.

In Colossians 3:23, Paul spoke into how Disciples of Jesus were to live in the unjust system of slavery.  He wrote:  “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”  But there is an application beyond how those who were slaves should live.  It can and SHOULD be applied to everyone, everyday, and every situation.  Think it doesn’t matter what we do in an ordinary day?  Take a moment to read, meditate and analyze Jesus’ parable about The Talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  Every task before you is an opportunity to break free of mediocrity into the life that God expects, even demands, from all of us.

One of the very best ways one can give witness to the transforming Grace of God is to do everything as if we were offering a gift to God; because we are whether we realize it or not.  I’m not taking about perfection–but excellence that produces something you can take pride and joy in offering it to God.  Your workday, your house cleaning, your painting doors, would you feel comfortable in offering it to God?  God accepts all that we offer Him when we desire to do it with excellence.

Remember Romans 12:1 and from The Message it goes like this:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 

At the end of the day, remember:  No Runs.  No Drips.  And No Errors.

Love God with all your heart.  Love others the way HE loves you.  And make sure all the glory goes to HIM!