Reflections:
- Unity and peace are very delightful; but they are bought too dear if they are bought at the expense of Truth. (C. Ryle)
- There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made. If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire; if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. (C. S. Lewis)
- There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool.But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. (Charles Spurgeon)
- Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying. (Martin Luther)
- Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning. (John Henry)
Text: Romans 12: 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Though the fast-changing world is overwhelming, the degree of uncertainties is higher among a people that found themselves banded together as a nation, having to learn new languages and new faiths among other things. There are many loose ends that seem to need to be brought together to make sense of the world. While our faith in the saving grace of God that has been made available by Christ should help to reduce the uncertainty about the past, present and future, there are multitude of issues that linger in mind blurring the beliefs gained in the faith. The fear of poverty and reality keep shifting our focus to immediate problems. This could explain the hedgehog behaviour of using protocol, and other separating and distancing labels to keep people who would engage us off. We want to appear as the knowers who have responses to the complicated life challenges, yet we know that we do not have a clue. The truth is the superficial responses to questions of life do not cease to bother us and so people consciously and unconsciously seek for what they consider to be workable solutions. For example, listening to eulogies and the value attached to the number of children a person has and their placement in the society, in addition to their being a kind of life insurance, then getting children out of wedlock should not be a surprise. What people are honoured for as they exit life reveals the values that are deeply held by the society. That in turn shakes the family structure and the whole society is set off. In quick response there are variations of marriage enrichment or and engagement meetings. Instead of marriage being a picture of God’s love to a watching world, it becomes a display of worldliness as people claim that they are ‘blessed’. You would almost think the kingdom of God is about marriage. That literally leaves wounds and great relationship gaps, in addition to God’s mission ignored and often abandoned.
THE GAP BETWEEN EXPERIENCE AND EXPECTATION
The need to have clarity of desired destination is even more important when frustration occurs in the gap between experience and expectation. The source of information that creates expectation matters. ‘We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.’ (2 Corinthians 10:12). The tendency of people projecting their weakness and fear onto others increases as they compare themselves. Self-deception increases hollowness that leads to frustration and lifestyle wear one on top of the ladder but clearly the ladder is on the wrong wall. That results in anxiety and other undesired experiences such as what is described as burn out. It is important to be clear about the source of the expectations. ‘Who told you . . . ‘(Genesis 3:11). Whoever sets the agenda is the master and the designer of destiny. You cannot be a robot in a system and expect Christ to tell you ‘Well done good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:21.23). As a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ, the source of the message you place your expectations that are often unsaid, frequently seem unmet, create frustration within that gets unconsciously communicated to others. That is the beginning of a Christianity whose results are dangerous. Frustrated people underperform and over-complain. Not initially, but as unmet expectations increase, so do poor attitudes. It is worth the time to examine your source of the expectations and expectations placed on others and the meaning of experiences.
RETHINK THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT GUIDE EXPECTATIONS.
Assumptions – These beliefs or views or thoughts that guide one in making conscious or unconscious decisions, are based on previous experiences, stories one had heard and at times based on fear or ignorance. Jesus’ life on earth was meant to correct the preconceived beliefs that at times drained life out of people. The observing of Sabbath became more important than the reason for which the command was given (Mark 2:27). The belief sustained implied that it was better for a woman to remain infirmed, rather than have the evil force holding her cast out on Sabbath (Luke 13:10). Today, in a life punctuated with the occurrence of negative events that disrupt well-being and desired success or ‘blessing’, there is a lot of explanation that is not in agreement with the written word of God. No human being, who has lived for some time, is likely to escape events such as the death of a close person, a serious injury, or a violent act, disease or at a national level the change of government and poor trade terms, among others. One country will want to expand its territory and invade another, causing pain, death, loss of resources and uncertainty.
When the worldview of a people is made of raw, scattered information that keeps changing, one is left asking ‘When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ (Psalm 11:3)
Desired destination – Examine to be sure that your life is lived according to the beliefs that you truly desire. That begins with the recognition that you are created by God, who is the ultimate author of life, and he knows all about the purpose of each of our lives. If you long to be with Christ when your time on earth is gone, then listen carefully to what he taught. That life begins while one is still on earth and in the body (Romans 6:4). “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). –
Since the relevance of information is dependent on the subject matter, one has to be honest about what is considered important. If what people think about a person is what matters, or it is happiness or legacy, then the information of what people say will have a certain degree of validity. However, if the information transcends this life, then the source has to be outside what human beings can know. The written word of God. The belief is that the written word of God is simple enough for the simplest person to live by, deep enough for readers of the highest intellectual ability, and clear in all essential matters.
To live a life without some degree of clarity of who you are, why you are and where you are going is a dangerous gamble. Having clarity begins with what one knows and that is what gives you a definitive direction. Goals that are direction setting statements create intentional paths, removing distractions by activities that are not aligned to success. You will no longer be influenced by what others are doing because you are absolutely clear on your personal vision and goals that will lead to your ultimate success. ‘Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming’. (Ephesians 4:14). When there is no clarity of desired destination, the concerns gathered from the world around will determine the goal and so the quality of life. When one does not take time to think through and clarify the ultimate destination, one finds he/she is following what is generally acceptable even when it is short term. ‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Mark 8: 36-37).
Do you remember what Mahatma Gandhi, when locked out of church because of his race, said ‘I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ …’. Keeping protocols, separating yourself from those you say you are serving, speaking messages that contradict who you profess could be signs of lack of clarity of desired destination. What difference would it make if you realized that your lack of clarity of your destination could be distracting and putting off God seekers?
‘Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.’ (Augustine of Hippo)