I realize not all of you will appreciate this, but I enjoy watching the World Series of Poker. I’m fascinated both by the characters who play and by the intensity of the game played at that level. But one thing that I’ve noticed this time around is the difference between how the celebrities and the professional poker players behave when they get eliminated.
When the celebrities lose, they generally seem fairly happy in spite of the fact. In contrast, when pros get eliminated, they often seem truly devastated. But why the big difference? You might think it’s because the $10,000 entrance fee means so little to boxers and TV stars who make millions a year, but the poker pros play with sums of money like that all the time.
Far more than money is at stake here. See, when a TV star loses at poker, he still has his acting accomplishments to validate him. But when a poker pro loses, he’s failed at what makes him who he is. His identity has been challenged, and for a time he really doesn’t know his place in the universe.
In a nutshell, this is why Christians can be happy in any circumstance. Since our identity is based only on Christ, we know who we are in spite of any endeavor we might fail at. Truly, we are always TV stars just playing in the world’s poker tournament.
Thought of the Day 09.08.09
A friend of mine was recently telling me about a young girl that he’s been mentoring through the youth group at his church. One of her challenges is an extremely low self-esteem, in part because she was always told she won’t amount to anything.
My friend said that he’s trying to help her realize that she can do all sorts of things and to not believe what she’s been told about her abilities, at which point I wanted to caution him a bit. See, if she comes to view herself as valuable based on her skills and abilities, we’ve only given her a different assessment without changing the basic problem. This way of acquiring high self-esteem would actually be an opportunity lost rather than a success.
Instead, I encouraged him to focus on teaching her that she has infinite value precisely because she is made in the image of God and was thought worth saving by Jesus Christ. If skills fix your esteem issues, then skills will earn your adoration. But if God fixes them, He will earn your worship.
My friend said that he’s trying to help her realize that she can do all sorts of things and to not believe what she’s been told about her abilities, at which point I wanted to caution him a bit. See, if she comes to view herself as valuable based on her skills and abilities, we’ve only given her a different assessment without changing the basic problem. This way of acquiring high self-esteem would actually be an opportunity lost rather than a success.
Instead, I encouraged him to focus on teaching her that she has infinite value precisely because she is made in the image of God and was thought worth saving by Jesus Christ. If skills fix your esteem issues, then skills will earn your adoration. But if God fixes them, He will earn your worship.
Thought of the Day 09.04.09
If there is a more deeply embedded contaminant in me than dishonesty, I don’t know what it might be. I’ve spent my entire Christian life trying to dig it out at the root, and I’m constantly stunned by how invasively tangled into me its tendrils are
Just this morning, I walked into the office and saw our new sales coordinator, whom I had met once just two days before. I wanted to greet her and chat a bit, but I couldn’t remember her name. So my instinctive impulse was to go check the updated staff list on my desk or ask a coworker. But why was I so reluctant to merely approach her and say, “Hi, please tell me your name again?”
Obviously, because I wanted that additional mote of esteem that comes from seeming like the sort of person who remembers your name. In other words, I wanted to deceive this new acquaintance into the impression that I’m better than I am, a practice so common that recruiting accomplices is easy. Instead, I voted for honesty and simply asked her.
One tiny little tendril removed, probably only a thousand or so to go.
Just this morning, I walked into the office and saw our new sales coordinator, whom I had met once just two days before. I wanted to greet her and chat a bit, but I couldn’t remember her name. So my instinctive impulse was to go check the updated staff list on my desk or ask a coworker. But why was I so reluctant to merely approach her and say, “Hi, please tell me your name again?”
Obviously, because I wanted that additional mote of esteem that comes from seeming like the sort of person who remembers your name. In other words, I wanted to deceive this new acquaintance into the impression that I’m better than I am, a practice so common that recruiting accomplices is easy. Instead, I voted for honesty and simply asked her.
One tiny little tendril removed, probably only a thousand or so to go.
Thought of the Day 09.03.09
This morning, I decided to give my back yard its quarterly mowing. When I primed the mower and tried starting it, nothing happened. This didn’t surprise me, since it had been sitting so long. So I pulled again. Nothing. Several more tries, same result.
Annoyed, I went through every point of maintenance I could think of. I checked the oil, cleaned the air filter, added gas even though it wasn’t empty, spun the blade manually to make sure it wasn’t stuck, and even sanded the spark plug prongs. After all this, I first dry pulled and then primed and pulled to no avail.
Exasperated, it occurred to me to pray. This seemed silly, but I was reminded of Peter filling his boat with fish after Jesus told him to try once more. So, touching the handle, I started to bless the mower. God told me to touch the engine itself, so I complied and blessed it to function properly in Jesus’s name. “Prime again?” I asked. “Yes,” He answered. I pumped twice. “One more,” He said. Okay.
Expecting disappointment, I pulled on the chord one time, and the mower exploded into life and ran like a champion.
Annoyed, I went through every point of maintenance I could think of. I checked the oil, cleaned the air filter, added gas even though it wasn’t empty, spun the blade manually to make sure it wasn’t stuck, and even sanded the spark plug prongs. After all this, I first dry pulled and then primed and pulled to no avail.
Exasperated, it occurred to me to pray. This seemed silly, but I was reminded of Peter filling his boat with fish after Jesus told him to try once more. So, touching the handle, I started to bless the mower. God told me to touch the engine itself, so I complied and blessed it to function properly in Jesus’s name. “Prime again?” I asked. “Yes,” He answered. I pumped twice. “One more,” He said. Okay.
Expecting disappointment, I pulled on the chord one time, and the mower exploded into life and ran like a champion.
Thought of the Day 09.02.09
Americans seem angry to me. Angry to a degree I find troubling. Angry as a constant tension just waiting for a fresh outrage to unleash upon. So what can be done about this?
Well, the Christian perspective on anger has three elements. First, we aren’t really supposed to direct anger at the world around us. We offer salvation, not contempt. And anger usually means we’ve forgotten that sinners tend to behave sinfully. Second, we are allowed to be angry at our own shortcomings, especially insofar as that drives us to God in prayer that we may become better representatives of Him. Third, we’re commanded to trust that God in His infinite wisdom and power is truly in control, regardless of what we see happening around us.
So our task, then, is to diminish our unproductive anger at the outside world, enhance our productive anger at the inside world, and reinforce our calling to have faith in the God who holds the whole world in His hands. Will you join me?
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