In mountain biking, you learn a simple rule, very quickly. You will go in the direction you are looking. You generally learn this rule the hard way – there is a rock in the trail. You want to avoid it. You keep looking at it. You hit it. Gradually you learn that if you look to the side of the rock, you’ll go by it. You can use this to your advantage – say you want to run over a mud puddle. Look at it, you’ll hit it. Or maybe you want to keep a straight line over a narrow bridge. Watch your line, and you’ll keep on it.
It seems to me that this applies in how we live out our lives, as well. Whatever we focus on, we can be sure we’re going to “hit it”. If we focus on things we shouldn’t be focusing on – sex/lust, money/greed, self/pride – then we can be sure that they will take up major parts of our lives, and they will ultimately change not just our behaviors, but our very character. I don’t remember who said it (I think I heard Chuck Swindoll talking about it), but the thought goes something like “whatever it is that we think about all the time, we will do. Whatever we do all the time, we will become”. Some of us are, perhaps, a little “stronger” in this personality type. Cynthia Tobias talks about the “concrete random” personality style. When faced with a broken machine and a sign saying “Please do not attempt to fix the machine, the repair company has been called”, the concrete random person tries to fix the machine. I know for me a “no trespassing” sign is sure to make me want to see what’s on the other side of the fence. A big red button with a warning sign is a big temptation to push.
So how does this relate to living the Christian life (and specifically to being still)? How often have you heard that the Bible is a big list of “don’ts”? Don’t do this, don’t do that. Well, that’s true, there are a lot of don’ts in the Bible. On the other hand, there are also a whole lot of “do’s”. Do love your neighbor as yourself. Do love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Do care for the widows and the orphans. So how much time do we spend focusing on all the don’ts, and how much time don’t we spend focusing on all the do’s? And what is the result of that? Fallen, judgmental Christians who lack joy and love and are focused on others only to the extent that they can persecute them in order to feel better about themselves. It seems to me that if we focused on the “do’s” of the Bible, we would be spending so much time bringing the Kingdom of Heaven about here and now that we wouldn’t have time to do the “don’ts” anyway. Talk about a change in worldview. And not just a change in worldview, but a change in world behavior and, ultimately a change in world character. Ultimately, the only thing we need to focus on is God. Peter learned that the hard way. As soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, and focused on the hazards in his way, he hit the hazards in a big way. This is where being still comes in. If I’m focused on God, then I can be still because I’m not focused on all the hazards and turmoil around me. If I focus on stress, I become stressed. If I become stressed, I lose faith, and try to act on my own. If I focus on God, I have the peace that passes all understanding. If I have peace, then I have faith, and I can let God act.
God bless,
John
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