Category: proverbs

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Enjoying the Cycle of Life & Death

krisshetter

First published March 18, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: From meaningless to meaningful series.

I had a dream the other day that I had died.  I didn’t die in the dream; I was already dead.  In the dream, I was aware of my death and now “living” in an idyllic New England-style bay village.  The whole situation seemed a bit quirky and yet normal.  There was the typical mom and pop breakfast and lunch café, an ice cream shop on the corner, and even a small inn with a welcoming lobby bar featuring wine nights.  My death-fellows walked about in full acceptance that this was their final destination.  They were friendly and colorful.  It all was so normal yet I kept saying, “surely this can’t be it?”

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Ecclesiastes 3 might be one of the most well-known chapters in the Bible simply because in 1959 singer-songwriter Pete Seeger wrote the song, “Turn Turn” or “To Everything There Is a Season.” The Byrds made the song famous in the 1960s, drawing its lyrics from Ecclesiastes 3.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Seeger’s motivation was to emphasize the last line in King Solomon’s list of cyclical life – peace.  But Solomon’s goal was to remind us again that the world keeps spinning round and round and at times may seem so meaningless.  He reflected on wickedness and judgment – a judgment that would be sought out at each of our deaths.

Death, my friends, comes to us all.  We may want to dance around that truth with familiar colloquialisms such as, “If I die….”  But the truth of death stares us in the face each year when we reflect on the people we have “lost.”  “Lost” as though we don’t know what happened to them or where they went.  Maybe they’re wandering around in some idyllic New England town.  Maybe they are in a fiery furnace.  Or maybe they are “with the Lord.”  

As a Christian, I know there are two roads to take toward death: 1) the way of the world and sin which leads to terrible judgment and hell or 2) the way of Jesus, leading to the glorious New Eden in which love abounds.  For the non-believer they may have chaos in their mind when they ponder death. If they’re atheists, like my father, they might believe that when we die we just disappear into nothingness. Others might hope for something better — like free ice cream for life, surrounded by Golden Retrievers. Many might imagine a walk up to the “pearly gates,” standing before an angel with a book of “infractions and do-goods” hoping the balance sheet is in their favor. For the atheist or confused, none of what they believe has as solid a foundational truth like the Bible.

For the Christian, we can look at Solomon’s list of “this and that” with comfort.  By trusting in God and His promises, we can seek Him in every circumstance, both the seemingly good and bad.  Each season Solomon describes contains complexity: sorrow may carry blessing, and even joyful seasons may contain loss.

“Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:6-7

The disciples were facing the truth about life.  We will die.  Jesus was the only one to ever know the exact day and hour.  In that death notice, however, Jesus gave them the preview of the blessing to come – the gift of the Holy Spirit. They still grieved mightily, but when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, they remembered His words and were healed.

Part Two of Enjoying the Cycle of Life & Death where we discover there are no “ordinary people.” Click here for part two.

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Enjoying Life With Gladness

krisshetter

First published on April 22, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: From meaningless to meaningful series.

At this point in your life, you’ve probably been asked one or both of these questions:

  1. If you were told you were to die tomorrow, what would you do?
  2. If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do tonight?

They are two different scenarios.  The first sees life moving forward for the rest of the world without you in it.  The second imagines the destruction of everything we know.   For me, however, my answer to both is the same.  I would gather my family and others that I love.  We would spend time in prayer asking God to sustain us through the trial so that we would see His face at our end.  I would want us to gather in laughter, remembering all the wonderful times God has provided us throughout our lives together.  We would eat a scrumptious meal, most likely prepared by my husband, enjoy good wine, and pray some more.

Here’s the thing, we should live knowing that either scenario is possible..  That is, if we truly believe the message of the Bible.  First, we will all die, just as we have seen in earlier chapters of Ecclesiastes.  It’s not if but when.  For every single one of us.  Secondly, if it’s not the rapture coming upon us then we should be honest that the world is now filled with weapons that could easily kill us all.  Does this mean we live every day in fear of these two truths?  No, but truth can and should set us free to live in reality.

“All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.” Ecclesiastes 9:2

That “common destiny” is the evil we call death.  So, what do we do with this truth?  We live each day serving the one true God and live in gladness.

“Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.”Ecclesiastes 9:7-8

Gladness is not hedonism.  Gladness is not escapism.  Gladness isn’t folly.  You could easily imagine, in fact movies and books have taken the “if the end were tomorrow what would we do” topic and shown us the possibilities the unrighteous might take.  Some might go on drug, alcohol or sexual benders.  Getting blotto to ease their fears or pain.  The age-old “eat and drink because tomorrow we might die” path toward annihilation.  It’s a twisting of the message found throughout Ecclesiastes.  Other might go on a theft and destruction rampage.  That thinking shines the light on people who live without wisdom or God.

Why shouldn’t we think this way?  I mean your life is about to end, right?  Let’s remember when Moses negotiated with God to save their people.   

“But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.” Exodus 32:11-12

So here you are, you’ve committed every sin possible against man and God the night before you are to die and suddenly a righteous person pleads for mercy on the world’s behalf.  The ungodly will surely find themselves on the wrong side of that historical moment.  Or maybe that person is praying for your healing because you have been personally given that death sentence.  Will God abide or will He see justice done?  

That’s what the “fear of God” is about.  It means recognizing that God is above us and that He will ultimately bring justice.  Do we love God and therefore want to live our lives in service to Him?  Or do we grieve the Holy Spirit daily, hourly even, and turn our backs on Him?

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:5-6

Until the day we actually die we still have time.  Time to submit ourselves to the Lord Most High.  Time to reconcile with loved ones.  Time to extend mercy and forgiveness in abundance.  Time to enjoy our lives with gladness.  Because once your time is up, the dead have no such chances.

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.”   C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm

Living with gladness means making the most of ordinary moments because ordinary moments are precious. This moment will never come again. Our short lives pass quickly. Will we spend them in bitterness and anger?  In the fog of folly and hedonism?  Or in joyfulness and with endurance?  

I saw a great example of taking everyday moments and making them full of gladness.  Once a month a mom of four young children creates “Fancy Dinner Night.”  The children all dress in their finest clothing.  She makes picture menus of the meal she has planned.  There are candles and cloth napkins and the fancy china.  She plays the role of waitress and hands out the menus as though she is serving clients at a five-star Michelin restaurant.  Even the toddler has a picture menu from which to choose his meal.  She is training them not only to enjoy an everyday moment but how to act with character at mealtimes.  It was so sweet and beautiful!

“Console yourself, dear Battos. Things may be better tomorrow. While there’s life, there’s hope. Only the dead have none.” Greek Poet Theokritos

There is always hope for tomorrow; a tomorrow filled with gladness.  Why? Because we have the life and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He suffered the most gruesome of deaths to take on our sins.  He sacrificed not only His human body but His heavenly one when he came to earth to live among us.  He showed us what the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven will look like – ones who fully rely on God, they forgive and are forgiven, they put others ahead of themselves, they mourn over their sin.  And when He was resurrected, He proved that those Kingdom Citizens will also be raised from the dead and be given yet another new life.  What amazing hope we have for our eternal lives after this short time here on earth.

When we live in gladness and joy, we seek to serve others in His Holy Name.  We love others well in His name.  We take every moment, even in the trials and tribulations, and thank Him for providing for us, for healing us, and being our guiding light.  So why oh, why would we want to miss out on that hope?  Why would we not want to share that hope with those around us who choose daily leaning toward something less?

“It’s not by searching for special things that we find joy, but by making the everyday things special.” Warren Wiersbe

Friends, our time here is truly short so consider well your answers to the first two questions I presented.  Because eternity is forever.  A forever spent in the presence of the glory of God or of the pain of hell.

“So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.” Ecclesiastes 9:1 

King Solomon eventually, in his study of the meaningless life, discovers that we do, in fact, know what awaits us.  If we take the narrow path set before us by Jesus we are greeted with unmeasurable love.  Our knowledge of that truth should give us the endurance to live each day in gladness.  And to spread that truth to so many others.

Are you saving your best china for a special occasion that never seems to come? Take it out. Light the candles. Invite the neighbors you’ve always wanted to know. Make an ordinary evening special.

Our time here is short, but in Christ our hope is eternal. So rejoice in the gifts God has given you. Love generously. Forgive freely. Serve faithfully. And while you have breath, enjoy life with gladness.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis

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Gentleness Misunderstood

krisshetter

Originally published June 14, 2023 as part of the Christian Life In Full Bloom series.

When I announced to my non-religious parents many years ago that I was going to start attending church, my mother asked why I needed religion and my father called it a crutch.   I responded, “Great, I’ll take two, please!”  

I frequently hear similar objections from non-religious people: “Who needs faith?  Your religion is just a ‘sky dad,’ I don’t need some fake person to tell me what is right and wrong.”  I’ve also heard people say, “Christians just turn their minds off and give themselves over to a made up god.  They don’t think for themselves.”

As for the last comment, I would say they are half right.  A true and faithful Christian seeks to turn their sinful self “off” and submit heart, mind, body, and soul to the one true God.  The world calls that a weakness.  In fact, some twist the idea of “meekness” or “gentleness” to mean that very thing: a weakness.  When the world calls for self-praise and self-assertion, Christians look instead to God for His will, His love, and His direction.

Meekness is not weakness, for both Moses and Jesus were meek men. The word translated “meek” was used by the Greeks to describe a horse that had been broken. It refers to power under control.” Warren Wiersbe, commentary on Matthew 5:5

The words “meek” and “gentle” come from related Greek words: praus (prah-ooce) and prautes (prah-oo-tace). One is an adjective; the other is a noun.  Yet look up “meek” in English and you’ll find definitions such as quiet, gentle, and easily imposed upon.  Isn’t that what we tend more to think when we read in the Bible that the meek are to be blessed and inherit the earth?  And when we read in Galatians of the fruit of the Spirit, one being “gentleness,” don’t we think of some sweet old person quietly living out their days in obscurity?  Someone who probably doesn’t have much of an opinion about anything? And if they did, they certainly wouldn’t voice it!

But wouldn’t that be in conflict with the full picture of Jesus?  In the one place where Jesus describes the state of His own heart, He gives us a picture of what we too should mirror – a gentle and humble heart.  And yet He was a man who spoke with conviction, clearly addressing sin, judgment, mercy, righteousness, and eternal life. He stood strong and faithful before those who mocked Him. This was meekness: strength under control. More importantly, strength under God’s control.

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So, what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.” John 8:3-8

As a person of action, frequently lacking in gentleness, I had always found this passage so frustrating!  I wanted Jesus to look these hypocrites in the eye and tell them off.  Put the full strength of God into His words and watch them melt into a puddle of shame.  But He squatted down (a look of weakness it would seem) and started doodling.  Doodling!!  And the world shakes their head at His apparent lack of authority and power.  “Here is the God YOU submit to,” they say.  “If He had any god-like qualities He would have given them the ‘you’re fired!’ response.”

And yet… 

“But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said,  Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:9-11.

Jesus brushed off His hands and shrugged.  No anger needed.  No smiting.  Just a gentle ripping open of the accusers’ souls.  And still the world misunderstands because they are so attached to the sins of pride and self-importance and fleshly pursuits of power.

Friend, the world may call you weak. It may say you’ve surrendered your mind to God. That you’re submissive.

Perhaps the answer is simply, “Thank you for noticing.”

Because if the world can see the fruit, then gentleness has not made you invisible. It has made visible the One to whom you have submitted. And ultimately, it is not the world we seek to please.

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Enjoying the Right Side of Life

krisshetter

Originally published on April 29, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: From meaningless to meaningful series.

I’ve mentioned in past posts that I wasn’t raised in a Christian home.  My father is, to this day, an atheist and my mom is, well just sort of lost.  In my younger years, I would probably tell you I believed in God but I didn’t really know what that meant.  God was the creator and He was still hanging around, I supposed.  If I had died back then I would’ve had the same judgment as my father, I believe.  Because just like my atheist father, I didn’t have God as the cornerstone of my life.

I hate to say it, but I talk to a lot of folks who seem to be in this same boat.  They might even call themselves “Christian.”  But dig a bit deeper and they don’t believe the basic tenets of the faith.  Such as Jesus being fully man and fully God who died to cover our sins and make us righteous before God.  Or that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.  Without these basic truths to help us navigate through life what’s to keep them from wandering off the path?  To avoid a life of foolhardy behavior and thinking?  To be led by foolish teachers and pastors?

“Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.” Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

Back in the ancient world of King Solomon, the right hand represented the place of honor and power.  The left hand (sorry lefties) represented weakness and even rejection.  In this introduction to chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon shines the light on our propensity to lean a bit too far into our personal temptations and sins.  We give way to the left-hand side of life.  Those sinful “flies in the ointment” create a life that looks a lot like one without knowing or trusting in God.

“Blessed is the man who has the God of Jacob for his Helper; he need not fear either want or pain, or death. The more you can realize this, the happier will you become; and the only means for so doing is to hold frequent communion with God in prayer. Get alone with Jesus, and He will comfort your hearts, and restore your weary souls.” Charles Spurgeon

Not only had I not put God as a cornerstone of my life I put so many other things and people there in His place.  In Solomon’s words I put “fools in a high position” (Ecc 10:6).  And wisdom?  Let’s just say it wasn’t a top priority for me.  

“The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.” Ecclesiastes 10:15

What a sad state to be in, as so many are today.  Lost among well-travelled roads.  Thinking they know the way to enjoying life to the fullest only to find themselves each morning back on the wrong side of a meaningful life.

I’ll make a confession to you.  I started having sex when I was about 16 years old – sad to say that may be a bit old nowadays.  By the time I met my future husband at age 22, I had been with more than 15 different men.  The first few sexual relationships were ones I sometimes, still today, thank God that He didn’t allow me to become pregnant because I was also unprotected.  During those years, something inside me knew what I was doing was wrong, but that didn’t stop me.  I plowed ahead in my left-handed life.

Later, I even realized my behavior was born out of a need to seek love and acceptance.  Instead, I usually received the exact opposite.  Folly, folly, folly.  And more wandering over the same roads.

My cornerstones, or my go-to experts, were like-minded travelers.  Women’s liberation bullhorns, pro-abortionists, people who believed we deserved to do what we please, and others who scoffed at the religious right and their limiting “rules for life.”  I was going to do what I wanted, with whom I wanted, and was going to be happy and successful.  

Until I wasn’t.

As a person searching for a meaningful life, that younger me was bombarded by foolish rulers.  College teachers who were all about living the life that was “true to yourself.”  The people I worked with had no place for God and encouraged debauchery and folly.  Even the pastor of the church, where I spent about 10 years as a new Christian, never talked about sin.

Now, as a Christ-centered Christian, it angers me that there are pastors who fall into these same categories.  Their own lives and their teaching don’t reflect God as their cornerstone.  They are ok with abortion – murdering the innocent.  They are just fine with people having sex outside of marriage.  With living immoral lives as long we know we are “loved” and “don’t judge.”  They’re apparently reading from a different Bible than the one I have.  

They are not leaders of the right-handed side of life.  So when we consider whom or what we’ve made the cornerstone of our lives, we need to ask: Are they leading us toward wisdom, or simply taking us in circles along the same old paths?

Click here for Enjoying the Right Side of Life Part Two as we discover the path straight to love and joy.

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Enjoying A Gifted Life

krisshetter

First published on April 1, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: from meaningless to meaningful series

Ecclesiastes Five Part One

About four years ago a few friends and I gathered together to start a new Bible study group. We selected the book, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be, by Donna Partow. It was a 90-day study on the Proverbs 31 woman. After tackling such topics as meditating on God’s Word, creating healthy, godly habits, and family relationships we were asked to declutter our lives. The scriptures for Day 31 were from Luke 3:11; 6:38

“And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”… (Jesus said) give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

It was the beginning of a journey toward freedom.  Freedom from clutter, freedom from hoarding, and freedom from stuff.  We were to sit in each room of our house and quietly meditate and pray about what the room spoke to us.  Was it chaos?  Was it peaceful?  Was it full of stuff that brought us joy or shame?  

“The key to minimizing clutter and keeping an orderly home is a resolute commitment to give away everything you can. Give, give, give! Give until it hurts.”  Donna Partow, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be

This sentiment is echoed by John Wesley’s sage advice to “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Why? Because as King Solomon reminds us all in Ecclesiastes 5, you can’t take it with you.

“As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.” Ecclesiastes 5:15

And we can’t forget from Ecclesiastes 3, there’s “a time to keep and a time to throw away…” (v 6)

According to Pew Research, in 2013 the average global annual household income was $9,733.  In the United States that number was $51,939.  Poor Americans were actually classified as global middle class.  And only 2% of all Americans could classify as “globally poor.”  The good news in 2019 however, was that the United States, according to the World Giving Index, ranks first in charitable giving.  But who ranked second?  It was Myanmar, considered to be on the lower-middle income scale.  Researchers surmise this stark difference in income to charitable giving is due to the large population of Theravada Buddhists for whom frequent acts of giving are the norm.

So yes, the majority of Americans are wealthy from a global perspective and we give and give. But we also hoard. About 10% of US households are currently renting a storage unit filled with stuff. In 2019, a survey found the average American spent $18,000 per year on non-essential goods. That’s twice the annual income on average globally! One often-repeated but unconfirmed statistic claims the average American home contains 300,000 items.

  That’s a lot of stuff.  And you have to ask, why?

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6: 6-10

And while many of our bank accounts don’t show a lot of money, our homes sure do.  So, when we were asked to sit in each room and evaluate the atmosphere, it brought out a number of uncomfortable feelings.  The stuff that had accumulated was embarrassing and not bringing my family much enjoyment.  It reminded me of when I would visit my husband’s grandmother’s house and think, “When she’s gone who is going to have to go through all this stuff?”  She hoarded all manner of paper goods and supplies.  When my mother-in-law was in her last days, I truly appreciated one of her last requests of me and my eldest daughter – to start cleaning out clothes closets and freezers before she was gone.  She didn’t want her husband to have to deal with it all later.

“There is more than one way to be rich and more than one way to be poor. f we accept His gifts, but complain about them we are guilty of ingratitude. If we hoard His gifts and will not share them with others, we are guilty of indulgence. But if we yield to His will and use what He gives us for His glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied.” Warren Wiersbe, Be Satisfied

Our ability to earn an income, and even have disposable income, is a gift from God. We turn so much of what we buy into “needs.” I’m just as guilty. Because even though I did a great job decluttering my home during that study I’ve noticed the stuff has gathered steam again in my house.

What is this need we have, especially those of us in wealthy western countries, to turn to stuff to satisfy?  To find our joy in hoarding money and possessions?  To build up bank accounts for the distant future?  We need to feel secure that the nest egg is the right size – even though the right size never seems big enough.  We want full refrigerators, stuffed closets, and overflowing garages.  Enough never seems quite enough.  We need, we need.  Once while driving through our neighborhood my eldest daughter, who was about 8 years old, commented on an open, three-car garage.  “I’m glad we don’t have two garage doors,” she said.  And I asked, “Why?”  “Because that would mean we would need more junk,” she sagely replied.  Oh, the wisdom of innocence.

“I believe one reason so many Christians in America are apathetic is they don’t really believe they need God. They have replaced Him with their estate planner and retirement fund. I’m not implying we should ignore planning for the future and, in effect, presume on God. But when you cling to your possessions and live in fear of not having them, you ignore the Holy Spirit’s leading and put your confidence in your wealth instead of God.”

John MacArthur

Ouch!  Imagine if you would, before buying anything — and I mean anything – we have a short chat with the Lord.  “Do I truly need this?”  “Will this help me live in the fruit of the Spirit?”  “Am I buying this because I think I deserve it?”  “Is this financial decision made in trusting You?”  I would probably buy less potato chips and therefore be treating my body as a better steward!  I believe this is what it means to pray without ceasing.  We are in constant contact with the Lord even in the grocery store, but especially when it comes to bigger wants and needs. A prayer life rich in listening and trusting God so that we can be good stewards of our blessings and gifts. Asking God to help us truly enjoy the riches He bestows on us — that’s what I want to seek each and every day.

Part Two of our look at Ecclesiastes 5, Enjoying The Gifted Life! Click here for part two.

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Jesus Mindset: Are you ready to teach?

krisshetter

First published June 23, 2021 as part of the Jesus Mindset series

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:26-28

One of my friends has found herself with an unexpected teaching opportunity. She and her husband were active participants in a Bible study held at my house for about five years. But her husband seemed stuck in his faith journey.

A year after that study group disbanded, my friend came to me asking about starting another study group. She was particularly concerned about her husband. They were no longer attending the same church, and with the study group having disbanded, her husband was without the counsel of other Christians. We decided to start a new group, but it would include only women this time, leaving her concerns about her husband unanswered.

Over the past year, my friend has grown tremendously in her faith. Just last week, I listened as she answered a difficult Bible study question with a great analogy, making it all clear to the rest of us! I felt the same delight I had while watching one of my Girl Scouts successfully build a fire. I wanted to jump for joy at my friend’s insight. I loved it!

And God has answered her prayers about her husband. It wasn’t the answer she was expecting. You see, the teacher he needed was her. Her husband has watched her transformation with awe. She is living out the Word, and he has started asking her questions about Jesus. After church—their new church—they go to breakfast and discuss the sermon. He relies on her for further insight and instruction.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

My friend’s teaching opportunity was close to home. At the start of Jesus’ ministry, He, too, started close to home. The first recorded teaching by Jesus was to His cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus asked John to baptize Him, but John recognizedHim as the Messiah and tried to convince Jesus that it should be the other way around.

“Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.” Matthew 3:15

Jesus knew His audience. As a devoted man of God, John was well-practiced in what it meant to achieve holy righteousness. And so, he accepted Jesus’ reasoning.

Follow Jesus’ teaching ministry, and you see patience, purpose, and an approach tailored to the people He encountered. And that’s the joy of teaching. What we teach matters, but so does how we teach it. At first, Jesus reached out to His cousin, then to His cousin’s followers and their friends. The tipping point came after He performed quiet acts of healing and word of them spread: the Sermon on the Mount.

But even after He preached to large crowds, He encountered individuals and specifically set aside time to teach them about the glory of God and the forgiveness of sins.

To the learned, He spoke with confident knowledge of Moses and Isaiah. To the poor and lame, He taught through love and compassion. To the average man and woman, He used parables containing everyday elements such as farming and relationships. And to the disciples, He opened their eyes to the mysteries of the Kingdom. Each time, He sought the “aha” moment for which every teacher longs—the moment when the light comes on inside.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

I once led a small Bible study, and the topic of “evangelizing” came up. It usually makes people squirm. One participant said she just didn’t feel ready to talk to people about God. And yet, she had been a Christian for about 50 years. What if we erase the word “evangelize” and replace it with sharing or teaching? What if, instead of picturing ourselves standing before the Pharisees or Sanhedrin, we picture ourselves sitting with our children or a friend and sharing how Jesus has brought us peace and joy in times of trouble? That should, at a minimum, be expected of us.

My friend, whom I mentioned at the beginning, has come a long way. About a year ago, her adult son started asking her questions about God and Jesus, and she felt unprepared. She had prayed for many years that her son would turn to Jesus, and now he was asking her questions. So, what did she do? She sought instruction, prayed, and was bold. At her next opportunity to teach a family member—her husband—she was ready.

“Our lives should reflect the love and goodness of Jesus, but we should pray that the Lord would give us opportunities to share the gospel with people who come into our lives.” Pastor Adriel Sanchez, Core Christianity Podcast

Jesus didn’t want to keep His life offering among a small group of people. So yes, He lived a good and faithful life, but He didn’t stop there. He reached out to people. Through teaching, He shared the most important lessons we will ever learn. He prepared for this task. And when His time came, He was ready.

The question is, are you ready?  

Your role as a teacher may be needed right now—for your children, your spouse, your neighbor, a struggling believer, or a searching nonbeliever.

Have you worked on the other steps so you can teach, as Peter says, with gentleness and respect Have you put yourself in a position to be a humble servant and, therefore, to interact with nonbelievers in positive ways? Are you studying His Word so that, when confronted with half-truths or outright lies about God, you can stand firm like a warrior?

God has already tested you in all these areas. He’s tested me. What is your report card? In what areas do you need to ask for God’s help today so you can be ready?

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Gardeners for Life

krisshetter

First published May 5, 2025 as part of the On Being Sanctified series.

“The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt.” Judges 2:7 & 10-12

In my mind I like gardening.  The idea of tilling, planting, and harvesting feels wonderfully earthy and “back to basics.”  You lovingly prepare and replenish the soil.  Gardeners then carefully select the correct seeds or plants for the coming season.  Then, there’s the occasional weeding and keeping watch for pesky bugs.  All that work results in a great harvest.  Ruby red tomatoes, giant onions, green and shiny cucumbers, and lettuce!  Oh, the bountiful array of various lettuces which now blend together for that healthy, homemade salad!  

Like I said, however, in my mind.  Don’t get me wrong, I have a little garden which right now has onions and garlic and a bit of lettuce and herbs.  But after I planted those, I just sort of forgot about them.  A week or so ago, after a few days of rain, I realized the entire garden looked like a wild field of weeds.  I peeked at it day after day until one day my husband and I decided we absolutely must attack all the weeds around our house.   A task I dreaded.

How many of us want to plunk all those plants we so carefully selected at the gardening center into our gardens and then forget about them until harvest time?  We forget the work which needs to be done to attain our dream result.

The Diligent Gardener

Our scripture today reflects a similar behavior by the ancient Israelites.  God had rescued them from bondage in Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua.  God went before them as they conquered peoples who practiced idolatry and other evils.  Sexual immorality and all manner of other sins were rampant in these cultures.  Meanwhile, God was with the Israelites providing food, shelter, and victory.  

Within one generation the Israelites knew nothing of this God who so lovingly cared for them.  And they “did evil in the sight of the Lord.”  One generation.  

Years ago, when I was working in marketing and public relations, the graphic designer in my department told me about her homeland.  She and her family were originally from Iran.  She called herself “Persian,” not Iranian.  She explained that when she was young, Iran was a cosmopolitan country.  People owned beautiful homes.  Women were free to be educated and marry whomever they wished.  There were religious freedoms and capitalism.  

In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini, who had been fomenting revolt in Iran from France, returned to Iran.  This sparked a revolution to unseat the monarchy.  Within a year, the pro-western country was transformed into a brutal theocracy.  In less than 50 years, most westerners only know Iran as it is now.  One in which women are imprisoned and tortured for not covering themselves from head to toe.  A regime which threatens any democracy that tries to grow in the middle east, and really beyond.  Less than a generation.

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” 1 Timothy 4:15

Paul warns in his letter to Timothy about the importance of diligence.  How diligence, also called stewardship, affects our sanctification journey.  Throughout the Bible we see God’s warning about being good stewards of His Word.  It’s a constant drumbeat because too often, we seek to take all we have learned about God and for a while we are eagerly obedient to Him. Then we begin to coast.

I had an older friend tell me a couple years ago that she wasn’t interested in volunteering at church because she had already “been there, done that.”  She said it was time to relax and “coast.”  I had to remind her of this scripture:

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children.” Titus 2:3-4

Work To Be Done

No matter our current place along our sanctification journey, God has gardening work for us to do.  It may be planting, watering, weed pulling, bug spraying, or harvesting.  All done for the glory of God at the time of His coming.  All done to keep His Word close to the hearts of generations to come.

“So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13

Friends, ask yourself today in this first look at godly stewardship, are you coasting?  Are you saying, “I’ve done the initial work and now it’s someone else’s job to do the weeding?”  You have been trained and equipped for a purpose.  It’s most likely not something lofty like being a bestselling Christian author or famous missionary.  No, most of us have been equipped to get down on our knees in the dirt and work the soil. 

King Solomon once lamented that he put in the hard work of building his kingdom, which might ultimately be enjoyed by an heir who had done nothing to earn it.  Jesus says, work now in helping build my kingdom and you will reap the benefits come harvest time. And we will dance together with joy.

Jesus calls us to labor faithfully in His kingdom now, trusting Him with the harvest. So this week, look at the patch of ground God has placed in front of you. Is there work you have been leaving for someone else? What is one faithful thing you can do today?

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Enjoying A Wisdom Filled Life

krisshetter

First published April 15, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: from meaningless to meaningful series

A teenager asked his father if he could go to an unsupervised party where there would surely be drinking.  He denied his request.  “Aw Dad, why not?” he complained.  “I’m in high school now!” Dad replied: “Because some will drink and the party could get out of control.” “But, Dad, those are just very small parts of the party!  “My answer is ‘no,’ and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over.  But you will not go to that party.  End of discussion.”

The teenager walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As he sulked, he was surprised to hear the sounds of his father preparing something in the kitchen. He soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and he thought, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he’s going to try to make it up to me with some fresh brownies.  Maybe I can soften him up with lots of praise when he brings them out to me and persuade him to let me go to that party after all.”

The teen was not disappointed.  Soon his father appeared with a plate of warm brownies. He took one. Then his father said, “Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you very much.  That is why I’ve made these brownies from scratch with the very best ingredients. The best stone-milled flour.  The best free-range eggs.  The best organic pure cane sugar. Premium vanilla and the finest chocolate.”  The brownies looked mouth-watering.

“There is one ingredient not normally found in brownies. I only added a tiny amount, so small you probably wouldn’t even notice. Go ahead and try one.”

“Dad, what is the mystery ingredient before I eat it?” the teen asked.  Dad answered, “Why?  The portion I added was so small.  Just a teaspoonful.  You won’t even taste it.” The teen said, “Come on, Dad; just tell me what it is.”

“Well, OK, if you insist.  That secret ingredient is organic…dog poop.” The teen instantly dropped his brownie back on the plate and began inspecting his fingers with horror. “DAD!  Why did you do that?  You’ve tempted me by making me smell the brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell me that you added dog poop! I can’t eat these!”

Dad smiled. “Why not? It’s only a tiny amount compared to everything else in the brownies.”

It won’t hurt you.  It’s been cooked right along with the other ingredients and you won’t even taste it. Go ahead and eat it.”  His son replied, “No, never.”

The wise dad continued, “And that is the same reason I won’t allow you to go to that party. You won’t tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your life?  We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation. So how can you in good conscience entertain yourself with something that could easily get you into trouble?”

The teenager lowered his head, then looked up at his Dad.  He smiled. He finally understood. He never did go to high school parties where there was drinking.

Ah, the wisdom of a father.  Don’t most parents wish and hope we can provide such clever and wise examples to their children?  And best of all, they listen and obey?  But alas, so much wisdom dispensed, even to us, falls on deaf ears.  We know better and usually think we can do better than the person trying to save us from heartache or hardship.

The Old Testament can be broken into four categories of books. The Pentateuch (the first 5 books), Israel’s history, the prophets, and then wisdom.  Two entire books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, have as their focus the topic of wisdom.  It must be something God finds very important in the lives of us humans.  Yet, wisdom and the enjoyment of having a life filled with it, seems so elusive to many.

We all have that family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker or acquaintance who causes us to scratch our heads each time they make yet another disastrous decision.  A decision that looks a lot like the same mistake they made last time when they sloughed off good advice.  Or maybe that person is…you.

Much of the wise advice we hear throughout our lives has its roots somewhere in the book of Proverbs, authored mostly by King Solomon.  In Ecclesiastes 7 & 8, he goes on to remind us to seek wisdom but that wisdom, by itself, is not to be the end-goal.  He should know.  Having asked God to grant him the wisest mind, he eventually managed to really mess up his life pursuing all manner of fleshly desires of which his gift of wisdom afforded him by becoming a wealthy king.  He became the poster boy for “do as I say, not as I do.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverb 9:10

Had he followed his own wise counsel he might have produced offspring that didn’t want to betray him or destroy the kingdom once they were in power.  It’s a good lesson to learn when we dispense wisdom to our fellow, earthly travellers.  As Jesus once reminded us, remove the log out of your own eye before you comment on the speck of another.

All that aside, it appears that at the end of Solomon’s life he recognized so many of his faults, sins or indiscretions.  The result was his study of life in Ecclesiastes.  And with that we get such wonderful pearls as:

‘For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12

If there is one thing, after seeking Christ, that we should pursue throughout life, it is wisdom.  It’s not easily gained.  Often, gaining wisdom requires suffering first.  Isn’t that what we so often try to impart to others?  How to avoid pain, suffering, loss by taking our hard-earned advice?

“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Hebrews 12:7-8

Like the son in the brownie story all of us need discipline sometime in our lives.  It’s the first step in wisdom seeking. The person who learns from their mistakes or experiences (or others’) gains one step closer to being wise.  One step closer to living a peaceful, joy-filled life.

“None of us can come to the highest maturity without enduring the summer heat of trials.” Charles Spurgeon

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” Ecclesiastes 7:4

Solomon isn’t telling us in the above verse to not have a good and happy life.  What he is saying is our seeking joy and happiness at all costs is a shallow goal and not wise.  When our yearning for closeness to God can only be satisfied during joyful times, we miss out on the richness that tough times can bring.  

Life, as we all know, isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.  As he has said throughout Ecclesiastes, life is frequently about toiling and repetitiveness.  Wisdom is rarely sought and found while we are whooping it up at a party.

Wisdom is found before we enter the door and remember the terrible hangover we had that last time.  Or the fight you and your spouse got into because of inappropriate behavior at the neighborhood BBQ.  Or even maybe the DUI your friend got when you drove home together.  When we brush all that aside for a “good time,” we’ve entered into the land of folly.

Wisdom is gained by remembering. Remembering the wise words shared with you.  Remembering the results of poor decisions, either by yourself or someone you know.

Wisdom isn’t just knowledge.  My mother-in-law was a very wise person.  She didn’t go to college, she didn’t have some big shot important job.  She was a mom, a sometimes employee at dress shops and florists.  She was a devoted Christian and a ready-hand at many volunteer events.  She was creative and quick-witted.  And she dispensed wisdom with ease.  Wisdom gained from a dirt poor childhood with an alcoholic dad.  From watching her brother make one bad decision after another ending up on drugs and in jail.  She didn’t need self-help books to know about life, she lived it and remembered it.

“To know is not to be wise. To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” Charles Spurgeon

Friend, in this first look at wisdom let’s make a good evaluation of our own lives.  Are we enjoying a life of wisdom or are you continuing to make the same bad decisions?  Are you saying “talk to the hand” when someone who has wise words wants to impart them to you?  Do you brush aside past mistakes as Solomon did thinking things will be different this time?  Have you prayed, as King Solomon did, to the Lord asking for wisdom, in each and every aspect of your life?

Wisdom will keep you from the extremes, as Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes verse 7:9 It will preserve you, your good name Ecc 7:1, your family and other relationships.  Seek first to be obedient to God and then ask Him for insight and wisdom.

I want to leave you today with a prayer that many may be familiar with written by theologian  Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), called the Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.

Enjoying A Wisdom Filled Life Part Two now available! Click here

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Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

krisshetter

First published June 6, 2023 as part of the Christian Life In Full Bloom series

Charles Spurgeon once wrote that if God took full license of His greatness and majesty we would surely be trampled under His feet. Instead, God, Himself, displays the most magnificent teaching of gentleness for us all to experience.  He holds back in His anger, judgment, and frustration.  He is long-suffering and meek in His dealings with us.

King David, with all his power and authority, mirrored this meekness and humility often when he wrote of God in the psalms.

“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and gentleness made me great.” Psalm 18:35

God’s gentleness made King David great.  It seems like an odd statement to make.  You would think he would say “your strength” or “your authority” is what bolstered the king.  No, instead he sought to point out the gentleness of God.  And I wonder, how often do we stop to realize just how gentle God has been with us?

The unbeliever or borderline Christian may never fully appreciate this character trait of God.  An unrepentant sinner doesn’t see the need to apologize to anyone for doing life as they see fit.  They consider there to be no authority which will one day sit in judgment of them.  Therefore, they don’t have the viewpoint that God is being so, so patient with them.  Each day on this place we call Earth that the non-believer merrily lives a life in direct conflict with the fruit of the Spirit (ie: hatred, discord, jealousy, selfishness, idolatry, rage, sexual immorality) is another day in which God is showing His gentleness.  A day that God has given them to hear His voice before the final judgment.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:29

Imagine hearing a man say He is God, a man of flesh and blood, yet tell you He is gentle and humble.  You can’t point to any other person in history, besides Jesus, that would say that and be believable.  The Pharisees expected the Messiah to come in on a mighty steed to the sounds of trumpets.  He was to slay all of Israel’s enemies and lay claim to all land and treasure.  He was to pronounce all those suffering without fair trial in jail free to leave the prisons.  He was to place the Jews at the top of all humanity.

Instead, as He rose from the waters of baptism by John, a dove appeared over His head. A symbol of peace and gentleness. There was no lightning. There were no earthshattering sounds. Just the sound of water dripping from His body and a cooing dove. And yet, a revolutionary was set on His designated path.

So often I hear Christians and non-Christians talk about meeting God face to face.  At the pearly gates of heaven, they imagine a conversation about whether their “nice list” is greater than their “naughty list.”  But let’s back up.  Moses, himself, could not look directly at God or he would have certainly died on the spot.  God’s power was so great He had to put some of it into a burning bush for a visual of sorts.  And even then, Moses was admonished to not come too close and to clean his feet in reverence.

We humans while we are alive on earth can only see God as a shadow or a lesser representation because we would be so overwhelmed by His presence.  So now understand the meekness He had to undertake to become flesh and blood.

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis

Jesus said He was God.  Jesus performed miracles as God.  Jesus warned of judgment as God.  So, either we believe He is God or we must throw away everything He said as a crazy person.  And if we believe He is God then we should be amazed at how gentle and humble He truly was while here on earth.  He didn’t once look at a Pharisee and afflict him with a terrible illness.  He didn’t lay waste to the soldiers who came to arrest Him.  No, He was patient with everyone.  Teaching, showing, loving us into His coming kingdom.

“No destroying angel smote the men who spat in his face, no devouring flame burned up those who scourged him. The force of his life was the omnipotence of gentle goodness. He did not lay the weight of his little finger upon the minds of men to compel them to involuntary subjection; his conquests were such as led men in willing captivity.” Charles Spurgeon

As we reflect on the fruit of the Spirit this week, remember that gentleness is not weakness. Our God possesses infinite power and authority, yet He deals patiently and tenderly with us. May His gentleness shape the way we treat others as we learn to call Him Abba, Father.

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Enjoying The Enough Life

krisshetter

First published April 8, 2024 as part of the Enjoy Life: from meaningless to meaningful series

In 2014, researcher and Contentment Foundation founder Daniel Cordaro took a team of researchers to the remote area of the Himalayas in Eastern Bhutan. Their subjects were 200 nomadic families who had never been contacted by outsiders. It was to be the final look into a 5-year, cross-cultural study of how people identify and react to a long list of emotions. Upon showing the villagers dozens of facial and vocal expressions, even having been cut off from the rest of the world, they recognized the vast majority of emotions with accuracy. However, it was one emotion that elicited a different response to the norm. That emotion was contentment. Their guide, Dr. Dorji Wangchuk, stopped for a moment when they reached that word.

“In our culture, this emotion is very special. It is the highest achievement of human well-being, and it is what the greatest enlightened masters have been writing about for thousands of years. It’s hard to translate it exactly, but the closest word is ‘chokkshay’, which is a very deep and spiritual word that means ‘the knowledge of enough.’ It basically means that right here, right now, everything is perfect as it is, regardless of what you are experiencing outside.”

This explanation by Dr. Wangchuk brought chills to Cordaro who goes on to say in his story of this experience, “No matter where I went on planet earth, all of the cultures I interacted with revered contentment as one of the highest states to cultivate in life. Yet in the West, we were obsessing about happiness—and feeling more anxious, depressed, and stressed.”*

While Mr. Cordaro may have decided through his research that “happiness” rather than contentment is a relatively new goal which rears its head mainly in western society, I would argue it’s actually been around for a very long time.  You only need to turn to Ecclesiastes 6, indeed much of Ecclesiastes itself, to see pleasure seeking or happiness sits atop many people’s motivation in life.

“If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he…even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity.  Do not all go to the same place?” Ecclesiastes 6:3 & 6

King Solomon would relate to this prosperous man; it might even be a reflection of the King himself.  A man who amassed riches, property, wives, children, slaves, food, and wine.  Yet was drawn to study the meaningless life.  A life much the opposite of those Himalayan nomads.

A 2016 survey by YouGov asked Americans whether they would rather achieve great things or be happy.  81% said they would rather be happy.  Despite the widespread pursuit of happiness, people struggled to define it or achieve it.**  And I ask you, on a daily basis are you seeking happiness or contentment?  Are you seeking to feel the emotion that pleasure provides or resting in the peace of enjoying “enough?”

“Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”  Ecclesiastes 6:9

The “I need to do and seek out what makes me happy” hasn’t really worked out that well for us humans.  It’s a life led by self-fulfillment and fleeting emotions.  Back a few years when I decided to seek happiness, I went about it working hard at changing myself.  I needed to be less, I suppose, like me and more like people who appeared happy with loads of friends.  The problem was I was still me.  I was still filled with sinful thoughts and behaviors, most of which I couldn’t see or didn’t want to.

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3

Through study of God’s Holy Word, I finally had my “aha moment.”  I was seeking with the wrong motive.  What I needed to seek was joy and contentment, not how to be happy.  Why?  Because desiring happiness didn’t mean to love others, rather just myself.  It meant getting what I wanted, not what God wanted of me.  It led me to covet and be jealous of those who seemed “happier.”

In the late 1800s, Russian author Leo Tolstoy experienced his own profound revelation when seeking the meaningful life.  Born to aristocrats, he had all that wealth could provide.  He ran in highly intellectual circles debating the politics and issues of the day.  And for all that upper-class privilege he once stated,

“My life came to a standstill. I could breathe, eat, drink, and sleep, and I could not help doing these things; but there was no life, for there were no wishes the fulfillment of which I could consider reasonable… had a fairy come and offered to fulfill my desires I should not have known what to ask.”

In the course of events Tolstoy became involved with a group of Russian peasants.  What he witnessed was a hard life.  One with heavy, daily labor.  And they were content.  They, he said, knew the meaning of life and death and labored quietly.  They endured deprivations and suffering.  They lived and died seeing the good.

So how do we achieve this state of contentment?  Must we cast off all our hard-earned wealth?  Sell our homes and become Himalayan nomads?  Become like John the Baptist and wear rough clothing and eat bugs?

“Enjoying life is a matter of character, not circumstance.” Booker T. Washington

Like so many lessons gifted by God, the hard won path to contentment is not about our outward appearance.  If it were, the successful business person would be doomed.  Yet success, from a wealth perspective, is not seen in the Bible as something to be disabused.  It is only seen as causing potential difficulty for the believer.  It wasn’t the prince’s wealth that caused him not to be able to follow Jesus.  But rather his clinging to it for his happiness. (Matt 19:21-22)  His character was filled with greed and pride.

In the completed study by Cordaro he found there were two views of what people think makes for a contented life.  The first he called the “More Strategy.”  It’s that view of the western happiness mindset.  More money, more stuff.  The problem, he found, was once you got more, that feeling of happiness drifted away like the mist.

The second approach is the “Enough Strategy.”  It’s when people look inward to find the happiness.  He poured through thousands of years of ancient wisdom traditions and found that the ancients almost never used the word “happiness.” More than 90 percent of the time, they used the word “contentment,” and described it as a state of “unconditional wholeness,” regardless of what is happening externally.

The unfortunate diagnosis by Cordaro however, is that somehow we can become whole all by ourselves.  It’s the same mindset of modern, secular psychology and thousands of self-help books.  He didn’t research which ancient wisdom traditions were successful at this goal and how.  If he had, he might have discovered Jesus, who offers something far deeper than self-generated contentment. The Christian hope is not that we become whole through our own efforts, but that we are made whole through Him. The knowledge of enough ultimately begins with recognizing that, in Christ, we already have what matters most.

Enjoying The Enough Life Part Two now available!  Click here.

*Excerpt from Greater Good Magazine, May 27, 2020 What If You Pursue Contentment Rather Than Happiness?

**BBC’s Nat Rutherford