Think About It

One of the most often touted phrases in modern society is “No good deed ever goes unpunished”. The essence of this statement (and the cynicism that accompanies it) is that it feels like when we set out to do good, someone is going to take exception to it. As I have thought about this statement lately, I got to wondering why we feel that way? Shouldn’t we feel good about doing good? I wonder if the issue is that we expect the world to see things the way that we see them. All humans have some form of tunnel vision – we can’t help it. While we can try to empathize with others, we can only have our own worldview. So, how do we overcome this form of pessimism? The answer is to keep doing good for good’s sake. As long as we do what we should be doing, we shouldn’t be deflated by comments that are less than flattering. The wise man of the Old Testament noted, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27). Hang in there. Su...

When I was younger, the words of Jesus were more readily accepted as truth than they are today. Take, for instance, His observation, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” (Mark 10:6). Up until recently, this statement was a standard by which most people evaluated our world. Now, there are a lot of people who are questioning the validity of this assertion. As I thought about this observation and the stir it has created, I got to thinking about how many more of Jesus’ words have come into question. Consider Jesus’ statement, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45). Do we believe that if Jesus said it, it’s true? Humans have done what they can to teach...

Four years ago, our community woke up to a startling reality – no, it hadn’t been a dream (or even a nightmare) – we had been rocked by a school shooting. As a retired police officer, especially as a School Resource Officer, I knew this could happen; but when it came to “my town”, like the rest of the community, I was devastated. It’s been four years since that fateful day, and as I look back on it, there are some lessons I have learned: 1. First, bad stuff can happen in our town . How often have you heard someone describe a horrific event, then qualify it by saying “No one would have ever believed it could have happened here”? I am not saying we should live in fear; rather, we should not be lulled into complacency. 2. Second, when bad things happen, good people show up to help . I will remember the hard times, but the thing that stands out the most are the great people. Strangers brought food, businesses donated supplies, spiritual people prayed and offered support. It is ama...

It seems like there is so much going on in our world that we are in a constant state of unrest. While some of it comes as the result of outside influences, much of our angst comes from the uncertainty we feel within ourselves. We do our best to stay confident and centered, but with all the insecurity of life and the world around us, we just never quite find the peace we desire. As humans it is tempting to try to find homeostasis (balance), but because there are times when we have so little control over what is going on around us we just never seem to find the tranquility we desire. Could it be that we are looking in the wrong place? Instead of seeking the one thing that can never be shaken, we try to adjust to an ever-changing world. Thousands of years ago, an Old Testament prophet praised God and reminded the people, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.” (Isa...

I remember being a teenager doing Bible Study and discussing the concept of love. I knew a little bit about the idea of romantic love, but the concept of Christian love (or charity as it was called by many back in the day) stretched my mind a bit. As I was trying to grasp the notion, I remember my mom explaining that love is wanting the best for someone else. Sure, we could make it a lot more complex than that, but I think that captures the heart of the matter. The other day I was thinking about another word – one that I would eventually come to understand as the polar opposite of love. Most of us are familiar with the word “malice”, but what does it mean? The New Testament tells us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:31). This verse indicates that it is a bad thing, but can we define it? If love is wanting the best for people, malice is hoping the worst for them. Malice transcends the reac...

One of the things I like about the game of baseball is that is the only major sport without a game clock.   The only way you can run out of time is when you run out of outs.   The other team can’t “freeze” the ball and take away your opportunities, you have 27 outs no matter how long it takes to use them.   I believe this is a great analogy for the way we should live our lives.   We have all been given a chances to do something with our lives, so we shouldn’t waste them.   We shouldn’t view life as merely marking time until something important happens, we should make the most of each and every opportunity we have been given.   No one else can negate our influence by “running out the clock” on us – the use of our opportunities lies squarely on our shoulders.   What are we doing with the opportunities we have been given?   Let’s make the most of all of them so that we keep going – no matter how long it takes to get where we are going. Think About It...

William Shakespeare would write, “Beware the Ides of March”. Unfortunately, he was only about 1600 years too late for Julius Caesar. Many of us grew up hearing about the Ides of March (March 15) but may not have been aware of the ominous nature of the expression. It was on the Ides of March in 44 BC that history was changed. Julius Caesar was assassinated in a conspiracy that reshaped the Roman Empire and, thus, the world. As we celebrate the Ides of March, 2022 it is a good time to remember that no person is supreme. Sure, they can have an influence on our world, but they are still human. Whether it is Julius Caesar, Genghis Kahn, Napoleon, Adolph Hitler or Vladimir Putin there are constraints on the impact they can have. Their humanity may not make their aggression any less detestable, but it is a reminder that eventually, they will be overcome and will receive their own personal justice. As we deal with the latest in a long line of human rulers, let’s keep in mind a promise ...