Think About It

Are we looking for ways to simplify our lives? Interestingly, one way might come from a surprising place. What would happen if we just admitted when we were wrong? I have noticed that when I make a mistake, things can get complicated in a hurry. Typically, my first thought is to try to come up for a way to justify why I did what I did. I will evaluate mistakes from a variety of directions just to see if I can excuse why I did what I did. If I am not successful in this logic, then I have to find a way to explain away what I did – often to people who really don’t buy into my logic. When I can’t think (and talk) my way out of my error, then I invest in trying to find someone to blame. Even if it was my mistake, it has to be someone else’s fault. I may have done wrong, but someone else led me into it. If we think it is tough to explain our way out of error, it becomes even tougher to convincingly pin the responsibility on to someone else. Life is tough enough without having add l...

For some of you, this weekend is almost as exciting as Christmas. On Sunday, March 17, the invitations go out for the men’s brackets of the NCAA Tournament – also known as March Madness. Each spring, almost six dozen teams are selected to participate in the Big Dance. Slowly that number is reduced to one, this year the winning team will be crowned in Phoenix in early April. There are certain teams that expect to make it to the tournament, but to me, the thing that makes this process so special are the Cinderella teams. Those small schools or the teams that don’t traditionally have an elite program that get into the tournament. I have to admit, those are the teams that I like to see win. I like the underdogs. As I think about this process, I find some sense of excitement about life itself. It is easy to get discouraged by how a moral minority can be overwhelmed by an immoral society. It can be disheartening to be a part of a group trying to do what is right to be swept under the...

For those of us who live in the Washington D.C. area, we know that Spring is upon us. First of all, we missed an hour sleep last Saturday night – and if that isn’t bad enough – the air is filling with pollen. I know a lot of people who have lived in a lot of places allergy-free, but when they moved to this area they grew to be on a first name basis with Allegra, Claritin or Zyrtec. Now, while this can be an irritation (literally and figuratively), it does bring with it the incredible colors of the season. We have a lot of beautiful flowers and trees in this area, but to me the prize of the bunch are the cherry trees, especially those around the Tidal Basin. Each year the trees turn area pink, and each year people come in droves to see them. In fact, they are such a tourist attraction that for weeks (or even months) ahead of time, you might be able to get a motel room in the city, but if you do, it will cost you! The reason I bring this up is what it reminds me about God. We migh...

As I sit here in my office, I have music going in the background. In all honesty, modern music abandoned me a while back, so most of what I listen to dates back to my childhood and adolescence. (Yes, they did have music back in the 20th Century … and it was pretty good music.) When I am typing along, I will hear a song that takes me back to a time or place and, at least for three minutes, I get to bask in the good times of yesteryear. In a sense, this is the soundtrack of my youth. Interestingly, there is another soundtrack that keeps playing over and over; but this one has nothing to do with tunes. The sounds are the words that people said to me and around me as I was growing up. My emotional soundtrack is a lot calmer than the musical one it parallels. I hear the voices of calmness and peace. I can tune into the words of encouragement and the expressions of love I heard. Sure, in the distance, I can hear some of the din of unrest, but my primary soundtrack is filled with hop...

I was in a discussion the other day where we were discussing a very emotional issue that had some serious consequences. As we discussed the impact this event would have, someone brought up the possibility of “moral injury”. I had heard the phrase, but I hadn’t given it much thought. When I did my homework, I realized just how life-changing this can be. Moral injury can come about when someone who is impacted by a traumatic event feels a negative emotional reaction because the event violated a deeply held moral belief or value. They may have participated in the event; they may have failed to act to prevent the critical incident or they may have merely witnessed the event; but something about what happened violated their conscience. When I was looking at the concept, the first word that came to my mind was guilt. People who deal with this may be plagued with the thought, “I should have …”. They may walk away from the incident without any physical scars, but emotionally and spirit...

I don’t necessarily consider myself a perfectionist – however, I do have some tendencies in that direction. For instance, I might be a bit disappointed I didn’t score 100% on a test or qualification but as long as I passed the minimum requirement, I won’t lose too much sleep over it. However, there are some things that tend to bother me. If I misquote a scriptural reference in a sermon or class, I tend to dwell on it. If I make a statement of fact that is inaccurate – especially something that others might use in basing a decision – I worry about it and will often try to find ways to correct it. I don’t know that I have ever delved too deeply into exactly what bothers me and what I can let go, but I do know that there are times I want to make sure I not only get things right, I get them “exactly” right. I realize there are some people who are classic perfectionists and others who might have a make-up similar to mine, so what happens when we come across Jesus’ teaching, “Therefore ...

The doctrine of free will is one that has been debated by spiritual people throughout the centuries. Most of us believe that God has given each one of us the right to choose how we are going to act. Even though there are likely to be consequences for our actions, people like to be able to have a choice in how we want to live. Even with its challenges free will is a blessing from God. While free will is a nice thing, there is a something that is even better – a free gift that allows us to overcome even those times when we misuse free will. When the Apostle Paul was discussing the forgiveness that leads to salvation he noted, “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.” (Romans 5:15). The grace that God offers allows us to outlive the bad choices we make. While this does not give us license to keep doing stupid stuff,...