Woulda’, Shoulda’, Coulda’

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you’re Ashton Kutcher, you’ve heard about the recent scandal at Penn State University. It was a topic of interest all over the media and social networks with nearly everyone weighing in. There were various opinions about what happened, what should’ve happened, what was going to happen. However, at the heart of the scandal is the very reason our society finds itself in the shape it is in: people seem to only do what they have to do.

If you’ve ever watched television or listened to the radio, you’ve seen or heard the car insurance commercials for Safe Auto. The idea behind the commercial is that in order to save money you can take out the absolute minimum amount of insurance coverage on your car that is allowed by law. This pretty much sums it up. We’ve become a selfish and lazy society only doing what we must do in order to make it through life.

It is most unfortunate that this sort of thinking has infiltrated Christian culture as well.

Matthew 5:40-42 says: “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

This attitude of self-sacrifice no longer exists in the church. Instead of doing what’s right or what God would have us to do, we do that which will take us the least amount of effort on our part. This is why we see few churches doing much outside of their church walls. The attitude of service has been replaced with that of self-perservation. We now maintain the status quo instead of pushing the limits. This is why many churches find themselves in decline.

I recently had an experience in such a church. I won’t go into detail here, but it’s a church in self-preservation mode. They don’t care much for anyone outside of themselves. They do what is best for those inside the church walls instead of those on the outside. It was a difficult place to fit in and feel welcome unless you were on the inside. As the church continues to decline they continue to refuse to change.

It’s time for all of us as individuals and churches to stop doing what’s necessary or required and start doing what’s right. If we want to learn anything about “going the extra mile” all we have to do is look to the example of Jesus, His extra mile led him straight to a cross.

Giving It All Away

I read the story online about a couple from Nova Scotia who won $11.2 million in the lottery…and gave it all away. They gave money to friends and family (here’s wishing we were related) and then donated the rest to hospitals where Violet was being treated for cancer, as well as, the local fire department, churches, cemeteries, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.”

If you read the story you’ll see a couple great quotes from the couple. My favorite is this one from Violet, “What you’ve never had, you never miss.” While it’s very rare that you hear about this kind of generosity where someone gives away so much, you have to put this story in context. As Violet said, what they gave away, they never really had to begin with. The Larges never lived with $11.2 million in the bank, so they’ll never really miss it.

I share all of this because today is Veterans Day and would probably go unnoticed to some if it weren’t for their day being disrupted by the closing of banks and post offices. But Veterans Day is a day to remember those who’ve given so much to keep America safe and free. Unlike the Larges veterans have not given something they didn’t already know. They’ve given everything they’ve known. They’ve left their families and jobs behind to go and serve.

I think we often forget what war is like. My dad himself is a veteran and he’s shared numerous stories with me. Being separated from everything you know and thrown into an unfamiliar and hostile place. Not knowing when the next attack might come. Not even knowing if you’ll ever make it home alive.

Our freedom comes at great sacrifice. Many of the things we take for granted in our day to day lives are only privileges because of those who fought and died for us. There’s an often shared quote that goes “All gave some, some gave all.” John 15:13 talks about sacrifice like this, it reads: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

As Christians, our freedom comes at a great price too. If it weren’t for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross we’d all carry with us a sentence of death. We’d be living bound to rituals and routines, worrying about whether God was mad at us or not. Living our lives hoping that we’ve done enough to appease God’s anger and wrath.

The truth is there are many Christians who still live this way. They live their life trapped in rituals and routines, thinking that God is just waiting for a reason to send a lightning bolt in their direction. But this is not the way God is. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, anger and wrath have been replaced by grace and love.

However for us to receive this grace and love does require sacrifice on our parts. We must give up everything we know in order to follow Christ. This doesn’t mean selling all our earthly possessions and joining a convent or monastery (although I have thought this might be easier at times). It simply means putting aside our will and replacing it with God’s. It means professing our faith in Christ and beginning to see the world through His eyes. When we do this, our priorities will change and we’ll begin to see things in a new light.

What we must remember is that we can’t earn God’s grace. I think many try and fail, and subsequently give up. God’s grace is freely given…to all. No one is too sinful, too broken or too far gone. The fact is none of us are worthy of grace, that’s why it’s called grace.

Remembering

I’ll never forget where I was on September 11, 2001. Still living in Kokomo, I was home with my oldest daughter who was three at the time. She was watching cartoons on public television and I never would have known that anything was amiss if it weren’t for the phone calls I received from others asking me if I saw what had happened. I tried to carefully catch up without exposing her to the horrific scenes that were being shown on the news. I soon found out a few weeks later that we hadn’t succeeded when she asked her grandparents about the flashing red lights atop the radio towers. When they told her that it was to keep airplanes from running into them she responded with “You mean like when it hit those big buildings and all those people died.”

September 11, 2001 is a date that should always be remembered. I think it should be remembered for a time when we saw both the best and worst that humanity has to offer. We saw the affects of what hatred and bigotry can do. How a few people can cause an immense amount of devastation and harm. How those same few can cast a shadow upon an entire belief system and create even more hatred.

But it should also be remembered for what happens when people put aside their own needs for a while. How people can help pick each other up and help encourage each other. How brave some can be by risking their lives to save others. We saw true heroes who in the heat of the moment gave the greatest gift they could give…their lives.

John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Nine years ago we saw people give their lives not just for their friends but for complete strangers. There are people who were given a second chance at life, because someone else gave up their lives to save them.

What I wonder is what those people did with their lives? Given a second chance, are they making the most of what they’ve been given? Are they honoring those who died for them by using their lives to make a difference for someone else?

John 3:16 reads “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We too have been given a second chance. We’ve been promised something so much more for our lives, but are we making the most of it?

I personally believe there are times that I have squandered what I’ve been given. That I’ve taken God’s gift to me for granted and not made the most of my life. I think that’s been the hardest lesson for me in everything that I’ve gone through.

But no more. I want to make the most of each day. No more whining or complaining. No more wishing for something that isn’t. I want to take what I have, what I’ve been given, and make the most of it. I want to use the time I have left on this earth to its fullest.

No matter who you are or where you are in life, you have something left to give. You’ve been given a gift by God and it’s up to you to receive it. But regardless, you still can make a difference. It doesn’t take much to make a difference to someone else. Little gestures, random acts of kindness, an encouraging word. You can choose to wallow in the circumstances in which you find yourself, or you can make the most of where you are and live life to the fullest.

Alexander Woollcott said, “There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”