The Aim of Faithfulness

When I stepped up to take my first shot, I noticed that the target was kind of, well, blurry. I hadn't picked up a bow and arrow in years, but I didn't remember the concentric circles having fuzzy edges.

As it turns out, I had forgotten to put in my contacts. This happens more often than it should. How I didn't notice they were missing before that moment is beyond me.

I didn’t hit the target once.

I hit the floor a few times, almost took out a ceiling light, and I’m pretty sure I got a piece of the target next to mine.

But where I was supposed to be aiming? No such luck.

After this series of failed attempts to land an arrow anywhere near the target, I went out to my car to see if I had a backup pair of glasses. I did.

They changed everything.

I could see the crisp lines of the target clearly. I knew right where I was aiming. Even with my glasses on, it still took a while to get the hang of it. But, as time when on, as I kept trying, assessing my shot, and correcting my aim, I got better.

By the end, I was certainly no Robin Hood, but I had managed to hit the mark with far more consistency and precision than when I began.

I wonder if that’s how we sometimes approach faithfulness to God.

The target is blurry. We’re not entirely sure where we’re aiming, so we end up hurling arrows in the general direction we think they’re supposed to be heading. But, day after day, month after month, year after year, we’re not getting any closer to the mark.

But, what if we were to look through the lens of Scripture?

What if we allowed God to correct our blurry vision?

The crisp lines of the target would start to come into focus. We'd find that the aim of faithfulness to God is made clear.

Jesus was once asked, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" In other words, "Jesus, what is the aim of a faithful life? What is the target of obedience?"

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,'" He said. "' And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Love God.

Love people.

That is the aim of faithfulness to God.

The question is whether or not we will land closer to the target today than we did yesterday.

Standing Together

I love historical fiction. I especially love anything by Conn Iggulden. A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to his series on Genghis Khan. It was spectacular. So, I recently picked up his series on Julius Caesar. It, too, is spectacular.

During one escapade to wreak vengeance on a pirate sea craft early in his career, Julius lies awake, worrying that his legion will not prove up to the task. They are a relatively ragtag band of soldiers, with only a handful of professionally trained men. The rest were nothing more than enthusiastic peasants picked up at local port towns.

As Julius considers the battle to come, he comforts himself with the knowledge that his men will stand firm. They had, after all, developed a strong comradery through their other adventures.

“A man standing next to his friends cannot run for shame,” thinks Julius.

While I certainly don’t condone wreaking vengeance on pirate ships, I think Julius (well, Iggulden) had a point.

Standing next to friends can bring a confidence and courage unmatched by individual resolution. Perhaps that is, at least in part, why the Bible places such an emphasis on community.

God has given me the most remarkable friends over the years. They have stood next to me through difficult seasons, major decisions, and change – lots of change. They have challenged me to stand firm in my faith when it would be easier to desert. They have loved me at my worst and see all that I could be – all that God intends for me to be. They don’t let me run for shame.

I pray you have friends like that. If you don’t, I pray you find them.

I pray you are that friend – for someone.

Legacy

As I mentioned in the previous post, my great-grandmother – Grandma Gertie, as we called her – was one of the godliest women I’ve ever known.

Before she died, my family and I had made the six-hour drive from  St. Louis to her retirement center in North Manchester, Indiana. We had spent the week laughing and talking, playing games and listening to her stories. She had so many stories.

When it was time to go home, I got to stay behind for another week with my great-aunt Judy. We were together when a nurse called late one night to tell us that Grandma Gertie wasn’t going to make it.

I grabbed her Bible off of her nightstand and we hurried to the hospital wing where she had spent her last few days. I wish I could remember what I read to her that night. I know it was from Psalms – she loved that book most. I was holding her hand when she passed.

Gertie knew Jesus. She didn’t just know about Him. She knew Him and loved Him. I watched her take her last breath and realized that there was nothing that she wanted more than to be with Him and, soon, she would be.

I also realized that if I died I wouldn’t be with Him. I wasn’t a Christian. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know Jesus and I didn’t love Him.

I wish I could tell you I made the decision to accept the grace of God that night. I wish I could tell you that right then I put my trust in Him. I wish I could tell you from that day forward He was the object of my faith and the reason for my hope. I wish I could tell you all that, but I can’t.

I took her Bible home with me. I began reading the notes she had made in the margins of nearly every page. Then, I started reading the words she had been reflecting on.

I read about the love of God and the grace Jesus offered. I read about forgiveness and hope and joy and peace. Grandma Gertie had all of those things. I wanted them, too. So, after months of God relentlessly drawing me towards Himself – through His Word and through Gertie's example – I finally accepted Christ.

Witnessing her faith encouraged mine. Watching her life changed mine. 

There are people witnessing our faith and watching our lives. We all leave a legacy.

The question is what kind of legacy we will leave. I hope I leave a legacy like Gertie.

Walking with the Wise

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20)

One of the wisest women I’ve ever known was Gertrude Jordan – my great-grandmother. I was only able to walk with her for the first thirteen years of my life, but she keeps changing me.

After she passed away, I inherited one of her most precious belongings – her Bible. My great-grandfather Stanley gave it to her as a birthday gift in 1935. In the margins, she wrote her thoughts and prayers. She recorded decades of heartache and pain. She poured out her soul to her Father on these pages.

On the first page, she wrote down twelve principles that she pursued every day of her life. She called them her “Daily Dozen.” I thought I’d share with you the words of this sweet and godly woman.

The Daily Dozen

1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in the simple things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with the gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.

4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.

5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing. But stay out of debt.

7. Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than the actual ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your life brooding over sorrows and mistakes.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy on something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Every Christian is called to live wisely. Learning to live wisely, though, taking intentionality. It requires submitting to the source of all wisdom - God Himself - and surrounding ourselves with godly men and women. As Proverbs tells us, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise." I'm forever grateful that I had such a wise grandmother. She continues to impact me. I hope she impacts you, too.

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