Crushed Under the Bus of Reality

Trophies have always been the symbol of superiority, accomplishment, and bragging rights.  For the NFL, it’s the Vince Lombardi Trophy.  For the NHL, it’s the Stanley Cup.  For Spain’s soccer championship, the trophy is called the Copa del Rey.

The championship game this year was between Barcelona and Real Madrid.  Since this soccer championship began in 1902, Barcelona has won it more times than any other team (25 times).  For Real Madrid, it had been 18 years since they last held the Copa del Rey.  On this night however, Real Madrid was the better team.

So, finally, after 18 long years, Real Madrid lifted up that sweet trophy of success.  Soon the team was parading down the streets on top of a double-decker bus as 60,000 fans cheered and praised the team.  However, as the celebration continued, the Copa del Rey slipped out of the hands of one of the players, fell down in the street, and was crushed under the bus.

I can’t imagine the terrible feelings that shivered across the team and the crowd.  Many stood in stunned silence.  Some may have cried out in horror.  But for Christians, if nothing else, this situation should serve as a big reality check.  Our world places so much value in useless stuff, like a hunk of shaped and engraved metal for example.  But in reality, what eternal value does it have?  All it took was one slip of the hand and this valuable trophy was crushed under the “bus of reality.”

Paul spoke of this very concept in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.  Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

All material possessions in this life are perishable.  It doesn’t matter whether it is the Vince Lombardi Trophy, a science fair ribbon, a Medal of Honor, the Stanley Cup, the Copa del Rey, or an old bowling trophy.  Sometimes we need the “bus of reality” to come along and remind us that this life is not about perishable prizes.  It is about attaining that imperishable crown.  What are we striving for in this life, earthly success or heavenly success?  As Paul stated, let’s make sure we are running in such a way that we will win that imperishable crown.  The way we do this is by competing on God’s side against sin and for righteousness (Romans 6:12-14; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 12:1-3).

Swearing Reduces Pain

Stubbing a toe.  Slamming a finger in a door.  Ripping a fingernail.  Jamming a finger.  Biting your tongue or cheek.  Just thinking about these makes me cringe with pain.  It is ridiculous how much pain can come from something so small.  Hardly anyone can live very long without experiencing some of these.  My daughter isn’t even 2 yet and she has suffered through at least two of these already.

So, what happens right after the pain hits us?  For whatever reason, swearing has become a custom with painful situations.  A person stubs a toe and out pops out some bad words.  Over time, after many stubbed toes and slammed fingers, people began asking the question, “Does swearing actually help someone deal with the pain?”  Recently, both Mythbusters and Keele University (in the UK) conducted studies on this.  Their answer to this question: “Yes.”  As shocking as it may be, both came to the conclusion that swearing can have a painkilling power to it.  So, since this is the case, would it be acceptable to shout out a couple cuss words when we are in pain?  Let’s examine this:

1.  Positives vs. Negatives.  Honestly, this painkilling argument is the only legitimate reason I have ever heard to justify swearing.  But, this “positive” reason seems more like an excuse than it does anything else.  Our bodies are naturally going to help much more with the pain more than any word we say.  Most people just want to swear.  People will always look for excuses to justify their actions.  Sadly, we do this all the time with our own sins.  Just because there might be one so-called “positive” does not outweigh the plethora of negatives that come with swearing.

2.  Swearing Damages Our Reputation and Influence.  Peter is a great example of this.  Peter had already denied Christ twice and people were still pressuring him about being an apostle.  So, he purposely chose to do something an apostle would not do.  He began cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:71).  Clearly the apostles had a reputation for having much cleaner speech.  What would we think if our preacher stubbed his toe and began yelling out cuss words?  Would we not think less of him?  I know I would.  No matter the situation, if we let swear words come out of our mouth, it will damage our reputation and influence as a Christian.

3.  Swearing Shows Lack of Self-Control.  Christians must exercise self-control (Galatians 5:23; 2 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:8; 2 Peter 1:6; etc).  This isn’t an impossible task.  We are able to keep silent when we smash our fingers in the door.  If we must speak, we can choose to say non-vulgar words.  A person who chooses to let out bad words is demonstrating a lack of self-control and an unbridled tongue (James 1:26).

4.  Other Scriptures.  While it certainly applies beyond swear words, Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth….”  Some of the most unwholesome words are swear words.  Christ also expressed that what we say from our mouths expresses what we have in our hearts (Luke 6:45).  Vulgar words reveal a vulgar heart.  See also Psalm 34:13; 39:1; 141:3; Proverbs 8:8; Matthew 12:34-35; 15:10-11; Colossians 3:8-10; etc.

I honestly cannot think of a time when using cuss words would be appropriate, in public or in private.  The studies may have shown that swearing acts as a painkiller, but I would much rather deal with slightly more pain than to sin in my words.  Let’s always seek to have pure and wholesome speech.  I hope we have the same attitude as David when he said, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

A New Beginning

An author once stated, “I wish there were some wonderful place called ‘the Land of Beginning Again,’ where all of our past mistakes and heartaches, and all of our poor selfish grief, could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door and never be put on again” (Louisa Tarkington, Putting Your Past Behind You, p.13).

There are hundreds of movies where the main character’s goal is to go back in time and correct some mistakes of the past.  This idea of “a new beginning” has always been an appealing one.  We realize that we have all messed up (Romans 3:23) and wish that we could have a fresh start.  There are words we wish we could take back, actions we wish we hadn’t done, and decisions we wish we hadn’t made.

Unfortunately, this life does not work this way.  But there is a place where this does work, heaven.  Revelation 21:25-27 states, “In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  In other words, there is no sin here.  All of our mistakes, sins, and poor decisions will be “left at the door” and will never be a part of us again.

There will be an opportunity for a new beginning, but to have this in the next life, we must be faithful in this life.  Revelation 2:10 says, “…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  Not only will there be a new beginning in heaven, but this beginning will be in a place where we will never need a new beginning again.  How sweet this will be.  Let’s make sure we are living in a way to have our new beginning in heaven.

Walking Out in the Middle of the Game

Danny Jennings was a forward for the West Virginia basketball team about three months ago.  That is, until he up and walked out on his team in the middle of the game.  Now, Jennings didn’t get much playing time, didn’t score much, and wasn’t a very significant member of the team to be honest.  The problem was that he abandoned his team in the middle of the game.  Anything could have happened during that game.  The starter in his position could have gotten hurt and they needed him to step up.  They may have needed his size and unique set of skills for a particular situation.  By walking out, he forfeited that chance and deserted his team.  It didn’t take long for Jennings to get kicked off the team after his little tirade.

This type of reaction is actually pretty common in today’s world.  When we are met with tough situations, we run away from it.  We try to walk out on our problems and forget about them.  We don’t address them or work on getting better.

This is what happened with Jonah.  He was confronted with something he didn’t like or want to do.  When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, he ran away from God and from the situation (Jonah 1:1-3).  It took three days and nights in the belly of a fish for Jonah to stop running away (1:17).  Even after this he didn’t really want to obey or want the people of Nineveh to obey either (4:1f).

The problem is, people today still run away from God.  We read a Scripture that tells us about a change we need to make, and we close our eyes to it.  We listen to a sermon that is asking us to make changes, and we close our ears to it.  We know of a change that needs to be made, and we chose not to do it.  James 1:22-25 talks about these very concepts.

Instead of working harder or talking with his coach, Danny Jennings chose to abandon his team and stop trying.  When we are faced with a challenge in our lives, from Scripture, in church, or anywhere else, let’s not “walk out” on God.  We can’t run away from our problems forever.  Eventually they will catch up to us.  Let’s remember that God is always the solution, not the problem.  Instead of walking out on God, let’s focus on walking with God.  1 Corinthians 15:58 says sums it up well, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Are You Happy?

“Are you happy in this life?”  It’s a simple and probing question.  When you read it, you may have a flood of thoughts enter your head.  Some may be good, some may be bad.  With this question we usually start thinking of why we are, or are not, happy.  In Dennis Wholey’s book, Are You Happy, he reported that only 20% of Americans are happy.  So, most people would probably answer the above question with “no.”

So, what can we do to be happy?  Here are 5 tips to having a happier life:

1. Get rid of guilt. There are few things that make us feel worse than guilt.  Guilt can come from doing wrong to someone or just sin in general.  The best way to get rid of guilt is to obey God’s word.  If we get rid of guilt, we will not only live healthier, but happier.

2. Pray often. It feels good to have a strong, steady relationship with the creator of this world.  The more we pray, the less likely we are to lose our way.  If we can develop a consistent prayer life, it will most certainly lead to a happier life.

3. Keep an eye on the prize. The prize is heaven.  There is too much in this life that make us unhappy.  If we remember that the prize is heaven, it makes any troubles we go through seem less harsh and depressing.  We will be happier in this life if we think about the happiness we can have in the next life.

4. Give something away (no strings attached). Generosity feels good.  We are trained by our culture to hold on to every penny we come across.  When we give and see the happiness that it brings someone else, it will make us happy as well.

5. Encourage someone. This is similar to the previous point, except much easier.  We could potentially do this hundreds of times per day.  An uplifting word doesn’t just make the person listening happy, it makes the person giving the encouragement happy as well.

If we were walking down the street and meet a person who was not burdened down with guilt, who prayed often, who thought longingly about heaven, and who was generous and encouraging, surely that person would be happy.  Why can’t we be that person?  Let’s work on being happier people.  It is good for us and it is good for others.