Man in the Glass

The Man In The Glass
Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

Think back to the last time you looked in the mirror. Why did you do it? What did you look at? What were your thoughts?

Did you match? Was your tie straight? Was your shirt tucked in all the way around? Was your collar down and your socks the same color? Did you forget your belt? Did that outfit make you look fat or did it highlight your figure? Was your hair styled appropriately? Were your teeth clean? Did you have lipstick on them or food in between them? Was your makeup just how you wanted it? Is that pimple going away or just getting bigger? Is there any way to cover up that acne? Maybe it doesn't look too bad...oh, who am I kidding, I'm disgusting. Is that a chest hair?

I'll be completely honest, I don't look in the mirror very often because frankly, physical appearance is not high on my priority list, but when I do it usually pertains to a subject along these lines.

After reading this poem I asked myself, "When is the last time you looked into your own eyes?" Sometimes we get so caught up in our appearance and if we will be accepted by the ones we are about to encounter that we diminsh the opinion of the one who really matters, the one we have to live with every day and attempt to sleep easy with every night.

When is the last time you looked into your own eyes and judged your own integrity? Is the person you are looking at the same person that will engage with the world in a few hours? Jesus told us that the eye is the lamp of the body. It will reveal who you really are.

Next time you're standing in front of a mirror look into your eyes. What color are they? How often do you blink? How big are your pupils?

Can you do it? Can you look at yourself - your eyes, into your own heart - in the mirror?

Freedom in Discipline

Ever since I started receiving a predictable income I created a budget to live by. Prior to this year my budget was simple: don’t spend money. Now, every two weeks I allocate a specific amount of money to different accounts such as savings, tithing and spending. What I have found is that there is great freedom in the discipline of budgeting. Before, I shunned offers by friends to enjoy entertainment in fear that I might spend too much, or was frugal in my giving. But now, I no longer recount my money before going out to eat because I have allowed myself a certain amount to spend, all of my bills are covered and I tithe joyfully.

In basketball some of the best coaches have said this very thing when teaching offense; there is great freedom in discipline. Players learn specific spots on the court and realize the multitude of options that arise out of the predictability. Or they understand their abilities and exceed expectations by not overstepping their limitations.

I think it’s true in our faith as well. Outsiders may think Christianity has too many rules or is too conservative. Those are points of two theological questions in themselves, but simply put, there is great freedom in living by God’s commandments.

Think how it would be to drive down a roadway that did not specify which side you should drive on. How difficult would it be to navigate traffic? Or a supermarket that did not expect you to wait in line. How inefficient would checkout be? Or a book that wasn’t organized from left to right and top to bottom. How could you comprehend the story?

We could come up with a thousand examples present in society, business and culture. The point is, the next time you feel overwhelmed by the expectations of your faith or bogged down by legalism do not consider the commandments of God as restrictions. Understand that there is great freedom in discipline and you will experience far more joy in it than by attempting to live without it.

Come, Follow Me

The evangelical community stresses, obviously, evangelism and witnessing to non-Christian peers and sharing the Gospel. To support the viewpoint, the Great Commission is often quoted. You know, “Go and make disciples…”

We like to do this - to take isolated scriptures and make them say what we want them to say or declare some convenient truth or responsibility. It’s important that we read scripture in context. Jesus was making this charge to his disciples who had been following him for several years.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t share the Gospel with others, but I am proposing another starting point. Rather than jumping straight to, “Go and make disciples,” I’m suggesting we begin with “Come, follow me.”

If you study the background of the country’s greatest evangelists you’ll probably notice a significant gap between their conversion experience and the beginning of their public ministry. There was a period of growth in the faith; time to establish a foundation.

Too often we hold up new believers in front of an audience to tell of their new found faith, just to see them fall shortly there after. The new believer is not a hypocrite. He/she simply lacks the foundation, the transformation of one more mature in the faith.

I would like to challenge us all to take a step back and honestly reexamine our standing. It’s likely that we have put too much stock into making disciples of others and it’s possible we need to be more concerned with becoming a disciple first.

After all, even Jesus spent 30 years before beginning his ministry.

The Law of the Siren

I was lying in bed the other night watching the clock tick by. 9:57...9:58...9:59... Each minute closer to 10:00 I felt my hear rate increase in anticipation of the town curfew siren that sounds just two doors down. The moment I consciously acknowledged my rising adrenaline level I realized that the siren is probably not feeling this same sensation. It sounds ridiculous, but seriously.

Each second closer to 10:00 the siren does not get excited. The hour ticks over and the siren performs its duty. No anticipation, anxiousness, preparation or forethought.

I've been thinking a lot about the future lately and what our responsibility to that is. The promises of the Bible assure us that the Lord is in control of the future and that it's not guaranteed. The Lord works everything for His own ends and we are simply called to commit everything to Him. In response to those thoughts I have tried to discount the practice of long-term goals and preparing for long-term future events. I have preferred to just live in the present and be faithful today. A sound practice, but not the complete picture.

The ability to think into the future is a gift from God. Think about it. It's completely unique to human beings. None of God's other creations has the capacity to think long term like we do. Sure, a squirrel may store away food in anticipation of winter, but that's simply a survival technique resulting from its wirings. A dog may be excited about you filling up the water bowl after a walk, but it is not already thinking of tomorrow's walk. When you destroy an ant hill the ant does not pause and wonder about the long-term effects of its loss. It immediately begins rebuilding (a different lesson in itself).

Our God is a wholly present God who is actively working among us right now. But all of His work is in preparation for something to come. He does everything with the future in mind until we are called home to the final goal of glory. And remember in Genesis? We were created in the image, in the likeness of God. So, yes, the future is not guaranteed and God is in control of the future, but that does not mean we shouldn't think of it and act with it in mind.

I suppose that brings us back to the law of the pendulum. Balance is the key to life. As we swing from one extreme to the other we'll find the answer lies somewhere in between.

Guided by Integrity

I've been pondering the mystery of long-term goals a lot lately. It's one of many topics which society and the Bible conflict. I look around and all of the most successful and driven people have long-term goals. People are consistently asking, "What are you going to do with your life?" and "What do you want to be when you grow up?" All of the questions and examples and advice lead us toward charting our course but seem to contradict with scripture.

I'm reading in Jeremiah that the Lord "knows the plans I have for you..." (29:11) and in Proverbs to "trust in the Lord with all your heart" (3:5-6). King Solomon claims that "...it is the Lord's purpose that prevails," (Proverbs 19:21) and "the Lord determines [our] steps" (Proverbs 16:9) and He "...works out everything for His own ends..." (Proverbs 16:4). I hear Jesus command us not to worry about tomorrow for today has enough troubles of its own (Matthew 6:34). So where does this idea of long-term goals fit in? How do we plan for a future we have no control over - something that's not even guaranteed? I found an answer in Philippians and then through a series of devotional revelations.

Paul claimed in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." It is contradictory if we get lost in career goals. They have a place but our first focus should be on God's goal: to become a disciple of Christ Jesus. How do we do that? The answer is found in John 8:31-32: "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

My friend was recently asked what he was doing these days. He responded, "Just trying to figure out what to do with my life." The casual answer elicited a profound response: "Instead of figuring out what to do with your life, figure out how you want to live your life and live it where you're at."

After telling a man what I was doing for a job he asked if that was what I wanted to get into as a career. I responded, "For now, but it's pretty hard to predict the future." He insisted on the need for some idea to provide direction in life. I wasn't convinced and later came across Proverbs 11:3: "The integrity of the upright guides them..."

I don't know about you, but that brings so much peace to my heart. That's the idea that will provide direction - our integrity. We don't have to worry about tomorrow, about what we will eat, about where we will live, about what we will do for money. We can be first and foremost concerned with who we are, today, and that will guide us in our future.

Praise the Almighty Creator and Sustainer!

Observations of The Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

• Each part has a unique purpose.
• No part can take the place of or be another part. Even your left hand, though similar to your right, cannot be a right hand.
• All parts are equally important for the body to act in its full potential. Yes, damage to an eye may have a more drastic effect than damage to a little finger, but both are hindrances and both keep the body from full potential.
• The rest of the body compensates for a lame part. The right leg bears the weight of an injured left knee. The blind person's senses of smell and hearing are heightened.
• Each part is cared for equally. (Don't believe me? Then explain pedicures to me. Or toilet paper.)
• The body has a central nervous system that is in control. It knows every part of the body and its purpose. It knows the strengths and weaknesses of each part and calls on the right part to complete each task. It makes beneficial adjustments without us even knowing it. It knows the needs of each part. It prepares the rest of the body for the future.
• Some of the most vital parts of the body are unseen.
• When the body makes a decision all parts comply and are affected by the decision. One part doesn't abandon ship.
• If one part is injured and another part becomes injured the first part doesn't hurt as bad any more (sympathy).
• A strong foundation is very important. (Just ask an elite athlete or an accident victim learning to walk again about the importance of leg strength.)

I'll pose these questions and let you make the appropriate applications of the analogy:

What bodies are you a part of professionally, relationally/socially, spiritually? What is your part in those bodies? What is your relationship like with the central nervous system? Are you obedient? Do you support and submit to it? Are you the central nervous system? If so, what's your relationship like with the parts?

Please add your observations of The Body as a comment to this post.

Trifles of Life

A friend asked me the other day what made me the most happy. My immediate reaction was to list everything that I like and enjoy doing and then choose my favorite from the list. But as I sifted through the list none of the items stuck out above the rest. Instead, each brought a different positive feeling to the surface. One energized while another aroused adrenaline. One put me at peace while another was fun. One made me feel important while another made me feel accomplished.

Stumped by my friend's question I began to think happy was too vague and too shallow of a descriptor. A lot of things can be described as happy, but it doesn't seem to be enough to capture the full sense of the emotion. I was relieved to know I had successfully eluded his question, so I went for a bike ride. That's when it hit me.

The things that make me the most happy are the trifles of life. The little things that don't seem to matter and that are too small to count. The things that don't make sense but just are. The things that are uninhibited and uninfluenced. The things that seem out of place or that aren't meant to be funny but you can't help it to smile.

The trifles of life. It's the contagious smile to or from a stranger. It's the unconditional love from a dog. It's the uninhibited excitement expressed by a child. It's running into an old friend. It's an unexpected visitor. It's a squirrel digging for a nut or watching a bird build a nest. It's the rain patter on a roof. It's the smell of something new or the taste of your favorite meal. It's a cold shower or a swimming pool on a hot day. It's loud music while cruising down the highway and it's the peaceful silence in nature. It's coasting down a huge hill on your bike, the wind offering a feeling of freedom and escape and flying.

The things that make me the most happy are things no man could have created.

Trifles make the sum of life.

--Dickens

Thanks to Kyle Lantz for posing the question and my uncle Charlie Cromwell for giving me the answer over a year and a half ago.