Playing To Audience of One

On Friday night, Connie and I went to the Make a Difference Tour featuring Toby Mac, Third Day and Michael W. Smith. This is something that was the brainchild of Max Lucado that was designed to help World Vision to find sponsors for children in other countries.

The concert was really good but one thing stood out to me at the very beginning. A late addition to the lineup was a guy named Jason Gray (He has a new song out which is very popular called More Like Falling in Love - listen here).

Anyway, the show was scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. Ten minutes before 7:00, Gray came out to begin. Needless to say, many of the seats were still empty and many people were milling around trying to find their seats. I thought that these would be very difficult conditions to play under as it had to be pretty distracting.

However, I was very impressed with Gray. It appeared that the people walking around were not an issue to him. He gave it his all, regardless of his surroundings.

I have heard it said that we all should remember that we are really playing for an audience of One. That is exactly how Jason Gray played on Friday night.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Managing Disappointment

As a father, I find it difficult to see my children disappointed. But I know that there are times in which me withholding something from him, which causes disappointment, is in his best interest.

My son is going through a season right now in which he would like to play video games 24/7. When he does this for any length of time, he becomes a different person...very lethargic and not fun to be around.

I have imposed stricter limits on his video game time as well as TV time this summer. To say he is disappointed is an understatement.

Although he is not happy, I believe that he knows this is for his own good...that his dad knows what is in his best interests. He has been reading more and he has been outside a little more, which he knows is good. He also has been feeling better about himself. But, he still is not 100% happy about this.

I think the same is true of us in life. We sometimes are not happy with the hand we are dealt. We can be disappointed. Yet, when we fully realize that we have a heavenly Father who loves us deeply and wants what's best for us, this can be a very freeing place to be. When we know that God will withhold things from us for our own good or will allow us to go through certain challenges to strengthen us, we can then rejoice no matter how disappointed we are.

Max Lucado had this to say from his book Let the Journey Begin:God's Roadmap for New Beginnings:

Don't ask God to do what you want. Ask God to do what is right.

When God doesn't do what we want, it's not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it.
Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

I like that story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it. The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg.

He felt cheated that he'd been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained.

"What do you want," the store owner responded, "a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?"

Good question for times of disappointment.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Pigeon Holed

My son is almost 13 and is going through some difficult things at school, including bullying. As a result, his confidence has been on the decline which concerns my wife and me. We have been doing a lot of praying and we have also been looking for things that can help him.

My son has a tendency to not want to get out of his comfort zone. This includes getting together with new potential friends or trying a new activity. Although, in almost all cases, he ends up having a lot of fun, he continues to struggle with this. Because of this I sometimes tend to "pigeon hole" him, or pre-suppose how he is...that he would prefer to be by himself or that he is just lazy. I then try to steer him accordingly into where I think God is taking him. However, if I am honest, I am probably steering him toward where I want him to go. I may do this more often than I care to admit with others as well.

Over the weekend I was reading Max Lucado's book, Cure for the Common Life, Living in Your Sweet Spot. In the book, Lucado said something that really got me thinking about this:

Pine trees need different soil than oak trees. A cactus thrives in different conditions than a rosebush. What about the soil and the environment of your child? Some kids love to be noticed. Others prefer to hide in the crowd. Some relish deadlines. Others need ample preparation and help. Some do well taking tests. Others excel with the subject, but stumble through the exam.

Rush Limbaugh made a D in public speaking, but today he relishes speaking into a radio microphone. The West Point algebra entrance exam nearly excluded Omar Bradley from military life. He squeaked into the academy in the next-to-lowest group, but he went on to earn the rank of a five-star general and oversee thousands of troops and millions of dollars in World War II. We each have different optimal conditions. What are your children's?

Pretty good stuff! This showed me that I need to not try to figure this out, especially with my kids. I need to be supportive and help my children to discover their gifts and their purpose. I guess I sometimes try to be God and steer my kids (and others) to where I want them to go. I must trust Him, that He has their best interests at heart and will guide them accordingly.

This also encouraged me that I don't have to "fix" the situations in others, that God is in control and He can use these in the lives of others. Now, it's my job to internalize it and live it out.

Good Friday

Did you know today is Good Friday? I'm sure you did - but have you ever stopped to really think about what this day means?

Max Lucado has a pretty cool presentation of what this day is all about. I encourage you to take a few minutes and check this out. Go to http://www.hechosethenails.net/.

Happy Easter!