Is it just me, or does the world want more out of us, but continues to offer less in return? Are we paying more for what was a free service only a few years ago? Flying is a perfect example of the negative change in the cost to value relationship of so many services or products we use. Flying used to be a luxurious form of transportation: good food, free movies, and big suitcases – a pampered existence for a few exciting hours. Now, you pay extra to bring clothes to your destination, unless you can squeeze them into a lunchbox sized carryon; if you are hungry, then bring your own food, and if you want entertainment, bring a credit card. The cost is up and the value is down. When I was young, ice cream was sold in a 4-quart container; we called it a gallon of ice cream. Now, since the makers of the ice cream have grown weary of raising prices, they have decreased the amount sold to 3.5 quarts. Since when is 3.5 quarts equal to a gallon? Everywhere, we are asked to pay more, and offered less in return – except in our transactions with God. His cost has stayed the same, and His value has not tarnished. His gifts are free and the value is immeasurable. Yet, even with a cost to value relationship so tilted in our favor, the darkness in this world wins too often, so we believers need to do more. The amount of pain, sickness, and hurt; the abandonment of all things Christian by governments big and small, and the stress of living in uncertain economic and political times, calls us to do more. We, who believe in God, must dig deeper to help those who do not know how, or where to dig. We need to sharpen our spoons.
Being a Christian does not mean you job is secure, your family is always in a state of perpetual happiness, and your waistline is the same now as it was when you were twenty-one. We are not absent difficulty; we just rely on God for guidance, rather than only using our own gifts to weather the storms that come our way. Our reliance on God makes the problems seem smaller, and the good times better; this is the message we need to share with more people. Problems will not go away, but our God is bigger, smarter, and faster than any issue, so believers don’t survive a storm, they thrive in wind and rain. We turn our fear into faith; we replace worry with worship, and anxiety becomes praise. The constant smile on our face is not ignorance of today’s issues, its knowledge that there is no issue bigger than our God. That’s why our message is called the good news.
Does this concept sound simplistic and naive? It may be simple, but often simple works better than complex. The key to relating the positive agenda of a believer is in the attitude of the person who believes. A positive, upward looking, peace giving, caring for others attitude is easy for others to see and it will create a calming outcome in any situation. There are days when it appears life is held together by adrenalin and panic, but when we display, through our attitude, the courage and commitment to change the status quo to status God, we will create transformation.
There is more to be done, more digging deep into our own spirit so we can become a beacon for others. It is time to sharpen the spoon.
Thanks for reading.