Sneaky Stories

Stories can be sneaky. Jesus told a lot of them. We call them parables.

Why did he tell so many stories? These stories are loaded, because everyone brings to the stories their own baggage. He tells stories about rich people, for example. We all know what that means. I bring to the story my perspective on rich people, and you bring your perspective on rich people. We fill in the unspoken parts of the story with our own points of view about the wealthy.

The story means different things to different people. So Jesus can reveal the truth to some people, while others are just confused. Some people get it and others don't. It all comes from the same story. While speaking to everyone, Jesus can make his point to just a few. He explains this to his disciples in Mark 4:10-12.

Another reason for Jesus' sneaky stories is to avoid getting in trouble. Pastor Brian Zahnd of Missouri notes that early in the Lord's ministry, his parables allow him to speak without upsetting the religious authorities. It's hard to make a case of heresy against someone who merely tells stories. However, after Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, preparing to go to the cross, he becomes more transparent in his teaching. And he gets a lot of religious people mad. And they have him crucified.

So read Jesus' sneaky stories carefully. Let them sneak up on you and reveal some truths to
you--truths about your attitudes, your assumptions, truths about other people, truths about God's love. There's more to the story than you think. Imagine how other people in Jesus' day might have heard those stories--the leper, the rich person, the devout religious person, the drunkard, the widow, the fisherman.

The Master story teller has something to tell you.

Your Brain is a Puzzle

Puzzles are puzzling. Some puzzles just take lots of time and effort: a jigsaw puzzle when you have to try every remaining piece in that one spot. Other puzzles take a lot of time, time that seems fruitless, until suddenly your make the right move and voilà, the puzzle is solved. It's like that puzzle with two bent nails linked together. It seems like they can't quite come apart. You are tempted to get a vice and a hammer to make them come apart.

But long after you have tried every possible twist and orientation, suddenly, effortlessly, the nails slip easily apart. What could never be done gets done, and you hold the two nails in separate hands. It was that special combination of finesse and gentleness that broke the code. It almost feels magical. You wonder why it ever took you so long to make that obvious move and solve the puzzle.

Your brain is a puzzle. The way you think--your understanding of life and humanity--is missing something. Many somethings. And there is a key to breaking through to real understanding, solving that puzzle of your mind. Logic doesn't help much. Passionate arguments are no good.

The key to solving your brain's puzzle is story. Stories are predictable. I know this from watching my wife watch Hallmark movies. You know who the good guy is. You know what the resolution will be. And you are entertained as the story surprises you on the way to the predictable ending.

But the stories that unlock the puzzle of your brain are different. In these unlocking stories, as the narrative unfolds, you know what is going to happen, you predict the outcome. Only it turns out that you are wrong. It doesn't play out like it's "supposed" to. Your heart is invested in this obvious outcome, and then you are wrong. You have to stop and think, "Wait. Now...what?"

In this off-balance moment, your mind and heart are open to truth. The truth sneaks up on you. It's the gentle move of the nail puzzle that pulls things apart so you can really see. It makes sense of what you knew could not be true. Suddenly you have insights that you never had before, about yourself, about your relationships, about other people, about life. Now you get it.

These stories are called "parables." Jesus tells lots of them. For many of us, our problem is that we know the stories so well that the surprises are all gone. We know how the stories end. We hear them like a Hallmark movie plot. Which means that we probably don't get them at all. If it's just a story to you without a punchline, then you probably are missing the whole point.

Some people say they get the joke, when you know they don't. All too often that's me hearing the parables. I say I get it when I really don't.

Wait. Now...what?

Today's Enlightenment: What Our Stupid Ancestors Missed

We know so much more than all previous generations. We can now look down on their backward thinking, especially concerning these things we now know:

• When people disagree with you, they are intolerant.
• Marriage is optional for sexual relations. It offers no real benefit to society or individuals.
• Every sexual expression is fine, as long as it’s consensual.
• There is nothing sacred about sex. It’s just recreation.
• There is no reason to associate sex with parenthood. We can make sure of it.
• Nature is wrong to confine people to either femaleness or maleness. Now we can fix that.
• Nature is wrong to assign people to maleness of femaleness. Now we can switch it.
• Almost everything can be digitized, even friendship. 
• Algorithms should do much of our thinking.
• In-person contact is overrated. Communication is much easier when digitized.
• Life without entertainment is unbearable.
• All risk must be eliminated from childhood play; nothing is more important than children's safety.
• It is bad for children to be bored. Someone has to fix it.
• Pain is always bad and must always be avoided, if at all possible.
• There is a pill for that. Ask your doctor.
• There’s an app for that, whatever it is.
• Negative consequences for any action should be eliminated everywhere possible.
• When something bad happens to you, somebody else should have stopped it.
• We have rights because the government says we do.
• Majority rule determines what is right and what is wrong.
• We have a long list of absolute necessities, including: cars, TVs, cell phones, internet service, and air conditioning.
• The only meaning to life is what we bring to it.
• The world is an accident, but we can make the most of it.

Transforming Self-Talk

Parents, be careful what you say to your children, because your consistent words will become their self-talk. Our minds are always working, talking, thinking. This is our self-talk. What we say to ourselves may be the most important aspect of our mental health and our trajectory in life. The words of affirmation or criticism of our parents certainly shape our current thinking, but those words need not determine our lives.

So, have you ever listened to yourself? I mean all those thoughts coursing through your mind. Are you saying helpful things to yourself? Would you talk to a friend like that?

The most important message is the Good News of Jesus, the gospel. This the Good News: God made us, forgives us, and gives his life to us by way of the cross of Jesus. When we receive this News, it changes everything.

All the worries of life pale in comparison to the love of God for us.
He is in charge.
He is our Father.
He won't leave us as orphans.
He puts his Spirit in us to encourage us.
He transforms our pain into strength and hope.
He knows we mess up, and he loves us anyway.
His heart is tender to us.
He transforms us from the inside out, making us more like Christ.
He lets his love flow through us to a hurting world around us.

This is the gospel message, and we need to preach it to ourselves. This is the self-talk of truth. It is self-talk that shapes my soul for good. God uses our own thoughts to transform us. And he lets us choose how we will think.

God wants to transform my self-talk to reflect the gospel, so that my self-talk can transform me to be like Jesus.

Blood on the Page

I heard a podcaster today talk about writing. Luke Norsworthy said that writing is simple. You just find a vein, open it, and bleed onto the page. That's really graphic, but makes so much sense.

My problem is finding the vein. Sometimes I poke and prod and search for that thing to say. My brain allows so many deep thoughts to rattle around. I have to catch one of those flying shards of truth and craft it into a sensical presentation, something worth saying in a form worth hearing.

Sometimes finding the vein is fun. Sometimes it is frustrating. Sometimes I have so many veins begging to be bled that I can't begin to tap them all.

Now maybe I can un-mix my metaphor. The flying shards can, with a bit of guidance, pierce those veins of the heart. A shard of truth slicing into a vessel of life--now that can shed some serious blood.

Seriously.

Loaded Inheritance: Resistance

You don’t get to choose your situation of birth. You just arrive on the scene and have to make the best of it. It’s part of your inheritance. You don’t set the stage, but you do have to deal with it. You can exploit it to your own advantage, cooperate with it to your own comfort, or you can resist it to help your heirs.

Everybody’s inheritance is loaded. With it you can blow things up and cause damage, or can use it to fuel positive change.

Some have had the courage to see the problems with the status quo and worked to make things better. These people made a difference and left the world a better place. And they all paid a great price. Resisting the status quo is dangerous business.

• Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white person. She resisted.

• Nelson Mandela went to prison for standing against the apartheid system of South Africa. He resisted.

• Mahatma Gandhi led a movement of freedom for the nation of India as they struggled under British colonialism. He resisted.

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer recognized the murderous religious oppression of Nazi Germany. He resisted.

• William Wilberforce worked to change the laws of England to abolish the profitable slave trade. He resisted.

• Abraham Lincoln recognized the moral bankruptcy of American slavery. He resisted.

These people saw the problems of the society they inherited. And they took a stand. They made a difference. The world is better for their work.

Think of your own inheritance. Where are the problems? How can it be better? Effective resistance requires a strong moral foundation, a clear sense of right and wrong. Commitment to truth puts people on the “right side of history.” A true moral compass can show us what is wrong with the world. And with the foundation of truth one can stand against injustice, oppression, and evil.

Jesus is the Truth. He is the Moral Compass. He resisted. Then he died. Then he arose. He conquered death for us, so there is nothing more to fear.

Will you see the problems in the systems of this world? Will you take a stand? Will you resist? If so, be prepared to pay a price.

Politics: The Most Persuasive Liar

The airwaves reek of campaign commercials. Candidates love to say that their opponents are lying. They try to find any vote or sound bite that will make the opponent sound untruthful or extreme.

This is Tim Keller, not a politician. I did not have

a picture of a politician speaking.

Generally there is a kernel of truth in the charges, but far too often, the "facts" are devoid of context. Candidates try to counter the accusations with equally outrageous accusations.

We all know that mudslinging in a campaign goes with the territory. They only sling mud because it works. Enough people in the public buy the lies that elections are won and power is delegated based on untruths.

Think about it: the candidate who wins is typically the candidate who is the most persuasive liar.

We keep falling for the lies and government becomes more and more corrupt.

Can't we choose leaders on the basis of honor, truth, and good will?

They say that a nation has the government that it deserves. That's a scary thought.

What Would You Protest?

I don't think I've ever waved a picket sign. I see the protesters on television and wonder why they

don't get a life. Some things are not worth protesting.

Right now I'm reading Richard Rohr's book, Simplicity: The Art of Letting Go. He speaks of his work organizing peace protests years ago. Shortly afterward, the Soviet Union began shaking up.

I had no idea that he was one of them.

Here's what I want to say to protesters: Why don't you stop complaining and do something? Live your life following the rules, work hard to make a living, and everything will work out fine. The world is what it is, and you just have to quit complaining and adapt. Yes, it's unfair. Get over it.

Here's what I need to hear from protesters: You don't see the problems, because it all works for you. There is a problem with the way society is structured. If you were not so privileged, you would see it. There is hunger, disease, poverty, abuse of power, injustice. The power brokers of the world ignore the situation and often make it worse. The truth needs to be told.

I'm so busy living my life that I can't take time to notice injustice. I wonder what matters to me enough to make me carry a picket sign. Surely there's something. I need to wake up.

What about you?

"In your Face(book)"

Every now and then I may rant on Facebook.  But I prefer to use it as a way to connect, not a platform for axe-grinding.

Day by day I find "in your face" updates and links posted by FB friends. 

See, this politician is stupid.
See, this study proves that I am right.
See, all you people who approve/disapprove of gun control (or whatever) are ruining lives.

I have opinions, often strong opinions, but I'm not sure that Facebook is an effective means of persuading anybody.  It lends itself to shallow arguments and labeling.

We do need to exchange ideas on the internet and in person.  We should freely state our opinions.  But we need to be careful not to belittle people in any medium.  Even the dumbest ideas are held by reasonable people.  They won't be persuaded otherwise by being told they are dumb, but by careful, compassionate exposure to truth.

We need to debate ideas, not ridicule people
.

Can we talk?

We have stopped listening.  Almost everyone has chosen a side--on whatever issue--and we have become emotionally invested in those positions.

We are so polarized that we cannot listen or think.  This brings further division and never solves problems.

I wish I knew a way to get beyond this impasse.  Maybe the best step forward would be recognizing our emotional investment in our opinions.  We invest in our views on climate change, political candidates, party platforms, minimum wage, abortion, etc., etc.  When someone challenges our opinions, we hunker down into a defensive mode; we attack those who disagree; we label others; we become angry.

It is no wonder that we can't have a conversation.  We are emotionally invested in being right.  We defend social and political positions as we pull for our sports teams.  We throw out reason and objectivity when we pull for our teams.  That's okay in the sports realm.  It makes no sense at all with issues that really matter.

A better approach would be to search sincerely for the truth.

I would rather advocate for the truth than pull for "my team" when it comes to climate change, foreign policy, or welfare programs.

If we dial back on our emotional investments, maybe we can actually listen.  Maybe we can think clearly.  Maybe we can find solutions. 

Maybe we can listen.  Maybe we can think.  And maybe we can pull together to achieve our common goals.

Self Deception

It happened again.

Yesterday I had a great idea for a blog.  It was a simple, straightforward idea, something that matters, something that people would care about, something that I could say from my heart. 

This time I would not forget.  How could I?  It was so clear, so obvious, so heartfelt.  It did not need to write it down.  Sure I had forgotten such ideas many times before.  But not this time.

Why do I lie to myself?  Sigh.

My good intentions and stellar memory were not enough.  At least in this instance I recognize the lie.  May God grant me insight to see the other lies I tell myself.

As I see those lies revealed, it astounds me.  How could I be so deceived?

The Irony of Condemnation

Preparing for this Sunday's sermon, I am studying the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery found in John 8. 

This woman is caught in sin, condemned by religious people, and brought to Jesus for judgment.  Yet, these religious people are also guilty.  They had conspired to catch this woman.  They are just trying to find a way to accuse Jesus.  They are condemned already (John 3:18).  But they look for ways to condemn other people. 

The condemned long to condemn. 

Jesus, however, is the only perfect person in the story (or all of history).  He is the only one who has the moral authority to condemn anyone.  Fully aware of this woman's sin, Jesus refuses to condemn her.  He speaks truth, and calls her to repentance.  But he clearly tells her that he doesn't condemn her.

The Perfect One longs to give mercy.

So the one who has the right to condemn refuses.  Those who have no right to condemn look for ways to judge everyone else.

Here is the greatest irony:  So many of us listen more to the bogus condemners than to the Perfect One who calls us to repentance and life. 

What are we thinking?

The Superpower of Rationalization

Today Oregon governor John Kitzhaber announced his resignation, as pressure mounted for him to step back.  Even his political allies believed it was time for him to go.  Controversy arose concerning his fiancée Cylvia Hayes, who received $200,000 in consulting fees as advisor to the governor..

I don't know many details, but I do see a recurring theme.  Someone rises to power and makes poor decisions.  Power, prominence and fame change people.  Somehow, most people do not believe it will happen to them.  Good people rise to leadership, then gradually or suddenly get stupid.

Hundreds of men and women serve in the U.S. Congress, a highly corrupt institution.  Many, if not most, of them came into office planning to change the culture of corruption and bring a new day of statesmanship and honor.  But Washington culture seems to change people.  In my district we have a new congressman, who seems to be a man of honor.  I pray that he can withstand the pressure to compromise on principle.  Somehow we have leaders who lead our country deeper in catastrophic debt, while passing laws that apply to everyone in the country but themselves.  How dare they?  And we reelect them. 

Somehow power corrupts.  It changes the way we see the world.  It changes the way people interact with us.  It affects our judgment, so that right and wrong become blurred.  We begin thinking of the greater good as an excuse for small, dishonorable choices.  We cultivate the superpower of rationalization, so that our bad choices look wise and good.

Last night Marie Holmes of Shallotte, NC became a millionaire.  I am happy for this PowerBall winner, but I am also sad for her.  All her friendships are now altered.  She suddenly has the power that comes with $188 million.  Long forgotten friends and relations will likely find ways to contact her, just to say hello.  Marie will not be able to trust any relationship as sincere, with so few exceptions.  She will also see the world differently.  The normal problems of finances will vanish, replaced with new, much more challenging problems.  She may not become corrupt, but it will be a challenge.

When we have power, our judgment and morals suffer.  It is the pattern of all human history.  Those in power need much stricter accountability than normal people.  With only rare exceptions, unaccountable persons in power abuse that power. 

The Founders of the United States understood this law of nature.  They provided a system that provides accountability, checks and balances, enumerated powers.  Yet those who take public office and swear to protect the Constitution somehow have led our country into a colossal cesspool of systemic corruption where integrity seems quaint.  The myriad layers of bureaucracy have numbed government workers into profound indifference, led by politicians more committed to gaining and retaining power than doing the right thing.

If all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats resigned this week, there may not be much government left.  If people of honor then took their place, the honorable would face the intense pressure that comes with power.  The pressure to abuse power.

We need people with integrity inspired by humility and trust in God.  We need objective accountability, not more power-hungry politicians playing the game of gotcha.

Ultimately human government will never be perfect.  Only the leadership of Jesus is perfect.  In the meantime, we can pray for our leaders, look for more honorable leaders, and objectively hold all leaders accountable to truth and justice.

Pondering the Greats of Battle

Winston Churchill once said, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it."  Indeed many have noted that history is written by the victors.

But some military victors are known as evil, while some are thought of as brilliant and benevolent.  Alexander the Great conquered much of the world and is lauded for spreading Greek culture around the Mediterranean.  Julius Caesar conquered most of Europe and is remembered as a hero.  William the Conqueror is hailed as the last military leader to invade Britain in 1066.

Meanwhile, Attila the Hun, Genghis Kahn, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler are known as brutal warriors, villains of history. 

All of these military men led huge offensive killing operations, yet some are remembered as "great," some as evil.  Of course historians will differ on their assessments of leaders, and probably have more objectivity as the centuries go by.  In the South, General William Sherman is remembered as brutal, cruel, and needlessly destructive in his march through Atlanta in the Civil War.  But his decisive blow to the Confederacy wiped out any hope for the South to win the war.

What sets the good conquerors
apart from the bad?  I have not done much historical research here, but I have some ideas.

Leaders are judged by their methods.  Unusual cruelty hurts a warrior's reputation in history.

Leaders are judged by their motives.  Alexander believed that he was bringing good to the lands he conquered, and history seems to agree.

Leaders are judged by the culture they advance.  Warriors who promote freedom find more favor than those who bring tyranny.

In the short run, it is hard to think of offensive, killing, conquering operations as good.  Yet the long run of history lauds countless military campaigns.  History, of course, is written by the victors.

Ultimately, God will be the judge of history.  Scripture even calls God a Warrior.  I look forward to understanding the truth.

EULAs and Liars

Okay, there are many problems with EULAs.  These are the End User License Agreements that we all click through routinely, every time we install an app or software upgrade.  I find them annoying.  They often show you four lines of text at a time, requiring about 200 clicks and 10 minutes to get through them.  With them I promise not to break the law, reverse engineer, or share government secrets.  I agree to third party arbitration and accept the software as is, with no guarantee that it will do anything.  I agree that if I lose data or business, it's not their fault and I have no recourse.  Fine.

At least, that's what I think those agreements say.  I barely read them anymore, especially if they come from well known companies like Apple or Microsoft.  I figure that if there were any really abusive parts to the agreement, people would light up the internet with protests.

So, here's my main problem with EULAs.  They make liars out of us.  "I have read and agree to the terms of this agreement."  *Click accept.*  No, I actually haven't read your litany of legalese.  I don't care what you are afraid I might do with it.  I know that you don't really expect me to read it anyway.  I know that you are covering your legal butts.  I just want to use the software.

So, I lie when I click.  Maybe you do too.

This seems to cheapen my word.  I feel like I am compromising every time I click "accept."  But what is the alternative?  Spend valuable time plowing through worthless jargon?  Delaying my work with nothing to show for it?

So I am caught.  I can waste time and know that I really do agree with the terms; or I can violate my conscience and get on with my work.

Maybe I am over reacting, but I think these agreements desensitize us to truth.  They diminish the value of our words.  They make us willing to accept anything.  They keep us from careful examination of details.  They make us more like mindless sheep, following the flock.  Who knows where that may eventually lead?

And that bothers me.

How funny were you?

Yesterday I heard a radio DJ talking about a creative kind of "concert."  There is a troup of daring folks who tour the country hosting events in which they present on stage readings of poetry.  In these events, the performers read their own poetry, written when they were teenagers.  They read their own poetry, or prose, and sing the songs they wrote, and they invite the audience to join them in laughing at themselves.  It sounds like a riot.

To make it more engaging, they invite the audience to bring their own teenage creative works and share them  from the stage.  Every evening presents fresh, raw insights into human nature and the angst of teenage-hood.

I wish I could remember more of my teenage thoughts.  I will have to look through my old journals, dating back to probably age 17; before that, I don't think I wrote down anything but school assignments.  (And some of those make me laugh, too.)  If I did write anything, I'm sure it's a hoot.

In the teen years, everything seems so intense; every turn of events feels like life or death (OK, especially for the girls).  In a few years, those turns of fate look like the turning of the leaves--no big deal, bound to happen.  And we can laugh at ourselves.

So, at the end of our lives, or even in heaven, I wonder what we will look back on and laugh.

I cared about that job?  I wanted to buy that car?  I fretted over that bill?  I let that criticism bother me?  I thought that mistake would wreck my life?  I worried over that tragedy that never happened? I stayed up all night to prepare for that meeting?

I want to go ahead and laugh now.

NFL and Video Truth

The NFL had a tough week last week.  Video was released of Ray Rice cold-cocking his then fiancee in an elevator in February of 2014.  Suddenly, Rice was cut from the Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the league.

Columnist Leonard Pitts shared some insights about the team's and league's actions.  He notes that the recent video release provided no new information.  Days after the assault, video was released of Rice dragging his woman out of the elevator.  Rice acknowledged that she was unconscious because he had hit her.  The recently released video only gave pictures to Rice's account of the events before the elevator door opened.

The league should have acted earlier, the team should have fired him sooner, etc., etc.  But notice what this chronology of events says about our society.

• We believe it when we see it.
• We don't care about evil unless we see it.
• Words and admission of guilt do not move us to action.
• Emotions from pictures stir us more than knowledge of wrong.
• Authorities stand against evil only when they are covering their reputations.

All this suggests that our society does not stand against evil unless it moves us emotionally.  If we can sterilize evil, so that it no longer stirs our emotions, we can easily live with it.

Video cameras are everywhere we go now.  This may be good for justice.  But I wish we did not need a picture to stir our hearts against evil.

ISIS vs. Nazis

Militant Islamists want to take over the world, and they brutally slaughter any who stand in the way.  In the 1930s and 1940s Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan joined ranks to take over the world.  Reluctantly, the U.S. entered WWII after Japan bombed the U.S. military base in Pearl Harbor.  The U.S. rightly stood against the powers of evil sweeping the world.

There are some similarities between ISIS and the Nazis:  brutality, totalitarianism, quest for world domination, indoctrination of young children.  Many believe that we should fight ISIS just as we fought the Nazis.

But ISIS is not exactly like Nazi Germany.  The Germans worked through their existing national government, which Hitler cleverly took charge of.  They conscripted young men to serve in the armed forces and used the power of the government to spread propaganda.  Religion was used by the Nazis only as a tool for the nationalist agenda.  Many religious voices were silenced.  The Nazi quest was a top-down approach, as Der Fuhrer worked his plan.

ISIS is different because it has no single charismatic leader.  A quick Google search of ISIS leaders pulls up no names familiar to me.  There are leaders, but there are many leaders.  The ISIS movement has no formal means of conscription.  This means that their forces are chiefly volunteers.  Which means that their soldiers are true believers.  Unlike Nazi soldiers who merely followed orders, ISIS militants put into action what they truly believe.  ISIS grows from the grassroots.  Pockets of believers may be found in any nation around the globe.  They can be called upon in a moment's notice to work along with the larger evil agenda.  The Nazis had nothing like this.

Militant Islam is much more insidious, and consequently much more dangerous.  Bombs and bullets can stop massive military movements like the current surge in Iraq.  But a more important battle is the the battle for the hearts of people.  So many believe the lie that non-Muslims must be slaughtered, in the name of Allah.  They serve their god by murdering entire villages.

It will take more than the sword to win this growing global conflict.  It will take truth.  It will take bold proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus.  It will take the power of the Spirit of God changing hearts.  It will
take the gospel.  It will take a movement of people who are sold out to the truth, reconciled to God through the cross, and ready to love in the face of hate.

Ferguson and Truth

The events transpiring in Ferguson, Missouri are troubling.  Police should not be bullies  Citizens should not rob stores.  Communities should trust their police force.  Governmental authorities should be honorable and worthy of trust.  Troublemakers should not work to stir up public unrest.

As the days drag on, I look for more people interested in truth.  All the events and all the evidence, seem like political ammunition.  One can barely ask if Darren Wilson is an honorable cop, or if Michael Brown was a law-abiding citizen.  These are legitimate, reasonable questions, helpful in determining the truth.  But people are afraid to ask such questions.  Merely asking them looks like taking sides.

Too many people seem to be for the cop or for the kid.  Who is for the truth?  Anyone who must spin the truth for the cop or for the kid is not really interested in truth at all.  That person wants to prove a point at any cost.  The point becomes more important than truth.

And so it is with nearly all public discourse.  Current events are nothing more than ammunition.  If it fits my agenda, I use it.  If it doesn’t fit my agenda, I deny it, explain it away, or discredit the source.  No one can hear the people who want to find the truth.  They are drowned out by all the knuckleheads who have an axe to grind.

While the knuckleheads try to prove their points, communities are torn up by the strife.

Waking Beauty

Throughout history, mankind has appreciated beauty in nearly every area of experience:  art, literature, architecture, engineering, design, arrangement, nature, astronomy, landscaping, music, mathematics, animals, gardens, food, geographical features, skies, birdsongs, rainbows, and human beings.  We find beauty in any location, medium or endeavor.  People seek out beauty.  While some argue that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, the world skips the debate and covets beauty.  We are drawn to it.  We gravitate to the beautiful patterns of fabric, the beautiful flowers in a garden, the beautiful buildings on a tour, the beautiful paintings in a gallery. 

We are also drawn to beautiful people.  Sometimes it is because of their outward beauty, the Barbies and Kens of the world.  Sometimes it is because of their inward beauty, found in the plain, ordinary folks, those not glorified in dolls or action figures.  Obviously most people fall somewhere in the middle on the beautiful to ugly continuum.  And for most people, beauty is desirable.

We are drawn to beautiful people, and we want to be beautiful ourselves.  Untold billions of dollars are spent on weight loss, muscle toning, wrinkle ridding, hair coloring, and hair restoring.  It seems that everyone wants to look better.

Yet there is a cap on physical beauty.  Dustin Hoffman once broke down in tears as he described his realization about beauty during the filming of Tootsie.  Dressing in drag for his role, he was made up as a woman.  The makeup artists finished their work and revealed the Tootsie look to Hoffman.  He protested.  This “woman” was not so good looking.  If he had to be a woman, he wanted to be a beautiful woman, he said.  The makeup crew confessed that they had done all they could do.  His beauty was maxed out.  Suddenly he realized what women have struggled with since the beginning of time.  Facial beauty has natural limits.  He was only playing a part in a movie.  Women have to face this every day.  Merely recalling that moment brought him to tears.  His experience highlights the double-standard for beauty:  culture looks for beauty in women but generally gives men a pass.

But there is another kind of beauty, inward beauty.  We all  know the jokes about the blind date who has a great personality:  she may be a dog, but she’s fun.  We also know people who are physically unattractive, but magnetic on the inside.  For these people, it is almost as if no one ever told them that they were homely.  The joy of life radiates from their eyes.  Surely some have advised them of their plainness, but they have chosen to listen to the Voice of Truth.  When you see that they don’t believe they are ugly, you begin to agree.  You see the real beauty.

We also know people who seem beautiful until you get to know them.  Eventually the lovely face looks like a mask, hiding the hideous personality.  The real human monsters may look like Ken or Barbie.

I recently went to a fast food restaurant to get a breakfast biscuit.  A young woman took my order, and I noticed the joy beaming through her eyes.  I walked down the counter to pick up my order and another young female worker greeted me with a glow of confidence and happiness.  How blessed is that store manager to have two such engaged, willing workers.  They both did possess a measure of physical beauty, but what struck me was their inner joy manifest in their expressions.  With scowls on their faces they may not have appeared beautiful at all.

I began thinking about the relationship between inward and outward beauty.  Inward beauty can actually create outward beauty.  However, outward looks never create inward beauty.  Outward beauty has limits, but inward beauty knows no limits.  Outward beauty always wanes with age, but inward beauty can grow forever. 

Character always wins the battle for beauty.  Joy in the soul brings real beauty.  It even changes the look of the face.  The better you know a joyful soul, the more beautiful he or she looks.  Inward beauty actually creates outward beauty.

The health or sickness of the soul always comes through..  Acid in the soul trumps physical beauty and often brings a hardness to the face.  Maybe your mother was right.  Your face can freeze that way.  Ugly souls turn beautiful faces sour.

But here’s the irony:  In our culture we spend mountains of time, effort and money on any tiny drop of beauty to be squeezed out of our limited looks, while we ignore the unlimited source of lasting beauty.  We pound away at the ceiling of our outward beauty, missing the open skies of soul beauty. 

In September 2013 the Huffington Post reported that American women spend over $426 billion per year for beauty products.  Nearly half a trillion dollars go toward women’s beauty products.  Add to that the investment men may make, and we get the picture of a culture obsessed with physical beauty. 

Instead, we can pour energy into developing the limitless, lasting beauty that brings joy and enhances relationships.  How can one develop inward beauty?  We can learn to love ourselves, and recognize our genuine worth, declared by God.  We can change our self-talk, to speak good things to ourselves, even as we would speak with kindness to a friend—or stranger.  We can choose not to listen to the voices that put us down, and listen to the One who gives his beauty to us.  Most of all, we have to believe it.  We have to trust that God gave his Son for us to give life and beauty to us.  We may all have features we wish were different, but most of us are more physically beautiful than we will believe.

God has given us the capacity to appreciate beauty all around us, and to find beauty in people.  The classical writers even found some objective standards of beauty.  They made no apologies for pursuing truth, goodness and beauty.  I do not fault people for recognizing physical beauty in people or for striving for their own physical beauty.  We just need to recognize that it is limited, it is often unfair, and it much less important than beauty within.

Maybe the blind dates with good personalities really do have more fun.