wealth and power

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 20-08-2008

Category : God, Judges

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Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family” (Judges 8: 27)

I’ve been thinking a lot about wealth and power, and I think I’m finally coming to the point in my life where I can honestly say I don’t want any.  There was a time where I would have loved to have been famous, or at least well known.  The thought of being influential and remembered in history was exciting.  (I still smile when I think about school kids 200 years from now trying to remember trivial facts about my life.)  It would also be nice to not have to worry about money.

But as I sit here thinking about those things, I just don’t want the trouble that comes with wealth and power.  I can barely manage my own problems, I don’t need any more.  And wealth and power seem to bring a lot of problems.  Consider that the Steelers are going through ownership struggles.  The Steelers founder gave a share of ownership to each of his sons, and that’s been passed down the line.  Now one brother (Dan Rooney) is trying to buy out the other brothers.  For a variety of reasons neither side is happy with the other.  And a sale doesn’t look promising, which means no Rooney will own the team their father/grandfather founded.  They make sacrifice the family legacy, break the hearts of millions of fans, all for a few million dollars.  Is money worth that kind of legacy?

Or if you’re a music fan just look at the divorce hearings of Phil Collins or Paul McCartney.  I’m not in a position to say how much money the ex wives deserved or didn’t deserve.  But there’s no question the divorces would have been less acrimonious and less public if there wasn’t so much money at stake.  Money makes you do funny things.

We are all vulnerable to it’s influence.  Even people God personally selects to do amazing things, like Gideon.  After living a life that God used to save thousands of lives, Gideon gives it all away for wealth and power.  The wealth he accumulates becomes “a snare to Gideon and his family”

Jesus said “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”  I don’t think that’s because money is evil.  I think it’s because money changes who we are.  And I’m not sure I want to take that risk.

patience in practice

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 04-08-2008

Category : God, Matthew, choice, different, taking action

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A certain cable company (rhymes with “Time Warner”) has been causing me difficulties ever since I decided to downgrade my cable subscription.  Each day it seems to get worse. 

  • On Thursday they collected my old digital converter box and reclaimed my cable modem (hence no Friday post).  I have high speed internet through them still, so this was a mistake. 
  • Their mistake forced me to sit in my apartment waiting for them to deliver a new modem for 12 hours on Friday.  They never showed up.
  • Saturday I didn’t talk to them – so no bad news.
  • On Sunday I learned they can’t make it to my apartment until Wednesday. 
  • This morning (when I finally had some working internet at work) I learned that they also shut down my e-mail address.  And since I’m looking for a new job, this is a bit of an issue!

Now I find myself with a choice: On the one hand I’m furious.  There’s a big part of me that wants to scream, “I didn’t cause any of this, why do I have to deal with it?!”  On the other hand I just wrote a prayer to God asking for patience.  Apparently God was listening, because there’s no doubt now have the perfect opportunity to work on my patience!

As Christians we’re called to live differently.  We aren’t supposed to respond like someone who doesn’t have that relationship with God.  Our lives are supposed to have a different feel to them.  Or as Jesus says, people will recognize our faith by the “fruit” we produce.  (Matthew 7: 20).  The problem is, at least for me, I don’t always want to live that way. I don’t always want to respond calmly, or patiently, and certainly not lovingly.  Sometimes I just want to get in there and argue to “prove” just how right I am.

But is this how Christians are supposed to act?

The times Jesus lost his temper with people were the times they were dishonoring God.  It was never when they were struggling with their own problems, or their own sins.  Jesus always had love, mercy, and compassion for those people.  And that’s how we have to deal with people as well.

No one at the cable company was trying to ruin my service intentionally.  No one wanted me to have a bad day.  In fact, their whole job involves listening to angry customers yell at them.  What kind of a toll does that take on someone?  So while I was angry I took this as an opportunity to minister to people.  While I never said, “hey I’m a Christian, God loves you!”  I did try to be calm, not raise my voice, and get things handled in a civil way.  It was an opportunity to submit to service, rather than exercise my pride (something I do all too often).

Christians aren’t called to be walked all over, but we’re not called to be jerks either.

driving to distraction

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 19-12-2007

Category : Jesus, choice

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I am convinced that bad drivers are stalking me. No matter where I am, somehow, I end up surrounded by people who shouldn’t be allowed to operate model cars, let alone motorized vehicles. It makes me wonder what the DMV is up to!

Take today for instance. On my way home I ended up behind a taxi (you know this isn’t going to end well!). At the first light the taxi stopped 2 car lengths before the light. At the next light, he decided to change tactics and stop one car length into the intersection! Between the lights he slowed down to a leisurely 25 mph in a 35 mph zone. Apparently he was sight seeing…

The final straw was the fact his meandering ways made me sit at 3 extra lights. If I had sped around him I would have made those lights. But I knew that was reckless, so I just let my anger bubble while I sat behind the guy trying to will him to drive the speed limit.

Let me tell you, no matter how much I used my “mental powers” to make him move faster, it didn’t work. Fortunately I had a left turn to make, which would allow me to escape the cab’s obviously evil clutches. Escape I did. Unfortunately another yahoo on up the road had conveniently pulled 1/3 of the way into my lane while trying to make a turn.

I was so ticked off that I swerved around him. Looking in my rear view mirror I made my “where did you learn to drive, ya idiot!” expression. The whole time thinking, “who pulls into oncoming traffic like that?! What is wrong with people?!”

I returned my attention to the road with just enough time to avoid rear ending the guy in front of me, who had stopped at the next light.

… …

Somewhere along the way I had become that lunatic. I had become the guy who had no business driving. Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what other people are doing or saying that we not only ignore our own behavior, but it can actually make us do the wrong thing. If I had been focusing on the road, and not worrying about other people’s driving habits, I never would have been in that situation.

God talks a lot about how we should treat other people. And we often think it’s only for their benefit. But that’s not true at all. Sometimes the reason we extend grace and love to other people, is so we stay focused on the road and avoid our own accidents.

rebuking God

Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 24-09-2007

Category : Jesus, Matthew, bible, faith

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“Peter took him outside and began to rebuke him.  ‘Never, Lord!’ he said.  ‘This shall never happen to you!’” (Matthew 16:22)

      

I can’t help but sympathize with Peter’s reaction.  How much do I not want to hear God’s plans when it goes against my plans?  I don’t want to hear God say to help the poor if it makes me feel uncomfortable.  I don’t want to hear God say love my enemies if I’m not going to get anything in return.  And Peter didn’t want to hear Jesus say he was to live a life of service and sacrifice, and not a life of conquest.

In all these cases and more I want to rebuke God.  Just like Peter.

Jesus’ responds to Peter by saying, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  Jesus knows that what is important is God’s will – even if that’s not an easy path to follow. 

I hope that these are lessons I remember the next time I’m forced with a decision between Christ and what the world says I should do.