Evaluating Self-Evaluation

On occasion it seems a good and right activity to take a sort of self-inventory. These times of self-examination usually occur during times of either extreme tumult or stagnancy, which we tend to refer to as 'moments of clarity.' But at such times as these, do we ask the right questions?

We tend to look at goals, bank accounts, or relationships as the evaluators. We weigh and consider time wasted or opportunities missed. Failures and flaws of character as well as strengths in virtue and charity are put into the mix as we attempt to garner an accurate estimation of life progress and skill. But, again, are these the right questions to ask?

The flaw in such reasoning comes not because we are ignoring that which is important. On the contrary, each of these is a vital category of life and worthy of thorough consideration; however, it seems that we are running under faulty presuppositions. After all, what is should never be used as the line for what ought. That's like using a squiggly line for a level or a dirty glass for a telescope.

It would seem that another approach is in order. For this consider the analogy of a couple lost in their car and leveling a house. While the interior of the car possesses all the requisite gauges to determine speed, range and the like, it is the incoming information that helps to direct the course. It is the information from the GPS, from the couples' eyes, etc. that inform of correct direction and sight. Or think of the plumb line or the level: it isn't the house that determines what is straight or true but. It is the level that reveals crookedness.

In the same weigh it cannot be self-examination that reveals the unevenness of a life or the deficiencies in direction; it is God and His Holy Word. Holding our lives up to the Word of God exposes both virtue and vice while it points the way of truth which is Christ. Because of this there is no better source than Gods Holy Word as the surest footing and perfect path.

Racing as Slow as you can

I grew up in a motorcycle family.  Dirt bikes were my family's way to relate, and competition was a part of that.  My family was always involved in a motorcycle club, the Norsemen, who hold various events and races.  One such event that I remember from my youth was a family fun day, a day of riding when the club members would play around on their bikes with their families.  There are few things better than food, family, and the smell of burning gasoline.

During these fun days, there were always fun "novelty" events.  One of these events was the "slow" race.  For this, riders would see who could  travel the length of the field the slowest, without touching their feet to the ground.  For beginners, who had never practiced going as slow as possible, this was a huge challenge because it pushed riders to control their bodies, their throttles, and their balance.  But even riders who had been riding competitively for years struggled too.

And no matter how clearly or how many times the rules were stated, inevitably, when the race was started there would be at least one rider who missed the point entirely and sped recklessly to the finish line.  Or other riders would get so frustrated by their inability to perform this odd task.  There were even highly-experienced riders that were struggling and frustrated at their inability to do such a seemingly simple task.

To think that very good riders with years of advanced riding experience struggled to compete in this particular event always struck me as a humorous and prophetic ordeal.  Asking someone who has trained and practiced one thing, to then do the very opposite thing is a difficult endeavor, but in many ways is exactly what God asks of us when we become regenerate believers.

Humanity's natural inclination is towards the flesh and to sin.  We spend our lives practicing the flesh and training in sin.  Yet when we become believers through the work of Christ, God changes the rules and asks for an entirely different criteria.  He, God, asks us to live our lives for the Spirit, a way of life that is wholly different than our previous focus which was living for the flesh.

Luckily, God has clearly stated and repeated what He asks of us, what the "rules" for His race are.  He desires our utter love and unabashed devotion.  This means that we will cast aside every sin and weight which hiders us and we will run with effort and perseverance to the Lord.  We should also decide, upfront, to live our lives with an ardent focus on remaining in the center of God's will for our lives.  Let us then listen intently to God's direction(s) for our lives so as to compete in the race to the best of our abilities, especially if that means we have to neglect our fleshes so as to exalt the Spirit of God within us!