Latest / The Holy Pause / The Scarcity Myth of Goodness

Transcript

The Scarcity Myth of Goodness · The Holy Pause

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: A reading from Scripture,
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 5,
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: 4-11 But you,
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: brothers and sisters,
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: are not in darkness, so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: You are all children of the light and children of the day.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So then,
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: let us not be like others who are asleep,
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: but let us be awake and sober,
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: He died for us so that,
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore,
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
• 1:14
  The Apostle Paul was not known for being warm and cuddly.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: If anything,
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: the criticism lobbed against him by his ancient and modern-day detractors was,
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: he was, if anything, too serious, too harsh, too zealous, too committed.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Paul draws bold,
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: hard lines where it didn't seem any were necessary and made some strident claims
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: which still haunt the church's arguments to this day.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps that's why it's so striking when Paul does choose to pay someone a compliment.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: The Paul of 2 Corinthians and the Paul of Galatians seem to be almost two different people.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: One angry about the betrayal of the gospel as he saw it.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And Corinth while the other is boiling over with praise for the people of Galatia.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Corinth received judgment and wrath while Galatia gets praise and celebration.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: There are lots of very good and logical reasons for this change in attitude,
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: primarily Paul's station and situation in life.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: But it's helpful to notice Paul, the human, contains multitudes just like we do.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: From one day to the next we may feel angry and at our wit's end.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Then the next day we see the world full of light and sunbeams.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: You might worry about such things if we didn't remember how much circumstances
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: and situations can affect our body and our mind.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Some days we just can't seem to help ourselves.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's why it is so important to notice and celebrate with our whole hearts the days
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: where we can see the sun.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: We tend to remember the clouds and the storms,
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: and so give them an undue balance in our life spreadsheet.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: In truth,
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: at the end of our days,
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: when we look back at the tally sheet,
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: we'll see the bright yellow days outnumbered the bad ones,
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: even if our life was overall quite stressful.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: The sun always shines more days than it rains.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: If there is good to be found in the bad,
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the truth that if we look for and notice them,
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: we will always find reasons to see the good.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a small pinprick of good, and maybe we have to look backwards to see it.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: But it's always, always there.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: This devotion highlights how easily we over-index on dark,
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: stormy days while taking the sunny ones for granted.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: To shift your perspective from emotional rain to the actual ledger of your life,
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: complete the short hands-on reflection.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Get out a piece of paper.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: On that paper, draw a line down the center and make two columns.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Label the left column the storms and the right column
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: List two to three recent stressors or frustrating moments in the left column.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And for every item on the left, challenge yourself to write two items on the right.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe look for subtle pinpricks of good,
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: a warm cup of coffee,
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: a kind text,
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: a completed task, a moment of physical comfort, or a problem That didn't happen.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now write down one situation where you feel harsh, reactive, or at your wit's end.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, your Corinth response.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Next to it,
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: write down one shift in circumstance,
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: mindset, or grace that could help you respond with praise or patience instead.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Let the end finish by completing this sentence at the bottom of your page.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Even in the middle of this current stressor, the sun is shining through this good thing.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Keep this paper somewhere visible as a physical reminder that
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: the bright days far outnumber the dark ones when you actively track them.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Lord of Rhythms, We come to you asking to be transformed.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Bathe us in your river of faith.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Form us with your hands.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Give us patience for this long process.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Most of all, God, guide us to the places where our hearts can be transformed by your love.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast was written and recorded by Reverend Elizabeth Troyer.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: With audio engineering and editing assistance from Jermaine Taylor.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: These podcasts will always be free.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: But if you would like to support our online ministry,
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: you can donate using a link in the bio or at wakeforestpres.org.