The Doctrine of “Self-Esteem”

The video that I’m going to show you is a shocking one. I’ve been surfing the internet via the “next” feature (courtesy of WordPress) and have stumbled across some extreme heresies. Here is a perfect example of one:

A Monologue on Μοῖραι

Disclaimer: The following has been divorced of any and all Sovereign theology, to which I hold firmly. I do not necessarily hold to any of the views stated below, even if the view begins with “I believe…” or “To me…” This is simply a discussion.

I’ve got a brainstorm going. In order to keep it going, it needs to be written out. Some people hold to the view that life is the sum of random events stitched together in a space/time continuum. Others belief that life is the sum of all the decisions you make, just like those books you read as a child (for a run up the middle, turn to page 110; for a pass, turn to page 94). Some hold to the belief that life is simply a test, each moment a question in the grand-scheme examination. Finally, certain people hold to the view that life is a game, and the endgame of this contest is the collection of either many things leading to great wealth or many stories leading to a great reputation.

I don’t believe that “life” is any of the aforementioned things. To me, life is the sum of interwoven events precipitated by Providence and Fate. (Now, I’m not trying to sermonize or church-alize this, trust me. So, I plead with you to bear with me.) Everything that happens is because it is supposed to. Allow me to try and explain:

Have you ever driven home from work, pulled into your driveway, and for the life of you could not remember anything post-parking lot/pre-driveway? You attribute it to mundane ritualism, but what if it is more than that? I mean, unless you are suffering from short-term memory loss, you have obviously failed to pay attention to the drive home. How did you safely arrive at your destination? Did you make it home because your mind is so used to driving that route that it took over all motor function while leaving your memory in the dust? I don’t think so. You made home because you were supposed to be there.

Another example: Have you ever been in a relationship that ended and the only thing that came out of that relationship was a broken-heart (and a philosophical post on broken-hearts) and a bunch of new friends? Do you honestly think it was by chance that you met this random person and came out of that elongated rendezvous with more supporting players in your life?

Life has to be made up of the “there’s a reason I’m…’s.” The failure to capitalize on the Providential happenings in life is the failure to live it to it’s full potential. Manifest Your Potential.com puts it this way:

Find the thread of your life and follow it.

Now, I’m not saying to go about life letting things happen to you and attributing (or, blaming) it on Providence/Fate. I’m simply saying what Voltaire once said:

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.

You got to your house safely with no help from you. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to go in as if nothing different happened (even if the loss of memory happens often), whining about work, traffic (which you didn’t even notice or remember), and demanding dinner and the remote control? Or, are you going to take stock of what is inside that house of yours, value it, and proceed to display that value to those very people?

Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him. -Henry Miller, on fate.

A Pause; or Smelling the Roses

The author of my favorite book ever has published another one. It is called For One More Day and I plan on reading it over Christmas Break. I’m so stoked about this book. What I refer to as “The Great Teacher Book” is an amazing biography and has multiple applications to real-life situations. I didn’t like Five People so much, but I have looked at For One More Day and am sure its going to be great. I can’t wait! I’m going to end this pause with two quotes:

The best defense is an honest life.

or….

Move along, move along just to make it through.

If you read between the lines of those unrelated quotes, they talk about the same thing. Which should we live by?

Strike Three?

Don’t strike out looking. Swing for the fences, because missing the opportunity is worse than trying and failing.

The Irony of Autumn

I went hiking today as the sun began to set. I thought I would have plenty of time to do what I wanted to do and be able to get back before the sun actually set. But, I was wrong. You see, I got lost and behind in my time. At about the point where that grayness exists, (you know that time, it’s too light for the moon to illuminate but too dark to be able to utilize the sun’s rays) right before the sun actually sets, I began getting worried. I began getting scared. I caught myself wondering what I would do if it got too dark to see. How would I get back? Who would I call? What would I do?

At that very moment, I told myself that I wasn’t enjoying the autumn season like I had come there to do. I wanted to escape from society and just revel in the beauty of autumn, and because of the time constraint, because of the loss of light, I was losing that possibility. I was no longer enjoying myself, and the more I realized that, the less I was actually enjoying being outside in autumn. Then, as if almost on cue, my mind wandered to the question, “Why do I want to enjoy autumn?” The obvious answer was because of the trees changing colors, the leaves falling on the ground, the brisk atmosphere that autumn brings. I love that stuff. I love autumn.

After I answered that question, another popped into my mind: “Do I really understand what autumn is?” It was then I realized the irony of my favorite season. You see, more than half of the American population will list Fall as their favorite season without thinking of the ramifications of that. Autumn is nothing more than the death of nature. The leaves don’t change colors and fall because they think, “Hey, I haven’t done this in a while. Let’s be pretty for a change.” NO! They change colors and fall because the life is sucked out of them and they eventually die. The near extinction of all insect life isn’t because they want to play an elongated version of hide-and-seek; it’s because they are freezing to their deaths. The coldness in the air is not some mystical beauty of nature; it is the Earth moving itself away from its source of light and heat. Autumn is not beautiful, it’s morbid.

Once I had come to grips with that very last sentence, I asked myself if God enjoys the “Autumn” of human nature like we enjoy the Autumn of nature. Does God see all the colors of murder, death, and evil and say, “Wow! That’s really cool!”? Certainly not! He hates it. He hates the “Autumn” of humanity. He weeps when he sees death. He cries and agonizes and hurts when he sees humans suffer, when he sees mankind have the life sucked out of it because of sin and The Evil One. He does not enjoy it. Not in the least of bit. You see, however, God just didn’t sit back and hate “Autumn.” He did something about it. God came and experienced “Autumn” just like you and I experience it every day. He suffered, agonized, and had the life sucked out of him while others enjoyed it, not knowing what they were reveling in. Sound familiar? Yes it does. Most people enjoy the Autumn of nature without realizing what they are reveling in. But the God-Man did come and encompass Himself in the “Autumn” of mankind for thirty-three years. At the end of that time, He became “Winter” for 3 days. Then, and now, He is “Spring” immortal, never suffering and dying again.

You see. We can enjoy the Autumn of nature. God has given us that. However, we must realize that we are living in an “Autumn” of mankind, and that is everything but enjoyable. God has given us the ability to no longer be stuck in that death, that suffering, that life-sucking habit we call sin. We can become “Spring” just as God is “Spring.” The question is, are you too caught up in the beautiful facade that the colors and the leaves and the cold have put up, or do you realize that reveling in suffering and death? Only you can decide that.

Enjoy Autumn, but hate “Autumn.” “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”