Swimming upstream

Have you ever floated down river on a raft?

It can be a very relaxing experience.

As soon as you read that, you probably imagined it.

You probably pictured a gentle current.

The warm sun on your face.

Trees overhead, giving you shade.

Maybe you even imagined the sounds.

The water lapping at the shoreline.

The chirping of birds.

Soothing to think about, isn't it?

You don't have a care in the world.

Everything around you is calm and peaceful.

But then the current picks up.

Everything begins to move by more quickly.

You sit up and hold on to the sides as the current drags you between the large rocks.

You try your best to guide your raft out of harm's way, but truth is, you have very little control over it.

After all, the current is going to take you wherever it pleases.

You're merely going along for the ride.

"Going with the flow," as they say.

Your greatest fear is tipping the boat, so you attempt to ride it out to the best of your ability.

Now, jump out of the raft and attempt to swim back upstream, trying your best to dodge whatever might be heading your way, dragged along by the current.

The waves keep pounding against you with seemingly no end.

You're finding it hard to even catch your breath as you're dragged beneath the surface, trying your very best to reach the top, but you're feeling as though you might just drown. 

You might even cry out for help, feeling as though it's just too much to handle.

This brings up a very different feeling from the previous one, doesn't it?

Maybe you felt your stomach tighten as you pictured it.

Maybe your breathing changed a bit.

It's funny how, even though you weren't floating down a peaceful river or fighting the rushing current, your body reacted as you imagined it.

At first, you felt peace and calm.

Just seconds later, you felt tension.

Truth is, no matter where you might find yourself in life, you're somewhere within those two extremes.

Either things are going well and you're floating down the calm stream, things are not going well and you're fighting through something with all your strength, or you're somewhere in the middle.

That's simply our life experience.

Truth is, whether the battles in your life are real or imagined, you've felt the same physical responses to being faced with them.

But what if - in the midst of all of it - none of it really mattered?

I'm not trying to minimize any stress you might be feeling.

We all go through difficult times, and the way we respond to them is important.

But what if we knew beyond any doubt that someone far more wise and powerful than us was ultimately in control of every single situation we might face?

What if we knew every calm, peaceful day on the river was a gift?

What if we also knew every turbulent, troubling experience we face was also a gift?

What if we knew we had been brought to that place intentionally in order to make us better, stronger, and wiser than we'd be had we not faced them?

What if the only path to a far more beautiful, peaceful, fulfilling place ran directly through the rough waters?

It would change our entire perspective, wouldn't it?

It would give us a true sense of peace and contentment, no matter where we might find ourselves.

This is what a genuine life in Christ leads to.

As Paul said:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:12-13

Btw, he wrote this while imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel.

He had every reason to complain about his circumstances, but he didn't.

He had been imprisoned for doing everything right.

He had gone where God told him to go.

He had spoken the words God told him to speak.

And yet, there he was.

What made him content - what gave him the secret to being content in any and every situation - was his faith in someone who was ultimately in control.

Christ Himself. 

It's more than likely we'll never find ourselves imprisoned for following Christ.

But how should we view our current struggles, whatever they may be?

As followers of Christ, we need to understand we're there for a reason.

Not our reason.

Not in a way we might wish we'd be.

In the midst of all of it, we can always pray to the God of all things, asking for guidance, wisdom, and direction.

If we do, He will answer.

Maybe not today.

Maybe not tomorrow.

But at some point, He will.

He'll bring us through it, whatever it is.

We're not called to float peacefully down the river.

We're called to swim upstream, in the opposite direction of those who are content in allowing the world to take them for a ride, knowing that God will give us the strength to do so.

Who wouldn't want to live with that kind of assurance?

What do dogs know?

I feel the need to start by saying I am, and always have been, a dog lover.

While I don't have any now, I've had dogs in my home for many years.

I truly love everything about them.

They're faithful, loyal, loving, and are always happy to see you when you walk in the door.

For me, they're just a joy to be around.

We had an interesting experience in our family lately.

A family member brought a dog home.

Seeing as how family is very important, she wanted to ensure her new dog got along with everyone in the family.

In this pursuit, she's invited many people to her home to meet this new addition and see how things went.

From what I've heard, things have gone very well with just one exception.

The dog apparently has an issue with my wife, the matriarch of the family.

She couldn't understand why this animal doesn't seem to like her very much.

But, being around dogs as often as I have been, I have an understanding of why this might be happening.

You see, the moment she saw a picture of it, my wife was afraid of it.

There was just something about the dog's appearance that frightened her.

When they first met, she had that fear in her heart.

Here's the thing about dogs:

They have an uncanny ability to sense fear immediately.

While I'm no expert on the psychological makeup of dogs, I know this:

When they sense fear, they tend to react to it in ways we might wish they didn't.

They can become suspicious, and as a result, can act a bit more aggressively.

This, of course, can lead to even more fear.

This experience got me thinking about the impact of fear in our lives.

How many times, over the course of your lives, has fear caused you to react in ways you wish you hadn't?

How many opportunities have been lost due to fear?

How many times have all of us chosen to not speak up for what we know is right due to the fear of being ridiculed, insulted, or rejected, only to regret not speaking up later?

Fear is an incredibly powerful emotion.

Within our natural "fight or flight" instincts, it can cause us to do the unthinkable as well as allowing the unthinkable to happen to others as we sit idly by, afraid to speak out against it.

No matter the ultimate cause, there's is almost always deep regret felt within us afterward for having those fears.

Whenever fear is mentioned in the Bible, the teaching on it is always negative.

In it, we are told repeatedly, emphatically, to rid ourselves of fear.

The examples of this can be found throughout, and are far too vast and overwhelming to list in their entirety.

It's been stated that the words "fear not" appear 365 times in the Bible.

How odd that there'd be a reason for us not to fear for every day of the year.

Here are just a few examples:

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will withhold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power, of love, and self control." - 2 Timothy 1:7

And in one of the most well known bible verses, we read:

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Of course, all of these verses assume one thing.

They assume we are trusting God, seeking His guidance, wisdom, and direction on a daily basis.

One day at a time.

There's one last thing I feel I should mention.

People can also sense fear in us.

Governments and politicians can sense it, and will often use our own fears against us in an effort to control what we think, do, and say for their own benefit.

They'll use it in an effort to either gain or achieve power over us. 

They'll use it to manipulate us and divide us.

And, of course, the media will do the very same things.

If you find yourself in fear of what's going on in the world around us, in our countries, in our governments, or even in our communities, know this:

There is nothing happening in this world that God isn't aware of.

There is no shift in any balance of power that didn't first pass through His hands.

God is absolutely, positively in control of all things.

No matter how bleak things may appear, everything that has happened in the history of the world, or will happen in the future, will all lead to the ultimate goal of His will being accomplished in our world as well as in our individual lives. 

All we need to do is trust Him.

Checking motives

Why do we do what we do?

What motivates us to do those things on a daily basis?

These questions can obviously cover a wide range of topics.

 - Why do we act the way we do in our marriages?

 - In our families?

 - In our business dealings?

 - In our communities?

 - Within our wide array of relationships?

 - And, of course, on social media?

I've often joked that social media sites such as Facebook, X, TikTok, etc., are public marketplaces where narcissists go to hang. 

We rarely see the realities of everyday life when it comes to the things posted by others.

Instead, what we see tends to be geared more toward how we'd like to be seen by others.

It's been said that depression in younger people can largely be traced back to how they see themselves in comparison to the images seen on a daily basis with regard to those they believe are cooler, prettier, or more famous than them.

Social media influencers reach literally hundreds of millions of people worldwide, 24/7.

But why are we so enamored by them?

Why are they held in such high esteem?

It's because their image, profile, and lifestyle are highly crafted to make them appear to be something they're not.

 - They always look beautiful.

 - They're always visiting beautiful places we'd like to visit.

 - They're always surrounded by other beautiful, successful people.

 - They always appear to be happy and healthy.

We'll never see videos of them waking up with a bad case of stomach flu, stubbing their baby toes on a large piece of furniture as they desperately rush toward a bathroom.

In other words, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Politicians do the exact same thing.

But going back to my original question, why do we do the things we do?

Is it because we want fame, fortune, acceptance, power, prestige?

If that is the driving force behind any or all of our actions, we're on the wrong page.

I've often said if you want to get a clear picture of your own motivations, look back over your last 20 social media posts. 

 - What do they say about who you are?

 - What do they say about what's important to you?

 - What do they say about how you'd like to be seen by others?

Believe me, I ask these things just as much about myself as I do about others.

From a biblical perspective, our number one motivation in all we say or do should be to show love to others.

In it, we read:

"And now these three things remain - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love."     - 1 Corinthians 13:13

I would challenge you to create a list of three things we can focus our attention upon that would have a greater positive impact upon our own lives, the lives of others, and the world around us.

In all of our thoughts, desires, words, or actions, we should first ask the following:

 - Will doing this inspire faith in others?

 - Will doing this give greater hope to others?

 - Will doing this show love to others?

This is also why the Bible tells us:

"...and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5

Christ is, above all things, love.

Does this mean we should be constantly wringing our hands in distress, worried that our thoughts or actions might be out of line?

Of course not. 

We are to enjoy life to the fullest.

But in doing so, it's crucial that we make a regular effort to check our motives before speaking or acting.

Social media, relationships, business dealings, and all the trappings of modern society will fade to nothing at at some point.

But "Three things will remain..."