Have you ever found yourself in an unfavorable situation and asked yourself, “How did I get here?!” Maybe you gained weight. Perhaps you got stuck in a bad relationship. Or you were nursing a hangover. Regardless of which pit you find yourself in, you can probably trace it back to something you did to get you there.
Yes, there are external circumstances that could be at play… but are there? It’s easy to point fingers and blame something or someone other than ourselves for our sad situation. Yet, rarely is it true. More often than not, we only have ourselves to blame.
We shouldn’t beat ourselves up about our past mishaps. At the same time, we need to recognize the simple fact that the things we do have consequences. It’s cause and effect, for better or for worse. Once you realize this, things get better. LOTS better.
What’s the big ideal?
When you serve a good ideal, it serves up good things. When you serve a bad ideal, it serves you bad things. It’s not rocket science. Yet, what do I mean by “ideal”?
What I’m about to say may sound a bit religious, but bear with me. A god is merely the pure essence of an ideal. What is your ideal? What do you value most in your life? For some, gaining power is paramount. For others, prosperity or justice or nature. If you can name it, there’s a god for it.
Some may say, “I don’t believe in any god, only in myself and my life.” Well, there is, in fact, a god of selfish pride. That god doesn’t care so much if folks actually realize they are serving him, he only cares that they don’t serve anything or anyone more powerful than themselves - easier to control that way.
James, the brother of Jesus, writes in his letter: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” Let that sink in. It works with whichever god you choose. The God James speaks of is the God of Love. Do you really want to invite greed, envy, wrath, selfishness, or any other negative thing into your life? If not, then don’t serve those gods. Dionne Warwick sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Wise words. (And a pretty song as well.)
What goes around, comes around
You’ve heard the sayings:
“What goes around, comes around.”
“You get what you give.”
“You lie in the bed you make.”
“You reap what you sew.”
“Instant karma’s gonna get you.”
This isn’t a new concept. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. Furthermore, we know it’s an axiom of the universe. This begs the question: why then don’t we act on it all the time? Are we lazy? Evil? Distracted? Perhaps, but I think there’s more to it.
We humans have a love/hate relationship with abstract concepts. For example, the average human likes the idea of world peace (abstract). At the same time, that same human may want to punch that jerk who cut them off in traffic (concrete). Where’s the peace? To run with a theme, there’s a song entitled “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” If only.
Abstract ideas are great in theory, but difficult in practice. Acknowledging this fact is the first step. The next step is acting in spite of that fact. But how? Where do you start? The answer is easier than you think.
Choose your master
Bob Dylan sang, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” If this is the case (and, it is), then the first step is to choose your master. Which god (big ideal) will you serve?
Once you choose your big ideal, then the next step is to accept that it will be the core of your life - everything you do has to revolve around it; must serve it.
To illustrate this point at a micro level, let’s look at a personal goal. If your goal is to play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” on the piano, and you’ve never played a note in your life, then where would you start? Maybe you’d sign up for piano lessons. Maybe you would get a book on how to play the piano. Maybe you would simply sit and listen to “Moonlight Sonata” over and over again to get familiar with all the notes. Simple, right? You’re starting point is fluid while your target remains static.
If your big ideal is love, you would immerse yourself in love. What is love? What can you learn about it? What small things can you do this instant to serve up love to yourself and others?
In the end
What is one aspect of your life that is not serving you well? What could you do today to make your tomorrow better? I’m not talking about making the entire planet earth a better place, I’m talking about YOU.
Are your values misguided? Is your heart. in the wrong place? Is your mind a mess? There’s no shame in admitting it if it’s true. I’ll go a step further and say that admitting your faults is an act of humility. A slice of humble pie a day keeps the pride away. And, if you think about it, pride is at the root of pretty much every negative emotion and desire - even fear can be boiled down to pride. That’s a topic that takes some digging into, so we’ll discuss that another time.
For now, turn your face to the light. In the words of Paul the Apostle, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8). Dwell on the good and good will follow.
You’ve been served.