Keeping our Calm in a World that has Lost Theirs

I was talking with a friend of mine that works in the retail business the other day. She seemed a little frazzled while I was in the store, so I asked her what was wrong. "People!" She exclaimed, "People are so rude anymore, nothing is ever good enough, nothing is ever right. You can bend over backwards for someone and they won't even say thank you anymore. What is wrong with people now days?" Wow, what a question. What is wrong with people now days? It does seem that patience has gone out the door. People seem more demanding than ever. Road rage is definitely on the increase and etiquette has gone out the window. What is wrong with people?

My guess is that each of you who are reading this blog have had some trouble with people as of late. Maybe it was the lady that only filled your french fry box half full at the drive thru window because she was too lazy to reach over and put some more fries in the basket and press the button on the fryer to start the process of cooking up crispy goodness. But No! Instead she decides to just fill your fry container half full and stick it in the bag and hand it out the drive thru window because no one in their right mind would serve a half full fry container to a customer at the front desk out of fear of public humiliation. Instead she sticks it to you, loyal drive thru customer, and keeps you from enjoying your fill of its tasty goodness; requiring you to pull into a parking spot, go inside, and inform the french fry gal that the amount of fries in their large fry would fit nicely into the paper wrapper they use in their KID'S MEAL BOX! Glad nothing like that has ever happened to me. Okay, maybe it isn't easy to keep our cool these days. And there are times that I'm not sure if I am part of the problem or part of the solution.

There are a number of times during the course of any day that I can feel my face getting red, my blood pressure increasing, and the desire to say something not pleasant growing in my mind. How do we as Christians keep our calm in a world that has lost theirs? A scripture from Philippians often helps me when my fry container is only half full. Paul says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8. Is it possible that a half full fry container is something to be thankful for? Could a half full fry container be a message from God? I have found that even in the most stressful situation, when I have been wronged greatly, there is something that I can be thankful for. I just need to take a moment and find out what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy in this situation. I have found that I can be part of the problem or part of the solution. I think Jesus worked at being an answer to the world's problems and not an instigator of more sin. Jesus says that if someone asks you to go a mile with them, go two. That means we need to allow ourselves to be used once in a while. That we don't always have to be right. That being a servant is greater than being in charge.

This week, let's try to put on the attitude of Jesus Christ. Instead of getting mad, let's get glad. Instead of being angry, find something to rejoice in. Instead of demanding your way, allow someone else to get theirs. Instead of adding salt to someone's wound, put a little salve on it and give them a bandage while you are at it. Maybe a group of calm, caring Christians can begin to change the attitude of the world.

Who Am I?

Who am I? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I am not a great fan of horror flicks but when I was a youth, I saw a few of them at friend's houses. One that I have thought of often is Friday the 13th. Jason was a serial killer that wore a hockey mask. I remember scenes where you were looking through the mask. Now, usually those scenes didn't end very well for someone but that is not where I want to go. Instead, I want to think about living life through a mask. We put lots of them on in the course of a day. Often when we are depressed, we put on a happy face. When we are with our kids, we have to put on our parent mask. When we are at work, we put on our employee mask. When we go out with friends, we put on sociable mask. When we go to church, we put on a religious mask. It seems like the list is endless. We have to be so many different people in the course of a day.

When I start thinking about who I am, sometimes my head spins. I am a husband, father, son, uncle, cousin, friend, pastor, counselor, student, leader, preacher, teacher, and if I put some thought into it, I could probably find another twenty things that I am. And at times, being one of those things seems to require me to put a mask on. There are days that I don't want to be a father and would rather be the kid's friend. There are times that the kids force me to be a disciplinarian and I hate it when I have to put on that mask; that is not who I am. If you look close enough, you probably have lots of masks in your closet. Some of you have had to become caregivers of family members because of their health and had to put on a new mask. Some of you are working in jobs you hate and have adopted a mask to survive financially. Some of you have lost loved ones and the mask of sorrow covers you like rain. What mask are you wearing today?

Paul gives us a little advice in Galatians 2:20 that just may help, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me." When I read this passage, it says to me, "Aaron, it is not about you, it is about Christ. When I accepted Jesus as my savior I was suppose to die. When I walked through the waters of baptism, I was not suppose to live through it. Aaron's life was suppose to end and Chris's life in me was to begin. When I spend time with my family, I am suppose to be Christ. When I am being a husband, I am suppose to be Christ. When I am pastor, I am suppose to be Christ. When I am being a friend, I am suppose to be Christ. When I am counseling, I am suppose to be Christ. From the moment I arise in the morning to the moment I lay to rest at night, I need to remember it is not about me but about Jesus living through me. I died when I was eight years old and Christ took over my life. Now he gets to live His life through me.

If we take this passage in Galatians seriously, then we all need to get rid of our masks. The only person that I need to be is Jesus; and the only person that you need to be is Jesus. And if you think about it, do we really have anything better to give than Him anyway. So lets have a mask burning party today and decide to live our lives for Christ, being Christ to those around us. Be Christ as you go to work. Be Christ as you care for the hurting. Be Christ as you spend time with your kids. Be Christ as you love your spouse. Be Christ in your coming and be Christ in your going. Paul's identity was found in Christ and no one else. Sounds to me like being Christ is a lot easier than trying to figure out which mask to put on next.

Pastor Aaron