Was It Really a Miracle?

I've been so busy this past week that I haven't had time to post anything. It's been stressful and not a whole lot of fun, but I'm getting through it. I was really glad to see Friday come and to get home from work in one piece yesterday.

On Wednesday night, Mrs. Pete had to go to the emergency room at our local hospital. She had to go in for surgery about three weeks ago - nothing really serious, but not trivial, either. On Wednesday, she started feeling not well at all, so she had a friend drive her to the ER, and I drove home from work and met her there. She wasn't doing that well, but the doctor (after a long wait in the waiting room) was able to take care of her. So, thank God, she is doing fine now and feeling much better.

Work has been really busy, too. I'm starting to work on a new project that is going to be pretty pressure-filled and will require me to travel some and coordinate with people that are 1500 miles from where I live. The communication problems that arise because of the distance and time difference add to the challenge of getting the project done on time and on budget. I'm going to be putting in some long hours, I expect. The week of March 1st, I will have to travel to St. Louis for a few days, so posting anything that week is unlikely.

On my drive home on Friday evening, two young morons were racing down the freeway at what I estimate was over 100 miles per hour. I narrowly avoided being hit by one of them. I probably would have been killed if he'd hit me, he was going so fast. It really made me angry. There is just no excuse for driving like those two idiots were, putting the lives of other drivers at risk. I really wanted to call the state patrol on my cell phone, but they went past me so fast (even though I was going at about the 60 mph speed limit) that I couldn't get license plate numbers for either one. My blood was boiling, I was so ticked off, and it took me quite a while to get calmed down again. It's a good thing I wasn't face-to-face with them; I'm certain I would have said things I'd have regretted later.

I'll be praying that next week will be better. I'll be leaving for St. Louis next Sunday (the 29th), so I'm trusting God that the travel arrangements and flights will all go well, and that the meetings I have to attend will be productive.

Miracle on Ice

Mrs. Pete, our son and I just returned from seeing Miracle, the movie about the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team.

This is just an excellent, inspiring film. Take your kids to see it. (It does have some rough language and shows some pretty hard-hitting hockey, so be aware that it probably isn't appropriate for young children, but I'd say for kids 9-10 and up, it's probably OK. Of course, use your judgment as parents on what your children are able to handle).

The life lessons of the movie are powerful: how to sacrifice personal goals for the sake of the success of the team; how to work hard and give your all to reach the goals you've set; how to persevere through adversity and setbacks; how striving for difficult goals requires total focus. I wish I could say that I've really internalized those things myself. I've been successful at some things, and I've worked hard at some things, but much of what I've accomplished in life has been because I've been blessed with some innate talent, and more so, because I've been supported by family and friends. As I sit and reflect on the lessons of this film, I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. [NIV © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society]

As you can see, Saint Paul understood all of those lessons 2000 years ago. As Christians, we are striving. not just for medals and honors given to us by other people, but for an eternal crown. We are looking forward to the day when God the Father will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (from Matthew 25:21).

To my shame, I must confess that I have often lost sight of the goal. I have lost my focus on the eternal crown, and have, instead, striven for a worthless, earthly prize. When I have done that, in every case it has cost me dearly, and worse, it has cost others as well. As I have gotten older, experience has given me a longer view. That longer view has revealed to me that the short-term gains of striving for my own, selfish rewards have never been worth it - I've only left a sordid path of destruction behind me.

So, I will renew my commitment to our Lord to focus on the eternal - to live my life in such a way as to honor and glorify Him, to strive to do my best in every situation I am in, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world: "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." [Matthew 5:16]

Not a Miracle - A Reward

When you consider what happened over 20 years ago in Lake Placid, was it really a miracle? I think that it wasn't a miracle at all. It was the reward that those young men, and their coaches, earned as a result of their hard work and the sacrifices they made. Certainly, they faced difficult challenges, but they practiced and worked to give themselves the opportunity and the ability to overcome those challenges. It would have been a miracle had they won without all that preparation. No, calling it a miracle is something of an insult. They deserved to win. Each of the players prepared for that moment, and when it arrived, they were ready to take on the challenge and win. Of course, it still wasn't easy. Their opponents were also well-prepared and eager for victory, but perhaps had one weakness: they expected to win a bit too much. They were perhaps over-confident.

How can I make use of this insight? Well, maybe this:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. [Galations 6:7-10; NIV © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society]

I can be confident that I will reap what I sow. If I work to do good and please the Spirit, I am assured of my reward - eternal life. Please don't be confused here - I am not saying that I can earn my way into Heaven, and neither is Saint Paul. What I am saying is that eternal life is the reward of sowing to please the Holy Spirit, starting with faith in Christ's work on the cross and proceeding on to doing good to all people, in recognition and gratitude for the good that Jesus did for us. As it says in the sixth chapter of the book of Hebrews: "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

So, it all fits together - I believe this to be a true and firm law of God, akin to one of the laws of nature: We reap what we sow.

•  If we sow evil, we will reap evil for ourselves. I see it happen everywhere. People that are hurtful, inconsiderate, selfish, violent, and so on, eventually reap the same things for themselves. We've just seen it happen on a grand scale in Iraq. Saddam Hussein tortured and killed thousands. His sons were brutal, violent thugs and rapists, with no consideration for others. Saddam is now sitting, humiliated and powerless, in a U.S. jail in Iraq, and his two sons are dead. They have reaped what they've sown.
•  On the other hand, those that sow the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) reap those things for themselves. When you treat others well, they will usually treat you well. When you are generous with others, others will be generous to you.
•  If we sow hard work, perseverance in adversity, teamwork, and so on, we reap the rewards of that. It's true in the natural world, just as it is in the spiritual world.
•  Finally, if we sow faith in Christ, we reap eternal life. It is a gift and a reward for earnestly seeking Him.

To me, this is a wonderful promise, as well as a warning: I reap what I sow. God is not arbitrary or capricious. We can have confidence in Him. We will be rewarded in accordance with what we've sown.

This truth is something I need to keep in mind at all times. When I am tempted to do or say something that will sow a seed of evil (such as an unkind word or action to another), I must remember that I will reap the results of that. It may be that the only result is that I grieve the Spirit - but isn't that the worst result of all? On the other hand, if I sow a seed of good to another by my words or actions, I will also reap the reward. It may be that the only reward is that the Spirit is pleased - but isn't that the best reward of all?

And so my prayer tonight, before I go off to bed, is that I will be someone that sows to please the Spirit, and reaps the fruit of the Spirit, which will bring light and joy to those around me, and will lead me to eternal life.

Permanent link