The Performance Trap

All of us want to do well.  We all want to be successful, not only in our eyes but in the eyes of others as well.  Shakespeare wasn't too far from the truth when he said that "all the world's a stage".  There is nothing wrong with wanting to do something with excellence and receiving kudos for a job well done.  However, there are days when our performance isn't appreciated.  When others don't notice what we have worked so hard to accomplish.  Sometimes they are even jealous of our success.  Even worse they judge our intentions.  This is the trap.  A wise person once said "don't live by the praises of men and you won't die by their criticisms."  Even Jesus didn't put too much stock in whether or not people liked Him.  I'm sure He knew that they could love Him one moment and be ready to kill Him the next...literally.  King David knew this too.  After investing his time and energy in a group of misfits they were ready to kill him when something went wrong.  So, do we not perform?  I think the answer isn't in whether or not to perform but in who we are performing for.  Every day I want to be the best at what I do, but that is so subjective if I leave myself open to be analyzed by others.  Ok, so don't perform for others...check.  So do I perform for God?  What does He think of my abilities?  I think like any proud Father He loves watching His kids try.  He loves us whether we're winning or losing.  Whether we've succeeded or failed.  He just flat out loves us and it is really unnecessary to perform Him; He much prefers you just be yourself.  That's why He encourages us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth (By being real).  So who are we performing for then?  At the end of the day, I think, we should be able to look ourselves in the mirror and be satisfied with the effort we've given.  If I can be satisfied with my performance that's really all that matters.  Before I go too much further let me add a little disclaimer.  If I'm doing a terrible job at work and I'm still satisfied with my effort; I may need to develop some better self-awareness.  I'm fairly confident that life and the lack of a steady income will teach that lesson.  What I'm going after is our overdeveloped need for people's approval.  If you have done the best that you possibly could, then give yourself a pat on the back.  Draw strength and confidence in who you are becoming.  Every day that you move forward is a day forward toward accomplishing your goals.  Every day that you put forth your best performance you develop new skills and new confidence and you become a better you. Go for it!  That's the View from Here....

No Pain, No Gain Christianity

I learned awhile back that when you get afraid, you try to control.  I see it displayed everywhere.  People get angry because they can't control what is going on around them.  The result is that we put up controls all around us that we think will keep us safe.  If you struggle somewhere just edit that part of your life so that you will never have to face it.  After all, it sounds spiritual right?  Be in the world but not of it etc...Only problem is that it doesn't make the issues go away.  You can pretend they don't exist but it doesn't make them go away.  So what do we do?  As usual Jesus gave us a key in the scriptures.

In John 15:10 it says "“Hear and understand. 11 “aIt is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”, We spend so much time trying to control our exterior environment, when it is really our internal ecosystem that needs attention.  It isn't what you expose yourself to externally that defiles you, it is what you agree with internally.  I manifest what I believe by the choices I make.  If I choose life then the fruit of that believe system will be love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faith and self control.  If those qualities are being manifested then I am living in a healthy internal ecosystem dominated by Heaven's thinking.  If the fruit looks like, 1aimmorality, impurity, sensuality,  20 idolatry, asorcery, enmities, bstrife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, cdisputes, dissensions, 1dfactions,  21 envying, adrunkenness, carousing, (Galatians 19-21).; then you know that your internal eco-system needs work.  Let's take it a little further.  Luke 11:34 says 34 “aThe eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is 1clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is 2bad, your body also is full of darkness.  The word bad in this scripture is poneros which is where we get our english word for pornography.  It represents perversion; or in other words the wrong version.  This scripture has always confused me in the past.  Why would what I look at cause my eye to be darkened?  What happens if I look at something unintentionally?  Then I realized that the previous scripture (John 15:10) helps to lay the ground work of understanding for this verse in Luke.  It's not what I see but how I see it that enables me to walk in the light.  When I believe truth then I am full of light.  His word becomes a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  When my eye is "bad"i am paralyzed by darkness.  I don't know where to walk.  I don't know how to proceed so I stay trapped in darkness until someone brings me light.  I need a revelation that as a believer the exterior isn't always a sign of what is happening internally.  Sometimes we are doing the "right" thing for the wrong reason.  We are making choices based on religion.  Religion is form without power.  Religion is keeping up appearances but it isn't rooted in relationship it is rooted in performance.  Religion makes me perform to make God happy.  Guarding my heart is taking responsibility for my internal ecosystem.  I don't want to hurt my relationship with the Father so I actively make choices to protect my heart from things that will keep me from Heaven's influence.   

We can take the "no pain, no gain" approach to our Christian life if we want.  We can actively work hard to separate ourselves from every evil influence that might come across our path.  Or...we can become strong in spirit, bearing fruit in every good thing, tapping into the grace of God which enables us to overcome the world.  If we are meant to be salt to the world then we are meant to influence.  We don't have to work to earn God's favor we must just simply learn to live in it.  Ultimately Jesus pain was our gain and the fruit of our belief system will be manifested through the glory revealed in our lives.  

That's the View from Here...