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Category: Catalyst (Page 11 of 26)

A catalyst is one that sparks something. The catalyst speaks from experience and enables others to move forward more freely. These articles are written to act as a catalyst in your life.

Pray For Your Pastor

April 6, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I was recently driving home from a small group bible study when something hit me. No it wasn’t a deer! It was a startling reality. Something I knew but kind of washed over me like a brand new feeling. As a pastor of a church, I am called to preach, teach, visit, pray with and for, serve communion, disciple, train, raise up leaders, and provide care for all of the people in the congregation.

That night I received a call that one of our members wasn’t feeling well. It was an older member who was struggling and I was alerted because the situation was very concerning to several people who had been with this member. I left the group and headed out so I could make some calls to better assess the situation and be prepared should an in person immediate visit be needed.

That’s when it hit me. In addition to all of the things on the list for a pastor to do, we truly care for the people around us. The men, women and children. The old ones and the babies. They all are people for whom we care deeply. We care for you by doing the things we’re called to do. We care for you by preaching and all that stuff. But we also care for you by calling out wrong behavior we see. We care for you by getting up in the middle of the night and making our way to the bedside of your dying loved one. We care for you by sitting quietly and listening as your world crumbles and reassure you that even though you feel alone – someone is there.

Pray for your pastor. He needs it. I can guarantee it.

There are so many highs in ministry that it’s hard to explain. The highs of baptisms and weddings. The highs of anniversary celebrations, ministry parties, block parties, fellowship events, game nights, movie nights, hanging out with friends. But there are also some really gut wrenching moments as well.

You know the funeral that we did for your mom or dad? That day we were there for you. That’s not the only funeral we did. And while your parent or spouse that we buried wasn’t our parent or spouse they were someone for whom we cared deeply. And it wasn’t just that person we had to bury either. It was your loved one and the loved ones of several others as well.

I don’t write this for pity or thanks or recognition. That’s not why we do it. If you’re a pastor reading this and you do these things for recognition, then get out of the ministry now. That’s not a pastor’s heart you possess. I write this because we are weak and often weary. We get tired. We carry burdens we don’t and often can’t share with anyone. We put on a smile when our hearts are torn open. When we are broken, we still have to stand by your side to provide comfort and care in your moment of grief, sorrow, or fear.

If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to ask you to just take a few minutes out of your week and pray for your pastor. Whoever he is. Whether you really like him or don’t quite understand his little character quirks. Pray for your pastor. He’s a human. He hurts. He fails. He struggles. But he loves you and would gladly and willingly rearrange his schedule to be by your side in a moment’s notice if the need arose. We aren’t heroes by any means. Just pastors trying to be the shepherds God calls us to be, and we’d truly be honored if you prayed for us.

Trip Down Memory Lane

March 29, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I recently had the chance to take a trip down memory lane. You know one of those moments when you’re surrounded by people you knew in a former life and all the feels came flooding back. After getting home from a funeral in my home town, I started thinking about all the people that have impacted my life through the years. And be careful because the older you get, the more people are on that list.

As I looked around the room that day, I saw face after face of people I knew. Some of them I haven’t seen in more than 20 years! It was crazy to see that many people from my past all in one place. It was saddening to see that so many of them had become sheer memories until we walked into that funeral home.

The really sad part was that so often these trips down memory lane happen at life altering moments. Sometimes they’re at weddings and reunions but often we see these people and trigger these memories as we walk past the family at a funeral. And that was the case for me.

I was leading a funeral service for the mother of a friend. He and I connect periodically. But the crowd that came into the funeral that day to pay their respects were the ones I hadn’t seen in far too long. In an age of social media and all the communication devices that we have at our disposal, there’s really no reason to not stay connected.

It’s as if we’ve grown comfortable with being isolated from one another. It’s as if we’ve grown somehow ok with distant relationships and virtual connections. There’s nothing ok about virtual relationships! Call me old fashioned or whatever you want for that matter, but relationships are best celebrated in person!

I can’t tell you how to do life. I don’t have that right to be honest. But I can tell you that even if you’re an introvert you still need people. Doing life in a bubble of isolation is not good. Removing yourself from the people who mean something to you is unhealthy and will eventually leave you stranded on an island of loneliness.

Don’t wait for a funeral to reconnect with friends from your distant past. Reach out. Grab a coffee. Sit down over a glass of bourbon. Go for a walk. Have a barbecue. Host a game night. Gather as friends. This life is far too short to try to go it alone. Open up and let people in. You won’t regret it especially when you’re wading through the mess of life, broken and lonely.

Take your own trip down memory lane! It will do you some good.

When Tragedy Strikes

March 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

What do we do when tragedy strikes? What do we do when it hits close to home? What about when it impacts our very own family and friends? What about when our community is thrust into chaos because of the actions of someone unruly or evil?

Our tendency in these times is to find the biggest target we can find and throw blame at it. We want to find someone to hold accountable and it’s far easier to blame the biggest person, organization or group in the room. While this may be the easiest in the moment, it’s not generally the most effective method. And it will not bring the results we want.

Yesterday another senseless act of violence took the lives of innocent children and adults. It’s tragic to say the least. I hear of these things and want something to change. I want these to stop. I want children to be able to attend school without fear of something like this happening. I want teachers to be able to walk into schools with smiles on their faces and not a sense of apprehension in their minds about the safety of their room that day.

For some this will be an unpopular opinion, and for those of you who are offended by my thoughts, my intent is not to offend you. You have your thoughts and I have mine. You have the right to hit the little “x” or red dot and close this window and you’re welcome to do that.

Now for the unpopular opinion.

Blaming the wrong entity won’t help. Blaming the system, government, weapon of choice, school system, police force… none of that is going to make a bit of difference. Making more laws unfortunately won’t be of any real help either. How many bad guys read the law books to make sure it’s not going to break a law? Don’t believe me? Look at your own life for a minute.

There these little white rectangular signs on the side of the road. They are laws. Did you know that? Laws that state how fast are allowed to go in a given area. We call them speed limit signs. Now how many of you follow those suckers to the number? Do you push the limits at all? Maybe going 5 over? or 10? Drive the freeway and you’ll see it. Laws don’t stop people from doing what’s wrong. Or look at those red octagons. Ever roll through a stop? Yeah well that’s against the law too. Laws don’t make the problem go away. We just find another way.

I don’t want this to come across as insensitive at all. I am 100% against the violence. I am 100% against the evil actions around us. But I am also of the mindset that laws don’t stop stupid. They don’t stop mean. They don’t stop threats or violent acts. Rapists know it’s wrong but they still do it. Thieves know it’s wrong but they still steal. There are laws against all sorts of things but to prohibit something doesn’t stop someone from doing it.

So then what do we do?

The short answer is we need to change the way we think. Who’s to blame? The perpetrator. The villain. But more than that society is to blame. We all are to blame for the mess we’re in right now. When we can’t find a solid and consistent measure for right and wrong it should be no surprise when people will find their own measuring stick.

We live in a world that has taken right and wrong out of the equation because we don’t want to hurt or offend someone. We don’t want to “shove” our ideology down someone else’s throat so we don’t teach ethics anymore. There are not immovable standards in society. You have your truth and I have mine. That’s a sick and twisted society friends.

What do we do? We hold to some standard of truth. We hold to some form of right and wrong. For a couple of centuries this country had a pretty decent standard of how to function. From the Constitution to the Declaration of Independence to the other documents that were part of the founding of this nation, we had a real and easy to follow set of boundaries. For a time the nation used the essence of the Bible (not teaching the faith of the Bible but the boundaries it set) for a determination of right and wrong.

You may not agree with those documents. You may not like them. You may think they are old and potentially even a bit outdated. But they were foundational to who we are as a people.

How do we fix where we are? Be kind. It’s really that simple. Don’t be a jerk. Raise your kids to be kind. Not tolerant because tolerant doesn’t do anything. Kindness does. Go out of your way to do good to someone. If you’re the praying type spend some time in prayer. Dad’s be present with your families. Quit running away to pursue your own selfish lustful passions and be involved in your kids’ lives.

When tragedy strikes is the time we come together not throw crap at one another like a bunch of mindless monkeys. Stop slinging crap and start being kind and we might just see a change in our communities.

Hope

March 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

One definition of hope is the confident expectation of what is promised. I think this picture kind of sums that whole idea up with no words. Confident expectation of a promised blessing. What do you hope for today?

I think that all of us who are located in a region that has several seasons can sympathize with the idea of hoping for spring to arrive. When the cold and damp days of winter drone on forever, we are hopeful for the promise of sunshine and warmth that summer brings. Here in Ohio it seems as if we have all four seasons in one day! It’s easy to complain about the weather but we’d be better off hoping for the sunshine of tomorrow.

I took this picture this morning of a small flower starting to emerge from the snow covered ground. At first it seems as if it might be a bit confuse about the season or time of year. I mean things don’t bud, grow or bloom in the winter months. But then a quick reminder that it’s March will tell us that this flower is only doing what it is meant to do. It emerges from the ground in hope of the coming sunshine and warm weather.

I think some days it would be helpful if we acted more like these flowers. Instead of focusing on the cold, damp, snow covered ground look for chances to emerge and grow and eventually bloom into that thing we were created to be.

Ok so you’re not a flower. No matter how much you try you’re never going to be a flower. And you don’t have to emerge from the snow to thrive in this cold environment. But we were placed here in the circumstances in which we’re living for a specific purpose. To do something unique.

Just like the flower was planted for the purpose of growing and budding and blooming you were planted to grow and bloom in your own right. This reminds me of a story in the Bible. There was a woman named Esther in the Old Testament. She was a Jewish woman who ended up becoming queen of Persia. This was largely unusual but was made possible because no one really know her lineage. The king didn’t even know she was of Jewish origin.

After a lot of really awful things had happened, you can read those for yourself if you desire, the time comes for Esther to take a stand and reveal her identity as a Jewish woman. Esther is concerned to say the least! I mean if it doesn’t work out well, she would be killed without question.

A famous line comes out of that section. For such a time as this. The idea is that it is for this moment that you were placed here. It was for this purpose, this moment, this task that she was there. The same can be said for you and me. We’ve been put here for such a time as this, and if that means we have to hope against hope to move forward – then hope! Just like that flower pushing its way up through the snow, you and I were made for this moment. So we too must push up through the cold, darkness of our current circumstances. We have to do the only thing for which we were placed here. It is only then that we will emerge to bloom and thrive in the way we were created.

For now, before the bloom, before the flower can bud – hope. Move forward in the confident exception of what is promised. Live your life for such a time as this and leave the rest to the one who put you here.

To Die And Be Forgotten

March 3, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I know the title is a tad morbid and depressing but just give me a few minutes and read on. We all have goals in life. Some want to be millionaires or even want to have a street named after them. Some desire to climb the corporate ladder or become the biggest name on the block. There are some with life goals that leave a legacy for their family or friends or followers. But some of us really don’t see it that way.

I was recently listening to a podcast on one of my drives to the gym. The speaker, who I honestly can’t remember anymore, said something that really stood out to me. It was kind of shocking in a good way. It’s almost as if this person speaking was saying something that’s been my way of living lately.

I want to share the gospel, die and be forgotten.

Wow how cool is that! I mean that’s exactly what I want my life to be about. No this is not a depressing statement. Actually it’s quite the opposite. I think it shows that my priorities are in the right place.

Let’s look at it a little differently. As a pastor, there are those people who are part of the church because they have family there. There are others who are present because a friend invited them. Some are there because the church teaches the Bible or has engaging ministry programming. But there are some who are only at a given church because of the pastor. Don’t believe me? What happens when the pastor leaves?

In the average church, when the pastor or other key ministry leader leaves, there is a minor exodus. Some leave because the leader is no longer there and they really liked that leader. I’ve seen it in my ministry. When I come in to a church and people quickly realize that I am not the same as the guy before me, there are some who just don’t like it. And they leave.

I really hope this doesn’t happen to me ever. I never want to leave an organization or church and have people leave because I’m no longer there. Don’t come to church because I’m there. Don’t come because I’m the pastor. I really don’t want it that way.

My heart’s desire is that I get to preach the gospel. Then one day I will die. And when I do, it’s ok to forget me. Actually please do forget me! I would much rather in those moments that you cling to Jesus than some memory of me.

You see that’s why my goal in life is to one day die and be forgotten. It was never about me in the first place!

What’s Your Why?

March 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

If you’re a parent, or you remember your childhood at all, you likely have a love-hate relationship with the word why. While this is a question I have asked more times that I can even count, it’s a question that I couldn’t stand receiving from my children.

So to be totally honest, I don’t have a problem with the word why, it’s generally the tone in which it is spoken that’s of great disturbance to me. The word is normally said through a sigh or a whining voice. It normally comes with the word but preceding it. This is the kind of why that I really can’t stand!

There is another why that I believe is really important. Many years ago a friend told me the importance of knowing your reason why. He said – if your reason why isn’t strong enough, you’ll always find a reason why not. So very simple of a thought but it explains so much that’s wrong in our world and culture right now.

This is why our New Year’s resolutions don’t typically last. Our why is too weak. I’ve seen this far too often. She wants to lose some weight to fit into her wedding dress. It works for a time but she quickly loses steam. Her why was too short sighted. He wants to stash away a few extra dollars for a rainy day but can’t seem to get any traction. His why was far too broad.

You see the why must be greater than any excuse or why not we can come up with or we’ll lose. This is why our attempts at the new year body don’t generally make it beyond February. We don’t have a good long range picture or reason to keep driving us forward.

What’s your why?

Ok so here’s a warning. I’m going to get a little “churchy” on you for a second. Don’t tune out just yet though. This is a bible example to help drive our point home.

There’s a passage in the latter portion of the Bible that is generally answered wrong. It is in one of Peter’s letters and he says always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you.

Did you get it? What’s your why?

We generally read that verse and say our hope is in Jesus. And while this is correct, it’s answering a question that wasn’t asked. He didn’t say where is your hope. He said why is your hope there. This is a big difference.

Knowing your reason why is really important. Have you ever seen someone go through a really bad time in life and waffle in their faith? I don’t mean they were late for work or overslept kind of bad time. I mean lost their spouse or their house burned down in a freak accident kind of bad day. In these types of situations our why is tested tremendously.

What’s your why?

So often when we go through these really challenging moments in life, we default to asking things like where is God or how could he let this happen to me. We then wonder if it’s all worth it. I’ve been there. I know how this goes.

But what’s your why keeps you from falling off the deep end when trouble and struggle and hardship arise. When we know the reason for the hope that we have, we’ll be able to see that there’s a bigger picture at play here. We’ll be able to get through some of the hardship and struggle and pain because we know something that we can’t see is just around the corner.

Ok back to that summer swimsuit body or wedding ready figure. If this is as far as you can see, then when the wedding is over or summer is past you’re likely going to fall off the wagon. But if you have a big enough reason why to drive you, then even when the event is over you’ll still have a habit and lifestyle that will continue.

I’ve been asked why I get up at 4:30 in the morning to go to the gym. I used to do it to be able to lift a certain amount of weight. But then I met that goal and it was tempting to let things slide. Now the reason is much bigger than bench pressing 350lbs or running a certain distance in a set timeframe. It’s about overall health, wellness, mental clarity, stress management, being around to see my kids get married, meet my grandkids, manage my property, take care of my family. These are reasons why that will far outlast my ability to lift certain amounts of weight or run a set speed.

What is your why? When you can answer this with a big enough and strong enough reason, then you’ll be able to stop every excuse from flooding into your mind.

Know the reason why and soon you’ll have a lifestyle that matches the desire of your heart today.

Obstacles To Faith

February 14, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Some people won’t read this simply because of the title. Others will read it just for that reason. My hope is that we read this not for the title but for what’s inside.

I have to be totally honest. I’m a pastor. I’ve been one for nearly 21 years. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. But a little known secret that most every follower of Jesus tries to hide…I sometimes struggle with my faith.

Now let me be totally transparent. I’m not saying that I doubt who Jesus was or what he did or any of that. I do believe all of that and am truly grateful for all of the people who have poured into me to get me to where I am today. The issue is that I struggle with my personal understanding of and need for faith.

Let me put it a different way. The biggest obstacle to a life of faith is pride. It’s easy to put the wrong mindset on and go through life thinking we don’t need God or we didn’t do anything wrong in that area. It’s all too tempting to kind of sideline our faith because our lives are really going well.

If you look around and honestly reflect on your life, you probably have moments when things were just cruising on autopilot. Your marriage was fine. Bills were being paid. Kids aren’t in jail. No major illness in your family. Haven’t lost anyone in recent years. Your vacations are wonderful until they end. All the things in life just click along.

It’s in these moments that we don’t really feel the need for God. It’s all too easy in these days when our cup is overflowing to look past our God to all of the things that we have amassed for ourselves. This, not sin, is the greatest obstacle to our faith.

Yes sin, all of it, is wrong and needs to be repented. That’s not what I said. So quit hearing what you want to hear and hear what I actually said. Sin isn’t the greatest obstacle we face when it comes to faith.

The greatest obstacle to saving faith in Jesus is our pride. When we seem to have everything we think we need, then we don’t need Jesus. That’s pride. That’s the greatest obstacle to faith.

What’s worse than this? I’m glad you asked! It’s often in these moments of self righteous pride that we hold our magnifying glass over the apparent failures of others. In our pride we try to magnify someone else’s struggle to make ourselves even bigger. And that’s the pride slide.

No where in the Bible is pride a good thing. Nowhere in the Bible is focusing on my accomplishments over Christ’s sufficiency acceptable. Nowhere is it remotely approved of to highlight someone else’s sins while keep our closet locked securely so that no one, even ourselves, can see what’s inside.

If the church, Christians, pastors want to find a way to reach the people around them, we better start by dealing with our own selfish pride. When we get that part right, the rest will start to make a lot more sense. We can’t love one another if we think we’re better than everyone else. We can’t live God’s story if we think we’re God’s gift to the world.

Remove the obstacle of pride with repentance. Honest admission of where we’ve wronged others followed by changing your lifestyle is what fixes this pride slide. True you can’t change how others see you. Some people will just hold onto the one thing you said or the one thing you did. That’s not what this is about. This is about you.

You, nope not her or him but you! You take time to deal with your pride and you’ll see how much it has hindered your faith. When pride is gone, you’ll see just how effective sharing the gospel story can be because it will line up with life.

He Gets Us

February 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did you watch it for the game? Or did you watch it trying to see what the best commercial would be this year? I always loved the creativity exhibited when these ad executives would throw everything they had to communicate the value of the product they were selling. Some were fantastic! Other’s really left me curious what they were thinking.

This year I had a houseful of youth and their families. We ate. We talked. We watched the game and some of the commercials. I didn’t pay a ton of attention to the whole thing as I was just enjoying being around these people.

But I did see something. There were two commercials on during the game from a relatively new campaign. They weren’t selling anything. No product was highlighted. And to be honest there wasn’t a creative gimmick they were using either. The commercials were black and white. Very quiet. And a simple phrase ended the commercial.

He gets us.

The commercials were about Jesus. They were trying to communicate something about God. He gets us. Simple and to the point. He’s not some aloof being that has no ability to know the pains and struggles of men and women. He gets us. Where many of us have been, he has been as well.

But there’s a problem. It’s not a problem with the commercials. It’s a problem with how they’re being received. Nope, not by the general population of the world either. By some people in the church.

Ok before someone goes off half cracked and tries to convince me that the commercials were lacking something – I know! That was the point! The point of the commercial was to give you and me as followers of Jesus an open door and a conversation starter. You’re welcome.

The average church in North America is dwindling in size. People are exiting the church because they don’t feel the church (and guilt by association Jesus) cares. Enter He Gets Us. The commercial demonstrates a different reality. Jesus not only cares but he gets it. He gets the feelings and the hurts and the distance and the loneliness and the hatred and division. He gets us. Not he gets it. He gets us.

If you want someone to tell the people in the world around you about the wonders of Jesus as savior who died and rose, then go for it! No one is stopping you. Engage in conversations at the coffee shop. Talk to the cashier at the grocery store. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to the widow across the street. But don’t blast an ad agency for sharing a sliver of who Jesus was.

The more that churchy people blast one another and even this campaign, the more we’re going to prove the world around us right. For the first time in who knows how long, the majority of Americans no longer identify as Christians. And here we are griping about a commercial that says in the midst of your pain Jesus gets you. How about we take that open door and answer the questions people are asking? How about instead of complaining because they missed something, we build on the 30 second ad and share the rest of the story?

Maybe you have a better idea for how to do the job? That’s great! Then do it. No one is stopping you. Go door to door. Talk to the people around you. Share the story of God’s love and forgiveness. Be creative or not. But let’s stop looking for the worst in a situation.

He gets us even those of us who make life hard on others. He gets us even those who can’t see an opportunity right in front of us. He gets us when we miss the opportunity to build on a movement right in front of us. He gets us but there’s so much more to the story! Wanna know? Just ask.

How Old Are You?

February 10, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There are a few things I know, some from experience and some from common sense. Never ask someone how old they are. Never guess someone’s age. And never, never, I repeat never ask a woman if she’s pregnant – yep even if you are 99.999% sure she is. You are signing your own death certificate in any of those situations.

Ok brevity aside there is a time when age is an important topic to consider. I recently came across a graphic that caught my eye. It was more of a graph than a picture but the details it contained were of some level of interest. What could this mean for me? I’m not a hugely studious person. I do however like to obtain some new information especially if it’s about a topic in which I take interest. This one did just that.

I’m a pastor so this information was pertinent to churches but not just for pastors. Actually I think it’s more intriguing to me as a member of a church than just as a pastor. The graphic contained age breakdowns of different church denominations. Basically it asks what the general age of your church tradition is based on some national study.

Have you ever looked around the church you attend (if you attend one) and evaluated what the general age of the population is? I do this for most places I go. I notice how old people are who eat at the restaurants I frequent. I check the age of the people at the gym during the times I attend. I notice what the average age of the church I serve is and how it fluctuates over time.

Ok so the church body of which I’m a part is listed first. That’s not exactly a good thing in this case. What it says in simple terms is that this Lutheran Church body is made up to a large extent by people who are over 65 years old. and that people 18-44 combined are barely half the percentage of those over 65. It means that this church tradition is getting old and it means we should be asking some serious questions.

Why are there more 65+ year olds than 18 year olds? Why are there so few young people in this church body? Does this reflect the local church that I attend?

These are just a few quick questions that I ask. Now the church I pastor does not fit this mold. As a matter of fact I would almost say our numbers are flipped from these numbers. But why is it that there are so few young people that gravitate toward some of the church traditions that are considered to be more historic mainline traditions?

I think part of it has to do with relevancy. Not the relevancy of Jesus or the Bible. Our job is not to make the Bible or even Jesus relevant. But the work we do as church can be seen as irrelevant by the culture around us if all we do is argue over who does something better, or we’re not using the right book or we don’t dress the right way.

I see a strong desire in the young men and women in the world to want to do more about what they are passionate than to just talk about it. I think this is an area we can learn as churches. We talk about loving Jesus and our neighbors but do we do it with actions? We talk about protecting certain groups of people, but when it comes to the inconvenience of actually lending a hand are we just words?

I think this is a large reason why so many churches are seeing a decline while others are exploding at the seams. Some churches do the hard job of living out what they talk about.

So don’t ask a woman if she’s pregnant or anyone what their age is, but it’s ok to notice the general age groups represented in any given scenario. It’s ok to ask hard questions about why those people are attracted to that type of gathering. And it’s ok to make a few adjustments to be more conscientious toward those groups not represented.

Life Lesson

February 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been accused of having a strong personality. Some call it a charismatic personality. Others call me loud. Some say I am far too outside the box for their liking. And if I’m being honest with myself and the world around me, they’re right.

My personality isn’t for everyone. As a matter of fact there are some people who feel threatened by the questions I ask or the challenge I give. In a recent study of the book of 1 Samuel I came across a line that said insecure people feel threatened by successful people.

Wow I really like that one! But I think it can go even one step further. I think that insecure people feel threatened by confident people. I by no means would consider myself wildly successful. As a matter of fact, I have failed at far more things that I have accomplished in life. But in failure I believe that I learn and grow and to me even a failure is a success if I learn from it.

Confident people are scary. Not because they are arrogant or know it alls but when a person is confident they aren’t afraid to try something even if failure is a real possibility. I recently have requested to have a conversation with a group about a direction of an organization of which I am a part.

Remember I’m not everyone’s favorite and I’m actually not offended by that. The challenge however is that the people with whom I’ve been speaking want nothing to do with having a hard conversation. I wonder if there’s something about this principle to blame for their unwillingness? Insecure people feel threatened by confident people. I may never know the reason but the principle remains.

Let’s get back to that whole 1 Samuel reference. This book contains the famous story of David and Goliath. Part of the story that is often overlooked is what immediately follows. Saul, a very large and powerful man, is King over Israel. But David is a young boy who really wasn’t respected even though he was confident in what the Lord could do through him. Saul hated David in part because David was successful.

There’s a verse to a song found in 1 Samuel that claims Saul killed his thousands but David his tens of thousands. Saul was not happy. He wanted to be the answer man. He wanted to have all the keys to success for being the best King and ruler and protector of the people. But here’s this confident little twerp who just killed the biggest threat to the Israelite people and he’s gaining popularity.

Instead of thanking David or praising the God who gave David this ability, Saul wanted to kill David. Man success and confidence of character don’t always prove helpful when it comes to friendships.

So life lesson for today. It’s ok to be confident and successful, but know that not everyone will like your confidence and success. As a matter of fact people that once called you friend will likely dismiss you because of your confidence or success. Don’t let someone else’s insecurity stop you from living a life of confidence and doing what you are called to do.

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