GET OUT OF YOUR WAY

First posted this on my blog, Saturday, December 11, 2010. Sharing to get your thoughts and feedback as I learn and grow in the Writing.com family!! thanks!!



GET OUT OF YOUR WAY



There is nothing more disconcerting and yet hilarious as tripping over yourself. It is perhaps more amusing to observe the calisthenics and creative dances done to prevent falling on your face. Books fly everywhere, shoes may fly off, arms wave ecstatically all in an effort to keep from going down in utter shame and humiliation. It transforms into true art when reviewed in slow motion, attempts to break a fall. Even looking back after you trip as if an invisible obstacle selected you to momentarily entertain the now focused audience all around you holding back laughter while offering to help you up from your special trip, provides a sound bite for the archives of comedy. Our own knowledge and self worth can be amusing to God. Our experience can be so trusted that it gets in our way of progressing to something better and we wind up tripping and falling on our faces. "This is me" and "I've never done it another way," or, "You just got here, you know nothing of the way things run here." Here's a news flash: Don't look now but tradition can kill success. Tradition can wipe out fresh ideas, and in the long run, can prevent a company or institution from advancing. By doing things the same old way, it demonstrates that we are more secure in our knowledge and those "feel good moments" of historic success caused a sensation brought on by accolades that we keep playing over and over in our minds, than we are exploring, considering and doing anything different. In order to keep the stimulation of the drug of ego massaging going and looking for that original high, we fight those who would dare come up with something different and threaten our hallucinating experience of sameness.



It was my fourth year participating in the annual high school track meet held in Glendale, California. Various Academies would converge here to compete in track and field for ribbons and trophies. The highlight of the event was the four by four relay. The school that won this event three times in a row, kept what other wise was a rotating trophy, forever. I can still see this large and beautiful masterpiece of symbolic pride. This was the talk of our school to bring home a victorious memorial to our mastery of this event. But God at times will arrange a set of circumstances to measure your knowledge up against a new approach. Sometimes the only thing in the way of victory is a stubborn traditional way of thinking. One of our fastest runners couldn't make it to the meet. We had to select a substitute. The choices seemed simple to me. There was a black student and there was a white young man anxious and confident to help us win the trophy. Now I'm ashamed to tell you that my well informed but limited knowledge of fast runners did not include white people as naturally gifted in the area of speed. My teammates were trying to get me to see that this young man was fast. He was. But my experience at 17 years of age, informed me of the impossibility of that being true at least, in this instance, not fast enough to outrun the competition for a victory. Their specialty is cross country, ours is speed. So I chose the black student. (I'm sensing that you know where this is going). The gun sounded and the first man on our team got off to a good start. We had the lead, my knowledge was looking good so far. But then my choice of replacement was second. Let's just say, that by the time the third leg recipients were moving with the batons, our team was dead last. As anchor, I ran with all my might, but came in third. We lost the race and with it the symbol of pride.



I depended on my own information. I would not listen to new information. My limited and self absorbed information resulted in no progress for me or the team or the school. When you hold on to the way things used to be and not consider that new information or new ideas can move a church or community forward, you not only hold yourself back, but your team and the entire group. We have to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Holy Spirit bring in the new and improved knowledge and methods. Not all things new are appropriate or timely, but wise consideration of them allows the mind to be open for dependence on a power outside of ourselves. Too many church goers become comfortable with their drug of tradition. We often hear how many things we've accomplished; how many people we've gathered; how much money we have raised doing it a certain way, that when that way has run its course, we miss the next road that will lead us to an even better experience.We enjoy ourselves and our ways so much that it becomes euphoric and addicting to keep the traditional high going. Religious masturbation is when we are the only ones talking and stroking what we have, to the point we end up being the only ones satisfied and amused by what has taken place. No one else is affected.



Peter tried to lay his experience on Jesus one day and found out that he was about to miss out on a lucrative catch and the call of God on his life. Luke 5:4-11 :

"When He finished teaching, He said to Simon, 'Push out into the deep water and let your nets out for a catch.' Simon said, 'Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets.' It was no sooner said than done-- a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. ' Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.' When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him.... Jesus said to Simon, 'There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women.'

They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed Him."



The word of encouragement today is, when Jesus is telling you to launch out into deep waters, He's asking you to leave the comfort of your informed mind, and your experience taught wisdom, and trust that He is leading you to a greater assignment. One that will overwhelm your boat and ministry of mediocrity. He wants you to leave that regular, comfortable boat and nets, and follow Him to an unknown but far more powerful ministry. Ask God to show you where to lay down your nets. Trade in tradition for a journey with Jesus to catch humans. Know your creative thoughts that don't always fit the normal way of thinking, may be God himself saying don't rely on the accolades or regular practice of the group. Step out and trust Him. Take that job. Apply for that university. Get involved in that ministry over there, where others say from their experience it won't work. Leave your trusted tools of comfort and sameness.



Follow Jesus and finally get out of your way.