What Do You Do When You "Screw Up"?

What do you do when you make a mistake,  either in private or in full view of others?   Two weeks ago, President Obama offered a refreshing response to his rather public, humbling mistake - "I screwed up".   He nominated Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health and Human Services,  only to discover that Daschle failed to pay all his taxes.   It's major oversight in the early days of his Presidency and certainly not the way he wanted to start off.   Yet, he chose to take responsibility for his mistake in a very public way.

Let's understand what happened here - this kind of owning up to a mistake - up front, no excuses or qualifications is unusual for most public figures.  It is exceptionally rare for the POTUS.   Regardless of what you think of Obama's politics, I think most non-partisan observers would regard his admission as a display of both principled honesty and bold humility.   

It takes a certain principled honesty to own up to a mistake especially if you're in a position of power.   It's often easier for those in power to blame someone else or perhaps sweep the mistake under the rug.   

This kind of public admission also takes bold humility.   It requires a kind of courageous humility to do the right thing regardless of the consequences.    Unless you have a measure of humility,  owning up and apologizing even if others might think less of you. isn't something you're inclined to do.

I don't know anything about Obama's faith but here's what struck me -  as Christians, we are uniquely equipped to display this kind of bold, yet humble confession when we make mistakes. The gospel of Jesus Christ equips us by allowing us to view our mistakes through a completely different perspective.  We can be brutally honest about our errors because despite our gravest mistakes, we have been mercifully forgiven and graciously accepted.   We can do this without overriding concern the opinions of men, because God has rendered His opinion of us and His is the only one that matters.  Yes, I know we don't always think this way but without the gospel perspective, I'd have no hope of owning up to my mistakes - I'm far too proud and insecure to do so.

How does the gospel help you when you make mistakes?   What if you make mistakes that have negative consequences but do it in private where no one is around to call you out?    What difference does the gospel make in that situation?   

Quote of the Week

"God has so arranged the world that work is necessary, and He gives us hands and strength to do it.   The enjoyment of leisure would be nothing if we only had leisure.  It is the joy of work well done that enables us to enjoy rest, just as it is the experiences of hunger and thirst that make food and drink such pleasures."

Elisabeth Elliot, Discipline: The Glad Surrender

What Would Make You Give Away Your Medal?

This an absolutely fascinating story - it was just confirmed that, at the Beijing Olympics, American sprinter, Shawn Crawford gave up his silver medal to Churandy Martina, a sprinter from Netherlands Antilles. Martina had initially finished second but was disqualified for a lane violation. Shawn Crawford received the silver medal but later gave the medal away to Martina. Get this - he didn't have to do it, no one coerced him, no one would think less of him if he kept the medal. After all, "rules are rules", right?

Let's map this to what it might look like in your life, or mine. Would you give up the lavish year end bonus to a co-worker because you truly thought he deserved it more? How about highlighting the contributions of one of your office "rivals", knowing that it means that he'll get most of the credit for the project? That's crazy talk, for most of us.

What would make us forsake personal gain, to bless someone else? Perhaps just the sense of "doing the right thing" would be enough, for some. But frankly, giving up an Olympic medal isn't something I would do unless I could gain a greater reward. What reward would be greater than getting that coveted promotion or your personal "olympic medal"?

David offers an answer in Psalm 16:5 - "the LORD is my chosen portion and my cup" and he follows it up with this statement - "the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places". David is boldly declaring that God is the treasure of his heart. And, by the way, in case you were wondering, he considers himself fortunate that it worked out that way.

I don't know what truly motivated Shawn Crawford but I know this - when we have Christ, we have the best that this world has ever seen. We have a relationship with the Eternal God, sins forgiven, peace in the deep recesses of our hearts. Giving up our personal medals become a lot easier when we have something much better. It'll also make the world stop and ask us why.

Quote of the Week

"My brethren, true religion has as much to do with this world as with the world to come; it is always urging us onward to the higher and better life; but it does so by processes and precepts which fit us worthily to spend our days while here...Faith is a principle for present use; see how it has triumphed in ordinary life..."

Charles Spurgeon, Faith and Serving God at Work

Gospel for Your Bad (or Good) Situation

Here's what I read today from 1 Corinthians 7.   I found this passage both interesting and instructive.

"Only let each person lead the life the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.... Each one should remain in the situation he was in when God called him.  Were you a slave when you were called?   Don't let it trouble you - although if you can gain your freedom, do so.  For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave.   You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.  Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to."  

 (1 Cor 7:17, 20-24)

Here's what this passage impressed on me - your station in life isn't the most important thing.  Whether you're rich or poor doesn't matter a whole lot.   Whether you're part of the intellectual elite or part of the blue collar crew doesn't mean that much.   It isn't the measure of your worth - it's just not that important.   

This is not only counter cultural, it seems unnatural to think this way.   Most of us are always looking for ways to distinguish ourselves from others, to favorably compare ourselves, to keep score.   Paul says no - don't think this way.   Certainly, if you can improve your standing... get a higher paying job... move to a better neighborhood... better your life in any way, by all means do it.   But don't let it dominate your focus or lose peace over your situation - it's not the sum of your life in God.   

In fact, Paul instructs us on how to think about this by bringing the gospel mindset into view.  Paul addresses the slave and reminds him that in Christ, he is free regardless of his social standing.  Paul reminds the free man that he is called to be a slave for Christ.   What matters is our standing before God - we need to remember that we're called by God and for Him.  

If you're stuck in a bad situation - unsatisfying job, unreasonable boss, too much travel, too little pay - it's easy to get frustrated and allow this "bad" situation dominate the landscape of our minds.   Paul's instruction to us is to get perspective - the kind with God in view.   Let the good news of what Christ has done for us dominate our thoughts and it'll bring our hearts in line with the truth.

What do you think about this?   Perhaps I'm not reading this right - if so, please let me know.

Quote of the Week

"The main problem, then, in the Christian life is that we have not thought out the deep implications of the gospel, we have not 'used' the gospel in, and on all parts of our life."

Tim Keller, The Centrality of the Gospel (article)