BEWARE OF THE TERRIBLE TOO(S)

The story is told of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?" The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That’s a lot of money."  "But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear." "Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."  "You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million." Now the friend was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?" "This week... nothing!"

This anecdote is so typical of human nature. So why is it that we are never satisfied.  Where are our priorities? Are we living simply to pad our bank account? What is the most important thing to us? Paul Tillich, a twentieth-century American theologian, says that whatever our highest priority is, that priority will function as a god for us. He calls it our "ultimate concern". Whatever is our ultimate concern, that is our top priority. That is what functions like a god, whether we outwardly worship it or not. No matter what we say is most important, it is the thing that concerns us most which functions as a god for us. So what is our ultimate concern? Is it our family? Our church? Our job? Our wallet or our pocketbook? What is our ultimate concern? Do we know? Do we want to admit how important the Lord really is or isn’t in our lives?

We are all aware how difficult our cute little kids can be when they reach two years old. There is a good reason why that age is referred to as the terrible twos. Kids at that age begin to discover the world around them, and at the same time they think that the world should revolve around them. That makes for trouble. The church also has a problem with the terrible too(s). However, it is not two--t-w-o, it is too—t-o-o. Even though we are reminded in THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE that “it’s not about you,” we really don’t seem to believe that. All to often it is about us. That’s where the ‘toos’ come in. From our standpoint things are too long, too short, too load, too quiet, too big, too small, too early, too late. Those are the terrible toos. We are far too often tempted to live as if we are the center of the universe, but we are really only a small part of all that God has made. While we may not be the center of the universe, it is also true that God nevertheless cares for us immensely. Among the billions of beings that have ever existed, all of those that man keeps count of only with a number, He knows us and cares about what happens to us? If you doubt that you are on His mind, let me remind you of Jesus’ words: Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. So rather than grumbling, how about trusting Him? Have we gone through the Thanksgiving season with grumbling in our spirit or is there a song in our heart of thanks to God? I am not talking about working up a feeling that is not there- I am asking, are we responding to God’s grace in our lives with joyful thanks, not just for the material blessings that He has showered us all with, but are our hearts full of thanks for the great gift of salvation through Jesus Christ? If God had not given us one single blessing this year, could our eyes still brim with tears, and our hearts still leap for joy at knowing that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord? Is our spirit singing a song of thankful praise to the Redeemer of our soul?  As the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

At a recent Sunday morning service I pronounced a fast. It was not to be a fast from eating, but rather it was to be a fast from grumbling. In order to do this I had to apply it to myself. I was amazed how many times I caught myself grumbling. More important, it was amazing the difference it made in my life when I replaced the grumble with a word of thanksgiving and gratitude.

I found it amazing that as I renewed my mind and began thinking on the right things, God was able to change my perspective on the circumstances of my life. I found that to grumble was to not trust God. We need to learn to rejoice in the Lord! As we rejoice in the Lord we will learn to respond to life with gentleness. As we rejoice in the Lord we will learn not to leave a place on our hearts for fear and worry.  As we rejoice in the Lord we will think the right thoughts.  As we rejoice in the Lord thanksgiving will replace grumbling and our hearts will overflow with the peace of God.

I would encourage you too, to escape the terrible too(s) by taking up this fast. The next time that you realize a word of criticism is escaping from your lips try replacing it with a word of thanks. The next time that someone tries to share a word of criticism with you simply respond: “I’m sorry I can’t listen to you now, I’m too busy ‘fasting’ in the presence of God.”