The Other You

The other you. You know, it's that part of you that seemingly rises up out of nowhere now and then. For some, the other you has shown up on the highway when you were stuck behind a person driving below the speed limit. Suddenly, your once peaceful heart erupted in anger and demeaning words flew out. For others, the other you has appeared while you were at the office. An attractive person caught your eye. Instead of one quick look, you found yourself staring and wondering what it might be like to be with them.

Most of the time the other you sneaks up on you. Perhaps it has shown up as a hint of pride after discovering that you had greater talent than another person on the team. Or maybe you once saw someone suffering and turned the other way because of how inconvenient it would have been for you to help them.

Can I be honest? The other you came out in me a couple of days ago when my phone rang at 4:15AM (for all of you morning people, this is the middle of the night for me!). It was the alarm company. A motion sensor had been activated in the Academy and it was my responsibility to meet the police at the church. It was 14 degrees out (I now consider that cold!), my kids had been up for some of the night with the stomach virus, and I was extremely tired. The other you took control. I was so short with the police that I was afraid to tell them I was a pastor. After all, pastors never lose their cool, right? I played it off as being half asleep, but I was simply angry.

As I drove home, I was reminded of Romans 7 when Paul talks about how he does things that he doesn't want to do. He's talking about the other you. The old life has a way of creeping back in sometimes. It's the Enemy's desire to make us a slave again to the other you. I then remembered Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

My guess is that this won't be the last time I see the other you. However, with God's help all of us can submit to Christ in our given situations and he will give us the victory. He died so that we might live!

Your Best!

I ran across this great Martin Luther King quote today. As you can see, it clearly reinforces God's Word to us about our work.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven will pause to say, 'There lived a great street sweeper who did his job well'."

MLK

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Colossians 3:23-24

A Wise Father

One day a boy named Isaac Watts was walking home with his dad from church. Isaac began to complain about the music. At the time (late 1600's), music in the church was sung without instruments (they were considered worldly) and only the psalms could be put to music. Being the wise man that he was, Isaac's dad responded in a way all of us can learn from. He said, "Son, why don't you mend the matter?" In other words--write some music of your own.

The rest is history. Isaac went on to write over 500 hymns, some of which can still be heard today (one of his famous hymns is When I Survey the Wondrous Cross). His hymns quickly spread throughout New England. They initially caused a large upheaval (new music always has throughout history!); however, they went on to inspire many Christians through the ages to express their worship to God.

So the next time you hear someone (especially your children) complaining about music in the church, take a lesson from Isaac Watts' dad. Don't react and lash out defensively. Instead, encourage them to write their own songs. Imagine if Mr. Watts would have responded differently?

The 10,000 Hour Rule

A study was done in the early 90's by psychologist K. Anders Eriksson to determine what a person had to do to become an expert in his or her particular field. For years, many had believed that innate talent was the primary source, but Eriksson believed there was another key component. His findings proved this to be true.

He and two colleagues from Berlin's elite Academy of Music divided the school's violinists into 3 groups. The 1st group were the stars. In the 2nd were those deemed to be merely "good". The 3rd group were those who would never play professionally.

All the violinists were asked the same question: Over the course of your entire career, since the day you picked up the violin, how many hours have you practiced? Over the first couple of years all the violinists practiced the same amount. However, around age eight differences emerged. The group that became the star performers began practicing much more than the others. In fact, the experts had practiced 10,000 hours by the age of 20!

Eriksson went on to study other stars throughout history such as Mozart, The Beatles, Bill Gates, and many more. Once again, he found that 10,000 hours was the magic number!

Why do I write this? It's certainly not to discourage you! Instead, it's to encourage you not to give up on excelling in your God-given gifts. Keep working hard to become a better singer, songwriter, musician, actor, businessman, leader, banker, parent, spouse, etc. In many cases, you may be getting yourself ready for something great that God has for you in the future!

Study info from Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell