Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 83

Real Maturity, C.S. Lewis, and Imagination

Many people see, either tacitly or explicitly, maturity as the smothering of childhood. But what if it is not the systematic burying of childlikeness so that we can dutifully (and often morosely) handle the cares of adulthood? What if maturity handles the responsibilities of life with all the care and gravity they deserve but not at the expense of childlikeness?

Healthy maturity is that which knows when and how to be childlike. A child might interrupt her parents to blurt out a seemingly random question about fruit flies or bodily functions or Barbie dolls or why the iPad won’t work because she’s too immature to recognize the discourtesy. A mature adult might have the same question but knows when and how to ask it so as not to disrespect or disrupt others.

Children love fairy tales, adventure stories, mystic lands, and heroic characters that launch their imagination and turn a backyard into Middle Earth, a swing set into Hogwarts, a rocking chair into a TIE fighter, and a bunk bed into a Captain Hook’s ship. Every stick is a wand or weapon and every towel a cape. Children embody their heroes in their play and live out the lives of legends. Mature adults love the same stories, are moved by the same heroes, and lose themselves in the same far-away places but without the towel-capes and slat board swords. (I’ll leave you, dear reader, to interpret what this might mean for ComicCon and Cosplay fans.) Many of us call these stories “guilty” pleasures. We indulge them privately and feel a bit sheepish about it.

What if they aren’t “guilty” but rather just pleasures? What if the places our imaginations take us are actually right where we ought to be, healthy and rich places for our minds and souls?

C.S. Lewis was one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers and writers of the 20th century. He knew multiple ancient languages, was an expert in classic literature and mythology, and an Oxford professor. He wrote magisterially on the nature of God and the relationship between God and man and was a devastating Christian apologist. His work is just shy of the biblical canon for many believers to this day. In short, C.S. Lewis was a mature adult, intellectually superior to most, and fruitful to the extreme. He is to be emulated and looked up to in many ways. Lewis had this to say regarding maturity and becoming and adult:

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

“The modern view seems to me to involve a false conception of growth. They accuse us of arrested development because we have not lost a taste we had in childhood. But surely arrested development consists not in refusing to lose old things but in failing to add new things? . . . Where I formerly had one pleasure, I now have two.”

“It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one’s adult enjoyment of what are called ‘children’s books.’ I think the convention a silly one. No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty – except, of course, books of information. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all.”

Well now. That paints things in a different light altogether. One of the greatest, most brilliant, most productive Christians in recent history says that we are to somehow, some way, carry childlikeness into adulthood with us! That, friends, is maturity at its best. Any other form is soulless and dull.

 IMAGINATION AND INFORMATION

We draw the line between imagination and information. We grow out of the former to invest in the latter. We decide that the former has value for life while the latter is mere escapism from life. This, Lewis would argue, is where we go wrong. He would say that the collection of information, the pursuit of knowledge, is not enough without the fostering and feeding of imagination as well.

Imagination guides and shapes our use of information. If we know all the facts and truths we are just a static hard drive, a library. Libraries are full of information, stacked high and deep. But what can a library do with all the knowledge it holds? Not a thing. It is a static repository, and that is what we are without imagination. What do we do with information? Where does it apply? How can we do the most good with it? Who knows? The person with imagination, who values the virtues of great heroes and can envision and form a better story, knows. That person is curious.

Curiosity and imagination are conjoined twins. With one comes the other. Imagination continually asks “what if” then envisions the possible answers and lets the mind run with possibilities. Curiosity asks just about anything, and then explores the answers and presses to figure it out and see what else there is. It pokes and prods. Curiosity gives flesh to imagination. If information is dead on its own, these are the life force that animates it and moves it to action.

This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book,  The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life  that is due to be released in early 2017. 

5 Things People Who love Change Need To Know

People respond to change in three ways: love it, hate it, or follow whichever of the two is the most persuasive (read: “loudest”). Usually the first group is the smallest and the third group comprises the majority.

This post is aimed at those who love change. I number myself among you. While we may be the minority we are usually the ones trying to influence others, to bring about progress, to, well, change things. The world needs us, I say! But we need to realize a few things about change as well.

CHANGE IS NOT A CULTURAL OR PERSONAL VALUE.

In itself, change should be a bi-product of something bigger. It occurs when a decision is made or a vision is pursued. If we reach a place where change is a value then we become directionless. We tinker with things that need not be tinkered with. We become bored with and discard perfectly good ways of doing things. We fix what is not broken and in so doing we break it. Change cannot be our aim, it must be our means.

CHANGE IS ONLY GOOD IF IT PURSUES A GOOD PURPOSE.

Seeing these words written out makes them seems terribly obvious, but that raises the question why so many of us pursue change without a purpose? Change for change’s sake is never more than accidentally helpful. It is an expression of boredom and discontent rather than purpose. For change to be meaningful, either personally or in an organization, it must have a target. It must be a course change to reach a different destination and the destination must be better than the one on the previous itinerary.

CHANGE IS ALWAYS A LOSS.

It’s not always a net loss, but in change we always lose something. Usually it is comfort, predictability, and ease. Change always means giving something up, and that is difficult for many people even if it is a thing they very well ought to give up. This is why change is so hard for so many people. They don’t fear change itself; they fear the loss it brings.

CHANGE DOES NOT INSPIRE PEOPLE.

It makes most people nervous. Leading a meeting with “We’re going to try something new” or “We’re going in a new direction” puts people on edge. Telling your spouse or kids about a new job or church does not excite them. These things are unsettling unless they have a reason. As Simon Sinek famously wrote, we need to star with the why – the purpose. People buy into reasons and direction and cause and purpose. People do not buy into the road taken to get there.

CHANGE NEEDS MODERATION

Refusal to change is stagnation and leads to atrophy of self or of an organization. We must adapt or die, literally and figuratively. Too much change, though, is disorienting and disillusioning. If you’re leading it people will stop believing you and trusting you. If you are attempting it for yourself you will fall into a patter of try, fail, try something else, fail, ad infinitum. Change must be directed and pursued with intentionality and within reason lest it becomes simply spinning circles.

New Happy Rant: Scary Mascots, No Safe Places, and Things Worship Pastors Should Quit Saying

In this episode of the Happy Rant the hosts are reunited after Ronnie’s travels and they rant about the following.

 

A crazy University of Iowa prof is offended by the facial expression and demeanor of . . . their mascot, a giant stuffed bird.
The University of Chicago, on the other hand, has decided there need be no more trigger warnings or safe spaces.
What are things worship pastor’s should quit saying? Jared Wilson had suggestions in an article, and it needed some discussing.

 

 

We’d like to thank your sponsor, Logos, the premier Bible Study and sermon preparation software on the market. Today they released Logos 7, complete with new features to take what was great before to entirely new levels. They offer an incredible library of resources, extensive features, and a suite of tools all of which will help serious Bible students, teachers, and preachers research and prepare. As a special offer for you, listener, use code HAPPYRANT7 at checkout to get Charles Spurgeon’s commentary on Philippians for FREE.

 

 

Another thank you to our second sponsor, Waterbrook Multnomah and their new release, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small by Mark Batterson. Following up on his previous best-seller, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, it pushes the reader to refuse to pursue dreams that can be accomplished without God. It is available tomorrow, September 6.

Like every week, we want to offer a big thank you to Resonate Recordings, the fine folks who make us sound listenable. If you are looking for great people to help your church put out recorded sermon audio or help you with a podcast they’re your people.

Feel free to hit us up on Twitter at @HappyRantPod or on Facebook or via email at HappyRantPodcast@Gmail.com with any topic suggestions or feedback. We love hearing from listeners!

To listen you can:

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Episode #102

You Can’t Claim a Promise

ISAIAH 41:10 

Do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you; I will help you;

I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. 

In 1964 my grandfather shared this verse with my father as he was preparing to move away to college. As I grew up, my father shared it with me often as well – when I started at a new junior high school, when I left for missions trips, and when I left for college. Recently I helped my 8-year-old daughter memorize this legacy promise. Isaiah 41:10 holds special significance to me because of how it has blessed my family for decades. I look to it, hold on to it, and I am encouraged by it.

But I don’t claim it.

To claim something is to take ownership, to say “it’s mine.” When we lay claim to property we gain certain rights and privileges. Litigants are awarded claims or denied them, claims of monetary value. Promises don’t work like that.

Often people “claim” a promise when life is hard or they’re afraid. They might even claim a promise for someone else, a child who has walked away from the Lord perhaps. When people do this, though, they are taking the Word of God and attempting to “own” it like a talisman or mantra. They’re treating an utterance breathed out by God as a silver bullet or a security blanket, a quick solution or a comfort to carry around. Sadly, some preachers even express these ideas from the pulpit.

This misses the very nature of a promise, though. A promise isn’t a thing; it’s an expression of something greater. When God uttered promises in Scripture He wasn’t giving us a buffet of blankies, Band-Aids, and silver bullets. He was showing us His character. A promise tells a little bit about who God is and what He will do. It is anchored in His holiness, goodness, power, and sovereignty. It is based on his omnipotence and omniscience. And it will come to pass in a way only God knows and ordains.

When we claim a promise we are attempting to take control of it. We come to it with a presupposed notion of how it should play out. But when we realize that a promise is not a thing for us to have or use, only then do we realize it is bigger and better than we imagined. It may not come to pass as we imagined, but it will come to pass. We know this because it’s from God.

When I remember Isaiah 41:10 I am remembering big things about God, too big for me to claim as my own. Too big for me to completely understand and definitely, too big for me to dictate or apply to my own life. Instead these things are so big that I can rest on them and find peace. It is a promise from the mouth of God, and He has claimed me. That is why I believe it.

This post was originally posted at HCSB.org; used with permission. 

In Defense of Sports

“To me, pro sports is like a whole other religion. People pay through the nose to attend. They eat and drink. If the same people who go to games and get so excited, became so excited about Jesus and the true battle we live in, it wouldn’t be so bad. If not, pro sports is a real waste of time and money better spent feeding the poor, healing the sick, and getting people saved. Is any of this as important as pro sports? Whole countries spend more money paying its players than many churches get to help the poor.”

This comment is one I received some time ago from a listener to a podcast I was a guest on. The theme of the conversation had been about how Christians can interact well with sports, a subject I care about because of my faith and because I love sports. The sentiments shared in the comment above are not at all uncommon. Many people struggle to see the validity of sports, especially when it’s grandiosity and ego is so amplified through media. It is easy to see the downside, so what is the upside?

Here I seek to address each concern and criticism made point by point in defense of sports.

SPORTS IS ITS OWN RELIGION.

As we discussed on the podcast, sports can easily become an idol. But that does not make it an inherently bad thing. Money can be an idol. So can music; attend any concert and you will find worshippers there. Or family. Anything that we devote ourselves to can become an idol which can then become a religion – something which gives structure to our lives and determines our values. But the human ability to make idols out of anything does not make those things bad. And sports contains enormous good as a reflection of God’s creative power and the unique abilities he has poured into people as athletes, coaches, strategists, broadcasters, journalists, and more.

PEOPLE SHOULD DEVOTE THEIR EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY TO THINGS OF ETERNAL VALUE.

Taken at face value, this sentence is true, but when you use it to parse sports (or other forms of entertainment) out of life it creates a false dichotomy. Sports offer rest and refreshment. The energy poured into them is not draining a person from doing things that “matter”; it is restoring them for work. Sports also offer a kind of community and connection to people that is difficult to duplicate. Whether it’s regular pick-up basketball games, rooting for the same team, or being softball team mates sports bring people together. And people together is where real eternal ministry is done best.

THE MONEY AND TIME DEVOTED TO SPORTS ARE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE, SERVING THOSE IN NEED.

Such an objection is worthy of consideration as a matter of conscience at the personal level, but it is not a black and white issue. It is always wise to ask whether I am giving what I ought, helping who I ought, and being generous as I ought? I am I misallocating my own resources to serve my idol? This idol could be sports or it could be lattes or books or cars. This is not a question anyone can clearly answer from the outside in most cases. It is not wrong to spend money on any of the things I listed, but it could be a poor choice. Usually only God and the spender knows whether it was wise or not.

The money in sports (and all entertainment industries) is enormous. It is so because we demand to be entertained – cost and demand is a basic economic principle. We are better off examining our own lives to see if there is inequity or inconsistency than in haranguing about the system as a whole.

I believe sports are a gift, a good gift, that God gave through human creativity for our enjoyment. They should be participated in at every level and in every way as such. And just like all of life, we ought to approach them with thoughtfulness, discernment, and intentionality. This is why I wanted to respond to the objections posed. I hope these answers further the thoughtfulness and expand the perspective with which we approach and participate in sports going forward.

This Post is modified from the original which was posted at DesiringGod.org.

New Happy Rant: Back to School, Nic Cage, and Old Fashioned Insults

In this episode of the Happy Rant Podcast Ted Kluck and Barnabas Piper (sans Ronnie Martin since he was off traipsing through small mid-American towns like a middling CCM band) discuss a handful of amusing and informative topics.

Back to school advice for parents and students alike
Is Nic Cage awesome or awful?
Movies that are so bad they are good
Old fashioned insults that need a good revival

We’d like to thank your sponsor, Logos, the premier Bible Study and sermon preparation software on the market. Today they released Logos 7, complete with new features to take what was great before to entirely new levels. They offer an incredible library of resources, extensive features, and a suite of tools all of which will help serious Bible students, teachers, and preachers research and prepare. As a special offer for you, listener, use code HAPPYRANT7 at checkout to get Charles Spurgeon’s commentary on Philippians for FREE.

And thank you to our second sponsor this week, Tyndale House Publishers. They are highlighting the book Next Door As It Is In Heaven by Lance Ford and Brad Briscoe. This book offers first principles and best practices to make our neighborhoods into places where compassion and care are once again part of the culture, where good news is once again more than words, and where the love of God can be once again rooted and established.

Like every week, we want to offer a big thank you to Resonate Recordings, the fine folks who make us sound listenable. If you are looking for great people to help your church put out recorded sermon audio or help you with a podcast they’re your people.

Feel free to hit us up on Twitter at @HappyRantPod or on Facebook or via email at HappyRantPodcast@Gmail.com with any topic suggestions or feedback. We love hearing from listeners!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #101

Writing And the Lie of Better-Than

I saw on Twitter the other day a friend post something to the effect of “I just read a piece by author X. He’s so much better than me it almost makes want to quit writing.” Such thoughts have crossed the minds of most writers whether widely published or not. We might be loathe to admit it, but it is true.

Well, if you’re intent on worrying about those who wrote better than you, yes, by all means, quit writing. Because that concept, the idea of better-than, is poison for writers. It is an aspiration that cannot be reached. It is not unreachable because you cannot get better but because it is not really real and definitely not the point of writing.

You will never have the voice of that better-than writer. You will never live her life, share her experiences, or see the world through her eyes. Better-than thinks differently than you and has different inputs. You will never be her, be like her, or be better than her. And that is ok. It is better than ok; it is good.

Writers are playing an infinite game. That sounds grandiose, so let me explain. Simon Sinek did an interview a few months ago in which he discussed game theory. He explained that there are two kinds of games, infinite and finite. In finite games there is a single winner and the sole objective is to come out on top. Think: sports, board games, first person shooter video games, etc. In infinite games there is not a clear winner; there is simply improving and growing.

When we worry about which writers are better than us we have taken the infinite game of creating and lowered it to the finite world of win or lose. When we do this we lose ourselves and our unique ability to say or create anything that matters. We become derivative and soulless – precisely the opposite of what makes the most significant writing significant. Our game is not to defeat other writers but to continually grow as writers.

Instead of being better than we should focus on:

Contributing to readers – What are we giving them? It should be a gift of thought, story, expression, feeling, or phrase that will in some small way enhance their lives.
Improving as writers – focus on being better every day but not better-than. We can always tighten our prose, enhance our vocabularies, connect more with felt realities in order to bring them to light, and explore ideas more thoroughly in order to see what had not.
Explore and experiment – A writer who only writes one thing becomes a parody of himself. We must explore new genres or styles and take on challenges that intimidate us. We must be stretched, and it will only happen if we stretch ourselves.
Learn from other writers – Those writers we though of as better-than? They are likely better than us at some things, things we can learn. Make them your teachers instead of your objects of jealousy. Sit at the feet of their pages and listen to their lessons.

We cannot play at writing to “win,” for if we do we will lose not only that game but also ourselves as writers. There is no winning, only growing and saying better things better. Put aside the lie of better-than and simple seek to be better.

The Best Leadership Quotes from the 5LQ Podcast

I have the privilege – and it really is a privilege; that’s not just puffery – to interview top Christian leaders (and some who aren’t Christians but are really good at what they do) on a weekly basis alongside Todd Adkins for the 5 Leadership Questions podcast. I learn an incredible amount from getting to ask questions and converse with these people. Even knowing their credentials and accomplishments I am often blown away by their wisdom, practicality, and insight. Here are some of the best quotes from the first 100 episodes of the podcast. You can check out more episodes here. Were would love to have you as a regular listener!

Keep the room clean where you are. God will open the next door. – John Piper

You have to live out a deep sense of principles and vision. – John Perkins

Success is standing on your pile of mistakes rather than lying under them. – Dave Ramsey

Transformation occurs when you have the overlap of knowledge, experience, and coaching. – Todd Adkins

If you say you’re on mission but you don’t mention Jesus you’re on someone else’s mission. – Jeff Vanderstelt

The fruit of a believer is another believer, the fruit of a leader is another leader, the fruit of a disciple is another disciple. – Eric Geiger

Before you’re a worship leader you’re a worshipper. That should be you’re primary identity. – Stephen Miller

It’s easy to fill the brain and let the heart grow cold. – Danny Akin

‘Die to self’ is the practical thing. – Alli Worthington

A goal is a goal the moment you write it down, but a value has to be lived out over time. – Thabiti Anyabwile

The chief purpose behind our productivity is to do good for others. – Matt Perman

I define leadership as embodying what you want other people to become. – Derwin Gray

If you’re doing anything worth doing you’re going to run into criticism. – Eric Geiger

Nobody has ever built a great ministry out of good intentions. – John Maxwell

Your competency will take you only as far as your character can sustain you. – Carey Nieuwhof

When we begin to believe we deserve this platform that’s one of the last steps before trouble. – Louie Giglio

Don’t get so busy doing the work of the Lord that you don’t focus on the Lord of the work. – Ed Stetzer

There’s no ceiling on character. There can be a ceiling on hunger for character. – John Townsend

Every pastor is an interim pastor. – William Vanderbloemen

The hardest decisions we make on a regular basis are just day-to-day decisions that we put off. – Jenni Catron

Relevance is set by the gap between who you say you are and who you really are. What makes us irrelevant is when our message is not authentic. – Brian Houston

God doesn’t lead you out of something. God leads you into something. – Chris Sadler

If you position yourself as the hero of the story you will lose. – Donald Miller

Leaders don’t do exceptional things, they do ordinary things exceptionally well. – Louie Giglio

Don’t try to get the mic, try to have something to say. – Louie Giglio

Humility says ‘I don’t know everything.’ Curiosity says ‘what don’t I know? – Barnabas Piper

I do not want to trade my deep devotion to Jesus for numbers and impact. – Jennie Allen

A lack of persistence is a lack of values and vision. – Dan Rockwell

Christians are called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals. – Rebekah Lyons

Am I building my own kingdom, the kingdom of others, or the Kingdom? – Brad Lomenick

The greatest leaders realize that most of their fruit grows on other people’s trees. – Todd Adkins

We’ve confused spectacular with supernatural. – Christine Caine

People’s talent can take them places their character can’t handle. – Lecrae

Changing for relevance can quickly become irrelevant. – Leonce Crump

Calling is about submitting yourself to how God is shaping you. – Daniel Im

Calling can lead you in any number of directions, but it will always lead you in a direction that is more godly. – Barnabas Piper

Do I consider myself the friend of Jesus or am I just afraid to disappoint Him? – Sammy Rhodes

Always contribute more than you’re paid to do. – Nick Caine

Innovation isn’t thinking outside the box. It’s thinking inside a better box. – Bobby Gruenewald

In time your content is shaped by your desire to monetize it. – Tim Challies

If you lead you will make mistakes. – Faith Whatley

If you’re constantly talking you’re only thinking about what you have to say and not what’s going on around you. – Kevin Spratt

Lateral leadership is earned influence. – Trevin Wax

Consultants give answers. Coaches don’t do that. Coaches help people discover answers. – Dan Rockwell

We need to see how things work here before we begin doing work. – Eric Mason

We need to constantly pursue our mission, not our successes. – Larry Osborne

The gospel is offensive, but nothing else should be. – Danny Franks

Catch people doing things right instead of catching them doing something wrong. – Simon Sink

Three quarters of an answer is better than an answer-and-a-half. – Simon Sinek

Healthy conflict is where people are not attacking each other, they are attacking a problem or challenge. – Eric Geiger

Be addicted to obedience, to obeying God’s leading. – Matt Brown

New Happy Rant: Episode 100 with a Special Guest and Tons of Fun

We made it to episode 100. Who would have guessed that with such humble beginnings this podcast would have gained such heights, yet here we are. In this episode of the Happy Rant Podcast we welcome back co-founder, Stephen Altrogge and rant about the following.

Angry moms with no sense of humor attacking Stephen
Do women have to be “precious” or can they be sarcastic and snarky too?
Could we pull off an entirely earnest podcast?

[image error]We’d like to thank your sponsor, Logos, the premier Bible Study and sermon preparation software on the market. Today they released Logos 7, complete with new features to take what was great before to entirely new levels. They offer an incredible library of resources, extensive features, and a suite of tools all of which will help serious Bible students, teachers, and preachers research and prepare. As a special offer for you, listener, use code HAPPYRANT7 at checkout to get Charles Spurgeon’s commentary on the Philippians for FREE.

And thank you to our second sponsor this week, Tyndale House Publishers. They are highlighting the book Next Door As It Is In Heaven by Lance Ford and Brad Briscoe. This book offers first principles and best practices to make our neighborhoods into places where compassion and care are once again part of the culture, where good news is once again more than words, and where the love of God can be once again rooted and established.

Like every week, we want to offer a big thank you to Resonate Recordings, the fine folks who make us sound listenable. If you are looking for great people to help your church put out recorded sermon audio or help you with a podcast they’re your people.

Feel free to hit us up on Twitter at @HappyRantPod or on Facebook or via email at HappyRantPodcast@Gmail.com with any topic suggestions or feedback. We love hearing from listeners!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #100

Patience Isn’t Passive

I am an impatient person. Waiting is a nuisance at best. This presents a challenge when I run into those situations when wisdom says “wait on the Lord.” In fact, “wait on the Lord” sounds very much like “sit down, shut up, and see what happens” which is in dangerous proximity to passivity and boredom, a state of being that is hair-tearingly tedious.

But my understanding of “waiting” has been sorely lacking. The description above is hollow. Waiting is an experience full of careful thought and action, at least if one is doing it well. If your waiting experience is one of sitting by until something happens then you’re doing it wrong.

To wait is not to set aside other responsibilities aside. We work at current jobs while waiting for the call back about the one we interviewed for. We work at godly singleness while waiting for a spouse then work at loving someone while waiting for them to reciprocate. Most of all we work at those things to which Christ has called us while waiting for Him to return. So waiting for one thing is busy with others.

Waiting is in an impatient business leading stress leading to surliness, or worse. And so while we wait we work at having the right attitude. Of all the activities waiting entails, this is the most difficult. We hold fast to hope, cling to promises, and look ahead to the fulfillment of our desires. As we wait we ought to channel our desires to forward-thinking confidence rather than misplacing them toward those around us which only leads to disappointment to garnish our impatience. In all of this, waiting on the Lord differs from all other waiting because he elicits the confidence nothing else can.

Think of waiting for a train. When you wait you may be still, standing or sitting, but you are not passive. You are watching, listening. Your eyes follow the parallel lines of the tracks into the distance looking for the train to come chugging in. You listen for the roar of the engine, the clanking of the cars, and the tones of the train’s whistle. Even as your body rests on the platform your senses are alert and your mind active. This is what it should be like to wait on the Lord too. Sometimes it is stillness, but in the stillness there is alertness and heightened sensitivity.

Finally, sometimes waiting is searching. Often waiting for opportunities is looking for them. Think of hailing a taxi. Sometimes you walk from a quiet street to a busy one where the taxi line forms. Even when you get there you must wait to intersect with the cab that is available, the right opportunity. So waiting should always be a blend of active body, right attitude, and acute awareness of opportunities and provisions God provides. The only waiting that is truly passive is that which leaves the waiter angst ridden and impatient.

This column originally appeared at WORLD News Group’s website ( wng.org ). Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2012 WORLD News Group. All rights reserved.