Striving

Recently I have begun to notice in myself what I will call a "Striving Spirit." Over the past two years I think that I have developed a self-identity that basically consists of:

• young
• inexperienced
• unqualified

This is probably because I've spent most of that time surrounded by people older, more experienced, and more qualified. Unfortunately, that identity created in me an insecurity that I am:

• alone
• not good enough
• not going to make it

Therefore, I have been striving to rectify this identity. Pursuing friends, trying to get better experiences, and greatly desiring more education, to name a few of my strivings. Overall, I'm really just seeking some approval and some applause.

Galatians 1:10: "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

John 5:44: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"

It's all well and good to tell yourself to give up striving, but how?

Luke 10:20: "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

It's a change of attitude. Paul has some more interesting things to say about striving in Philippians 3:

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." - verses 7-9

This is a powerful message to give up striving. Not only can you not achieve righteousness (salvation) by your actions, but everything is subordinate to the fact that you have Christ. Nothing else really matters. Not titles, nor degrees, nor accomplishments, nor friends.

Matthew 6:33: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Jesus is speaking there of abstaining from worries, but the same applies to strivings - seek Christ first and foremost! This presents an interesting dichotomy, for Paul is not done in Philippians 3:

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - verses 13-14

Paul is now instructing us to return to striving! Now that we have abandoned striving for things in order to pursue Christ foremost, we must return to striving after God, who is calling us upward and forward! How then do we reconcile this?

Philippians 3:15: "Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude..."

Paul uses a powerful Greek word here for attitude (phroneo) which he has made a nice habit of using throughout Philippians. Other uses of phroneo in Philippians?

• 1:7 - love for the Philippians, confidence in their progress
• 2:2 - unity, love, joy
• 2:5 - the extreme humility and meekness of Christ found in the next few verses
• 4:2 - harmony and unity
• 4:10 - loving concern for the right things

Let us then give up strivings for righteousness in favor of focusing on Christ, but let us strive for righteousness with the attitude which Paul promotes throughout Philippians!

Live Simply

In Christian circles, you have probably heard of Shane Claiborne. He's a fascinating man who has undertaken an incredible ministry - he gives up material comforts in order to discover true community in inner-city Philadelphia. You are likely to hear many people call him "cool" or say that it would be awesome to do what he's doing. While I've met him, I don't know him, so I don't know whether or not he is "cool." Maybe he is. What he's doing definitely isn't "cool." There's nothing cool about the way he lives his life, nor would it be particularly awesome to do what he does. For some people, it would be awesome, but the vast majority of us could never live his life. He has an incredible ministry, and has a very special calling and it's great to see him living in that calling. I'm still looking for my special calling. If you see it anywhere, please tell it that I'm looking for it, and let me know which direction it went.

Anyways, he advocates living simply. When I heard him speak at a conference not long ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him humble himself a few times, such as when he admitted to having a "major libido" and that he had for a time made singleness his idol. He also said that he was still figuring out exactly what living simply meant, and he said that he now thinks that living simply means all different things to different people. We know what it means to Shane. To somebody, it might mean giving up a few extravagances so that a few kids can go to school in a developing nation. But I'd like to suggest another option.

I think that for me, living simply has less to do with material possessions (I don't have too many anyways) and more to do with attitude. In my life thus far, and I think that I want to make it part of my identity, I have always taken major events, problems, and changes in stride. Leave all my friends and move to college, no problem. Hang out in western Kenya without the benefit of any of my American friends, of course. Graduate with no job lined up and recession looming, whatever. Parents divorce, guess that means move forward. I think that for me, living simply means remembering my place in life. I'm just a guy doing my thing and that's all there is to it. Stuff happens, and of course it affects you, but I don't see the need to get dramatic about it.

I'll get dramatic for other people. My coworkers in Kenya who wouldn't go out with me to eat because they couldn't afford it, and wouldn't even go home to eat, but rather took their lunch hour to go to their second job - I'll get dramatic for them. They deserve it. I've never carried that burden. The young girl who gets tricked away from her family and carried to another country and forced into prostitution - I'll get dramatic for her. She deserves it. I've never carried that burden. The kid who has to kill at a young age because his country is in a civil war - I'll get dramatic for him. He deserves it. I've never carried that burden. I feel humbled when I look around, so I'll live simply.

So when times are tough, and things are crazy, and it seems like the pressure is heavy, I want to strive to live simply. For me, that may just mean cranking up the country music on the way home and singing loudly and happily, despite all the negative potential around me. That, for me, is living simply. Not too concerned by the small things, but easily satisfied by just a little bit. Even keel when the waves hit, but smiling all the way as I enjoy the adventure. And in the meantime, I just might impact somebody else's life for the better as I do my best to love them.