Happy Slow-Moving-Saturday, friends!
I slept in this morning because I wanted to make the most of working outside in 104 degrees this afternoon.
(Only part of that sentence is true. I’ll let you guess which part).
I got to do something last night that was a first for me. I sang the National Anthem at the Amarillo Sod Poodles baseball game.
I was actually a little nervous.
Having heard some really bad renditions of the anthem (both by amateurs and professionals) I wanted to be sure that mine didn’t get added to THAT list.
I think I came close to finishing in the same key I started in, so I’m considering it a victory.
Here’s the video Mrs. Sweetie captured.
Our granddaughters were there (along with their parents) so maybe they’ll have a good memory of their grandpa singing at the baseball game.
I think I might have been a little nervous for another reason.
I had a strong sense of responsibility.
Not only to do justice to the anthem, but also to fulfill our (Mrs Sweetie’s and mine) mission of wearing Jesus beautifully.
How is that possible when there’s no mention of Jesus? No prayers? No mention of my background?
“The National Anthem tonight will be sung by Gerry Lewis.”
That was the intro.
Just a random guy.
May I make a confession?
As much as I enjoy being “on stage,” I’ve grown to appreciate the times of being a random guy trying to be a blessing.
Here’s the result I’m hoping for from last night’s experience: that people would think I did a good job with the anthem and that anyone who interacted with me would believe I treated them with kindness, respect, and grace.
Whether they recognized me as the singer or not.
This morning’s verse from 2 Timothy reminded me that God has called me (and every follower of Jesus) to a holy life.
That word “holy” doesn’t mean that we devote our lives to doing churchy stuff and being sure we’re not having too much fun.
It doesn’t mean that God is opposed to our being happy and bringing happiness to other people.
It means we recognize that we are chosen and set apart by God for the purpose of revealing His character and kingdom.
Someone recently quoted to me something from a sermon: “God never said He wants us to be happy; He said He wants us to be holy.”
My response: “God also never said He wants us to be unhappy, so there’s that.”
Happy and Holy are not opposites.
The question for our self-evaluation is what makes us happy.
If we set out to find happiness and do what makes us happy, we’ll often find ourselves doing things that are incredibly inconsistent with the holiness that God created us for.
But if we live with a sense of holy purpose and direction and find our happiness in that journey, then we can know that our happiness is holy.
My hymn text today has a phrase that grabbed my attention: “Tenderly cares He for His erring children.”
We’re all going to mess up.
We’re all going to lose focus.
We’re all going to have moments of self-centeredness.
Some people have a view of an angry God who is eager to punish our sins.
Some people have a view of a permissive God who is eager to ignore our sins.
Some people (I include myself in this) have a view of a loving God who is eager to tenderly correct our sins and restore us to joyful, purposeful living.
Which view is yours?
Be amazing today, my friend.
