Gaining perspective is a monumental task!
Monuments
Anyone who has traveled for long distances in a car with young children has probably come to appreciate the many large and small, “Points of Interest,” that pepper our nation’s highways. Squirming, biting, kicking, and malicious touching can usually be abated when the car comes to a stop at one of these roadside attractions.
Sweet relief can come in many forms as we leave the containment of the auto to relieve ourselves from our discomforts.
These, “Roadside Attractions,” frequently highlight geological landmarks, cultural oddities, or historical events. They are usually centered around some monument commemorating a famous person, group of people, or significant accomplishment.
Human civilizations throughout recorded history have enshrined events, and historical figures in this way.
In a similar way we, as individuals can create memorials in our own thinking.
We often create memorials to the traditions or beliefs that we are comfortable and familiar with.
We tend to venerate cultural, religious, and family traditions, or strong personal values.
Our expectations about these,” monumental beliefs,” can be a problem.
If the people around us do not share our specific values, they can become a source of conflict. Conflicts over simple actions like, sitting down immediately to eat a meal, “when it is hot, ” as contrasted with, waiting for the others to arrive, “to eat together,” may create feelings of disloyalty or betrayal.
Activities like shopping and visiting can have dual meanings.
Activities like shopping and visiting can have dual meanings.
Sharing our happiness about, “what a good deal we got,” can be contrasted with how much we appreciate finding something of quality, and, “what good taste we may have.”
It is hard to understand how other people’s values can be so different from our own and much to easy to make hurtful, and condescending judgments that can harm our relationships with them.
Distorted Thinking
Those of us who struggle with anger and depression often create monuments significant to our past. We tend to build monuments around the hurts and injustices we or those close to us have suffered.
We build monuments to our need to see justice or retribution. Often we build monuments of blame. Some of us talk freely about it; others keep it hidden. We may experience it deep in our emotions, and not even be consciously aware of it, but those around us usually are.
We build monuments to our need to see justice or retribution. Often we build monuments of blame. Some of us talk freely about it; others keep it hidden. We may experience it deep in our emotions, and not even be consciously aware of it, but those around us usually are.
These beliefs can be very threatening to the people around us. We may feel rejected when our loved ones distance themselves from us because of our feelings of blame. Their distancing can cause us frustration and hardship that seem to confirm our beliefs.
When confirmed, we build our monuments higher, sometimes with an almost religious fervency.
Allegiance to these, “monumental truths,” can seem so obvious to us that we can’t imagine thinking differently. Many of us have surrendered large portions of our lives to the task of maintaining these monumental investments to our emotional pain.
When we are motivated by anger, we tend to blame others for the things we are feeling, or in the case of depression, we often blame ourselves, perhaps for allowing them to make us feel the way we do.
Regardless, if others are controlling our feelings, then the only way to keep from being overwhelmed is to somehow gain control of the people around us.
We may think, if only they would do this, or think that, or believe such and such. If only they would change in some way, or do what we feel is important at the time, then it would be better, then it well be all right.
But no matter how much they try to accommodate our whims and complaints or “be careful,” as though, “walking on eggshells,” it never really seems to really get any better.
When our emotional attention is frozen in the past, we rarely can see, much less accept the reality of the present. Improvements may happen, but the significance is somehow lost.
Consider the account of Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter was a person who was outspoken, eager to please and anxious to win approval. His beliefs were strong, and in many ways He is an example to all of us.
In the following verse, Peter is commended for his outspokenness and accuracy. Jesus speaks hope into his life, and encourages Peter’s heart.
NIV Matthew 16:13-26
13. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14. They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15. "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
The text continues:
NIV Matthew 16:13-26
16. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17. Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
20. Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Peter may have said to himself, “Rock! Rock! Why that’s the meaning of my name! This sounds like a personal commission! Imagine, I have been called out from among all of the disciples to become...
The Foundation Church of the Kingdom of Messiah!
The very foundation! There is nothing more important than the foundation to a structure! Imagine, me? I am to be given such great authority and such great power! What an incredible honor! You can trust me Lord! I won’t let you down!
Peter had been following Christ with such ambition. He had left his former life and followed unwavering in his commitment. He was committed...
But what were his commitments too?
Jesus had taught many times about, “the Kingdom of God
“One thing Peter knew for sure. He had been taught since childhood that Messiah would come to restore the Kingdom to Israel
That He knew for sure!” But what was motivating him to this belief? Was it loyalty to Christ, or loyalty to his past?
Did these motivations and beliefs fit his present situation?
NIV Matthew 16:13-26
21. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke Him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Peter’s loyalty was strong as well. He was a man of courage and action. Peter acted on his beliefs, and he believed he needed to rebuke the Lord! After all wasn’t Jesus relying on him for support! Didn’t Jesus say that Peter was the foundation?
Somebody had to take control! “Didn’t you hear what Jesus was saying? How could He say that!
What about the Kingdom?”
Jesus was talking about, “the Kingdom,” but Peter had built a shrine to his own beliefs and could not hear what Jesus was saying! It seemed that Peter could not hear anything that interfered with his personal goals or expectations.
Consider:
Peter was in the very presence of Christ! Jesus had set aside time to commend Peter and point out the value He placed on Peter and the significance Peter would have in the future.
Jesus was sharing from his heart the Father’s plan for, “the Kingdom,” the very thing that Peter was to be so instrumental in, and Peter would have no part of it! He was too insecure to trust Christ!
Peter had a different plan. Satan did too! At Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Satan also suggested an alternate route. Peter didn’t know it, but his thoughts and emotions were coming through the filter of his fallen human needs and were empowered by hell.
Jesus recognized the, “Kingdom,” that Peter was responding too, and contrasted it to His own Kingdom.
The text continues:
NIV Matthew 16:13-26
23. Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
24. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
26. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Too lose ourselves, is to surrender. It is to unconditionally surrender! To surrender our rights, our beliefs, our needs, and even our sense of justice!
We are called to surrender to Christ and accept
His judgments!
God is the only one who can make truly
righteous judgments!
He is the only one who can execute
absolute justice!
Christ invites us to tear down our shrines and monuments. To see them as the false idols they truly are. He gives us the desire and power too repent, that means, “to agree with God,” about them, and reject them. In Colossians it states:
NIV Colossians 3:15-17
15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Jesus promises freedom to all who will abandon the bondage of trying to, “be God,” and submit to His Lordship.
Let’s Bring The Monuments Down!
REWIRED FOR
SERVICE
(click picture twice and zoom for detail)
In the model,
“#1 EXTERNAL OCCURRENCES,” includes the things that you are presently experiencing that cause you stress or pain and may be perceived as a threat and are often out of your control.
---- All of the steps that follow----
become increasingly
under your voluntary control
“# 2 YOUR MIND,” includes your surface thoughts about yourself and the things you consider important at the present time. It is quickly flooded with emotional content, (represented by the purple arrow) during a 911 response. The quality of content and accuracy of your perceptions are influenced by the deeper emotions of your heart, which in turn are being changed through your personal relationship with Christ, who is freeing you from the bondage of your heredity, history and habits. Your surface thought will report the content of your deeper emotions when you are experiencing stress, and Christ will sustain and strengthen you through hardships.
-- King James
MATTHEW 12:34b …for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
S elfTalk ---personalizing God’s purpose, linking current emotions with past emotional experiences and beliefs in your of the heart.
(Activity:talking to yourself)
(under your breath, or in our mind)
E xpectations----of God’s faithfulness even though your body may be is telling you something is wrong! You are assured in your heart that He will not let you suffer needlessly, you are free to yield yourself to pain without fear, or to confidently and boldly protect yourself without a need for retaliation!
(Cautious, pondering, problem solving,)
( looking for God’s purpose to be fulfilled)
E valuation---Deciding how to glorify God, whether to hold steady, confront or escape.
(Confident direct and honest thinking,)
(Staying on target with God’s purpose)
Your perception of being:
W ronged
A ttacked
R ejected
T hreatened
H elpless
Your conclusion:
That your emotional impulses suspicions,
and beliefs may be true but you are free in Christ to choose a plan
that can redeem a bad situation
and reveal God’s plan.
(Consider the words of Joseph)
(talking to his brothers who betrayed him.)
KJV Genesis 50:20
20. But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
“#3 WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART, or, “GUT,”
These are the deeper emotions described in #2, and include strong values, beliefs, or feelings that move you internally. You may not be aware of many of them until they come to the surface. Some make sense and some seem illogical.
These include the area of thought commonly called the subconscious, but are not so much ideas or concepts, as emotional memories that carry a great deal of expressive motivational energy.
These impulses are deposited through emotional experiences, (History).The content is influenced by our genetic predisposition, (Heritage), parental and social influences, habitual response patterns, and the adaptations to stress we have learned through the emotional history of our life, (Habits). As we remain surrendered to Christ, this area becomes a reservoir of strength. This is the area where God sifts us to become the people he desires.
“YOUR REFLEX REACTION,”
Usually is the path of least resistance that we take when we react to a situation without taking the time to think it through carefully.
This action is frequently energized by the, “fight or flight, stress response,” described earlier. It is greatly influenced by the feelings we have from our past, experiences. It is usually motivated by our beliefs and empowered when our heart or gut responses are stirred up and our thoughts are not examined objectively.
All four of these response patterns are ROOTED IN FEAR.
As we learn to trust Christ in more areas, we will rely less and less on these reactions.
“#4 HOW YOU RESPOND AFFECTSWHAT YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART, or, “GUT,”
Most of us prefer to avoid effort that seems unnecessary. Our minds and emotions desire the well worn paths, which often repeat and reinforce self defeating habits.
In Christ we have learned that much of the comfort and sense of security we had was false.
Our acting out can now be seen for what it really was.
Hurtful and Destructive! As we follow Christ, and “Put off the old man,” we will experience change, and these changes will reinforce and strengthen our confidence, faith, and ability to trust God.
Instead of merely suffering through the hard times; We will gain strength and wisdom, and recognize the support God alone provides.
What others believe about us will change, and eventually what we believe about ourselves will change as well.
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