Series: 365

36 – Mundane Diligence

Every skill has its non-glorifying, earthy, unspiritual routines that are essential to excellence. Don’t belittle them. Don’t think less of them. God considers them as your way of praising Him because God likes nice things.

There is much in the world that, if forgotten, the world would fall into decay. Regular, boring, daily rounds—even laundry—keep the world turning. That’s part of what God wants for us on Earth.

In the sense that practice makes perfect—or better said by better coaches practice makes permanent—the mundane errands of life train us in what it means that God is not only the Author and Creator, He is also the Sustainer. In computer coding terms, we might call God the Maintainer.

Doing laundry, washing your feed for thousands of hours over your life, commuting to work—these things teach us valuable wisdom that we might never fully know about until the afterlife. In a sense “restrooms” were appropriately named. Martin Luther had his “evangelical breakthrough” in the sixteenth century while sitting on the toilet. That reformed Europe.

Praise Jesus for poop!

It’s fascinating that I was already scheduled to write this now, which turned out to be “laundry day”. There is laundry on my floor, cooling as I type. Going to rotate the laundry—a philosophy topic all to itself—though frustrating, gave me reflection time to improve what I write here. It always does. Laundry is a “necessary disruption”, such as the “necessary disrupters” who keep a company profitable—the ones whom “team-oriented” leaders like to downsize.

In a business sense, there is money to be made in the mundane. This is one reason so many people remain poor. One of the best moneymaking ventures is in money itself: banking. Consider coffee, toilet paper, soap, groceries, stationary, first aid—some of the most profitable business sectors don’t require much innovation at all, just a knack for monotony well done.

If you hope to have progress, you can’t let monotonous chores overpower your day. Always read something that will improve your character, one reason daily Bible is vital. Schedule more difficult tasks first, but don’t curse maintenance. Maintenance on Earth is characteristic of the divine.

Genesis 8:20-22, Job 38:33-37, Psalm 36:6, Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3, 2 Peter 3:7

37 – Words Have Power

Words gain their power because of their effect on the mind.

We have three main ways of communicating ideas into the mind: sight, touch, and audio. When we speak, we use two; when we read aloud we use all three.

When writing, we see our words and feel them written through our fingers. In speaking, we feel what we say through our mouths and hear our words with our ears. When we read aloud, we also see the words, thus using all three inputs. This is one reason punishing a student by writing a sentence multiple times can be effective. Usually those students will whisper the words while writing them, even without knowing.

Whatever you say, write, and even type is sent back into your brain through at least two communication methods. This has the effect of self-programming.

You program your mind with your words, whether spoken, written, or even typed.

In Freakonomics, Steven Levitt explores whether a child’s name can have power. Two children were given somewhat negative names and they lived negative lives. But, incidentally, two brothers less than a year apart were named “Winner” and “Loser”, respectively. Winner became a failure and Loser became a big success. While Levitt argues that this defuses the theory of names making a difference in the life of children, I argue that it shows the power of words spoken.

What is the one name you are likely to say more than your own—other than your brother’s who is less than a year different in age?

The Bible is also clear about the power of the tongue, not only of humans, but also of God the Creator. All Creation was made through the Word of God, Jesus is the Word made flesh to deliver us of our sinful situation, the Bible is the Word of God. As the Image of God, it only makes sense that our words also have power of some kind.

Cursing and fowl language are mainly matters of word power. Whether words have supernatural power is moot. Words evidently affect us all. Whether we harness or neglect our tongues, the results will show in our lives. Watch your words; train your tongue.

Proverbs 6:2, James 3:2-12

38 – Trying to Be by Trying to Grow

Size and strength come from decisions and practices. These things don’t merely fall down from the sky. Even Samson had supernatural strength because he obeyed certain Nazarite promises to God and lost his strength when he did not.

Don’t be the fool who thinks he will be strong by acting strong. Don’t be the other fool who thinks he will be strong by lifting heavy weights for hours at the gym. By not also using small weights to strengthen the inner balancing muscles around his joints, he will develop muscle conditions that make it impossible for him to use his big muscles at all.

External results flow from growth inside, not merely mimicking results shown on the surface.

Many wealthy and powerful people have subtle habits and practices which are the main causes behind their wealth and power. They know what these habits are, some of them include making unpopular decisions, prioritizing the bigger picture, asking before judging, abandoning pet projects and distractions, obnoxiously high and “impossible” standards, and pushing past the comfort zone to finalize every task.

Unfortunately, people who lack skill, wealth, and influence, yet also covet and disdain people with skill, wealth, and influence, will belittle the virtues and habits that build up skill, wealth, and influence.

“That’s just a different opinion,” they say, or, “I don’t agree,” as if it is a “mere” matter of opinion without an effective difference. It is obvious that someone disagrees with the methods of people who have different results. But, saying so is considered “rude” by the masses while people striving to better themselves appreciate the benefit of truth candidly told.

Biblically called “sowing and reaping”, this principle applies to everyone: artists, managers, athletes, innovators, engineers, pilots, Bible students, even family members—any discipline.

Everything takes more time than we instinctively feel it should. Healthy growth requires us to continue past the point of discomfort, where it feels like “too much”, then keep going. “Poking it with a stick” at a comfortable distance won’t get real results; though many people, marked by mediocrity, think it will.

While God determines the style and nature of our paths, inner decisions account for our growth and progress.

Judges 13-16, Isaiah 44:14, 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, Galatians 6:7-8

39 – Look Before You Leap

There is a time for quick action, but good judgment in short order requires experience and thoughtful reflection.

In driving, we look left before turning right, yet we must always hone our ability to judge time and distance. Safety and speed go together.

Do your homework and consider your options.

Don’t blindly enter politics without having become familiar with the usual boilerplate “fools wisdom” other politicians will give you, globally known as “capitol district fever”. Don’t enter the fashion industry without first walking the floor of a clothing factory and sample office; don’t get your clothing through international trade unless everyone on the floor of that factory spoke a language you couldn’t. And, never travel to another country without at least researching general travel advisories well in advance; if you can get duplicate copies of your vital documents, get triples as well.

I have met numerous Westerners traveling in Asia who were stuck at an airport all night or couldn’t stay as long as they had hoped, all because they did what the airline told them rather then checking travel document requirements for themselves, then double checking twice more. I have yet to meet one person in the world who regrets having known more than was needed ahead of time, no matter what the task.

Many people will belittle you for doing diligence before the deadline. Take a good look at their lives; they don’t have the results you want and they have many problems that you don’t want. The only reason “average” addicts will give you a hard time for running the risk of learning too much is that they “don’t do things that way”. To them, it doesn’t matter if they have the results they want, they only want to maintain their habits, no matter how disappointing.

When someone tells you that you don’t need to look carefully before clearing every intersection, just say, “I’ll send you flowers if I can’t visit you in the hospital myself.”

Firstborns in particular like to wait and research indefinitely before making a decision. But, you can’t anticipate every problem. At some point you must leap and pray for Heaven’s favor, just pack your parachute properly first.

Proverbs 16:1-3

40 – God the Creator & Craftsman

God made everything. He created us as open, blank canvases, each with a free will. Our very will to love or hate God is among the things He created. He also created the stars and everything in the universe, all through His Word.

Plants, animals, and even landscapes were not manufactured, they were crafted. Just as a painter expresses emotion on the canvas, so does God continue to weave His thoughts, personality traits, and emotions into Creation. In many ways, though not all, we can learn about God’s nature by looking at the nature He crafted. For the rest, we must study His Word.

The intricate, fine artistry throughout Creation—from the galactic level to the microscopic—all reflects God’s handiwork. The identifiable yet unique properties of species also show His artistry. No two leaves in all of history are ever identical, yet we can clearly identify a tree by its leaves. Leaves grow today, then whither; God continues crafting, so can we.

We as God’s Image reflect His nature as the great Craftsman. We find Creation to be beautiful because in Creation we find an archetype of ourselves on some level. By looking at Creation, we read messages of love and hope from a Creative Craftsman God who is very present even when we cannot feel Him.

Few things are as inspiring for our own innovation as Creation. God is the source of all innovation and diligent craft. Inspiration is one reason some people enjoy individual sports like motorcycle riding, light aircraft piloting, sailing, surfing, skiing, wake boarding, skate boarding, show boarding, hunting, fishing, running, hiking, and golf. Harnessing the forces of nature while enjoying nature on a grand scale inspires us.

Craftsmanship originated with our Creator. By having any craft of our own, we understand more about God because craftsmanship is the mastery of yet one more attribute of God reflected in our own immutable character. By understanding nature through the Bible’s explanation of God, and by understanding God through His own craftsmanship, we gain the best insight as good craftsmen ourselves. Even mundane diligence in craftsmanship helps us to touch His heart.

Among God’s many fitting titles, He is our Master Craftsman.

Proverbs 3:19-20, John 1:1-3, Ephesians 2:10

41 – Beware Passive Aggression

Calmness and kindness are nothing alike; equating them serves to mask hatred. The ability to sense concealed rage requires thick skin, a virtue of chivalry.

Among the greater harbors of hatred, beware the angry pacifist who never learns.

He confronts every challenge by quietly “punishing” others—even if only in his own mind—until they stop trying to “change” him. All the while, he pretends to accept everything through his quiet, calm, amiable silence.

If he mumbles, he expects instant agreement from everyone he imagines heard his mumble, whether his mumble was audible or not. When others don’t change, he placates and internalizes his rage. It never occurs to him to evaluate whether he is right or whether he has something to learn. When his rage boils over, he “blames himself” for not “taking responsibility”, which really means spinning his wheels and despising others even more than before. He decides to triple his efforts, but not reconsider his methods. When adding elbow grease to his failing methods fails again, he blames others.

He confronts through writing, gossip, and administration, never face to face, so he can think he “won”.

He needs chivalry, fierce friendship skills, and speaking candidly enough to learn when in error.

If this is you, your life is in peril; halt all your plans and reconnoiter your ways.

If you see this in your friend, minimize that friendship. Be cordial, pray, provide what you should if this is a family member, but that’s all.

I was once given advice by a self-made, successful Black lady in Chicago. She worked diligently, against privilege, to buy a full-sized house in the downtown district, but wouldn’t sell it when high rise projects offered her more than its value, in 2002 priced at six million. “You can’t help everyone,” she said. “Some people just want to stay the same and they’ll waste your time. The problem is that you always like ’em.”

The angry pacifist is the most difficult to move on from. If you can move on from him, you can move on from anyone.

Don’t buy the lie that “kind tone” is all it takes to be loving. When someone else does, move on.

Proverbs 17:17

42 – Bible as the Practical Guide

The Bible is much easier to accept when we understand it as a guide. It is not a book to read once and then leave on the shelf. It must be read daily with the intention of it providing some kind of guidance in your life.

Half-hardheartedness is not among the instructions for proper, effective Bible study.

Many so-called “experts” try to discredit the Bible without examining its main strength, which is guidance for those seeking guidance. To discredit the Bible, one would need to read it daily, believe it is the paramount authority on every ethical topic, study the Bible more whenever life doesn’t make sense, obey the Bible with a whole heart, not harbor a hidden agenda of doing a half-done job of anything—including so as to “discredit” the Bible—, yet live an unsatisfactory life of seventy years. But, such are not the arguments of Bible critics. Bible critics complain about other things, not the Bible as a moral guide.

If the Bible can prove itself as your moral guide, that’s great for your life. It can then help you help others. But, don’t misunderstand what it means for the Bible to be your guide.

Memorizing chapter-verse reference does little good. Writers in the Bible refer to other parts of the Bible, not by citing chapter and verse, but by partially quoting from the passage they refer to. When Jesus said, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” he was not asking the Father a question; he was citing Psalm 22 which begins with that sentence. He referred to the entire psalm through verse 31, ending with, “they will proclaim his righteousness to people yet unborn that he has done it,” then Jesus said, “It is done,” and died.

When you use the Bible as your guide, don’t make it “Bible-ish”. Don’t come across like a Bible-thumper and don’t pepper your friends with chapters and verses. Simply understand the teaching in the Bible, rephrase it as fitting without twisting it, and share its wisdom among your family, friends, and colleagues.

When you quote the Bible, make sure no one knows you are quoting from it unless they read it themselves.

Psalm 22; 119:105