By My Own Example

I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say things like, "If you don't have accountability in your life, then you will end up like Ted Haggard or Bill Clinton." And every time I hear something like this, two questions jump to mind. First, why do we use other people's mistakes as examples of bad behavior when we have so many mistakes of our own to use? Second, what gives us the right to use the sins and failures of others to teach "our" life lessons?

We point to the failures of others and use them as our moral (or should I say immoral) examples all the time. And not just with celebrities, politicians, or TV preachers, we do it with the folks next door, on the job, in our church, even in our family. I remember as a kid overhearing an aunt remark about me, "He'll turn out just like his Dad." Really now...like all her children were little angels!

My grandmother told me that when you point at someone else you have three fingers pointing back at you. My grandmother was talking about finding fault, but we have gone way beyond finding fault. In today's high speed world, a fault is discovered, then it is beamed by satellite around the globe. Within an instant everyone knows. The news wires pick it up. The late night talk show hosts go to work on their jokes. Then the bloggers get a hold of it. Preachers refer to it in their Sunday messages, with false discretion of course. There is at least a hundred people trying to to get their 15 minutes of fame off of this person's 2 minutes of infamy.

I keep thinking about this quote from a book I once read. That quote went something like this, "Such were some of you!" Now that's three fingers poking you right in the eye, isn't it?

I have to admit that I have been a lot of things in my life. In fact if I get to needing an example of what not to do or how not to live, I don't have to go to the latest e-tabloids to get it. Lying...I've done that. Cheating...done that too. Hating...check that one off the list. Lusting...you've got me blushing now! With all these excellent examples in my own life, why in the world would I need to point to someone else?

Now, here is my confession. For too long I have measured success by my achievements, and failure, by the experiences of others. It is amazing but that is just the sort of thing a "Christian" would do. I thought I had made more progress that, but I guess my recovery is not as complete as I had thought. I have come to the realization though, that if I want to be something more, then I have to change what I am not just what I call myself.

We have to live deeper than the label. How about you? Are you willing to live deeper than the label?

Welcome

Well I am finally doing it! Starting tomorrow I will join the thousands of voices clogging the super highway. That's right my friends I am on my way to becoming a blogger!