A Long Obedience

I wrote several weeks ago but am delayed in getting it posted here. I don’t think anyone reads this anyway, so it’s no biggie! If anyone does, just pretend that you read it at the beginning of the Lenten season! 🙂

“I can’t understand why you Christians make such a big deal about the cross. It bothers me that your religion centers around someone’s gruesome, bloody, violent death. I don’t understand why that had to happen.” My friend posed the question to me as we discussed the upcoming Easter season. Yes, the cross is a “big deal.” It represents a tortuous and painful death sentence to the bearer of it. And upon it 2000 years ago, a man died. Not just any man, but Jesus Christ, died positioned between two thieves. My friend has a good point. I don’t understand why it had to happen either. But when I look at what Jesus’ death truly means, I am humbled and thankful.

Though there is much that is difficult to understand about why death on a cross “had to happen,” several things are clear. Jesus was a Jew. His faith, stemming back from ancient days, I would even say the ancient day, required a sacrifice in order to show God that you repented and turned away from sin. Sacrifices ritually acknowledged the holiness and sovereignty of God and sought to draw their offerers near to God, however keenly aware of sin they were. In other words, sacrifices meant that a person knew that God was perfect and worthy of the best, but also meant that the person offering the sacrifice knew that he or she was neither perfect nor worthy.

“I know I’m not perfect, but have I done something so bad that someone had to shed his blood for me? That’s what you Christians say, but it doesn’t make sense.” My friend still sought to understand the injustice of Christ dying on the cross. Why did Christ have to shed his blood for me? What is so significant about blood? Well, blood represents life. Without blood, a person will die. The offering of blood is better viewed as the offering and enabling of life, not death. Let me say that again: the offering of blood is better viewed as the offering and enabling of life, not death. When Christ offers his life for us, we are exchanging the death that we are naturally born into for the “abundant life” that relationship with him can bring. The “life” that we have apart from relationship with God appears to be life, but truly it is death. Maybe it seems that we haven’t done anything so bad that we need someone to die for us, but we must understand that God is holy. This means that he is perfect and pure and righteous. Nothing with any blemish can be in his presence. In the sacrificial system, the priests required that the animal sacrifices be flawless. No animal with any defect was considered worthy of being sacrificed to God. This tells us two things: first of all, God requires holiness, as mentioned before, but second of all, it tells us that the sacrifice that would be required must be blameless. Nothing on earth fits that bill. There was not an animal that could be sacrificed that could permanently stop the need for sacrifices. Furthermore, there was not a person who was righteous to meet that requirement of blood. Therefore, God had to use the only thing that would meet His requirement of perfection: Himself. Sending Jesus to earth in human form was the ultimate act of God’s love for humanity. It was through this that God was able to receive the perfect sacrifice. Jesus, like the animals, shed his blood, only his blood eradicated the need for further blood to be shed. Humanity was deemed worthy of the presence of God and was enabled to draw near to God through this blood.

Yes, it does seem gruesome and drastic, but the truth is that our sin, no matter how insignificant it seems is enough to disallow us from the presence of God. We cannot do anything in order to be able to bridge the gap between our sinfulness and God’s holiness. God had to do it for us by sending a part of himself, his son, to do what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice of his life paid the debt that we owed as a result of our sin. Yes, it is horrific, but that is part of the beauty of the cross. The cross becomes a beautiful sight rather than ugly. If God can redeem an instrument used for death, he can certainly redeem sinful humanity.

As we’re preparing for the time of year when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us not forget that what came before Easter morning was Good Friday. A day only called “good” because through the horrible death of Christ, we are able to be reconciled to God and redeemed from what was certain death for us as well. If that’s not good, I don’t know what is.

They often say that in churches, 20% of the people, do 80% of the work. They also say that if you want to find someone who will do something for you, find a busy person, and they’ll surely say yes. I’m not exactly who “they” is, but I’m thinking that as a general rule, “they” are right! For many Christians, it is difficult to say no to doing good things. We are willing to deliver meals-on-wheels, we help decorate the church at Christmas time, we even help undecorate the church when the holiday season is over. Overall, we’re generally willing to lend a helping hand. What happens, then, when we’re so busy and exhausted that we can no longer do one more thing to help another person when they need us? Either we say “no” and feel guilty about it, we get sick so that it’s impossible to say “yes,” or we go ahead and do it, all the while being bitter and grumpy about always having to lend a helping hand!

There are so many great things for us to be involved with that it is easy to get overloaded with a schedule full of really good things. However, as a member of Busyaholics Anonymous, I’m the first one to say, “My name is Ashlee…and I’m addicted to being busy.” Busyness gives us worth—it makes us feel important. When we’re seen rushing off somewhere with a hop in our step, people think we are a person of purpose! Busyness also gives us a sense of belonging—it makes us feel needed. When someone else (who is probably too busy him- or herself) asks me to do something to help them out, I feel great about my own ability to contribute to the cause. Busyness also gives us purpose—it distracts us from feelings of insecurity or boredom. When we’re quiet with not a whole lot to “do,” we must really deal with who we truly are. Busyness anesthetizes us enough to not have to think about the things that really matter to us because we don’t really have time—we’ve got to be productive! Well, Justin Timberlake may be bringing sexy back, but I’m bringing back the popular anti-drug slogan of the 80’s: Just Say No!

Well, I know that it’s not quite that simple…we can’t just quit everything to solve our busyness problem. What I would suggest is that we learn to say yes to the really great things and no to the things that are only just good. How do we begin to tell the difference behind the good and the great things? Well, here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Don’t just reflexively say yes to anything, even if it is something that you really want to do. When someone asks you to do something, ask them if you can get back with them about it. Spend a little time thinking about it and look at your schedule and make sure that you actually have time to commit to something else.

2. Ask yourself, “Will I regret saying yes?” If after examining the reasons why you might regret saying yes and the answer to the question is probably, then definitely say no! If the answer to that question is probably not, then consider saying yes.

3. Consider whether or not saying “yes” to this will negatively impact your other commitments. Often adding a new commitment has unwanted influence on the things that we’re already doing. It’s like adding a piece of chocolate cake to an already full cafeteria tray, only to make your salad bowl run into your mashed potatoes and your jello to tip over onto the tray! It doesn’t ruin all of your food, it just makes it a little less desirable! Same way with taking on too many things. You just don’t have enough time and energy to keep the level of competence that you would desire, so everything gets a little sloppy.

Several years ago, I heard a tape of a sermon that talked about this very principle. The pastor was talking about an ad that he had seen in a magazine selling fine wine. The ad said something along the lines of this: We prune some of the good grapes so that you get only the best! It went on to explain that because of their pruning process, they were able to grow the finest grapes possible. There is definitely a parallel for us in our Christian lives. Of course I think about John 15:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)

We have to cut out some “good” things so that God can do the “best” work in us. That means that we may need to say no to teaching a Sunday School class for the semester so that we can be a good student and learn all that God has in store for us in our classes. It also may mean that we have to work a few hours less a week so that we are able to be a part of covenant group. It may also mean that we have to skip a service project because we need to be available to a friend who is struggling to stay above water with her life. Unfortunately there is no easy answer to how to get off of the never ending hamster-wheel of busyness. We mess up every now and then when we’re trying to figure it out. We end up with a skinned knee because we jumped off of the wheel too quickly or we unintentionally hurt another person in the process because they take it personally when we say no. However, the important part for us to learn that in saying no to something good, we’re saying yes to something great: to do the will of God, the Master Gardener, and bear much great fruit—fruit that will last!

We’re having an event on campus that addresses some of this problem. Builders in Ministry week will be held on campus on Feb. 27-Mar. 1. The conference theme is “Building in Some Margin” and we’re going to be talking about some things that are related to what I’ve said above as we think about leaving space in our lives for spiritual formation, Sabbath, restoration, and prayer. Check out the website: www.sckans.edu/ministry and click on the “Building in Some Margin” logo.

I’ve just finished reading a book that everyone who works with youth (and college students) should read. It’s not trendy, snazzy, or eye-catching and you would probably never pick it up in a bookstore, but it is a must-read because of the unsettling nature of its contents. It’s called Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. It reports the findings of the National Study of Youth and Religion, one of the most extensive studies ever done about this subject. One of the findings of the report is that while a vast majority of teens aged 13-17 believe in God (84%), the number of students who actually claim that their religious faith makes a difference in their lives is less optimistic. Roughly half of teens surveyed said that their faith was either very or extremely important in shaping their daily life. However, when it came to whether or not teens felt close to God, just over a third of them said they felt very or extremely close. Another third said they felt somewhat close to God and a full third feel some level of distance from God. Even the number of students who report praying at least once daily is 38%. I’ll bet that number jumps up on test day!

While this study was focused on teenagers, it is pretty safe to say that these statistics are probably pretty similar for college students as well. At the very least, they describe our incoming freshmen each semester. These statistics probably need much further clarification, but I think it is safe to draw at least one conclusion: The overwhelming majority of teens do not report “feeling close” to God. I could speculate on why they don’t “feel close” to God, but I’ll leave that for another day. The question that I do want to think about is this: Does it matter if students feel intimacy with God? My overwhelming answer is: You bet!

Intimacy with God allows for God to teach us the things that we can’t learn individually, things like integrity, courage, conviction. The person of Jesus Christ must give us his example when we learn things like forgiveness, redemption and reconciliation. Intimacy with God allows for the fruit of the Spirit to develop in our lives. Without intimacy with God, we cannot know TRUE love, peace, and joy. Sure, we can know a version of those things, but not the kind of love that is willing to sacrifice in order for the Beloved to know love. Not the kind of peace that just calms the situation, but the kind that passes all understanding and restores the damaged sides to their pre-conflict status. Not the kind of joy that experiences a sense of happiness because all seems to be right in the world for the moment, but the kind of joy that is rooted in hope for the future, regardless of present circumstances. Intimacy with God teaches us what it means to be mature in Christ.

I worry sometimes about Christians who have answers about their faith that are coherent, well-reasoned, and orthodox, but don’t have the fruit of the Spirit that can only be borne out of intimacy with God. I think the apostle Paul worried about that, too, when he said: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3). The only way to know this kind of love is by spending time with God fostering one’s relationship. I would love to ask the students that feel “distant,” or at the very least, “not very close,” to God how much time they spend fostering their relationship with him. How much time do they spend in prayer, in Christian fellowship, in Bible Study, in practicing the spiritual disciplines? I pray that the distant feelings would drive students to learning about intimacy with God. Intimacy that bears fruit that sustains us when times are tough. That builds our character to do things that require conviction. That renews our mind so that we might think like Christ thinks. Intimacy that is more than just “warm fuzzies,” but rather, provides what our searching souls are looking for.

It’s that time of year again. The stores and shopping malls are packed with people. The calendar is filling up with activities for each member of the family. The list of things to do is longer than the amount of time in which to do them. With all of the hustle and bustle, sometimes we just want to ask, “Why all this fuss about Christmas?”

According to the children’s song, “Away in a Manger,” Jesus himself—the reason for the season—didn’t even make a fuss. “The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes,” goes the little song. Truly this was a strange sight…a baby that didn’t cry! Many a parent probably wishes that they had given birth to this special child! What’s so special about Jesus?

The Gospel of Luke gives us the most information about the birth of this special child and tells us what the fuss is all about. In Luke 1:31-32, the angel Gabriel says this to Mary: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” This woman—well, really a girl—was going to give birth to the Son of the Most High! The heart of God’s own son would beat inside the body of a human. The foot of the Savior would kick against the belly of Mary (I wonder if she and Joseph made jokes about Jesus being a great soccer player?). Jesus was God in the flesh.

While Luke tells us about the birth of Jesus, perhaps the Gospel of John gives the best birth narrative in 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Word. Who exactly is “the Word”? John 1:1 explains who “the Word” is: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So the Word is God. And the Word became flesh…through Jesus. That same baby who kicked against his mother’s belly. That same little boy who tarried in the Temple and got lost from his parents (Luke 2:41-49). That same child “grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and humanity” (Luke 2:52). This boy…was God.

Now that is something to make a fuss about! God inhabited humanity! He “became flesh.” And he did it through a simple girl named Mary. He was born and laid in a manger—a feeding trough for animals. What kind of God allows his one and only Son to be born in a stable among the animals? What kind of God chooses to subject himself to all of the trials and tribulations of life here on earth? The kind of God that becomes incarnate (in the flesh) is the kind of God that does not want to remain distant. He is the kind of God that shows us that he will be alongside us in our suffering because he himself experienced life on earth. God is like the coach who gets out and runs lines with his players because he doesn’t want to ask them to do something that he wouldn’t do himself.

While there is often great theology in hymns, I am going to disagree with the theology in “Away in a Manger.” Knowing that Jesus became flesh, I daresay that he did cry. He did need his mother to change his dirty diaper. And he did bleed when he skinned his knee. But that does not make him less God. In fact, it makes him more God. He did not have special circumstances that removed him from humanity, but rather, he lived out his divinity in human form. This is certainly something to make a fuss about.

This season that celebrates Christ’s birth that night long ago reminds us of the remarkable anomaly of God in flesh. Though frustration with all of the bustle with the holiday may cause us to throw up our hands and ask what the fuss is all about when it comes to Christmas, we truly have reason to celebrate when God became man.

I just spent the greater part of this week, “Deep in the heart of Texas!” (sorry, can’t avoid occasionally breaking out into song). I, along with about 130 other folks who are involved in campus ministry in the United Methodist Church attended the Refresh ’06 conference that was held at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. It truly was a refreshing event in so many ways! I was blessed to see some wonderful friends from Seminary, hear some top notch speakers, and connect with some other people who are serving Christ and the Church (yes, both the UMC and the body of Christ). Clearly, with a name like “Refresh,” one of the primary purposes of the conference was to rejuvenate, recharge, and regenerate. I can definitely say that while I got an average of 5.5 hours of sleep for the last 3 nights, I come back feeling refreshed of spirit and of mind. Clearly when one goes away for a conference, one is expected to return with new ideas. Oh, sure I have some new thoughts that I’ve never thought before, but more importantly, I’ve got some “old” thoughts that have risen to the surface again. Here are some of the most important things of which I’ve been reminded:

1.) When pouring out, it is imperative to continue to find opportunities to be refilled. Even a very small child knows the truth of this, but somewhere between preparing to teach several Bible Studies and mentoring students, I’ve neglected my own studies of the Bible and my desire to be mentored myself. This week I was able to be turn to scripture once again, not being expected to share it with another. Also, I was able to be face to face with my two most significant professors and my former boss, three people who have mentored me, befriended me, and shaped the way that I view the ministry to which God has called me.

2.) I really love to learn! While I’m continually putting myself in a position to learn something new, I was reminded that I love formal learning! The speakers were challenging, the conferees were encouraging and the workshops were informative. I love to be in a position when I can learn something new!

3.) God knows the deepest needs of our hearts and hears our prayers. I have been praying about something specific for the last year and a half and I had someone approach me to pray about that very thing. God very tenderly reminded me that He hears my prayers…a simple truth, but one that seems to be forgotten in the busyness of fulltime ministry.

It is at times like these that I can catch a (small in the whole scheme of things) glimpse of the work that God is doing around the world (and in the UMC) and I am grateful. I can see the work that God is doing in the ministries of my co-laborers in Christ, whether they are in Wesley Foundations, local churches, or church-related colleges. Through God’s Spirit, each one of us is doing our little part to build the Kingdom of God. Again, a simple truth, but one that is worth repeating.

How many times do you feel like you have a plan for something and then, “BAM,” something happens and your plan is thwarted? I’m sure it will come as no surprise to those of you that know me, I am a planner! You’ll rarely see me without my navy blue leather-esque DayMinder and I’m quick to say, “Let me check my calendar” when someone is asking for a meeting. I, and a few others out there, go by the adage, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” However, my plans can sometimes get messed up when someone doesn’t show up for a meeting, when I get stuck somewhere longer than I think it will take, or when the sky dumps 10-12” of snow in the matter of a few hours! Conversely, some of you are saying, “That’s exactly why I don’t make plans! You just gotta go with the flow.” Your adage is, “Don’t worry…it’ll all work out!”

Well, when it comes to planning, we’ve got to hold the two opposing ideas in tension. Those of us who are planners have to learn to relax and rest in the assurance that if our plans get messed up, we are going to have to make a Plan B (which we can learn how to do by watching those who aren’t planners). Those who are, shall I say, more spontaneous, have to learn to work with us planners, which may mean that they need to start that project more than a few days before it is due (which you can learn to do by watching us planners). Holding these two in tension can be seen through this familiar proverb: “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord determines the steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) We as humans make our plans, but ultimately it is God who enables our plans to come to fruition…or not. While we may think we’re doing the bulk of the work in making our plans, it is only by God’s grace that we are able to do what we’re doing. And as Christians, whatever we do is for God’s glory anyway.

We had a recent snow storm was an example of what I’m talking about. A group of my students began months ago planning the way for Ground Zero, a “Freedom in Worship” night that would be held on campus. They prayed, they practiced, they planned, they made a Facebook event and they even fasted. And 12 hours before the worship event would happen, the sky opened up and started blowing down snow. Now a little snow is awesome…slide down the hill that Southwestern is famous for and show all those students from Texas some fun like they’ve never had before! Even getting out of class is a fun little treat. But they were planning an event for nearly a hundred people and it was awfully cold and slippery! And I hate to bring up the fact that many of them had been praying and fasting and dreaming of this worship experience for months. Didn’t God plant these prayers and dreams in their hearts? Sure he did, so why did their plans get thwarted? Though it is frustrating when our plans seem to fall through, we must learn that though we spend our time planning, ultimately God is the one who opens doors and closes them, and it’s all for his glory anyway. Despite the seriously inclement weather, nearly 80 people ventured out to worship together! Were there some that did not attend, probably, but was God, our most honored guest in attendance? Absolutely! We made plans in our hearts, which did not include 12 inches of snow, but God determined our steps. It cost people something to leave their warm dorm rooms or apartments. But what we gained was worth far more than anything that it could have cost us. We had an awesome time of worship together and we saw what happens when God’s faithful people come together.

That snowstorm gave us all a time to stop, not because we wanted to, but because we had to…we had no other choice. I even went home early and set out to work from home for the afternoon. Some students probably went sledding, others had a major snowball fight, and maybe a precious few actually worked on homework since Finals is just around the corner! But regardless, we all slowed down, we ate whatever food we had on hand, and we did what we needed to do. I must admit, despite my frustration early in the afternoon that I couldn’t get everything done that I had planned to do, I went home, worked a little, fixed a pot of chili for myself for dinner, shoveled some snow, and enjoyed the interruption. No, I didn’t make the phone calls that I had planned to make and I didn’t get to be as productive as I had wanted to be, but ultimately I thanked God for the beautiful stillness of a (thick) blanket of snow and the silence of my little home. I enjoyed shoveling the snow from my driveway since it meant that I didn’t have to go work out and I prayed for those that felt the loneliness of being stuck at home. No, I didn’t plan to spend the afternoon at home, but God determined my steps that day, and my steps ended in snowy footprints that forced me to stop. I was forced to lay down my plans and submit to God’s plans, and if that isn’t glorifying to God, I don’t know what is.

We’ve been pretty blessed with nice weather so far this fall so it sometimes seems hard to remember that winter is well on its way! Last Saturday (while our Cross Country runners were out running a race), I was raking leaves at my house. You see, I have 3 trees in my back yard that shed their leaves, as well as 2 trees (3, if you count my neighbor’s tree that hangs over my yard) in the front yard. The trees are wonderful during the spring when they provide shade for the new little plants that sprout under their protection and during the summer months when they protect my yard from getting sun-scorched , but during the fall, they’re nothing but work! So far this season I’ve raked a total of 20 bags of leaves, and guess what…all the leaves have not yet fallen from their spring and summer homes!

So last Saturday, when I was raking, I was thinking about all of those leaves! The monologue in my head went something like this: “Why am I here raking these leaves this morning while the Cross Country team is about 3 miles up the road running their regional meet? Dang, these trees sure have a ton of leaves on them! And look…this whole bunch of leaves here is from my neighbors’ tree! They aren’t even my leaves and I have to rake them! And look! There’s my neighbor girl across the street raking leaves, too. She’s probably getting punished with having to rake the leaves!” Do you hear the self-pity in my head? But slowly, the monologue changed tone. “Well, at least it’s a nice day in which to spend the whole morning raking leaves. And they were pretty as they changed colors. Hey…at least I don’t have to go to the gym today since I’ve spent 2 ½ hours raking leaves and getting a workout! Maybe it makes my neighbor girl feel better knowing that she’s not out here raking leaves all by herself.” As time went by, I actually started enjoying raking! It made me realize that there is a time and a season for all things.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said it like this. The leaves are certainly on the trees for more than beauty, and they’re certainly not on the trees just to make more work for me! They serve their purpose, and when their purpose is done, they fall from the tree. Such is everything else in life. There is a time when we must buckle down and study and a time when we must lay aside the studies and be with our friends. There is a time when we must tear down the old Mound and build up a new one. There is a time when we must say goodbye to friends or family and hello to new friends and family. The leaves can’t stay on the tree forever—they receive too much damage from the spring rainstorms and the summer heat. They must fall off, so that they can renew their purpose the next year. During this season of changes, I pray that you would see where God’s hand is leading and guiding you, in the good times and in the bad times. I pray that you will have discernment as to when to lay aside the homework and be there for a friend and when to put in an extra hour or two of studies for the day. I pray that you would see the handiwork of God wherever you find yourself!

Here is an excerpt of a sermon that I preached in chapel recently…

When I was in college, I didn’t play a sport, but I was an athletic trainer. For those of you who don’t know what Athletic Trainers do, they’re the people who are there 2 hours before practice starts and for about 1 hour after it’s over. They’re the ones who tape your smelly feet, tend to your blisters, listen to your aches and pains, and wrap you up with an ice pack—and those are just the things that I can repeat in polite company! Athletic trainers are there during games and ride home with the athletes on the van or bus and feel the agony of defeat and the glory of victory, right along with the team. They’re the people with the polo shirts, khaki pants and fanny packs that you want by your side when you jam your finger making a block or sprain your ankle on a tackle. Well, that’s what I spent the vast majority of my “spare time” doing when I was in college. And believe me when I say that there were days when I didn’t want to tape one more ankle or make one more ice bag. I remember one day in particular during basketball season of my junior year. I was the only trainer working the Friday night men’s basketball practice (and who wants to be working practice on a Friday night?). I think I was doing my accounting homework while the guys were doing a block out drill. All of a sudden I heard a loud “thud” and then guys yelling. On the ground under the basket was one of our starting five, Scott, having a seizure. He had been going up for a lay-up and had been blocked out so good that he landed on his head. All of a sudden I heard them yell: “Trainer, trainer!” All eyes turned to me, and I was in charge. What was I going to do? I’d spent 2 ½ years in preparation taking classes, working practice, watching others, and now my first real moment when I was in charge!

Do you remember those moments—possibly in a game situation, taking a test, in a job interview—when you know that everything that you’ve prepared for is leading up to this moment? I call it 4th Quarter leadership. It’s when things are drawing to a close, the stakes are high, and you can do something that is going to affect the outcome of the situation, one way or the other. Well, we see this kind of leadership in Scripture, as many others have experienced this dilemma as well. Look at the life of Joseph (starting in Gen. 37 and all the way through Gen. 41:56 and following.

Okay, so here we have it: Joseph has lived in Egypt for some time now (long enough for him to work in Potiphar’s house, be in jail for several years, and then rise to 2nd in command status, have 2 sons and take on the external characteristics of being an Egyptian (wear the clothes, speak the language, have a new names, etc.). It’s been some time, now, since Joseph saw his brothers. I can imagine the following things running through his mind:

1. My brothers betrayed me with the ultimate betrayal (more than death—sold into slavery), leaving me powerless, but now look at who has all the power!
2. It’s all my brothers, bowing down before me, just like in my dream that got me into all my troubles! My dream came true.
3. Where’s Benjamin—where’s my little brother? The 10 who betrayed me are here, but where is Benjamin?
4. I thought this chapter of my life was gone! I’ve made it just fine here in Egypt and now I have to deal with this!

Here Joseph was, with all the advantage and what is he going to do? To put it another way, it’s the 4th quarter, Quarterbacking the Egyptians is Joseph. They’re up 49 to 0. They’ve prepared harder and played smarter than anyone! In comes a new team, a ragtag bunch of nomads, Team Israel. Their head coach, Jacob, didn’t even come to watch the game. They’re even 1 short on their team, as they’re playing with only 10 and they’re playing both Offense and Defense. They can’t catch a break. And here they are, head to head against superpower Egypt. It’s clear that they could be decimated by one quick pass, or run, or even a kick (whatever) by the Egyptians. And there’s another team looking hungry on the sidelines.

Joseph is the man in control. He’s got all the inside information, and he knows that he could kill these guys, literally. So what’s he going to do? He doesn’t have anything to gain or lose by treating them badly or treating them well. They’re just a bunch of outsiders who are taking their last resort.

Put yourself in Joseph’s position…you’re faced with a dilemma. Perhaps it’s not even as bad as you’ve been wronged and you’re flirting with revenge. Your dilemma is a homework assignment that you could cheat on, $20 that you could lift that would never get traced back to you, not going 100% at practice, or even skipping class, or work, or meetings, or church, just because you don’t want to go.

Let’s look at how our hero Joseph handled the conflict: Gen. 50:18-21. First of all, Joseph knew who REALLY held the power—not him, it was God. Humility. Secondly, Joseph trusted God’s plan to overcome the struggles of life. Faith. Thirdly, Joseph didn’t allow the seed of bitterness to creep in and was gracious toward his brothers. Grace.

How do we allow these characteristics to be developed in our lives? How do we become 4th Quarter leaders who get it done in the end? Well, you might be wondering what I did in the situation with the seizing basketball player. It was my chance for 4th Quarter Leadership. You probably wouldn’t blame me if I wanted to run and hide and get mad at the Head Trainer for leaving me alone at this practice. Well, that thought did come, but actually it came long after the situation was over and Scott was safely at the hospital. Instead what happened was that my training kicked in—I had someone call an ambulance, made sure that he was safe and could not hurt himself worse and I helped stabilize him until the paramedics came. I wasn’t freaked out until after they took him away and then I was pretty shaky. He recovered quickly and even came by my room that night to thank me for helping him out. I didn’t ever think I would find myself in that situation, with that dilemma forcing me to act a certain way, but here I was, and the habits, the character that had been developed in me took over.

We have that opportunity in every situation, whether it be sports, playing an instrument, or in the classroom. We become 4th quarter leaders: people that have well-practiced positive habits and character traits that kick in when we are in a difficult situation. Joseph set the example for us to follow exhibiting humility, faith, and grace. Joseph’s name means “May he (that is, God) add.” His mother wanted God to add another son to her life. But we can ask God to add these characteristics to our lives: humility, faith, and grace. And when we need them, they will be there.