Category: Life & Lessons

Fame (Unreliable Idols Pt.1)

Tragedy is the hot butter knife of life. It slices through lies and delusions, stopping just short of the heart. The content of those vessels, the idols we build our lives around, will be the topic of my next few articles. They are inspired by the book Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller.

Idol Definition

An idol is anything we rank first in our lives that is not God. It can range from material blessings to cherished relationships or grand ideals. At first blush, building your life around any one of these concepts may not seem like a bad idea. After the boom of Existentialism following World War II, that philosophy became the creed of the land: You live for what you want to live for, and I’ll live for what I want to live for. But this lifestyle will always lead to tragic consequences.

The Idol of Fame

I have always felt the need to be “somebody”. I’m a middle child, and I remember a period of my childhood when my older brother was nearing high school graduation and my younger brother was struggling with elementary school. I felt invisible. I had my own struggles and challenges but no one to share them with. I believe I secretly desire to become so important that that can never happen again.

Many other sources can fuel a desire to be known. Being perpetually passed over for promotions, living in the shadow of a family member, or a supersized ego can all stoke a need to become well-known.

The God of Fame

In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul says the believer is “known” by God (Galatians 4:9). The tremendous power of this statement is often overlooked. Consider how impactful it would be for an aspiring basketball player to be mentored by Lebron James. Their relationship with The King would likely give them security in their skill as a basketball player, no matter what anyone else thinks about them. In like manner, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords knows us.

God’s relationship with us surpasses head knowledge, even mentorship. The Apostle John goes so far as to say that God loves us as “His children” (1 John 3:1). We should rest securely knowing that our number one fan is God Himself!

Conclusion

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon speaks of a poor, wise man who delivers his besieged city from a great king. But this man is soon forgotten (Ecclesiastes 9:14-15). Like this man, no matter how impactful we are, we will all eventually be forgotten in this world.

However, we will be remembered in the world hereafter, and we will know the audience that has been watching us all this time, just as He knows us.

“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see him as He really is.”
(1 John 3:2 NLT)

Noah & COVID-19

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I recently reread the story of Noah, and the remarkable parallels between his situation and ours amazed me. I’ve learned three useful lessons from Noah’s response to his challenging circumstances.

Background

Noah lived in a time of great wickedness on the earth. Humanity had grown so corrupt that God decided to wipe out every living creature (Genesis 6:5-7)! However, God chose to save Noah, his family and a pair of every living creature (Genesis 6:18-19). He commanded Noah to build an ark for this purpose, and shortly after he completed it, the Lord sent a flood on the earth.

Watch Willingly

Just like us, Noah and his family were also trapped in a closed environment for an extended period of time. According to the Biblical account, their isolation lasted over a year (Genesis 7:11, Genesis 8:14)! Noah’s first recorded response to this crisis was to measure how his situation was progressing. He repeatedly sent out birds to gauge how quickly the flood was subsiding from the earth (Genesis 8:6-12).

It can be tempting to bury our heads in the sand and insulate ourselves until this pandemic blows over. But someday we will return to work, our kids will return to school, and many aspects of life will return to normal. If we have no idea when that will occur, we will not be able to restart effectively.

Wait Patiently

On the first day of the year following the flood, Noah removed the roof of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry (Genesis 8:13). I expected him to immediately open wide the floodgates and spill out of the ark, family in tow. But he waited two more months before he finally left (Genesis 8:14).

Our economy is crashing, our savings are tanking, and our plans are crumpling in our grasps. We may be tempted to disregard government regulations during this stressful time. But just as disastrous as Noah leaving the ark when only the top of the ground was dry would have been, so too will be the consequences of breaking social distancing guidelines before health professionals advise us to.

Worship Readily

Lastly, Noah built an altar and worshiped God as soon as he left the ark (Genesis 8:20). This may sound counterintuitive. Why worship a God who allowed such a calamity to happen in the first place?

Having a job during this season of rampant unemployment, possessing savings to stave off need, or receiving a stimulus check from the government are all good gifts from God (James 1:17). Though we may not know why He allowed this tragedy in the first place, His provision up until today is certainly worthy of praise.

Conclusion

At the very end of this story, God tells Noah, “I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life” (Genesis 9:13-15 NIV).

Every time storm clouds gather overhead, we know the clouds will eventually part. The sun will shine down on us again, and a rainbow will streak the sky. Just as God sees us through every literal storm, He will also see us through this figurative one.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”

(Psalm 42: 11 ESV)

Petty Problems

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I was supposed to fly home next weekend for my little brother’s thirteenth birthday party. This celebration would have been my first chance in over a month to escape my empty apartment and party with people I love, but COVID-19 canceled that. I found myself blinking back tears because a canceled flight isn’t something to cry about. We live in a world groaning under the weight of unemployment, sickness, and death. What is one canceled flight compared to all that?

Problem Definition

A petty problem is a problem that is relatively insignificant in comparison to others, like a child dropping their ice cream cone or missing the game of the century on live TV. It’s a problem that appears very small to others but looms large in one’s own mind.

I grew up in a loving, middle-class family, excelled academically from the cradle to college, and have never even broken a bone in my body. These facts echo in the back of my mind as I struggle to explain why I suffer such sorrow and anguish of heart. I often wonder if my problems even matter.

Problem Relativity

The issue with considering certain problems petty and others important is that there is no absolute standard for what an important problem is. The weight of a problem varies depending on a variety of factors including stage in life, personality, and circumstances.

A Biblical proverb says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy” (Proverbs 14:10 ESV).  The burden of one’s problem is truly a heart matter. What can be devastating for one person—being defeated in a competition, getting fired from one’s job, or recovering from a physical ailment—can be easily managed by another and vice-versa.

A Listening Ear

However, we live in a saturated world. Tragedy is paraded through our news feeds every morning, and unique economic and social pressures threaten to kill the kindness in even the most tender of hearts. It might be a bit difficult to find someone to listen to your sob story about your beloved barbershop being closed down.

But God loves us so much He has counted every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30).  If God pays attention to issues too petty for most of us to even care about ourselves, it follows that He considers any that have the power to weigh our hearts down.

Conclusion

The book of Psalms says, “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 ESV). He is here to listen if we need to cry over the loss of a loved one or the canceling of a Netflix subscription. For our big God, no problem is too small.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

(1 Peter 5:7 NLT)

Loneliness

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I had envisioned graduate school would be a much needed fresh start after my exhausting senior year of undergrad. I’d take informative classes, conduct exciting research, and form lasting friendships. But the reality was far less glamorous than I had imagined.

I found myself slaving away at a project that was six months behind schedule. I also formed connections a lot slower than I thought I would. During my first year of graduate school, I felt crushingly alone.

The Source of Loneliness

 I think that all loneliness stems from a sense of distance. The distance can be physical, such as geographical separation or different waking hours, or it can be emotional. A season when you feel harried and harassed while everyone else seems carefree and relaxed, for instance, can be a source of loneliness.

The opposite of loneliness is togetherness, a feeling of “affectionate closeness” [thesaurus.com]. Initiating connection, checking up on an old friend or grabbing lunch with an acquaintance, cultivates togetherness, but this principle might ring a bit hollow during the middle of a pandemic. Are we doomed to suffer alone because our government mandates we stay apart?

The Solution to Loneliness

From the beginning of the New Testament, the author of the book of Matthew speaks of Jesus as “Emmanuel”, meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). I envy the disciples who walked the earth with Jesus Christ. They saw, heard, and touched God in the flesh. It’s hard to imagine they doubted that God was really with them!

But right before Jesus left the earth, he spoke of sending his disciples a helper “who would be with them forever” (John 14:16 ESV). This helper is the Holy Spirit, and God gives Him to all believers (Galatians 4:6).

Alone Together

The modern church does not emphasize the Holy Spirit as it once used to, leaving the concept unfamiliar or even creepy to many people. But He is the ultimate manifestation of God with us today. God was not satisfied with looking down on us from above or even walking beside us here on earth. He decided that His chief residence after the resurrection would be within each of us. This means that no matter what we’re going through or where we are, He is still with us.

The one thing that kept me going through my lonely first year of graduate school was the closeness of God. As I spent days turning wrenches and nights crying out to my heavenly Father, I experienced the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit within me. He was an ever-present friend in the absence of community, and during this pandemic, as I find myself alone once more, He is still with me.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with loneliness during this season, know that the Holy Spirit “can be the friend that sticks closer to you than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 ESV). Maybe social distancing was just the space God needed to draw near to you.

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

 Romans 5:5 ESV

Home

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I consider myself a bit of an American nomad. Before I turned eighteen, I had already lived in four different states and half a dozen different cities. Every move brought something fresh and exciting: Frigid winters in Michigan, sweltering heat in Florida, luscious vistas in California, and wilting shrubs in Texas. New friends and adventures awaited me every year of my childhood, yet I still feel like there was something missing from it.

The most troubling small talk question anyone can ask me is: “Where are you from?” I will immediately begin to hem and haw, trying to decide how much detail to go into when describing my backstory. In many ways I don’t feel like I’m “from” anywhere. Once I give that sputtering nonanswer, many people rephrase the question as: “Where is home for you?” This question is not hard to answer for many people. They may consider their home their hometown or their homeland or wherever their family lives at the moment, but I want to understand what “home” truly is.

What is Home?

I think a definition that might begin to capture some of the essence of homeness is that home is a “welcome familiarity”. Familiarity is the key aspect of this definition that most people will recognize. What makes a people “homey”, for instance, is that they speak your language or bear your skin color or share your interests. However, familiarity alone is not enough. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in the United States his whole life, but he never felt at home here. He fought to change the status quo of racism, the familiar, because it was utterly unwelcome to him. This is why I define home as both familiar and welcome. It is both what one is used to and what one longs for.

The Way Home

Everyone desires a home. This desire is the reason why two-thirds of college students experience homesickness [CIRP: https://www.heri.ucla.edu/infographics/2012-YFCY-Infographic.pdf], even though teenagers will be the first to tell you they want to get away from home as soon as possible. Home provides a sense of constancy in the face of a fluidly changing world. With a fluctuating stock market, a volatile job market, and frustratingly empty supermarkets, a home provides a safe space you can return to and know what to expect.

If you are like me, you may be currently “homeless”. You may have left any sense of home you’ve had behind and be wondering if you’ll ever find it again. According to the Bible, we’re not the only ones who’ve wrestled with homelessness.

The author of the book of Hebrews, speaking of the heroes of the Christian faith, said they “acknowledged that they were foreigners and strangers on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13b, NIV). If home can only be found here on earth, then these brave women and men are worthy of our pity (1 Corinthians 15:19). But the author goes on to speak of a “better country”, a heavenly homeland for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. This heavenly homeland is familiar—like a family reunion (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); it is welcome—like a rollicking party (Luke 15:23-25); and it is permanent (Daniel 7:18).

Conclusion

If you find a home here on earth, lay hold of it. Cherish it. Share it with others. But if you don’t, take comfort in the fact that one day you will finally, eternally be home.

“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

John 14:2-3 (NLT)