As free as we are to make choices and go about our days, it helps to have some solid input from outside ourselves. Sometimes we need immediate feedback.
Just before I woke up, I showed Hubby Guy the circling, snarling, teeth-baring primates. I knew they intended to rip me limb from limb. I woke up seconds before the monkeys attacked. I opened my eyes in time, but the fear remained. Sleep did not return quickly.
I watched Pastor Joshua Symonette preach at National Community Church about Daniel. The title of his message was The Genius of Discipline. While he preached, he wore a shirt with a picture of a snarling lion. He never referenced the shirt or drew attention to it. My eyes rarely left it. If you have time, watch his whole message. It is spectacular.
As I lay there awake, wondering why I dreamed of murderous monkeys, I remembered the lion shirt. I am certain a pastor’s choice of shirt never led me to a nightmare before that night. As traumatized as I am, I understand why he wore it.
The shirt provided the perfect visual representation of the consequences Daniel faced by continuing his spiritual discipline of prayer in defiance of a decree by King Darius. Daniel made the right choice in spite of potential death. God saved him. Pastor Symonette wore the shirt to remind ME of what was on the line when considering how confidently Daniel followed God.
I’ve been thinking about that shirt. What if we were faced with visual reminders everywhere of the long-term choices we ultimately make with our in-the-moment decisions? What if there were a smart TV in my kitchen that showed pictures representing the real consequences of my poor food choices? Would I make different choices?
Last week at the gym I chose to ignore the cues my body gave, and I hurt my back. What if the coach’s shirt flashed a picture of an older lady confined to a wheelchair or unable to walk without a walker? Might I have chosen to listen to my body instead of injuring myself? Maybe. Pitiful, right? Without immediacy, I let myself off the hook. Doing a little more felt more in line with my purpose for being there in the first place.
We live in different times. Our consequences trend less lion’s den and more supposed, eventual misery. I feel like injustice happens slowly and justice even slower. Immediacy became a thing of the past. A big piece of me wants it back. I think if we experienced more immediacy, we might save ourselves a lot of eventual heartache.
Do you struggle like me? What would you benefit from seeing as a reminder when making in-the-moment decisions? Since the technology does not exist yet, how do we stay focused day in and day out? How do we choose wisely without an immediate threat?
Lots of words could go next, right? I could launch in a million directions. I will keep it simple, though, like a t-shirt wearing pastor on Sunday morning.
We can take a cue from Daniel. Even in the face of imminent death, he pressed on. Lions or not, he kept his eyes on God.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.
Philippians 3:13-15 (CSB)