Means or ends?

I've seen the post, 'God is good!' a couple of times recently on facebook. In all cases it was when the exclaimer got something he/she strongly desired. When they got what they wanted, be that a dream job position or an internship, they gave thanks to God, and rightly so, for it is good to give Him thanks and praise. Then it got me thinking, why don't I see any post like, 'I just failed my test. God is so good' or 'I just broke up with my girlfriend. God is so good.'

To me it almost seems like we sometimes use God as a sort of vending machine. We pray to Him and ask for the things we want, just as we put our money into a vending machine and press the number corresponding to our stomach's desires. When we finally get that treat we rejoice and are thankful. But what about when the machine jams or gives us something we didn't want? (I've often seen/heard people body checking vending machines because they didn't get what they wanted)

Anyway, this is all a segue to a much broader and much more convicting topic. I've recently been thinking about ends vs. means. An end is what the ultimate goal of a situation is and the means are the methods to which you get there. For example, school is often a mean to a career, which is in turn a mean to getting money, which is in turn a mean to support a family, etc. It seems like American culture strongly emphasizes this pattern. When you achieve an end, it becomes just the mean to a greater end. (so what is the 'ultimate' end?)

On to spiritual things, Is your faith based on the results or are your results based in your faith?Do you believe what you believe because it brings about what you desire, like friends, catharsis, travel, music, etc? Moreover, is God a means or an end? Is He your God because you get a good community? Is He your God so that you can become more righteous? Is He your God so that you can get (fill in the blank)?

In other words, God becomes a function in our life that fulfills the role we want it to. Just like a part in a machine. The problem with this God is when He doesn't work the way we want Him to what do we do? Sometimes we'll try to find a better part to put into our machine. Maybe we'll fill it with relationships, drinking, sex, etc. Other times we'll try to 'fix' the parts to make them work better. We'll put some duct tape or wd-40 to try to make the system work. Sometimes we'll do the same with God, we'll change Him in our mind. Covering up what we don't like and focusing on what works.

We've all, at some point, made God a part in our life in some way, shape or form. For me I got to know God at a ministry called Teens Encounter Christ (tec). For months, maybe even years, I attended this weekend because I wanted to have a place where I could feel accepted. A place where I could tell all the deep parts of my life, not be judged, and experience catharsis time and time again. Notice that throughout the last few sentences the word 'I' appears a lot. My faith was very much selfish. It was all about me, how many of you can relate? God was a mean to achieve the ends that I wanted.

Eventually I started to see the big picture and I was humbled. To see God's plan and its meticulous precision and awesomeness and I saw that it was not all about me. That it was intended for all, that His message needed to be heard and spread. How selfish would it be for me to hear the good news of the gospel and keep it to myself? I was introduced to a great bible verse John 3:30, "He must become greater, I must become less."

Here's the challenge. Is your faith a selfish faith. Is its purpose to serve as your means to your ends or is God the end? Actually, forget that. Instead ask yourself, 'what ends is God serving as a mean.' We all got them, we just have to realize it. Then I challenge you to make those ends means to God. Make them forms of worship and be humbled.

Live for Him,

Travis Ray

Proceed with Caution

Warning: this is not a light read. I almost teared up while writing it. Proceed with caution.

Watch!

First off, thanks to Nick for showing me this. You may find it helpful to read his blog first, just click on his name to go to his blog. (though this is not necessary to follow my blog)

Thoughts, first off the idea of a mask. We all have them. We put them up so people will see what they want to see, even if it is not the truth. We want peoples approval, we want to feel worthy, we want to feel loved. We keep looking for these things in places they're not, we look for satisfaction in people, in relationships, in grades, in books, in video games, the list goes on and on. But God doesn't want our mask, He doesn't want the fake us that we try so hard to build up. He wants the true us, the person He made us to be, not the one society made. He wants the real us (and any true Christian will not only accept, but should prefer the real you too!) I want the real you!

God doesn't care about where you've been or the things you've done. He doesn't care if you've cut or if you've killed. He doesn't care if you've hated or if you've lusted. His love is greater than that, His love is greater than all of your sin. He doesn't want you to live a life of pain and tears, all He wants is you.

As Nick said, we've all been bullied. In some way shape or form you have been bullied. Maybe its been some name calling on the playground, maybe it was some kid pushing you. Maybe someone calling you fat or ugly or dumb. Whatever it may be, we've been there. Bullying has always existed and it is not going away anytime soon. The way I see it there are three ways we deal with bullying. One, we let it go, we give it to God. It doesn't effect us. However, I feel there are very few, if any, people who truly follow this path. (I know that I don't) Path two, we rant. We find people or objects to shed our feelings and burdens on. We cry, we get physical, we kill things in halo, etc.

Option 3, we hide it and push it under the rug, let it bottle up inside. Until we reach the breaking point, then what? We go to the extremes of path two. Crying becomes panic attacks, physicality becomes injuries, killing things in halo becomes attempting to kill ourselves.

Confession time, the summer before coming to college my life was turbulent. I was going through the transition from high school to college. All of my friends and semi-friends fell out of my social life. I was sinning out the wazoo with little care for God. I went on a mission trip where I vowed to life to Christ...it lasted a week. Then I felt so terrible the rest of my summer was ruined. My youth group went to Worlds of Fun towards the end of the summer, I was looking to have a good time. While there I had a fairly fun time, but on the car ride home I noticed that everyone in the van had someone to be with, except me. I convinced myself that I was a burden, to my friends, to my family. I honestly thought that the world would be better without me. I just wanted someone to care (even God) and when nobody did I just wanted it to be over. The only thing I was holding onto was a song by Building 429 entitled Always. The final stanza is:

Friend I don't know where you are
And I don't know where you've been
Maybe you're fighting for your life
Or just about to throw the towel in
But if you're crying out for mercy
If there's no hope left at all
If you've given everything you've got
And you're still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on

I played this song over and over. Just trying to give myself some hope. I don't know what kept me alive through that, but regardless coming to college was the best thing to happen to my faith. God became real, I could find joy in Him, actual joy not some fake temporal happiness. I'm trying to move to the first option I talked about, putting everything to God. (End confession)

Back to the video, like Nick I read some of the comments and the one I kept seeing over and over was ,'fake.' A slight anger flared up in me. This kid is sharing his soul, and people call it fake. What jerks. Anyway, to them I say, 'even if this video is faked, this story is real. Maybe the bullied kid isn't Jonah. Maybe his name is Steve or Bill. This story is real, it is the story of millions of kids.'

Final comment, at the end of the video the mood takes a turn for the better. The last card says, 'I have a million reasons to be here.' First, I'll commend this statement. We all need something/someone worth living for. We need a reason to exist. Second, if those million reasons are in people, grades, games, etc. They will fail you! God is the only reason to be here that is not temporal, He will always love us. He will always be there for us.

"You're all I want, You're all I need. You're everything. Everything!" -Lifehouse