What You Do Not Know

                 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

 

                This passage came up as the verse of the day on Biblegateway.com, so we’re taking a detour to consider it because it’s a favorite for many. Sadly, it may be a favored verse because God seems to offer His services as a fortune teller. Step into His tent, have a seat and let Him read your palm or peer into His crystal ball and tell you … the winning Lotto numbers… the identity of the person who will marry you… the location of something you lost… that you’re going to meet someone who will give you the keys to  your success, after you walk away from someone else who is holding you back…

                And sometimes, God does some of those. But more often, He doesn’t see  us as filling Jeremiah’s shoes, and there’s no reason for Him to speak to us about what is going to happen in the future. What we need more than that is for Him to speak to us about ourselves, in our present. More often, what Father waits to tell us when we ask is how to be a better child and co-heir. I’m reading a book called Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly. The focus is on developing character. John Ortberg’s teaching series is about character and changing ourselves for the better, or worse. Mr. Ortberg agrees with C.S. Lewis that we are always becoming either wonderfully good or something that belongs in our worst nightmares.

                It all comes down to character, which is not so much “who you are when no one is looking,” as Bill Hybels’ book suggests, but who you are when you’re not looking. Don’t misunderstand – Bill Hybel’s book is good. I just think there’s a step beyond what the title of his book suggests.

                There are so many ways to do this. Is there some virtue you think you need? Is there some vice you want to get rid of? I’ve started talking to God about love because that’s the greatest commandment. I ask Him to help me love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbors as myself. Then I ask Him to teach me to love myself as I should love my neighbors because too often, my self-love is more petting the ego than it is loving myself.

                No matter what virtue you want to build into your character, or which vice you want to remove, it’s going to involve changing your habits. As an example, one of the best things I did to curb my frustration while driving is listening to books on CD. If I’m listening to a story, it doesn’t matter so much that “that idiot” in front of me isn’t doing zero to thirty-five in 2 seconds. So I have gotten out of the habit of gnashing my teeth at him. It doesn’t keep me from getting irritated with “that idiot” who did such a bad job of writing a scene, but that doesn’t happen too often.

              This brings up a practical point. If you decide to get rid of a vice, pick a corresponding virtue with which to replace it. Then the focus isn’t on “don’t” but on “do instead.” And ask the Father to tell you what  you do not know that will help you with it.