Easy Thoughts & Hard Words

To those trying,

I have a problem…

My tongue doesn’t work.

For those of you who know me, you know that I posses the very “unique” and very strange ability to think of things. Whether I’m thinking of things on the go or pondering random questions such as, “why is it that feet smell and noses run?”, I’m never short on words. Even my top strength on our mandatory strength test came back as ideation: the ability to think of ideas. Yet as much as I am able to “think” of things, I have a much harder time actually saying them. It seems to be that every time I want to say something encouraging or complementary my tongue gets cold feet. Try as I may no amount of will power will get my mouth’s factory to reboot. It’s as if I am incapable of complimenting someone else.

But here is the kicker… I seem to not have any problem boasting about my accomplishments, my characteristics, or myself to other people?

I think the reason I (and so many others) struggle with complimenting other people is because we don’t want to praise other peoples abilities because we feel as if it makes us weak, vulnerable, or is somehow a confession of what we are not or what we can’t do. Somewhere in history a detrimental change occurred; a change in which using your mouth to bless someone instead of curse someone is a cultural blasphemy. Think about it. When is the last time you’ve heard someone compliment you? Why is it that most people have to go further back then their last conversation to find a sliver of encouragement?

 

2,000 years ago a man by the name of James recognized our tongues tendencies to spit our fire instead of love when he says in James 3:6 that the tongue “is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

 

I end just how I begin… I have a problem… my tongue doesn’t work…

However, just because my tongue tries to destroy doesn’t mean it’s incapable of building.

All it takes is practice…

Julianne you are beautiful in the most complete definition know to man and I am beyond glad that you’re not only in my life but a part of it.

Merely,

Chris Gerac

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” James 3:9-11, NIV

wavy mullets & spare change

To those hoping,

I first apologize for my lapse in writing, but my life is undergoing changes. Since moving back to Baylor, I have been in meetings from sun up to well after sun down. And since I am so pressed for time, I feel no desire or need to soften what I’m about to say.

People hate change

Sure Presidents have used campaigns promoting change. Sure every commercial we watch promotes the “need” for us to change. And sure our society is the epitome of cultural evolution (the process of change). However, how many of us ever truly welcome change? How many of us have ever resisted a new school year? How many of us have thrown temper tantrums on the floor when our parents told us we were moving? How many of us cringe at the idea of breaking our status quo?

I so “daringly” make this assertion based off of a good friend of mine. You see one of my closest friends at Baylor has a mullet. I don’t mean just any old redneck, stringy mullet. I mean a mullet that has more flow than a jet stream. I mean a mullet so wild jungle animals are scared of it. I mean a mullet so trendy and new that every hipster is overridden with envy. Now you may be wondering what on earth mullets have to do with my belief that people resist change, but if you ever go anywhere with my friend then you know what I’m trying to get at. Invariably every time we are out in public, someone (or more likely every-one) gawks at his hair. Before they see him they see the mullet. Now what, you may ask, is the big deal about this?

They look because it’s different… because it’s not the norm.

We tend to not like things that are outside our “realms” of normality.

Mullets may not be the strongest example for this argument but I believe it reveals why so many of us have trouble reading the bible frequently, remembering to pray for more than just our foods, or worshiping the very God who lets us breathe.

We dislike change. And what else is a greater purpose for these three spiritual disciplines than to change our hearts, minds, and souls.

Hebrews 4:12 demonstrates this when it says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  The arts of prayer, worship, and reading the Word are more than mere topics that have been overplayed by pastors. They are alive. They exist to mold, shape, and transform. They live to change us into the “new creations” God called us to be.

I believe that a lot of us (more than we like to admit) struggle with getting to know God because deep down we struggle to welcome change. We struggle to release everything in our past. We struggle to give up our own self interest. We struggle to let someone else take control of the show. We struggle to deny our own flesh. We struggle with disciplining our selves. We struggle with having to give up some of our deeply rooted habits. We struggle to let go.

If you find yourself struggling to find God in the midst of things I want you to know that you’re not alone and it’s OK to have these feelings. And if you struggle with the arts of Word, worship, and prayer, I want you to ask yourself…

Do you truly want your life to spare some change?

Merely

Chris Gerac

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2, NIV

Canines & Car Chases

To those chasing,

I have always been fascinated by dogs. Something about their fuzzy faces, the way they always seem happy, and the way they seem to love and protect anyone who cares for them. Growing up my favorite animal was the wolf and for 12 years of my life I even wanted to be a veterinarian because of my compassion for my canine companions. However, as much as I loved and had learned about dogs over the years one thing always perplexed me…

Why do dogs chase cars?

I mean don’t they realize that a speeding car weighing thousands of pounds will win every time. I get that they like the taste of rubber (chew toys, tennis balls, etc.) and like to protect their “territory” from “intruders” but it seems to me that if a dog is smart enough to play dead than it should be smart enough to avoid death.

In case you were wondering these are the kinds of questions that haunt me at night. In fact a couple of days ago this very question began to buzz around my brain like a pesky gnat. I know this is a very silly thing to harbor over, but that’s the way my mind works. And I would gladly say that when the “aha” moment finally came it was well worth the effort and wait... We as humans are no smarter than the dogs that chase cars.

How often do we too chase the fast paced, large scale, or fast moving things in life?

How often do we spend our days chasing money, relationships, and/or the newest and shiniest piece of technology? Better yet, how often do we spend our time running after the great intangibles such as fame, status, and/or happiness? As Americans it seems that we almost have a genetic disorder. It’s as if all of us, no matter if we are young or old, have an attraction to chasing things that we have no chance of catching, and if we ever did manage to catch them we would have no idea of what to do with them.

This is why Proverbs 18 kicks off with this warning shot, “An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends…”(NIV). Did you catch that? The most important part of this verse isn’t that some people are unfriendly or that they are selfish (that’s common sense). No the most important part is that small and quiet last word… ends. Let the weight of this word sink to the bottoms of your hearts. The author of this proverb thousands of years ago recognized that we as humans have a perpetual tendency to pursue the things that aren’t pursuable, to chase our own desires, to run after objects that result in dead ends. This proverb tells you where your vain pursuits in life will ultimately lead you. It’s apparent that the rest of the world is running after futile things, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

I write this to encourage you to pursue the One who pursued you first.

I write this to encourage you to keep your eyes on the real prize that is Jesus Christ

I write this to encourage you to find the real source of love and happiness in life

I write this to encourage you to

Stop Chasing Cars

Merely,

Chris Gerac

“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 NIV