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Which Team does God Support?

February 2, 2013 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”. – Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

This week those of us who have an interest in the sporting world have been inundated with media hype about the Super Bowl, the main sports event in the US calendar year. This year’s game will be played tomorrow, February 3rd in the Superdome in New Orleans between the  San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.

It’s been observed by some members of the media that the Baltimore Ravens have a very strong core group of Bible-believing Christians who are very expressive about their personal faith in Jesus Christ. On the opposite side of the field on Sunday the San Francisco 49ers are not disadvantaged in this area. Their second-year starting quarterback sensation, Colin Kaepernick, dons many tattoos on his arms which quote Bible verses and express the identical faith in Jesus shared by many in the sporting world these days.

When the Ravens were victorious over the New England Patriots a couple of weekends ago, Ray Lewis, a team leader for the Ravens was quick to acknowledge God and the role He played in the Raven’s victory. In essence Lewis commented that God would not have brought the team this far and allowed them to lose this major contest. The same team lost to New England last year in the NFC championship.

When it comes to the Super Bowl on this major world stage which team will God support, if either?

Does God have any favorites in the sporting world?  Or a related question is what difference does one’s faith in God have on an athlete or on a team and is it an advantage or disadvantage in competition?

At times, I have found it very difficult in my own life to reconcile the desire “to win” in sports or any competitive endeavor with my Christian faith.  Perhaps we try to re-form God in our own image when it comes to sports and justify our own self-seeking agenda.

If we look solely at the person of Jesus Christ for direction, which would seem logical since many people and sports stars make a claim to follow Him, we might be surprised at the implications of what His life and ministry mean for our passion for winning in sports and life.

One of Jesus’ key teachings to His disciples was  “the first shall be last and the last first.” Stated differently,  God is building a Kingdom of Jesus-followers who will, or should, live by different standards, as empowered by God’s Spirit. Those we think are “on top” by the world’s standards, may in fact come in “last” in terms of God’s Kingdom. In effect, God’s Kingdom, espoused by Jesus is an “upside down” Kingdom compared to most of society’s norms.

We might be shocked to know what God really thinks of what we consider to be our greatest “victories” in life and the lengths we go to in acquiring them.

Jesus also directly taught His disciples to follow His example of humility and grace. They  were known to jockey for highest position among themselves, playing favorites and rivalry games.  Jesus corrective  to them was “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.”

In thinking about my own hunger and thirst for victory in life, I have to admit as a follower of Jesus Christ that I believe God is much more interested in developing my character than filling up a trophy cabinet of awards, not that the latter is inherently wrong.

I do admire many of the athletes these days who compete at a high level and acknowledge Jesus Christ as having helped them reach the goals they have set in their area of expertise. In my formative years in America Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys and Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers were clear examples of this. In more recent times golfers Bernhard Langer, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, and American football stars Tim Tebow and Ray Lewis along with many others follow in their footsteps.

All of these individuals, and others like them, would be quick to point out, I think, that their victories did not mean that God was not passionately involved in the lives of their opponents as He was in their own.

In the end I believe God views our competitors differently than we do. We often demonize our opponents and treat them as enemies. Jesus taught His followers to love even their enemies. That surely applies to our competitors as well.

When the teams take the field on Sunday I believe that God will look down and see a level playing field. He’s intimately involved with all individuals on both sides of the field whether  they acknowledge Him or not. He’s also seeking to shape the life and character of any and all who will bow the knee and follow after Him.

After all, when all is said and done,  “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” –– win or lose.

Posted in Competition | Leave a Comment »

Some Advice for Lance – The Challenge to Move On

January 19, 2013 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“. . . But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – The Apostle Paul, Philippians 3:13b (NIV)

Now a few weeks into the New Year, how are your resolutions coming along? This seems to be the season that we reflect on the past and resolve to live life differently in the days ahead.

As I write this, we are only hours past Lance Armstrong’s televised interviews with Oprah Winfrey. What is clear to everyone aware of his story is that Lance’s actions were not simply those of a man who got turned around and lost on his way to winning seven Tour de France titles. His doping practices were completely intentional and thoroughly covered up. He’s got a lot to answer for and his glorious past is now in tatters.

He was a courageous sports hero, now he faces a greater challenge  – moving on.

How he will recover from this tragedy will be anyone’s guess. My take on it is that Lance, still being a very determined individual, may recover very well. However, gaping holes in his soul will be difficult to fill and there will always be negative public opinion which will follow him – perhaps the rest of his days on earth.

I know from personal experience that Lance’s courage to tell the truth and move on will serve him better than continuing to live a lie – multiple lies at that. Even though our personal victories and failures are not on the scale of a Lance Armstrong or a Tiger Woods, if you and I are honest, there are things in our past that we are ashamed of and would be loathe to tell in public.  Most of us would be horrified to find our secrets and poor decisions being published in the newspaper or  “going  viral” across the internet.

This is why I really appreciate what the Apostle Paul says in the book of Philippians. He’s forgetting what is behind and straining ahead toward glorious things God has in store for him down the road. Look at the wider context in this chapter when you have a chance. He’s not completely ignoring his past, but he’s certainly not stuck there!

On another occasion Paul identified himself as “the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). It is worth noting that he is not talking past tense – but present tense. Paul doesn’t minimize his own sin, but maximizes the Grace of God in Jesus Christ. The Gospel – which is the Good News of Jesus Christ is that we have a Savior who went to the Cross for all our wretched failures and offers us complete forgiveness and freedom from the past –  with open arms.

I personally don’t know where Lance Armstrong stands before God and whether he has a personal faith in Jesus Christ. I certainly know that for Lance, the Apostle Paul and all of us sinners, Jesus offers us grace and a glorious future, regardless of the mess we may have made of our lives up to this point.

Jesus Christ gives us the choice today and every day to take Him by the hand, and move on in the best sense of the word toward personal freedom and a glorious future. Because simply put, Jesus Christ is the only one who can take us there.

Perhaps it’s high time that Lance and all of us “move on” –  with Him.

Posted in Forgiveness, Grace | 1 Comment »

Happy at Christmas – The Influence of the Inner Life

December 8, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” –  2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

Genuine happiness seems to be an elusive commodity these days. Seems it always has been.

Now that the holiday season is upon us expectations are high again this year that the festive season and the New Year will bring happiness to us all. The rush is on to get decorations up, cards in the post, gifts purchased and then try to enjoy the process in the midst of it all.

I don’t know about where you live but in my neck of the woods the traffic is slow and the shops are congested. The economy is bad, the experts tell us, but you can’t see it while walking through our local mall. The shopping frenzy seems more intense than ever.

I just wonder when it’s all over in January if we’ll be a happier lot. I doubt it.

I’ve been doing a lot of serious thinking about happiness in recent years. It might be because I found a few years back that despite the fact that I had just about everything a man could want, I wasn’t a particularly happy individual. I’m sure my friends thought that I was a reasonably happy man from all outward appearances. However, when I was alone, it was an entirely different matter.

When a close friend started talking about exploring the “inner world” I really didn’t appreciate what he was saying so I started probing it more for myself. I discovered that each of us really lives in three “worlds” or perhaps “dimensions” might be a more accurate term.

The first “world” is our own personal  world comprised of what we think and how we feel. In this world we have ultimate control, for the most part. We can choose where to focus our attention at any given time. The second “world” is our environment around us and all that it comprises. Over this “world” we have influence but probably little, if no control. But the third “world” is the eternal world – the one that exists beyond our senses and has an eternal dimension. The eternal world is there whether we acknowledge it or not and ultimately we must all face it’s reality.

Because we exist, we live in each of these three dimensions.

The glory of the Christian world view is that God, who is the personal Author and Creator of everything, broke into our physical realm and invaded our planet. Jesus, God’s Son has come and we celebrate His coming – especially at Christmas. He came to reveal God the Father and shows us the way back to Him.

If given our permission Jesus will enter our  “inner” world and will connect it with the “eternal” world. This is what the Apostle Paul alludes to in the verse referenced above. The follower of Jesus is but a temporary vessel physically but is indwelt with an eternally valuable treasure.

Our world is obsessed with temporary “treasures.” In a consumer-driven society we live by the principle that as we acquire more, our internal happiness gauge will gradually increase. But ultimately it results in being enslaved to a system that will never fully satisfy.

Many think that the hero of Christmas is Santa Claus who will bring everyone the gifts that will give them happiness if they’ve been “good enough.”  But the true hero of Christmas is Jesus Christ Himself who offers us a quality of life that is real and available apart from all material possessions and pressing problems.

This Christmas, as always, God is seeking a permanent dwelling place in our inner world. When His indwelling light shines through us maybe this dark world will look a little brighter to those around us. Maybe that’s what Christmas – and true happiness – is really all about.

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Gratitude and The God Shaped Vacuum – My Reflections on Thanksgiving

November 25, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

― Blaise Pascal, Pensees

This time of year as Americans have just celebrated Thanksgiving and as we prepare for the Advent season I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of gratitude.

I’ve been hearing a good deal lately about what people are grateful for. What I hear them saying reveals a lot about them.

This famous quote from Pascal is worth some reflection in this season of the year. In our most grateful moments, we who  have grown up and lived in an environment of relative affluence must admit that our possessions and comfortable lifestyles tend to capture our hearts and drive our ambitions, probably much more than we realize.

I have heard Pascal’s observation quoted most often in reference to those without a personal faith in God, or more specifically a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It makes perfect sense that those without an awareness of God’s personal activity in their lives will feel a sense of emptiness in life and will feverishly seek to “fill the void” with whatever seems to satisfy – even if it is only temporary. This would explain the proliferation of various addictions which plague so many of us in today’s world.

In my own naive way of thinking, I have generally felt that people of faith have an advantage over those who don’t because of their acknowledgment of the “God shaped vacuum” and of necessity desire a personal relationship with God throughout life. I’m now realizing that it’s not quite so simple.

I have just finished reading two books on the subject of addiction and recovery. One is a classic work by Gerald May entitled  “Addiction and Grace.”  May’s work  almost reads like a devotional book in that he demonstrates in compelling ways that most people who overcome addictions do so by having some kind of personal encounter with God. In short, he explains that all addictions are simply various forms of “attachment.” Objects of addiction become idols and substitute “gods” in our lives and are always destructive. God Himself, May explains, never allows Himself to be used as an object of attachment as He is constantly seeking to be known in relationship.

When we “give thanks” for our possessions and the trappings of our creature-comforts we often expose the very things that have become attachments and objects of worship in our own lives. I am not saying that we should not be grateful for these things. I am saying that we need to be more focused on The Giver of all good things.

In my own personal journey with God, I would have to say that I am coming through a season in which God has been exposing idols in my own life. This is why May’s book made such an impression on me.

Back as a young man of sixteen I remember the day in Sunday School that I “gave my heart to Jesus.”  Later after hearing about the “God shaped vacuum” I began to think, “Great! Now my problems are solved! I had this vacuum inside and now it’s completely filled. I’ll be satisfied in life from now on!”

What I neglected to realize is that God continues to fill the void only if I allow Him to do so on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment arrangement. I’m not talking here about my eternal destiny – that is a completed transaction. I’m talking about a heart response to what God offers me of Himself every moment of every day.

When we get focused on all the “stuff” that our Heavenly Father provides for us, we can miss the reality that every moment He provides us with His presence and life in its fullness apart from possessions and earthly pleasures.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a long, long way from defeating all the idols and attachments in my own life that challenge my devotion to Jesus Christ. But I think this is one of the first Thanksgivings in a long time that I’m leaning toward being more grateful for God Himself and His activity in my life rather than just starting and stopping with a shopping list of all He’s provided for me.

Obviously all the people and possessions that our Father gives to us should draw us back to Him in gratitude. But I’m finding that God is always in the business of revealing the emptiness that is and would be part of my life if not for His continuing, abiding presence.

At this very “full” time of the year may you allow God into whatever circumstance you are facing just now and find Him filling the empty spaces of your heart. For His abiding presence and personal touch in our lives we can all be truly grateful.

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Positive Thinking – An Antidote to Anxiety

November 11, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:25-26 (NIV)

“Almost everyone who comes into our office seems to be experiencing high levels of stress,” commented the nurse who was drawing my blood. My local doctor sent me to her recently for a routine blood test. As we were conversing we somehow came to the subject of stress and anxiety.

It’s not very difficult to see why people are under a cloud of so much worry in these times. We are under constant pressure from many sources nowadays. A case in point would be the US presidential race which ended this past week.

Even though I am not currently residing in the USA many people where I live in Ireland were watching the election with interest and I along with them. From my viewpoint, I was aware that  many of my Stateside family and friends were profoundly anxious about the outcome of the election – one way or the other.

I’m obviously not the first to discover this, but anxiety is most often fueled by a sense of helplessness in the face of situations beyond our control. The outcome of an event or the fear of “what might happen next?” is reflective of anxiety’s dominance on the stage of our minds.

In recent years I’ve come to realize that worry and stress have had a much firmer grip on my soul than they should have had. Our tendency to worry about the real-life issues we face doesn’t usually have any influence over the situations themselves and in fact makes living in the present much more difficult in the process. Maybe it’s that we have the compulsion to “do something” about what troubles us, even when we realistically have little control in the situation.

It’s a negative cycle that’s not easily broken. Anxiety creates an ever growing snowball that keeps negative thinking  growing. The effects of anxiety rob us of happiness that could be ours and influences the lives of those around us. It’s not very fun to be around people who don’t have a positive outlook on life. Anxiety is a toxin that takes away good things and gives nothing in return.

At the risk of being overly simplistic, I think one decision we can make today to start relieving the burden of anxiety on our souls is to examine our own thoughts in light of what they produce in our inner lives.

As reflected in the verse above, Jesus spoke to us very directly about our thought processes, particularly about the things we tend to stress over the most – our basic needs of food, clothing and housing. He spoke about God’s Kingdom, seeking it first, above all things, and trusting God to take care of all of our needs.

Over the past while I made some deliberate decisions about being much more intentional about my own thought life.  As a result, I obtained a small notebook as a complement to my own personal journal.  It’s specifically for recording positive things I’m seeing God doing in and around me – the signs of His Kingdom, so to speak. Answers to prayer, unexpected surprises, people who are special to me and reasons for celebrating what God is doing all find their way into the notebook.

As you might imagine, my “positive notebook” is progressing, but it doesn’t have nearly enough in it. I’m sure that I am only capturing a fraction of what God is actually doing around me and what could be recorded.

Whenever I’m tempted to let anxiety take root, or allow negative thoughts to dominate, my positive notebook is never far away. Taking time to reflect on the positives gives me a fresh perspective on my current problems and renews a spirit of gratitude within me.

I don’t expect to solve everyone’s problems with anxiety with one essay such as this. Just the exercise of sharing these insights gives me hope that whatever the future may hold for us, stress and anxiety need not have a dominating power in our lives. This is especially true for all who are seeking God’s Kingdom. We can intentionally yield to Him, longing to have His rule dominate our thoughts and  hearts.

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The Possibility of Positive Thinking – Aligning with the Truth

October 27, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true . . . if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

I grew up in an era when Norman Vincent Peale was something of a household name in North America. He was a well-known Manhattan pastor who popularized books on “Positive Thinking.” A somewhat controversial figure, he was admired by some and despised by others. I know my late father-in-law loved his books and always kept one on his coffee table.

I recall the comment made by one of our popular professors speaking in chapel during my early years in graduate school when he said, “The theology of Paul is appealing but the theology of Peale is appalling!”

At the time being a rather, I thought, optimistic person myself I wondered why anyone would be opposed to positive thinking?

My goal here is not condemn or condone Mr. Peale, nor any of his advocates or critics but to examine the reality that the way we think and process “truth” is of critical importance. This essay is the first in what I hope will be a series on the subject of positive thinking.

When the apostle Paul writes to the Philippians in the first century he has much to tell them about the positive nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is what I consider to be the foundation of Positive Thinking. The reality is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in fact, the most positive message in the universe. The Gospel is all about a new relationship with God based on His work in man’s behalf – the restoration of a broken relationship at the Cross and a new resurrected life in the Spirit. What could be more positive than that?

However, just because we acknowledge truth doesn’t mean that we align with it. In order to have a positive outlook on life – which by the way I think is essential for one’s emotional and spiritual health – we must align with the truth.

I married my wife Joyce at the tender age of twenty-one years of age (for both of us) in the little town of Whitehall, Wisconsin in July 1975. We started off our married life with high hopes and a very old and somewhat unreliable car. To get to our wedding I had driven 1200 miles from Texas to Wisconsin. Before returning to Texas we were planning a honeymoon in Niagara Falls. A trip of over 800 miles all the way over in western, New York  – all by car!  Needless to say, our resources and our car were being tested from the outset of our married life.

A couple of days into our trip across the Midwest a couple of warning signs, or “truths” if you will came crashing down on my world of positive thinking. After all, I was a newly married man on his honeymoon!

First, I noticed that a new glitch arose with the car. A red light on the dashboard that I had never noticed before, started flashing on and then going off after a few seconds.  It seemed to be the brake light but I tended to ignore it because it never stayed on and the brakes didn’t “seem” to be faulty.

About the third day into our trip we woke up in Dearborn, Michigan with plans to travel on and arrive in Niagara Falls later in the afternoon. To our surprise the phone rang in the motel where we were staying and my mother was on the other end. She was calling from Texas to “inform” me that I had “possibly” been exposed to Hepatitis (don’t ask me how).

Our agenda then quickly shifted. The recommendation was that I should find a doctor ASAP and have him administer a gamma globulin injection as a precaution. I wasn’t too keen on the plan because I wasn’t convinced I was in any danger, I didn’t have time for this and unfortunately, I was well acquainted with the agony of these injections from my childhood bout with Rheumatic Fever.

That morning, without realizing it I was faced with several realities which couldn’t be handled with “positive thinking” alone. We wanted to reach our destination that day at Niagara Falls, but what we really needed was a mechanic and possibly a doctor as well.

We ended up finding a doctor to administer the shot then in haste headed off to our destination in a car with faulty brakes. It wasn’t until we crossed into Canada that we decided to switch drivers. Along a seemingly deserted road in south central Canada my lovely new bride slammed on the brakes for a light that turned red ahead of us. We rear-ended  the car in front of us because my priorities and my positive thinking didn’t allow for fixing a leaky brake line.

I suppose I have to keep learning what Henry Cloud explains so well in his books, that “The truth is always your friend.” We may not like some of the medical reports and warning lights in life, but most often they are there to alert us of dangers and pitfalls that will find us along life’s way.

My failure to align with the truth that my brakes were failing on my honeymoon was one of the harsh realities of my early married life. I now invest a lot more of my resources in car safety and I have no desire to put my family members at risk. The hepatitis scare was bogus but the red light and mushy brakes were revealing something that was true. It’s sometimes hard to read the signs. I guess that’s why they use red for the ones that are important.

I believe positive thinking is possible and even necessary. Perhaps the first step is to take a look at reality even though we may not like what we see. Seeing reality for what it is and taking appropriate action is to acknowledge that indeed truth is our friend. Maybe it’s that positive thinking should lead to appropriate action – even though it may not be very convenient.

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Advancement Through Adversity

October 10, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

And to the man he said, ‘Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.’ Genesis 3:17-18 (NLT)

I think I have been viewing life a little differently since I revived my long lost exercise program.  It comes from working out a few times a week at my local gym the past two and a half years.

Now that I make this one of my regular places to meet people in our community I rub shoulders with folks who represent diverse steams of thought regarding health and fitness. There are, however, several things we all share in common. Everyone is there with a goal in mind, a strategy for reaching it and some sort of resistance they face in getting there.

Recently I began chatting with a woman I had been noticing on a regular basis. She caught my eye because her weight loss program was showing dramatic results and I wanted to complement her on her commitment to the process of change. I mean this girl would qualify as a top contender in any “biggest loser” contest. When she told me how much weight she had lost through diet and exercise I was completely blown away.  In my estimation she’s more of a success story than many of the super-fit gym enthusiasts who put the rest of us in our place.

It seems that everything worthwhile in life is accomplished by struggling against resistance. Whether it means dropping a few pounds, completing a course of study, raising children, changing careers or being a catalyst for change, genuine progress only comes through resistance or standing strong in the face of adversity.

I think this is due to the fact that we live in a world that was not designed to operate as it actually does. Life on this earth was designed to be lived in close connection with our Creator. But we live in a fallen world and until we are fully redeemed we won’t be having an easy time accomplishing anything of quality and substance. Just take a closer look at Genesis chapter three and you’ll see what I’m talking about. We live in a world cursed with weeds, thorns and all sorts of nasty obstacles.

This seems pretty obvious but for many years I think I was living in denial.  For much of my life I don’t think I had a very good attitude toward adversity. My family will tell you I that I don’t even have much patience with inconvenience!

Like most people, I have faced my share of suffering through the years.  Some of the most concentrated years of personal adversity came during 1989 to 1995. During those six years, between my wife and me all four of our parents died as well as one of my sisters.  Living overseas, we made seven emergency trips back to America during that time. In early 1990 I had a co-worker develop a serious mental illness and was instrumental in having him hospitalized. I then faced a similar situation in 1992 with a close family member.

I think after that season of suffering I became rather callous and unable to see that something positive could come out of those experiences. However, I’m beginning to develop a different attitude toward adversity. I’m realizing that adversity in its various forms can actually build our spiritual and emotional resources if we accept the inevitability of it and realize that there are supernatural provisions available to us in the process.

The New Testament writer James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfectand complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NIV)

I think James is saying that our acceptance of adversity with a joyful attitude will make a difference over the long haul.

After all these years I’m starting to appreciate that suffering will be part of the growth process of life. My attitude will make a significant difference in the development of my character. As I follow Jesus Christ, He wants to take me to the place where I’m complete and lacking in nothing. He knows the potential of the man I can be. I must realize I’m not that man – yet. I’m trying to accept that it does not look likely to happen without hardship.

I don’t know what struggles you are facing just now. I have many friends who are now enduring suffering that I feel is far worse than mine. I do know that it’s possible, with God’s help, to see suffering as a friend of maturity, rather than a dreaded enemy.

It is my hope and prayer that we can learn to draw on God’s resources in every season of life and even advance through adversity.

Posted in Adversity | 2 Comments »

Make the Process Your Priority

October 1, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)

We’re seeing more warnings all the time. Our mobile phones are demanding our attention most of our waking hours. We’re quickly learning that they can be dangerous instruments when driving, walking, and performing many other everyday tasks.

It seems obvious to me from this new reality that we humans are not designed to focus for very long on more than one thing at a time. I have been reading reports on “multitasking.” The term describes computers – not humans.

It reflects on a life-lesson that I have found to be of critical importance.  A life of growth toward being a productive, intentional person only becomes a reality by focusing on the process rather than the results. It’s either one or the other. There’s a very subtle but significant difference between them. Results flow from a process. Regardless of the endeavor, we are much more effective as people when we focus on process and let the results flow from there.

As a student of the Bible I see it in Psalm 1. The Psalmist says that the person who desires a life of substance and prosperity focuses on a process. The process is simple, but profound – -spend less time with people who will drain your spiritual and emotional resources and all your waking hours meditating on God’s truth.  He outlines the process that will produce positive results. The person who focuses on the process will, in time, be like a tree “which yields its fruit in season.”  

It may not seem like much to you but this principle has made a radical difference in my own thinking, and behavior over the past several years. I think most of my life I was taught that “results” mattered more than the process by which they were attained. Maybe that’s just what I wanted to hear and filtered the messages. Or perhaps my own impatience for results in my life and work predisposed me toward that conclusion.

This principle is a constant in the world of sports. In almost any sport the participant or team who can focus on the process more than the result most often ends up on top.  In fact when a player gets consumed with the results more than the process that’s when they tend to freeze up and fall apart.

I saw it just this past weekend at the Ryder Cup in Medina, Illinois. The US team had a large lead after two days play and completely went into meltdown on Sunday, giving the tournament to the Europeans. Who was focusing on the process and who on the results? My take on it is that the Americans started looking too much at the fear of losing (results) and abandoned the process that was working for them the first two days. On the other hand, the Europeans stuck to a team game plan (process) and came out on top.

Some years ago I worked closely with some people who had struggles with depression and addiction. I found that they had some positive progress in recovery if they stuck diligently to a plan.  There were some who became more complacent with their new-found results and stopped following the plan that brought them there.  That marked the end of recovery and the beginning of a relapse. When the process was not in focus the results were sacrificed.

In almost everything we set out to do – diet, exercise, learning new skills, or developing a closer walk with God the process should be the focus. If the process is wholesome and healthy the results are most likely to be positive. Whatever goal you may be pursuing in life, make sure the process is your priority.  Who knows, it may just lead to true prosperity – for you and for those you love.

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Lessons For Living . . . and Living Well!

September 28, 2012 by Jesse L. Northcutt

Welcome to Lessons for Living!

It has often been said that life is a continual learning process. It seems, however, that the most profound lessons in life are only learned from personal experience – and much of it difficult and painful.

Looking back on my life I can say that the most enduring lessons that have formed the fabric of my life have not come easily or haphazardly.

After being pursued and encouraged by numerous friends to commit my thoughts to printed form, I’m finally taking on the challenge. Join me here for lessons for living that I hope to share with you going forward. It is my hope to see some of the principles I am learning (and re-learning) become more deeply implanted in my own life and imparted to others who might benefit from them.

Learning to live in this conflicted world requires men and women of wisdom and principle who will also live wisely. Only then can we make a difference in shaping our world for the better.

I hope you will find, as I have, that there is much to learn from all the people and experiences that come our way. Perhaps you will find here something of substance that might help you to really live – and live well.

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