More Than the Sum of Your Parts

I often try to define myself by the things that I think are most interesting about me. The things I like that people don’t expect me to like or that no one else likes. The things that make me different. My long hair. My love for Mello Yello. My insistence on wearing flip flops year-round. I once tried to sum myself up by saying I’m a preacher boy and my favorite color is purple. How foolish.

Those things do not define me. I am not just the way I look. I am not just the way I dress. I am not just made up of my preferences and the list of the things that make me different from everyone else. I am so much more than that.

There is an idea in psychology called the Gestalt principle. Basically it says that a thing is always more than the sum of its parts. This may sound a little abstract, so let’s look at an example. Look at the image below. What do you see?

You probably see a panda bear. But if you look closely, the image really isn’t of a panda bear. It’s several disconnected black shapes on a white background, but when they come together, they form the image of an animal. The whole (the image of the panda) is more than the sum of its parts (several disconnected black shapes).

I think we would do well to see ourselves this way. We are more than the sum of our parts. You can take all of my experiences, all of my successes (and failures), all of my preferences, all of my characteristics, everything I’ve ever said and done and been in my entire life and put them all together. And yet, that will never completely define who I am. I will always somehow be more than that.

If none of these things defines me, then what does? What is the “more?” I find the answer to that question in scripture. In Genesis 1:26, the Bible tell us that God made man in His image. I have no idea what specifically this verse is referring to, but I know that there is something inside of me, something about me, that reflects the image of my God. How incredible is that? John 1:12 tells me that through Christ, I have the right to become a child of God. Not only am I made in God’s image, but I am God’s child. In Christ, I find my identity as God’s child and God’s reflection on this earth. This is who I am. This is the “more” that nothing else about me could eever even come close to adding up to.

And the same is true for you. No matter what it is you try to define yourself as, whether it be an activity (“I’m an athlete”) or a talent (“I’m a singer”) or anything else, you will always be more than that. You are more than your mistakes. You are more than your achievements. You are more than your actions and your intentions and your feelings and your regrets. You are a reflection of the God who made you. And through Christ, you have an opportunity to become a child of God! I can’t think of anything more interesting or more special than that.

So here’s my challenge to you. Don’t define yourself by your mistakes. Or by your achievements. Or by what makes you unique. Find your identity in Christ today and find peace in the fact that you are God’s child made in His image, and that is the only identity you’ll ever need.

You are more than the choices that you’ve made. You are more than the sum of your past mistakes.

You are more than the problems you create. You’ve been remade.

Thanksgiving Prayer

Over the past week, I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to post for Thanksgiving. I decided against a 1,000-word exposition on thankfulness (maybe next year) or a really long list of things I’m thankful for. Instead, I chose to write a Thanksgiving prayer to God and share it with you in hopes that maybe you can relate to it or maybe something in it may hit home with you. So here’s my Thanksgiving prayer.

Dear God,

I’d like to start off simply by saying thank You. Not necessarily for any particular thing that You’ve done for me or given to me, but just for who You are. You are amazing. All-powerful. Eternal. All-knowing. Majestic. Ever-present. And You are endless love. God, You are awesome, and I praise You simply for being You.

I also thank You for all that You’ve done for me. Most of all, for taking the form of a man and dying on the cross for me so that I can know You and become more like You. I thank You for the hope You’ve given me in eternal life and in the possibility of making this world a better place. I thank You for being with me at all times and loving me even when I’m at my worst.

I thank You for the calling that You’ve placed on my life. I can’t think of any greater honor than to dedicate my life to Your work and to spreading Your love to everyone I meet. I pray that You would help me to live out this calling each and every day and never to take it for granted, but to take it as seriously as I know You do.

I thank You for my family. We’re not perfect, but no family is. I know You’ve put us all together for a reason, and I pray that You would help us to fulfill the purpose that You had in putting us together. I thank You for precious Aiden and the joy that he brings to our lives. I thank You that You have a perfect will for his life, and I pray that he would grow to love You and follow the path You have for him.

I’m also thankful for Cavanaugh Church. You have blessed me with so many awesome friends and mentors through Cavanaugh. I thank You for the many opportunities You’ve given me to grow and minister to others through Cavanaugh Church. I pray that You would continue to be with us. Help us to grow and have a great impact on our community and our world.

Finally, I am thankful for my friends who support me and challenge me to grow. You have given me such a wonderful network of people to connect and grow with, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

Father, right now, I’d like to ask You to remember all those who are hurting during this holiday. I know several families who have lost loved ones this past year and are having to go through their first holiday season without them. I pray that You would make Your presence very much known to these families right now. Let them know that You are with them and that You care for them and that they are not alone. Let them feel the power of this prayer and others like it rising up to You, God, and give them the peace that only You can give as they try to make the best of this time of year.

I also pray for those around the world who have do not have enough this time of year. I know people are cold and starving while many of us gorge ourselves on our Thanksgiving meals in our comfortable homes. I pray that You would provide for those who don’t have enough and use us to meet their needs and show them Your love during this season and throughout the year. I pray that You would give us a burden to care for Your children who are struggling to meet their basic needs, because I know it breaks Your heart, too.

I thank You again for all that You are and all that You do. Please be with me today. Help me to be and do exactly what You’ve called me to be and do this day. And I pray that You would give me a heart of thankfulness not just today but every day. You are the source of all good things. You are the only one worthy of my praise.

I love You, and I pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Have You Prayed About It?

“Have you prayed about it?”

It’s a question I find myself asking people a lot lately. And it’s an honest question that I hope they take seriously. Far too often, we say that we’re praying about something or that we’re going to pray about something when really we just want people to think that we’re praying about it. I’ve been guilty of this myself more times than I care to admit. This is very unfortunate.

We face a lot of stuff in our day-to-day lives. Stuff we simply can’t handle on our own. Stress. Discontentment. Temptation. Financial burdens. Family crises. Strained relationships. Sickness. Loss. Loneliness. Lack of self-worth. Big life decisions. The list goes on and on. We deal with these things the best way we know how. Friends and family come alongside us and try to help. Sometimes we see counselors and professionals who know more about these things than we do, and they offer their advice. Seeking help from others is a great thing, and I urge people to do it all the time. But in all honesty, no one can help us the way God can.

Because no one understands like God does. He created each and every one of us. He knows exactly what we’re dealing with and why we’re having to deal with it. He is unlike any of us in that He sees the big picture, and He offers us support and guidance as we try to navigate our crazy lives. All we have to do is just stop for a second and communicate with Him.

The book of James offers a lot of very practical advice on how to live the Christian life. In chapter five, James talks about the importance of prayer when facing different circumstances.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” —James 5:13-18

Multiple times in this passage, the word of God commands Christians to pray. When you’re in trouble (and honestly, who isn’t?), pray. When you’re happy, sing praise. When you’re sick, gather with your church leaders and pray. James tells us we are to pray for each other for healing because we all need it, and prayer is powerful. Look at the story of Elijah. Through prayer, Elijah was able to influence the weather. If one man’s prayer can cause three and a half years of drought, don’t you think your honest prayers can help you in your particular situation?

I am thoroughly convinced that we should come to God with everything. Every decision. Every issue. Every worry. I firmly believe that if we would just come to God in prayer and hand those things over to Him, we’d be a lot less stressed, and our situations would improve. And I’m not just talking about big stuff like trying to figure out which school to go to or asking God to heal someone with a horrible illness. I’m talking about the small, everyday things, too.  The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God wants us to be in constant communication with Him. He cares about everything going on in your life. There is nothing too small to bring before God. And if you can learn to come to Him with the little things, it’ll be easier to come to Him when you’re facing the big things.

When an issue comes up in your life, you have a lot of choices. You can think about it. You can worry about it. You can talk about it. You can cry about it. But until you pray about it, you’re not going to get very far. Once you humble yourself before God and lay your troubles before Him, He will give you a peace like you have never imagined. Will those issues magically disappear? No. But you’ll know that they’re in God’s hands and that He is going to guide you every step of the way until you’ve overcome them.

Of course, there is so much more to prayer than just telling God about what you’re facing and asking for guidance on it. This is just one aspect of the beautiful act of communicating with God through prayer. But I’ll leave the rest for another blog post. For now, I would just like to challenge you to get into a habit of praying about things before doing anything else. Before you try to make a plan or before you give up or before you do whatever it is you do, take a second. Breathe. And pray.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I’m not going to lie. I was worried about this movie. I was very impressed with The Hunger Games, but when I heard that they were going to release the sequel only a year and a half after The Hunger Games came out, it gave me reason for concern. Then the director of The Hunger Games decided not to direct Catching Fire because he didn’t like how quickly Lionsgate wanted to release it. So I wasn’t expecting Catching Fire to be as good as The Hunger Games, and that’s the attitude I had going into the theatre.

Boy, was I wrong. Catching Fire blew me away. The cinematography was beautiful. The acting was spot-on. The plot was just really well-told. I honestly have to say that I enjoyed Catching Fire more than I enjoyed The Hunger Games.

I really appreciated that from the start, they dealt with the psychological repercussions of the 74th Hunger Games on Katniss. I will do my best not to reveal any major plot points in this post, but I think it’s safe to reveal that the very first scene involves Katniss coming face-to-face with what happened in The Hunger Games. Throughout the movie, we see her trying to deal with all the death that she witnessed and the fact that she survived, not to mention all the publicity that comes along with being a victor.

I also liked how dynamic Katniss is in Catching Fire. In The Hunger Games, it seemed like she didn’t really change much. She simply did what she had to do. In Catching Fire, though, Katniss goes through a lot of changes, and there is a clear progression of steps leading her from being one way to becoming a completely different person. It’s really great, and I’m excited to see how it progresses over the next two films.

Catching Fire is also funny. I know that sounds odd, but somehow the filmmakers managed to insert some hilarious moments into what is on the surface a really bleak movie. It’s always nice to take a break from the dreariness and laugh for a minute.

I think the most compelling thing about Catching Fire is the mystery of it. This may not apply to people who have already read the books, but for me, it was fun to watch the movie unfold and put the pieces together. I kept asking myself, “What could that mean?” and it was fun to see it all come together at the end. Again, that aspect of the movie probably doesn’t apply to those you who have already read the book series, but then again, if you’ve read the books, you probably want to see the movie anyway. And I’ve been told that Catching Fire is a pretty fair adaption of the book (as opposed to The Hunger Games, which got some complaints for leaving out certain details).

I do have one complaint about the movie: the name. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Sorry, I thought The Hunger Games was the name of the first movie. Surely most moviegoers know that the sequel to The Hunger Games is called Catching Fire. There was really no need to add The Hunger Games to the front of it and make Catching Fire look like a subtitle. What’s really going to be awkward is naming the two parts of Mockingjay. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One is an unnecessarily long title. Can’t wait to see the promotional material for that one.

But awkward title aside, this movie is fantastic. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly suggest it. If you haven’t seen The Hunger Games yet, watch it on Netflix (use the one-month free trial if you must) and then go see Catching Fire. And always remember who the real enemy is.

Bonus: Here’s a hilarious Catching Fire-theme parody of Wrecking Ball that my friend Kevin shared with me.

Feel Something

My absolute favorite day of all time is July 5, 2013. My 21st birthday. And no, that day is not memorable for the same reason most people’s 21st birthdays are memorable (or, in some cases, unrememberable). It’s my favorite day because I got to spend it with my two favorite people in the entire world (and one very cool Katniss Everdeen lookalike). I’ll never forget the wonderful time we had at the park or how much that time meant to me. How much it still does.

I’ve got a short video clip from that day saved on my computer. Every once in a while, I’ll run across it, usually by accident. When I see it, I feel something. It’s an odd mixture of gratitude and a deep, deep longing to go back, even for a second, to that day. My favorite day.

That video makes me feel something because it reminds me of something that means a lot to me. Something that I’m connected with. Something bigger than myself. It reminds me of a time, of a place, of a feeling that was once very, very real to me.

Most of the time, I’m just going through the motions. I’m following my schedule, checking off the list of things to do, maybe trying to do a little bit of self-improvement along the way if I find some free time. Some nights I look back on my day and realize that I did nothing memorable, nothing out of the ordinary at all. Some days, I’m just on autopilot.

And the truth is that’s not enough. Sure, that might get me a bachelor’s degree. If I jump through enough hoops and follow the right track, I might achieve some of the things that the world values. But if I’m not connecting, if I’m not feeling anything, does it really matter? What good is it to spend four years of my life in school if it doesn’t have any effect on me? What good is all of this stuff if it doesn’t make me feel something?

Yes, sometimes feeling things is unpleasant. No one enjoys pain or loss. So we try to avoid these feelings, and sometimes avoiding the negative feelings leads us to avoid feelings altogether. But the truth is that we all experience sadness and grief and anger and loss. We all feel things that we don’t want to feel whether we admit it or not. But we also all feel the good things sometimes, too. Happiness. Peace. Love. Belongingness. Connection with others. We can’t feel only the good things and expect to never feel the bad. That’s unrealistic. But I can honestly say it’s worth it.

Because without feelings, life would not only be boring, it would be meaningless. You can earn all the degrees you want. You can make all the money in the world. You can earn every award and have all the prestige one person could ever have. But if you’re not connecting, if you’re not finding meaning in what you do, if you’re not feeling something, then it’s not going to amount to anything.

My goal and my challenge to you is simply this: Feel something. Every day. Look at old photographs. Listen to an album that used to mean a lot to you. Listen to it all the way through without skipping the songs that make you feel things you don’t like. Remember the good old days. Or the bad ones. Or think about someone you loved who isn’t there anymore. Whatever you do, don’t just go through the motions. Don’t live your life on autopilot. Feel something.