Tag: Colossians 3:12-17

Look Up Before Looking Out

It happens more often than I’d like to admit. I have an interaction with another person that throws me into a tailspin and causes me to feel discouraged or insecure. It might be a text message that sounds a little abrupt that causes me to fret, thinking I’ve annoyed or offended a friend. At other times, my mind ventures into negative territory when I read an unsettling news article or hear a podcast with an alarmist tone. Suddenly I’m sure the world is going to hell in a handbasket and there’s nothing I can do about it. At other times, it happens when I’m watching a show that reveals the transformation of a home. Inevitably, I look around my house and feel like it’s inadequate by comparison, causing me to be hesitant to invite others over. Sometimes it’s a pop song on the radio with an underlying message telling me that fueling anger, resentment and bitterness is the best way to feel powerful.

Sadly, the list of examples could go on endlessly, but in each case, they have one thing in common: my focus is horizontal instead of vertical. A few years ago, I realized that where I’m directing my attention has a profound effect on every aspect of my life. When I have a horizontal focus, I’m letting the standards of the world and the people around me inform my worldview, my actions, my choices and my attitudes. When I don’t think about it, my natural inclination is to let the input I receive on a horizontal plane affect me. Sadly, most of it is negative.

However, I’ve discovered a remedy that works to counteract these destructive thought patterns. It’s called having a vertical focus. When I take the time to read the Bible consistently, to apply what I’m learning, and to pray, everything changes. Maintaining an eternal perspective by looking to Jesus and the Bible to inform my worldview, actions, choices, and attitudes significantly impacts the way I approach every person and situation I encounter during the day.

The Bible encourages a vertical focus in many places, but one of the most succinct is in Colossians 3:1-2: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

With a vertical focus, I stop examining myself and evaluating how people and circumstances make me feel and I start looking at how the Lord is calling me to respond to them. As I set my heart on the things of God, He influences my hopes, dreams, feelings, desires and goals. When I fix my mind on Jesus, I filter my thoughts, attitudes, opinions and intellectual pursuits through Him and choose to fill my mind with things that would honor and please Him.

When I’m focused horizontally, it’s easy to get offended, to nurse a grudge, or to be annoyed by another person. However, when I’m looking vertically, I consider what God would have me do with those negative feelings. It’s hard to cling to pride and stay resentful toward another person after reading a passage like this one:

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful…And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:12-15 & 17, NLT)

Having a vertical focus changes my daily life drastically and puts me in a balanced, healthy place where I am grounded and able to see myself and others with the love of God. And as I spend time with Him and in His Word, the natural effect is that I begin to have a horizontal impact on others. God’s love and grace flow through me without my effort. I don’t have to try harder, I just need to be with Him consistently.

With a vertical focus, I can shrug off the poorly worded text message from a friend and assume a more generous explanation for her harsh tone. Instead of feeling insecure and wondering what she thinks of me, I can give her grace and pray for her. With a vertical focus, I can read a disconcerting news article and be thankful that God is still sovereign.  I can flip through a magazine with beautiful décor but realize that opening my home to others is a way to show God’s love through hospitality, not to impress them. I can also recognize more quickly when input I’m receiving is having a negative effect on me. When the stream of pictures I’m scrolling through on social media is making me feel inadequate or left out; when the song I’m hearing makes me feel justified in staying angry; when the show I’m watching is tempting me to think outright sin is reasonable or acceptable, that vertical focus kicks in and tells me to stop feeding myself lies.

Ultimately, having a vertical focus builds a firm foundation for my life. And it will do the same for yours. It starts with spending time consistently with the Lord and letting His Word speak into your life. Gathering regularly with others who are striving for a vertical focus is also a key part of maintaining that perspective. Over time, you’ll notice a difference in your heart and your mind. And you’ll be equipped to show God’s love to others in a way you could never do on your own.

Want to boost your vertical focus right now? Click on the link and enjoy FOR KING & COUNTRY’S song, “Fix My Eyes.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeZoQoyPn6I&start_radio=1&list=RDEeZoQoyPn6I

The Atmosphere You Create

As Christians, our goal is to have our “street views” and “alley views” be consistent. This doesn’t mean we have to put up a façade or act like we’re perfect. It does mean we’re striving to have who we are in private be consistent with who we are in public.

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Balboa Island sits like a glistening jewel in Southern California’s Newport Harbor. Getting there involves a short drive across a bridge from the city of Newport Beach or a three -minute ferry ride from the Balboa Peninsula. The 126-acre island has been a popular place for the last century and is always abuzz with activity. People flock there year round to enjoy a variety of water activities, to stroll the perimeter walkway, to shop and to eat a famous “Balboa Bar” (chocolate dipped ice cream rolled in your choice of toppings).

Divided into 1,430 parcels of land, it has been carved up to hold as many people as possible. With real estate at a premium, the small beach shacks that once occupied the island have mostly been replaced by much grander homes. Although they are tightly packed together, they look beautiful lining the tidy streets. All garages are accessed from alleys in the back, hiding the less appealing elements of island life.

As much as I love vacationing at Balboa Island, it usually takes me a day or two to adjust to the close quarters with our neighbors. This summer, I quickly learned the patterns of those living nearby: the little kids two doors away had nightly meltdowns around 10pm. The neighbor behind us hosted dinner guests who enjoyed animated conversations until extremely late into the night. And our next-door neighbor had screeching grandchildren whose noise level was rivaled only by their dog.  (I didn’t know it was possible to drink water loudly. I never saw him, but imagine he must have been quite large.)

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Of course, none of these people had any idea we could hear them. They weren’t trying to be rude or obnoxious and probably didn’t think about the way their voices carried. After a while we tuned them out anyway, so it didn’t matter much. But it did get me thinking.

I wonder how often we realize the part we play in setting the tone around us. What would my vacation neighbors have said about my family’s noise levels and habits? Could they hear the music we played or my boys laughing and wrestling when they were supposed to be getting ready for bed?

I think most of us have an image of ourselves we like to believe is the acceptable version. To use an analogy from my vacation, I’d call this the “street view.” It’s the public version each of us has that is generally presentable and shows well most of the time.

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We also have a version of ourselves that is the less attractive side. I’d call this the “alley view.” This includes the parts of ourselves that we’re less likely to let others see until we know them well (or at all).   The alleys on Balboa Island hide trashcans, power lines, broken furniture and a variety of other things that aren’t particularly attractive. The less savory sides of my vacation neighbors revealed whining kids with distracted parents and party guests oblivious to the fact that their revelry was keeping the entire block awake. (And a dog with bad table manners).

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As Christians, our goal is to have our “street views” and “alley views” be consistent. This doesn’t mean we have to put up a façade or act like we’re perfect. It does mean we’re striving to have who we are in private be consistent with who we are in public. The apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians gives us some great instruction on what this looks like:

“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful…17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-15 &17, NIV)

I love how Paul describes godly character qualities as clothing we wear for everyone to see. Our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are meant to be as obvious to others as the shirts on our backs. Through the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, love, peace and thankfulness flow from us to bless others. We encourage people with our wisdom and all that we do honors God and shows our gratitude for Him.

So, how well does that describe you? If you were staying in close quarters like we did on Balboa Island, what would your next-door neighbor hear echoing from the alley? To get even more personal: How do you think people feel after they’ve spent time with you? Blessed? Encouraged? Refreshed? Drained? Judged? Loved?

What tone do you set in your immediate surroundings? If you aren’t sure, spend some time observing yourself over the next few days and see what you learn. Each of us has the power every day to bless the people in our lives- whether it is the ones we see intentionally or the ones who happen to cross our paths. Let’s commit to living our lives in such a way that whether they’re overhearing us or interacting with us face to face, they encounter the love of God in a way they can’t deny.

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