Thought for Today
1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
Psalm 1:1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
Mark 12:37 David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,
Computers, apps and most electronic devices and games have default settings. They usually come with factory-set defaults for almost everything. Sometimes at least some of those settings can be changed, sometimes not.
In dealing with people, we often hear questions of whether some action or thought is the result of nature or nurture. Are we who we are, do we believe what we believe and act the way we act due to our ‘factory preset defaults’ or because of the way we were nurtured and developed by our environment? Do we even come with ‘factory preset defaults?
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Yesterday I wrote about free will. Today, I am wondering about another aspect of the same issue. Are there limitations to our ability to exercise free will, to change our very nature?
We know that there are some things about us which we cannot change. I can diet to change my weight. I can be attentive to my personal grooming, keeping my hair (at least what remains of my hair) trimmed and combed. Modern technology allows me to change the color of that remaining hair. I could even avail myself of modern medical technology, have hair follicles from other parts of my body transplanted to the barren expanse of my scalp. I can choose flattering styles and colors of what I wear. But, no matter how hard I try, I cannot grow any taller. Many aspects of our physical appearance are subject to change or alteration. However, some are not.
What about our mental, emotional and spiritual ‘factory preset defaults?’ Do we even have mental, emotional and spiritual ‘factory preset defaults?’ If we do, are they predetermined by our genetic makeup? Is there a particular element on our double helix DNA that governs our mental, emotional and spiritual ‘factory preset defaults?’
My own personal preset mood seems to be set in a ‘happy gene.’ I almost always wake up happy. Skeptics might just scoff and remind me that I wake up next to Greta each morning and point out the impossibility of reconciling that fact with the idea of waking up angry, depressed or sad. I concede the point; but, I have been predisposed all my life to adopt the Bobby McFerrin song Don’t Worry Be Happy as my personal theme song.
Obviously, there are exceptions. Like everyone else, I have had sad events in my life. I have had disappointments; I have even had tragedies. But most mornings, I wake up happy. I credit my parents, especially my mother. She was the single most unabashedly happy person I have ever known. Her life was not always a bed of roses. Even when it was, there were thorns on some of the roses. But, Mom was always happy. She delighted in life itself, in her family and in her faith.
Those scriptures above speak a lot about delighting. Our ancestors-in-the-faith believed God delights in Creation and in God’s creatures, especially when we delight in the “law of the LORD.” Christians do not often enough present God’s commandments and laws in terms of delight. Far too often we speak and think about God’s commandments and laws in terms of punishment and of their being a burden. We are wrong to do so.
God created humanity and placed our ancestors in God’s garden to tend that garden. God provided abundance of nourishment for the body and for the soul, beauty and plenty for all of God’s creatures. I often mention looking out at the field behind our home, seeing the beauty and wonder of all the flora and fauna. Is it even possible to see God’s Creation and not delight and be joyful?
Stay safe, let yourself be happy and joyful, trust God,
Pastor Ray