Compare Yourself to Who You Were Yesterday - Part 3

 This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally some form of artistic mark to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Peterson, Jordan B. 12 Rules for Life: an antidote to chaos. Great Britain: Penguin Random House, 2018. Rule 4: Compare Yourself to Who You Were Yesterday, Not to Who Someone Else Is Today, pp. 104-111

Opening Thought: Well, we are in a new year (2022) and with that, we have the opportunity to partake in a ritual of a new beginning. Peterson’s book is really about 'new beginnings', as he is trying to help people move on from and grow out of unhealthy habits of the mind and conscience.
We continue our review of Peterson’s work this year by wrapping up his last few pages on rule number 4: compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. To begin to utilize this rule, it seems that people must come to a particular realization, that where they are in life is not where they ought to be. This realization is more than “want”, it is more of a spiritual awakening. One must long for an existence that is objectively better: morally, ethically, spiritually, and practically better than what they currently have resided themselves to. This is not a simple longing, in fact, this longing is in turn a challenge, a challenge to work every day towards this spiritual awakening and its fruits. This is for Peterson, one setting their sights on the betterment of Being. In this betterment, you discover that there is a light you can let in, and a darkness your can let fade away. This awakening is in essence in the pursuit of goodness and the resistance to evil.

Peterson equates this line of thinking to the Sermon on the Mount, fitting I would agree, and this is because Jesus teaches us to set our goals on the highest standard. But in addition to setting your goals to the highest standard, you must come to understand what must be sacrificed to achieve that standard. The sacrifice must come from the self, you can not rob another to pay what you owe.

Coming to terms with the highest pursuits and taking the adventure of achieving these goals into your own hands is the big step in being able to compare yourself to who you were yesterday in a healthy manner. It is the acceptance of responsibility for your life, work, and emotions.

One needs to have a goal to seek, but you do not compare yourself to the goal itself, (beyond looking at the discrepancy in which you still need to strive to achieve your goals), but rather look back at who you were in the past to see how far you have come towards your highest ideals.

Opening Prayer: God, help us to have an eye to seek you, the Highest of all high pursuits. You are what is behind the ideal existence and happiness. If we wish to find peace with our lives, we must first have along for you to be in our lives and invite you to be with us during all our lives' adventures. Amen.

Scripture Brought to Mind: Luke 12:22-34

Do Not Worry

 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

 

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Reflection: There is an interesting and wonderful gift to Peterson’s work. He has presented this work so far from an evolutionary-based position, survival of the fittest. The theory of evolution speculates that an innate drive to physically live and reproduce forces beings into conflict, and the most adaptable will have their physical being passed along genetically. Peterson has recognized this combative reality as a part of the human condition, we too live in a world that we must fight to survive physically. But, humans, have moved beyond merely physical beings, we are also emotional and spiritual, we long not only to survive but to thrive in body, mind, and soul. We want bounty and beauty as well. Unfortunately, the cutthroat reality of existence means people will often become ugly in their means to pursue bounty and beauty. However, our emotions and spirit, as well as our intellect, allow us to see something beyond bounty and beauty, something transcendent: the greatest good, the most perfect truth, and the most honorable realities. These ideals feed us emotionally and spiritually, even in their conceptual forms. We can now long a seek out these before all things. When we venture to this idea, we see that people can learn to rise above the cutthroat reality of life, in pursuit of something more. We do not need to stab each other in the backs to achieve our goals, but we do still need the confidence and boldness of one who can face a cutthroat evolutionary world because no one is going to hand the ideal to you on a platter, it will take, work and dedication; a sacrifice of the most high to achieve the most high.

Continual Work: Practice looking at how you have grown throughout your life. Think about the skills you had to learn to get where you are now. What did you have to sacrifice, i.e., time, money, etc., to become who you are? Then ask yourself what you would need to do to become the best version of yourself, and being each day to look back to see how you have improved, one day at a time.

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: As I am now the father of two, I each day must look back and see how I have improved as a father, while still hoping to achieve the highest goal of fatherhood.  

Prayer for your week: Lord, be with us as we try to make this year a new beginning for us so that we can continue to work towards our fullest capacities in Christ. Amen   

Artistic Close: In the past, I have spoken to you about how the word “sin” derives from the idea of missing the mark, like how an archer can miss their target. If we do not find a way to live up to the fullest potential God has created us for, are we not sinning against His hopes for us. Let in the light of God’s hope for you and do your very best to hit the targets of life.