Set a Model

Hi friend! Happy Tuesday!

What a week! Had a couple breakthroughs in business, another crazy packed week of meetings, and the first decaf coffee I've ever liked. A+ week if I'm being honest.

I learned a bunch this past week, mostly the importance of authenticity. I've been telling myself, "just live, David," which is a reminder to me to not overthink things, don't try to be someone you're not, and just live. Easier said than done, but it's a good reminder.

Back to Individual Responsibility... I nearly missed this one. Which is crazy, because ever since late last week, I've been excited to write this up and send it... and then just like that, the day got away from me. This email is seriously becoming the "11:59 on Tuesday Night". Sorry. 🙃

Ok, let's get into it.

I keep trying to make these short. Let's see how it goes tonight...

The email I sent last week got me thinking a lot.

Again, we can't change others (we can pray for change, but realize that it's God, Who does answer prayers, Who changes hearts), however, we can control ourselves.

So what does that look like?

As a young Christian, 1 Timothy 4:12 has to be one of the most common verses I've heard, at least shared within my generation.

"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself as a model to those who believe in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity."

What's crazy, is we always emphasize that first part; "Let no one look down on your youthfulness" (another translation says 'because you are young').

What hit me this last week was the second part: "but show yourself as a MODEL to those who believe in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity."

(emphasis mine)

Here's the thing that hit me.

Paul is writing to Timothy (a younger man, if you're not familiar with who Timothy is), and get this, he doesn't suggest people won't look down on him being young.

He instead basically says that people will.

But check out how he adds "but" and then gives a solution, a clear follow-up action, for Timothy (and us) to use.

In other words, it's going to happen. Regardless of our age, there will always be someone older who will (I almost said "might") look down on us. We might know them, we might not.

Don't worry about.

Instead, live in a way - through what we say, how we act, how we love, how we believe (the verb of faith) and what we believe in, how we walk in purity - that sets a model.

Realize, there is no excuse for blaming anyone here. It's comes right back to us in how we live, and doing so in a way that is not just above standard but sets a model.

I don't know why, fully, but this was actually so freeing.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how others live, what they say, how they treat me.

What does matter, is how I live, regardless.

A better way to put it might be how I love, regardless.

And that what it's all about, right?

Age in so many ways is irrelevant. Career in so many ways is irrelevant. Where we live, the car we drive, the culture we call home, all irrelevant in so many ways.

How we live - how we love - that's what truly matters.

(Bonus thought: by focusing first on how we live, it actually creates the outcome of "let no one". In other words, people aren't as likely to look down on someone living excellently [not perfectly... please note], so focus on living excellently and the outcome is that "looking down on" begins to fade away and become less of an issue. Clear as mud?)

I'm convicted, humbled, and excited all at the same time while pondering this.

My prayer is that I would see more clearly how I can show myself in a way that sets a model to those around me, in EVERY one of those ways Paul highlights.

I need so much work. But hey, it's worth the effort.

As Paul says earlier in the chapter: "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."

Man, it's good to have a hope fixed on the living God!

I hope you have an AMAZING week!