New Year's Resolutions

For 2010 I resolve that I will not climb any mountains.
I will move to Alabama,
and I will move my body.
I will exorcise the demon of sloth
and exercise the temple of God.


I will not read The Purpose Driven Life.
Nor will I be driven.
When someone says, "He was driven to drink," it sounds to me as if being driven is not a good thing. It sounds like someone has lost control of their own life. It smells of obsessive or compulsive behavior.
To be driven is to be in the passenger's seat.
I think we are supposed to be in control of our own lives;
to be in the driver's seat; to take responsibility for ourselves.


Jesus was not a driven person.
He kept saying, The hour has not come.
Meaning: The time is not right.
He was patient.
Waiting for the right time.
Not driven; not compulsive.


Instead, he was 'led' by the Spirit.
Not Spirit-driven, but Spirit-led.
A world of difference.
He drove out demons,
and was once 'driven' into the wilderness
by the Spirit.
But that was not the normal protocol.


Jesus was more Taoist than Aristotelian. 
He was an Eastern sage, not a Western philosopher.
More relaxed than driven.
More sought than ought.


I don't think Jesus had a purpose driven life.
I think he had a purpose led life.


Evangelicals (in general) are driven.
They make Jesus into a Western Type A personality.
But Jesus was never in a hurry.


Whereas... (above),
Therefore, I resolve in 2010 to remain
in the driver's seat,
and to drive s-l-o-w-l-y.
Led by the Spirit.
And the fruit of the Spirit is....
love, joy, peace, patience.... [Gal. 5.23]




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