Dale Cresap's blog

Do you prefer things that are mass produced and sold in stores, or things that are home-made? There are valid arguments for both. Do you receive an adequate amount of honor? Are you recognized and appreciated for the things you do? Does anyone think they get too much of this? Yet it comes with a price. Those who admire you hold influence over you, for you will seek to please them, and they will affect your direction. But honor is something you can create for yourself, by your own character and conduct, whether or not anyone else approves or even notices.

Have you ever been lonely? Have you ever been alone? Are these the same thing? You can go for a walk in the woods by yourself and experience solitude without loneliness, but you can also be lonely in a crowd. Loneliness is a product of disconnection, alienation, and isolation. It is a lack of connection that produces the pain of loneliness. If your connections are intact they will endure times when you are not physically present together.

Do you have a desire to improve? Are you aware of the areas in your life where improvement is necessary? Do you engage in the activities that will bring about the changes you desire? Do you engage in regular practices of your faith? Do you see a cause and effect connection of improvement in yourself because of these activities or even a correlation? There is a direct linkage between study and acquiring knowledge, but this linkage is less obvious when it comes to acquiring character traits. This is still  a worthwhile question to ponder.

Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘we take care of our own’? This is a positive sentiment in that it implies both group solidarity and compassion. It implies commitment to  those who are in the same group. How large is your group? Smaller groups tend to be more tight-knit. Can you maintain group solidarity in a multitude? A similar question was posed to me:  who is my neighbor? The story of the Good Samaritan I told in response implied that the concept of a neighbor transcended the normal concept of group solidarity.

Are you familiar with the process of dehumanization? This is used by hostile groups to deprive their enemies of a human identity. It can begin by assigning an unflattering nickname to the target group. This may seem fairly innocent but it is the first step on the path to genocide. Millions have died in the process that begins with dehumanization. What is the opposite of this? Can you consider those who are entirely different from you, with whom you think you have nothing in common, and see that they too are created in my image and likeness and worthy of respect on that basis alone?

Are you committed to following my example? I had disciples of my own and told my followers to make disciples of all men. So do you have disciples of your own? It would be easy to say that any who would be yours are really mine, but that doesn’t make the question go away, because you are part of the equation. Do you exercise the gift I have given you? Do you mentor those with similar gifting so that they may carry on when you are gone? You believe in something greater than yourself. You can create a legacy that will endure in those you disciple to follow me by following you.

Do you resent being manipulated? Do you understand that other people only have as much power over you as you give them? The degree to which you care about their opinion of you is the same degree that they will be able to influence you. The Bible warns against this as the fear of men, rather than the fear of God. I said that no man can serve two masters. Do you think of this as a simple binary choice between money and me? Anyone to whom you surrender control is your master.

Who do you think is qualified to minister to other people? Do you have high standards for those who would help others? Do you see this in my word? Do you think it is a general principle that everyone is wounded in some way? For some it is openly manifest, but others carry their wounds internally. Then who is qualified to render aid? If you think about this it may cause you to revise your criteria. All are wounded, but not all are healers. All healers are wounded following the universal logic that there are no others available. Are you willing to be a wounded healer?

What sort of incentive systems are you used to? You expect to be punished or deprived for doing the wrong things and rewarded or commended for doing the right things. Systems in which you are rewarded for doing the wrong thing are called perverse incentives. How do you see me? I am regarded as an extreme version of a conventional reward system by believer and unbeliever alike. Yet my word says it is my goodness that leads you to repentance. Paul reminds you that you are not to sin that grace may abound, but I am prepared to lavish blessings upon you until you return to me.

Do you understand that you should not judge people for things over which they have no control? You can’t blame people for their race, gender, age, or nation of origin. In many countries these are among categories legally protected against prejudice. Presumably then you can legally discriminate against people for things in their life they have control over, but should you? Do you have perfect control over the circumstances in your own life? Can you completely describe a person by the sum of their choices? The Biblical standard is higher than the legal standard. Don’t judge at all.