Lord willing, I am sitting in a jet waiting to take off for a 27 day mission to Vietnam. My devotional entry tonight is from a good friend I have never actually met in person but we know many of the same people. Warren is many things, including a preacher of the Gospel and a prolific writer. I know you will enjoy his thoughts! Prayers for me in Vietnam, please!
Jordan Peterson said, “Life is a tragedy tainted with malevolence.” (From YouTube, 13 Truths)
Everyone has tragic things come into their world. We would like to have this dreamworld where there are never any problems. Everyone is healthy. Everyone has plenty of money. No one has to wear seatbelts because everyone drives carefully and the roads are never icy. But the truth is, there are bad things that happen, and on top of that, there are people with malevolence, people with bad spirits, who hurt us. So, life is tough. And Peterson says that is part of the terrible truth, but that doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
“People are hesitant to share the good news about their life. When people share good news about their life people don’t necessarily respond positively. They don’t get encouragement. People need so little encouragement … Somebody says, I’m getting along better with my father. I haven’t seen him in 10 years and now we get along. The power of that. You can’t overstate the power of that for individuals to get their life together. The individual is an unbelievable powerful force. Every single person who gets their act together a little bit has the capacity to spread that around them. It is a chain reaction. It is a lovely thing to see.”
Peterson is the author of The Twelve Rules for Life, and the first rule is, “Clean your room.” Peterson is a college professor, so he has a good grasp of how many college-age people think and act. He comments on how many college students protest to change the world. They demonstrate in the streets and on their campuses. They want to change the world to fit the vision they have for it. The ironic thing, he says, is that many of them can’t keep their own personal lives in order, but they want to order the lives of everyone around them, including the whole country. Get an education, he says, then a job, then raise a family, and in thirty years you’ll have something to say. Until then, focus on keeping your room, a metaphor for your life, in working order.
That makes sense. Until we can get our personal lives in order, moving in a positive and constructive direction, we can’t pour anything positive into someone else. We have to get our lives in order: work hard, study, think, interact well with others, achieve something of significance, like building a career or a family. That is all an outcome of how we have nurtured our own hearts and tended to the pastures of our inner thoughts and disposition so we could grow something productive.
When Peterson says, “People need so little encouragement” he doesn’t mean we only need to encourage people a little and then we can assume they are alright and just move on. He means that people often receive no encouragement at all, so when they get even a little it can enliven and inspire them.
Peterson’s advice is in line with several Proverbs. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” A generous man is one who lives with others in mind. He is willing to share, to give of himself for the benefit of others. His time, energy and resources flow not only to his own benefit, but also to the benefit of others. He refreshes others, and in the process some of that refreshment comes back to him, in various forms, sometimes in a thank you, sometimes in assistance, and sometimes in an encouraging word.
Encouraging words are powerful, as per the quote I shared from Peterson at the beginning. And he said we need so little of it. People are so often so drenched with caustic comments and criticism that even a drizzle of encouragement can be refreshing. “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11). The right word to the right person at the right time can turn the tide of negative thought, defeatism and resignation. It can recharge darkened spirits and re-enliven someone’s life.
Life may indeed be a tragedy tainted with malevolence. But the good news is, we don’t have to, we shouldn’t have to, bear that burden alone. We have other people who shoulder that burden with us, and who encourage us with refreshing words. And hopefully, we are doing the same for someone else, blessing them richly, with God’s presence in their lives.
Warren Baldwin
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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