Think Small

I know, the phrase "Think Small" sounds so un-American, un-Christian even. We have been told to think big, dream big and go big or go home our whole lives. Yet, if you are like me, going big, trying to get everything all at once, whether it be losing that extra 50 pounds, reforming our relationships or learning to respond to tough circumstances in a more healthy and constructive way, although it appears on the surface to be a commendable approach to life, often leaves us feeling frustrated, defeated and depressed. I came across this Volkswagen "Think Small" campaign ad that beautifully illuminates the significance of our longing - a great longing, by the way - for simplicity, authenticity and realism. In the 1950's and 60's Volkswagen, going against the automotive marketing norms of the day which, as the brilliant blogger Joshua Johnson over at designshack.net noted, was defined by advertising cars as "fashion statements, testosterone boosters, muscles on wheels. They were built to be fast, big, stylish and the ultimate way to earn bragging points." Everything that came to define America in those days - faster, bigger, better - was challenged by Volkswagen. Instead of making a car look like it was the way to be happy, to find ultimate fulfillment and to answer all of one's deepest longings, Volkswagen went the simple, authentic and realistic route. They basically said, this is what a car is used for, it won't fulfill your deepest longings, but it will get you from point A to point B without breaking the bank. And, for a time, America resonated with this simple return to reality by buying Volkswagen "Beetles."

Even though this was mostly a marketing scheme, the advertisers over at Volkswagen were on to something bigger and more substantial than selling cars. What I believe they hit on is a truth that holds for all of us: life is best approached progressively, incrementally and in ways that are aligned with reality. I know it sounds so realistic and boring. I myself am a dreamer and optimist of the worst sorts. I want to storm the whole hill, take the bull by the horns. Thinking small sounds so wimpish and mundane. I have a hard time admitting this simple, yet helpful, reality. I don't like to admit it because it goes against my approach to life. Moreover, I don't like to accept the fact that it is actually the best and most helpful way to approach life, rather than the more conventional all-American way. On my journey of transformation I have discovered that when I go big, I actually end up going home, defeated; but, when I start small - go to bed an hour earlier, wake up 20 minutes earlier, count my calories, read a chapter in a book, chat with my wife for 10 minutes - I begin accomplishing goals that get me closer to the dream that began in my imagination. I begin the journey of thinking, acting and becoming like Christ. THIS is the journey of faith my friends. We start small, build momentum and over time we see the that God's Spirit really is at work in us, making us like the Son we serve. This is the real path to fulfillment. Thinking big leaves us disillusioned, much like those who think that a car will fulfill their dreams. Yet, thinking small, approaching life incrementally and realistically, actually produces hope and moves us toward accomplishing our God-given dreams and desires.We don't buy into the trap of thinking that today we can "arrive" but realize that we can enjoy the journey of change as we move toward arriving (re: becoming like Christ). We reframe the way that we look at life. We begin to realize that the journey is as meaningful, if not more so, than the arrival point.

We are reminded by Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians that "[If] anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 2:17). For those of us who have given ourselves over to Christ, we are completely forgiven, made new. Paradoxically, even though we are completely new, we, like Paul, as he expresses in his letter to his faith family in Philippi, are not "already perfect" but press - literally strain - toward becoming like Christ. That's the journey. We are accepted, loved and made completely new because of Jesus; yet, the whole of our lives will be spent in becoming like him. Our Father enjoys being with us on this journey. The act of being made a new creation and the process of walking in that new reality are both acts of grace initiated by the Father who adores us and that we desire to emulate. We don't earn the Father's love. It's already been given to us. Yet, like a Good Father, he gives us the privilege of reflecting back the love he has for us through becoming like him. 

As we close our sermon series on Perceptions this week, this is what I want to hold on for the long-haul - "start small." Like you, I will be challenged everyday to want it all right now and will have to, not settle, but, center myself daily with the reality that God progressively makes me like himself. His approach is kind, thoughtful, good and right. One that is hard for me to accept, yes, but one that is best suited to bring lasting transformation and joy.

Sadly, I chatted with somebody yesterday after our Sunday morning chat on Think, Act, Repeat who shared some devastating memories she possesses of her father from her childhood years. He would yell at her in a demeaning, hurtful and devaluing manner "YOU HAVE TO THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!" This is this woman's most impressionable pictures of her father. A dark, haunting picture that still places tears in her eyes many decades later. My heart weeps for her as I think about the pain she endured during her childhood years, questioning whether her dad just loved her because she was his own blood, his princess, his daughter or whether he hated her if she didn't do the right thing but "loved" her when she did. My heart weeps for the pain she continues to endure as she sorts out how God can say the same thing to her but mean something so completely different than what her father meant. We discussed briefly how approach is everything when it comes to relationships. God does not approach us in the way that our broken fathers often did. He approaches us with kindness, grace and with gentle hands and adoring eyes. He loves us when we blunder on this journey, rather than loving us only when a desired behavior is achieved. Approach really is everything. And God approaches us thoughtfully and says I would like for you to dream and ponder all the time about what I say to you, how I feel about you and how I act toward you so that when you are faced with a heart decision you will choose the way that best reflects my love for you and your love for me. He is looking for a relationship, for us to journey with him in his work of redemption. He isn't looking for "right behavior" as an end to itself. Right behavior is simply a piece, albeit a revealing piece, of the love relationship that we have with God. It's simply the outworking of the inward transformation that is occurring because of responding to God's ginormous affection toward and for us. Right actions spring out of a heart and mind that is reflecting on a loving God. When we "choose" to start small in understanding and interpreting God, ourselves and others in that light big things will begin to happen.

How Do I Make This A Reality In My Own Life?

1. Dwell on God's love for you. Read, write and/or journal; listen to music, a sermon, a friend; take a walk, meander
2. Choose one way to respond to God's love for you. A simple example: I am going to stop saying that I am idiot when I make a mistake because God says that I'm loved, adored and redeemed. Instead I will tell myself that "God's love is the same for me now as before I made the mistake. I will make things right and learn from the mistake." The feelings may take a while to catch-up with your repeated actions. Keep it at it, though. At some point when your brain starts to see this as a lasting pattern of thinking, the way you feel will transform too. 
3. Repeat until it becomes a habit. After choosing the one way you want to respond to God, repeat that particular action until it becomes automatic. Building off of our example, I can respond to my mistake in a more positive way, likely dozens of times each day, for weeks, possibly months, until the more helpful reaction becomes my trigger response rather than the automatic negative self-talk that habitually followed a mistake.
4. Dwell in community with others who are on the same journey of transformation. Take that hard-pride-swallowing-transformative step of putting yourself in regular conversations with others who are committed to creating habits that reflect God's love for them and their love for God. These are the people who will validate, encourage and support you in this journey of seeing and responding to life in the way that Jesus did.

Your Friend,

Josh