“Supply chain problems are far more urgent with regard to love and honesty than material goods. We patiently explore our motives, our habits, and our blind spots to see where we need to change. Many people come to a screeching halt at this point. We must be deeply and genuinely convinced about the need for taking inventory in order to make the commitments required to do it well — which will change our life.”- John Ortberg
“When Peter saw [Jesus], he asked, ‘Lord, what about [John]?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until my return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’ “- John 21:21-22 (NIV)
In Step 4C (“Understand Why We Need to Clean House”) of Steps, John Ortberg looks at six mental obstacles that might cause us to resist taking inventory. John covers the first 2 today.
1. Whatabout-ism. Our crafty minds love to evade self-examination. As a result, they draw our attention to other people. The ones, we surmise, really have problems. Certainly, Pastor Ortberg observes, this is quite common. So common, he quips, that you might be thinking right now about someone who needs to read these words. Because they need self-awareness so badly.
The good news? Those people are right here. But the bad news? Those people are you. In Paradise Lost, John Milton penned a long portrayal of Adam and Eve blaming each other. It concludes:
“Thus they in mutual accusation spent / The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning / And of their vain contest appeared no end.”
Finally, note that in Jesus’ last conversation with Peter, Peter still plays whatabout. But when it comes to housecleaning, our job is to clean our house!
2. Atleast-ism. For example, in Jesus’ parable, the Pharisee expressed his disdain for the lowly tax collector. That at least the Pharisee is not like him.
Hence, John states, our minds ‘brilliantly’ compare ourselves to others we believe are in worse shape than us. As a result, that allows us to justify remaining in the status quo. Therefore, Joh astutely observes:
“As long as there is ‘at least’ one person out of the eight billion or so currently on the planet in worse shape than us, we can feel like we’re off the hook.”
Today’s question: What supply chain problems exist in your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The relaxed face test”