Moneyball tells the story of a general manager who decides to build a baseball team based on statistics rather than individual talent. Everyone, except the economist working for him, thought he was making a huge mistake. Everyone was wrong. His counterintuitive decision was right on the money. Billy Beane went against the flow of conventional baseball wisdom, and it changed the game of baseball forever.
Ever had an idea or wanted to make a change that went against what everybody around you was doing? Maybe you felt the need to resist going in a direction everyone else was taking. Going against the flow is difficult because it sets us apart from everyone else and attracts criticism.
Four Principles for Going Against the Flow
Scripture says that while we may plot our course, the Lord directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). Choosing to follow the steps He indicates often means going against the flow of our culture. The following four principles for going against the flow can help you better see the steps he wants you to take.
Acknowledge Limits
Our culture is one of pushing limits. The world of sports is a perfect example. How fast you run a mile? How many touchdowns can he make in a season? Who can jump the highest or farthest?
No matter what records are broken, the new record always becomes the goal. However, we do have – and we need – limits. Limits allow us to avoid significant negative consequences (e.g., weight control and traffic signs). Intentionally setting limits on desires and pleasures allows us to stay balanced and healthy in body, mind, and spirit. Setting limits is also counter-cultural because we’re told daily we can have what we want when we want it… no limits. Embracing the blessings of limits can protect us from thinking outside of the will of God.
Acknowledging limits goes against the flow of mainstream thinking.
Raise Expectations
Comparisons are dangerous, yet our culture promotes them like crazy. They create a false reality, and they can lead to pride in feeling like improvement is unnecessary. When we realize that Jesus is the standard by which we should measure our lives, though, we understand the need for progressive improvement. As we do, we raise our expectations and can set goals that don’t pit us constantly against one another.
Forgetting comparisons is certainly not mainstream thinking.
Be Separate
Holiness is a Bible word that many think means perfection. Holiness is not about being perfect, though, it’s about being separate. When you separate yourself, you avoid conforming to the world. You avoid walking the path of destruction and instead become an example of to be more like Christ. Others may consider you odd, but their approval isn’t what matters. The question you must ask yourself is, “Does God approve of my life?” If the answer is yes, then you’re living a life of separation instead of conformity.
Seeking God’s approval over man’s approval goes against the flow.
Make Relationship a Priority
Limits and rules exist for our safety, but they mean little more than restriction and confinement without relationship. Parents can discipline kids, but kids won’t truly aim for obedience if the relationship is weak. The book of Leviticus is all about establishing rules for the safety of the Israelites. While they focused on God, the rules weren’t a big deal to follow. They followed them because they loved Him. As soon as they took their eyes off of Him, though, they broke the rules and rebelled. Relationship makes following the rules a desire rather than a requirement.
Focusing on relationship over self does not support the thinking of our “me first” society.
Directed Steps
As John Carty noted in Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life,
“It’s not easy to overcome the training and traditions of a lifetime.”
Often, though, this is exactly what Christ leads us to do. He sometimes directs us to go against the flow of the training and traditions of our comfort zones.
Loren Pinilis
I love your sports metaphors. They really illustrate the power of going against the flow in our thinking.
I particularly liked your point about holiness. Too often we try to just live a Christianized version of the world around us, instead of letting Christ radically change us from the inside out. How do I adapt when God asks me to adjust a habit? Normally, when he asks me to adjust a habit, he does so by clearly showing the benefits – even if the benefit is just obedience to him. His instructions are always accompanied by the knowledge that his ways are the better path. So the process of adjusting is mainly just remembering that which I already know – remembering it in every fiber of my being.
Kari Scare
Thanks Loren! You're so right about needng that inside-out change. Too often, we try to go about it the other way around and end up being fake. I hadn't thought of how Christ shows the benefits as a way to motivate me to change. He absolutely does that for me too. And, the more we follow His path, the more we know that it's better and the quicker we respond. Reflecting on His Word and what He has done for us is so important in this process.
Noah Lomax
Kari,
Your last point I think is regularly neglected, but it is so vital to pursuing holiness. Rules with reason breed rejection. Rules with reason without relationship breed rebellion. Our relationship with God is not only the foundation, but also one of the greatest motivators towards holy living.
Thank for the great post!
Kari Scare
My pastor says often that you just cannot have rules without relationship. You are so right in saying that a relationship with God is what motivates us to want to be holy. The closer we get to Him, the more we want it too. Love that!
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