Where to Fix Your Thoughts

So, last week I did something I’ve never done in my entire life... and really, it’s kind of amazing that I’ve never done this at all during the entire span of my almost 31 years on this planet. I mean, you would think that at some point along the way I would have, but no. The funny thing is that as soon as I did this thing and people found out about it, I unknowingly entered an unofficial little club I never knew existed where people I had known for years all of a sudden decided that they really liked me and wanted to hang out with me... Okay, so what was this mysterious activity which I have somehow managed to escape participating in for three decades? What was this unavoidable cultural phenomenon which I have always (in one way or another) avoided? Well, here goes: 


Golf. It was golf.

 

Last week my mom took me out for my first ever round of golf... Up to this point, I had never actually even held a driver and had no idea what a pitching wedge was! At every point I had to ask which club I should use for my next move and I still have no idea how she formed the answers to those questions... She would say things like, “Hmmm, you’re gonna want a 7 iron for that shot.” And I was sitting there thinking, “What? How in the world do you know that? Are you making this up?” The long and short of it was that I stink at golf. I can’t put, I can’t pitch, I’m utterly hopeless in the sand and although I can sometimes drive a little, I mostly can’t do that either. But, as I was saying, as soon as the news spread around a little that I played a few holes of golf, I started getting all these invites, phone calls and text messages. Folks want to play... they want to coach me... they want to hang out with me... it felt good. 

 

Truth is, if I had known fifteen years ago that there was this game you can play where you instantly have tons of friends and they all want to hang out right now no matter how bad at it you are, I would’ve started stinking at golf a long time ago! I’ve been looking for people’s attention, help and approval my whole life. This magnetic pull towards wanting to be liked, appreciated and invested in has mostly led to the craziest messes of my life and to my darkest places emotionally; and that is because no regular human person could ever fully meet the needs of my intensely needy heart, or yours for that matter. We need oceans more TLC than anyone can give.

 

That’s why Hebrews 3 is so cool, though. Verse 1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.”

 

Isn’t that awesome?! I don’t need anyone’s approval because Jesus is the Apostle I confess! Apostle is a word that just means “sent one”. Jesus is the one God sent for me. Why? Because He’s so crazy in love with me that He sent His own son to save me! I have God’s love and approval and He proved it to me by sending the Sent One! Not only that, but I don’t need to depend on any person around me to do stuff for me, because Jesus is the High Priest I confess! Other people may let me down, but Jesus is my priest... He stands in the gap and does for us everything we can’t do for ourselves, presenting us holy before God. We have the help and the approval of God Himself! All we have to do is fix our thoughts on Him! God loves you and He’s right there to help you... think about that!