In a preview clip from the new Daniel Craig film DEFIANCE, there is a line that has sort of hung on to me since I saw it. The movie is the true story of four brothers who defied the Nazi army during World War II. The Bielski family live in the area called Belarus. When their parents and other family members are killed, Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) and his brothers hid in the forest.

In time, a small group of Jewish refugees joins them in hiding. This little band of resistors survives as best they can and the group continues to grow. The Bielski Partisans become a significant pain for the Nazi’s. The regime offered 100,000 Riechmarks for assistance in capturing Tuvia. The Bielski group lived in the forest for more than 2 years and at the end, the little group numbered more than 1200.

I want to take my son to see this film. He needs to hear the stories of those who stand against tyranny, oppression and hate. We live in a time when some people think that you can talk and reason with irrational hate filled people who have no agenda beyond the destruction of their enemies. The Bielski Partisans were lovers of freedom. They didn’t want to fight, but fight they did.

Caleb mentioned a few days ago, that he had a friend that was “anti-war”. I took the opportunity to explain that everyone should be anti-war. But there are times when wars must be fought. Evil exists and it doesn’t listen to reason and compromise. When a thing is evil, (racism, violence against innocence, lawlessness, etc.) then we must face it and defeat it. We cannot make deals with it.

So what was the great line that so grabbed me? Tuvia is addressing the people in the forest and he says to them. “Everyday that we live in freedom is an act of faith.” This is true in the political sense of course. But it is also true spiritually. The message of Christ and the gospel is a message of freedom.

The Old Book says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). He set us free from sin, death, self-justification, law and the judgment of others. Does sin still attack us, does death still claim our loved ones, do we still get caught up in “doing enough” to be worthy, do we still become rule focused, do others still try to convince us that we don’t measure up? Of course, but we are free from it all in Christ and he wants us to live free… Every day that we live in freedom is an act of faith.

telemicus out

Look at this commercial with Peyton Manning, where he visits hotels in the towns of his opponents. At each of his encounters with fans from the “home team,” he never quite senses the malevolence in their comments.

I don’t know if Peyton Manning is always that way, but I wish I were. To always see good intentions in the actions and words of others is disarming to them, and brings peace to us. The Old Book says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). We need more gentle answers and less defensiveness. Does it matter that their intentions are not always good? Ultimately, no. We cannot control the attitudes of others, but we can perhaps influence them toward being more positive. I’m not calling for us to be naïve, but rather we should be gracious and wise.

I heard an athlete interviewed this week. The reporter asked him, “You were taken 234 in the draft overall, does that give you a bit of a chip on your should that makes you want to prove to those who passed you over that they were wrong.” Without hesitation he said, “It gives me 233 chips on my shoulder.” His attitude put him at odds with every person taken before him and every team that didn’t take him. It even created a division with the team that eventually did take him, because he wasn’t their first pick.

I’ve been trying to help Caleb see how great Jesus was as a human. He wasn’t simply a great teacher. And his being God is a subject unto itself. Grasping Jesus life as human is a critical step in growing close to him. Peter wrote, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22-23).

This is our example. He didn’t have a chip on his shoulder. He didn’t see the world as God haters. He was compassionate to them, even the worst of sinners. He was harsh to the self-righteous, but left room for even them to turn to God. He wasn’t negative in how he saw the lost or his own followers – even in their failures.

I need an infusion of Jesus’ heart. I need to brush the chips off my shoulder and love people. I need to see good in people – not only church people, but the world as well. I need to give a couple of relatives a break, four of my friends need to be let off the hook, (maybe five,) I should probably give three politicians a chance and I have some debris to clean up with my own family. Man – I have a lot to work on.

You know, I’m gonna do that… the weather here is sweet! Nice.

telemicus out

Now that the holidays have passed and the New Year is underway, I think its time for some reflection, direction, correction and action. I love new years. To me, it’s the best time for new starts and my annual do-over. I’m not big on resolutions and all, but I do like goals. If you’ve been with me a while, you might remember that I asked my family to make new years resolutions for me last year. I asked them what I should work on. The one clear dragon that cried out for slaying was “being fierce.”

Being fierce is what I have always done. It is my control mechanism. It’s how I managed life. I am not brave enough to confront most things head on; I have used moods and the force of fierceness to communicate what I didn’t want to say. If I disapprove, a look will communicate it without words. Irritations are subject to attack with silent disregard and gruff attitude. If words are required, the arsenal is rich; the weapons are deadly, the knowledge keen and the warrior skilled.

I’ve learned a few things about all this that you certainly already know. I’m just letting you know so that if you see me being less than my best, you can let me know its happening (we all have hearts with blind spots and veiled lampshades.) So here are some things I learned in 08 that I hope to make better use of in 09.

Pain does not have to be acknowledged to be valid. It’s enough that we know and respond appropriately. Your personal world does not owe you Understanding of your day or life; don’t respond to it as though it did. In other words, it’s not their fault if you overslept, ran out of gas or forgot a meeting. Frustration is a result of expectations that go unmet. Often, those who frustrate us don’t even know what our expectations are. It is not their fault if we are frustrated at work, with our mate or about our unfulfilled dreams.

Some look at themselves and want to be better. Many look for that magic moment, that word of wisdom, that great epiphany that will make them more loving, eager to exercise, kinder to children and old folks, more fond of vegetables, floss regularly, drink more water, pray, lose weight, love the lost, volunteer in the community and even smile.

There is no such moment, word or epiphany coming. To move to the Better side of Best takes Reflection so that we can see who we really are, Direction so that we know how to go, Correction so that we don’t continue behaviors that lead to less than our best and Action so that we don’t look at the calendar in December and ask ourselves, “Why didn’t I make any progress this year?”

I’m going to try to move this year from this side of my best to the better side of my best. It’s not an easy climb, but the view from the better side of our best is one that makes us better people to be with. I hope you will climb with me.

telemicus out