Einstein is Fishy

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

This quote is hanging in my office. I love the sentiment. The idea that each person learns differently and has unique potential is spot on in my opinion.

Most of the time, when you see this quote, it is attributed to Einstein. Probably FALSE. The most likely source for this quote is actually an unknown author who wrote in the late 1800’s under the pen name Aesop Jr.

“Finding quotes on the internet is only slightly easier than making them up.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Do you ever feel stupid? Do you feel smart? What is the litmus test for determining the education level of a person?

One of my favorite movies is “Goodwill Hunting”. In this movie, a juvenile delinquent, who reads profusely, solves what was known as the unsolvable equation. His education was self-taught. He had a job as a janitor, but he was more proficient than many of the full-time students. Why? Because he invested himself in personal education.

I know many people who think they are smart but are very ignorant. I know others who feel stupid but are actually brilliant. Some people are naturally gifted one way or another to have perspective on certain topics, but in others, they are deficient. I once knew a genius who graduated high school as a freshman but couldn’t find his next class in a one-hall school. Intelligence is subjective to the matter being discussed.

So, all that discussion on education…how do you feel about your intelligence regarding our response to God and His word, the Bible?

Many people are truly ignorant of the Bible, but it is because they have never read it. Some people think they are knowledgeable of the Bible because they know what they’ve been taught for years, but they, too, never read it; they already know what’s in there. Some people read the Bible profusely, scrutinizing every word, but they, too, are ignorant of the Bible’s purpose.

Jesus said to the religious leaders, “You diligently search the scriptures because you think that in them you will find eternal life, but those very scriptures talk about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have eternal life.”

It is possible to do this today. It is not uncommon for people to get so caught up in how we are to do church and what doctrines are false or correct that we miss having a real relationship with Jesus. We spend time in the Bible to be able to answer questions and make arguments, not to fall in love with the author. We pray to ask God for stuff and intervention instead of just wanting to be in His presence. We fast to seek God’s….oh, wait. No, we don’t fast anymore.

We all want to feel smart about God and the Bible, but if we don’t know the author, then the intelligence we gain through reading words on a page is useless. Knowledge puffs up, and many people in the church are balloons. No wonder they pop at the slightest things that don’t fit their pre-conceived theology. When our foundation is merely knowledge, then things that challenge that knowledge challenge us. When relationship is our foundation, then there is little that can shake us from that foundation (Romans 8:35).

Let us all focus on growing in our love for Jesus and our knowledge of His love for us. May we see the scriptures as a map showing us God’s love and confirming our relationship with Him. And may we find security in this relationship that cannot be shaken when someone comes with a different argument that has no bearing on our relationship with the Father.

Favorite Places

I love the mountains. This summer I have spent many days hiking and climbing and exploring the countryside around Durango, Silverton, and Ouray Colorado. The mountains there are magnificent and filled with rich history. There is quite a diversity of wildlife there as well. I’ve seen marmots, pika, many chipmunks, mule deer, elk, and even a bear.

In the mountains I find myself. My spirit comes alive in the majesty of the mountainous terrain. I can actually feel myself more alive when at elevations above 10,000 ft. I love the mountains.

I think Jesus loved the mountains too.

Matthew 5:1
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

Matthew 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

Matthew 15:29
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt to be in the mountains He created? I especially like the massage in Matthew 14. Why was He up there? To pray.

Where do you pray? Jesus prayed on the mountain. I’m pretty sure he prayed in the valley and everywhere in between. When I’m on the mountain I sense the presence of God with every shortened breath. I pray a lot in the mountains. But if that is the only place I pray, then my prayer life is weak at best.

When do you pray? Jesus prayed in the morning before the disciples woke up. One night he stayed up all night praying. He prayed all kinds of times in between. Do you pray often? Is this something you do as an aside, or do you really make a time for prayer in your life?

Mountains are great, but as you look at the mountains (or at pictures of the mountains – for you flat landers) remember that God has called you to pray to him “without ceasing”. It is only thorough constant prayer that we can have an intimate relationship with our Creator. That’s what Jesus knew, and He tried to teach that to us by modeling it in His life.

Prayer is vital to the Christian’s life. May you be a person who prays on the mountaintop, in the valley, and everywhere in between. And may you pray without ceasing in order to have the relationship with God that Jesus died for you to have.