We spent the last few days of our vacation in the New England area—Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston. It must have been our distinct way of speaking that attracted attention and the requisite question, “Where you from?” (Notice the economy of words—blending “where” and “are” into one word.) Of course, we’d puff our chests and proudly proclaim, “We’re from Lubbock, Texas.” The normal response was, “Oh, I love Texas!” (How could they not?) Then would come the challenge of helping them grasp the size of our great state because they’d say, “I have a friend who lives in Dallas” like they expected us to know the friend. When I told them Dallas was 325 miles to the east, then added that El Paso was 500 miles west of us, they’d look at me like I was delusional. If you live in the smallest state in the union and have never traveled more than 100 miles from your home, you just can’t grasp the vastness of Texas.

            God’s been teaching me some things about myself this week that I don’t like. He’s using 2 Timothy to do it. Paul told Tim in 2 Timothy 2:4 “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” After reading these words, I realized I’m pretty entangled in the affairs of this world. It never crossed my mind to tell those New Englanders, “I’m from the Kingdom of God.” (If I’d replied that way it probably would have been a conversation stopper.) It’s a sad commentary on me that I think more in terms of what Paul called “the affairs of everyday life.” It’s also a sad commentary on our culture that today, over 4 centuries since the Pilgrims landed in this land in search of freedom of worship, we’ve become a nation that devalues worship and is ignorant of spiritual truths. Whose fault is this? Can’t blame the spiritually lost—they don’t understand the things of God. Can’t blame God—He’s faithful. Can’t blame the government—not their job.

            As much as I’d like to blame someone, the blame begins with me. I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, have been a “professional minister” for 39 years and I still have an entanglement problem. No, can’t say I like what God has been teaching me this week about myself. I can say I’m thrilled that God hasn’t given up on me yet. As Jerry preached last Sunday, God is patient. “Thank You, God for being patient with me. I’ll try not to wear Your patience too thin.”