by Timothy Howe
Thomas Midgley was one of the most successful research scientists in history. Not just one, but two of his ideas have impacted every person in the world. And in large doses. His brilliance was recognized by the numerous prestigious scientific awards he received during his lifetime.
Though he provided many contributions in research, his two most significant were his role in adding lead to gasoline to prevent “knocking” and developing clorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a relatively safe means for producing refrigeration. The latter were also used in aerosols.
Though both of his designs worked extremely well for their intended purposes, it was their negative unintended consequences that would eventually concern most people.
Adding lead to gasoline did eliminate knocking in cars, but it also meant large doses of lead was being pumped into the atmosphere which eventually would settle on the ground, and then into our food and water supplies. Fears of adverse neurological effects eventually caused lead additives to be removed from gasoline. There are many recent studies that suggest that these concerns were valid.
CFCs also accomplished their purpose, but have been linked with depletion of ozone in the atmosphere. Again, the evidence was substantial and governments banned or highly regulated their use in an effort to stem adverse effects.
Two inventions which accomplished the purpose for which they were created and which seemed excellent at the time proved to be mistakes. They were not just disappointments, they were distasters.
Many of our best plans turn out terrible. Just as these, they have great promise, bring accolades, and even seem to be successes initially; only to sour over time. Only the passing of time shows the true value of what is accomplished – whether something is worthwhile or worthless.
This is even true when our plans don’t go awry, but when they go exactly as intended. Midgley’s ideas were not failures. They were successes. They were considered immediate successes and were even considered successful for the rest of his life. But time has revealed how terrible the ideas really were.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 speaks to a similar condition:
All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Throughout the section from where these verses come, Solomon laments the lack of lasting worth he has received from pleasure, riches, laughter, indulgence, hard work, fame and importance. He eventually calls everything futile, or meaningless.
Is everything in this world really meaningless? I don’t think so. In fact, we can each find some degree of meaning even in the very things that Solomon laments. But what this passage depicts is the lack of lasting significance. How do we finding lasting significance?
I suggest that we can learn from the experiences of Thomas Midgley and King Solomon to find lasting significance through 3 considerations:
1. Consider the broader effects of actions.
Midgley was only thinking about how to fix an acute problem related to a combustion engine. Yet his solution had widespread impact. His remedy exposed any person who came near a gasoline engine (which means virtually all people everywhere) to what was deemed unsafe, toxic levels of lead. Had he considered the broader effects of adding lead to gasoline, could he have averted this “unforeseeable” consequence?
2. Consider the permanent effects of actions.
The development of CFCs made refrigeration easier, safer and cheaper, which means that more people now had access to safer food. This was good. But by not sufficiently answering the environmental impact question regarding the compound, his invention created an atmospheric impact that will likely take decades to reverse.
3. Consider the deeper effects of actions.
Solomon pines that he has tried everything and it all proved to be meaningless. But does “trying something” provide someone a valid vantage point to appraise it? Ruling over people is not the same as leading them. Having many lovers does not equate finding true love. Obtaining riches and investing wealth are not the same thing.
If Solomon had considered the deeper effects of his actions, he might have sought deeper significance rather than surface-level success. A deeper life produces a Washington in lieu of a Napoleon; a devoted spouse rather than a Casanova; or a Buffett, not a Madoff.
Regardless of how life’s mistakes or even life’s successes may have left you feeling a little cold, now might be the time for you to begin to find meaning.
If you would you seek a life of significance:
Consider the broader effects of actions.
Consider the permanent effects of actions.
Consider the deeper effects of actions.
by Timothy Howe
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs us; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
These words came from one of Israel's most important prophets. Isaiah had previously pronounced an impending judgment that would come upon the nation as a result of turning away from God. After predicting this judgment, though, Isaiah promised that God would once again restore His people. In this promise, he evoked the many other times when God worked on behalf of His Chosen People. The verses preceding this one speak eloquently of all the times that God had delivered them. Now the Lord speaking through His prophet tells the people to forget all of that! It does not compare to what He is about to do. In fact, He states that he is already doing a new thing.
It is very easy for all of us to get caught up in what is happening right now, whether good or bad, so that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Let's take this start of a new year to lift our eyes up and try to focus on what God is doing around us. I believe that we can perceive what God is doing around us if we keep four things in mind.
1. Don't dwell on past mistakes.
Judah was going to experience judgment because of its constant failure to meet God's standards of righteousness. The OT prophets listed charges against them of unrighteousness, hypocrisy, idolatry, neglect of the widows and orphans, exploitation of the foreigners in their land, and worst of all a heart that rebelled against God. Their mistakes were huge. But even as bad as they were, they did not completely alienate them from a God who wanted to redeem them. They could make a choice to put those mistakes behind them and prepare for something new.
All people have regrets. Each person can quickly think of things that they wish had happened differently. Don't be a prisoner of your mistakes. Don't dwell on past mistakes. Yesterday is done. Tomorrow is waiting.
2. Don't dwell on past successes.
Interestingly, the list of things that Isaiah has just commanded the people of Judah to forget were not their misdeeds. He actually had just recited many of the times that God had worked on their behalf. Why would he want them to forget all of God's redemptive acts? Perhaps they had become too reliant on past victories and neglected to pursue present ones. We can be slaves of success as well. The people of Judah had come to think that they would never be judged for wrongdoing because, after all, God had always gotten them out of previous jams. Isaiah's call was one that reminded them that they needed to depend on God every day in a fresh way.
Past successes are noteworthy. They can serve useful purposes as platforms for future efforts. But they can also become stumbling blocks. If we are not careful, past successes can create blind spots to our weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Don't dwell on past successes. Celebrate them accordingly. Then move on. It's time for a new work.
3. Expect God to be working around you.
Even in the worst of the judgment, God was still at work on behalf of the people of Judah. They would not see it for generations, but here was the promise. This was the promise that they would cling to when things were at their worst.
Whenever life is at its worst, we can lose sight of the fact that nothing catches God by surprise. He created this world and is still in charge of it. Expect God to be working around you. Each morning pray that God will disclose that work and show you what He is up to.
4. Expect to participate in God's work.
Isaiah was alerting the people of Judah that not only was God working on their behalf, but He was offering them an invitation to join in that work. They were His chosen people. He still had a plan for their nation. Any who would join Him could participate in that plan.
The same is true for us. Not only should we expect God to be working around us, we should expect that He desires for us to participate in His work. Are your spiritual eyes open to see what the Lord is doing? Expect God to be working and join Him in that work. Knowing that He is at work around us and that He desires us to be a part of that Divine work should free us up to try amazing things.
William Carey summed this up best.
Expect great things from God,
attempt great things for God.
So, in 2014
Remember
Don't dwell on past mistakes
Don't dwell on past successes
Expect God to be at work around you
Expect to participate in God's work
by Timothy Howe
But Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope
Heb 3:6 NLT
Fear can be debilitating. it thwarts dreams and keeps us from accomplishing all that God has in store for us. This week, we have seen how fear can be overcome. Hebrews 3:6 tells us that we have two weapons in our arsenal against fear. These represent the power that we have over fear - confidence and hope.
Confidence and Hope
On their own merits confidence and hope are powerful things. Confidence instills within us the ability to tackle the challenges that life throws at us. Hope stirs us up to endure. I have seen people in terrible circumstances who exhibit both of these characteristics and I have seen people in much less severe difficulties surrender any ounce of confidence or hope that they would make it. It is at least in part matters of choice and attitude.
Confidence in...
What gives us confidence. Many times we are able to muster self-confidence in order to persevere in the midst of trials. Self-confidence is a powerful character trait. Yet, it is limited by the truth of our limitations. We may possess a strong self-confidence, but there will come a time when we come to the point of our incapability. At that moment what do we do?
Confidence in hope...
The passage above tells us where to place out confidence in order to extend it, to make it go beyond ourselves and our limitations. We are to place our confidence in hope. This is a hope that our limitations are not the limitations of our realities. We have so much more that is available to us that just what our skills afford us. What we desire to achieve that we are not really capable of falls into the realm of hope.
Confidence in our hope of Christ.
Ultimately, our hope is in the One who is most capable. The confidence we have is not just there is something better out there, but that there is a "best" out there that is available for us which empowers us. This "best" is Jesus. Christ offers us an ultimate reality that far exceeds anything we are capable of on our own.
Know that when fear comes, you have something greater. You have confidence and hope available for you and more importantly, you have the Author of each present with you. He is your power over your fears.
May you demonstrate confidence and hope in Christ today.
