We go through life hoping for that one "big break", a time when we receive all the money we will ever need, a time when we wake up each morning and feel the excitement of a new day, or a time we are in a romantic relationship that flourishes at the mere mention of his/her name.
We are not alone with this type of thought. There are those who have experienced these type of enjoyments in life: Fiver, Daffy Duck, Woody, Mickey Mouse, Bambi and many more. The only problem; the characters that often experience and benefit from these "big breaks" are not real, they are cartoon characters who equally never experience the sufferings and pains in real life.
One element we do not see in Walt Disney films yet contains vital ingredients we need to have in order to experience a "big break" in life like those of Disney cartoon characters... is structure.
Structure: what is it?, why do we need it?, and most importantly, how will it help us?
The Oxford Dictionary defines structure in verb form as: "the arrangement and relations of various parts and elements needed in something complex. It can include extremely hard objects (or objectives) to ensure the quality and discipline of a desired result. Phrases such as "hard as flint" or "tough as diamonds" are referred to when structure is being applied in a person's life." The word structure has a Latin origin "struere" which means to build.
In social science circles the phrase "Life Chances" is taught in relation to obtaining desired results through the use of structure being applied in life's plans, whether it be short term or long term. The main objective in bringing structure to our lives is to create opportunities that has potential to improve the quality of life. Structure is often a progress and rarely an overnight phenomenon and reaches a zenith if coupled with discipline that produces these opportunities at key moments when advancement is favorable, regardless of race, gender, age, social class, social status, or political thought.
So, the question I have today: Do Christians need structure in their lives?
One thing I have noticed in my own life as a Christian is although I may have the talent, knowledge, or even passion to pursue a particular objective in life, without structure accompanied with discipline I find myself appearing as an octopus on roller skates. I may have plenty of movement going on within me with various ideas and thoughts to pursue, yet it is unclear whether I am going forward, backwards, or sideways.
Saint Augustine once wrote: " Do you want to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundation of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation."
Structure allows others to follow the way of godliness without the fear of being consumed. People can approach the great throne of Grace with a humility and innocence that allows one to ask God Why? How? or What must I do? in reference to purpose in life without fear of His wrath. Tom Watson once said in reference to various fires he has faced : " I'd rather fight 100 structure fires than a wildfire. With a structure fire, you know where your flames are, but in the woods it can move anywhere, it can come up right behind you." Structure in life gives an assurance God is working with you as you construct a vast fabric with His aid, rather than having to guess what you are to do in life only to think He might sneak up behind you and seemingly destroy the tangled threads of what you have seemingly failed to accomplish.
The book of Ruth is a good example of the benefit of structure. The story begins with a famine in the land of Israel. As a result a Hebrew family moves to the nearby country of Moab. Eventually the father of this family Elimelech along with his two sons Mahlon and Chilion all pass away in Moab with the two sons marrying two Moabite women who were now widows.
Meanwhile Naomi the wife of Elimelech makes a decision she should return to Bethlehem-judah in Israel and seek her family's support since she now is an older widow.
The two daughter-n-laws from Moab beg to go with Naomi to Israel yet Naomi explains she has no more sons to offer to be their husbands and as a result it would be best for her to return home alone. One daughter-n-law decides then to remain in Moab while the other one, her name being Ruth, desired to remain with Naomi. As Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem, Naomi was both financially and emotionally empty. yet her family receives them with joy.
Ruth then went to work in the fields to gather any grain available to have food for both her and Naomi, and it was here she meets Boaz and the story goes on to explain the "big break" Naomi and Ruth received when Ruth met and eventually married Boaz.
I think the story shows how Naomi followed a structure and gave purpose to both her and Ruth as they carried on with their lives.
We are not alone with this type of thought. There are those who have experienced these type of enjoyments in life: Fiver, Daffy Duck, Woody, Mickey Mouse, Bambi and many more. The only problem; the characters that often experience and benefit from these "big breaks" are not real, they are cartoon characters who equally never experience the sufferings and pains in real life. One element we do not see in Walt Disney films yet contains vital ingredients we need to have in order to experience a "big break" in life like those of Disney cartoon characters... is structure.
Structure: what is it?, why do we need it?, and most importantly, how will it help us?
The Oxford Dictionary defines structure in verb form as: "the arrangement and relations of various parts and elements needed in something complex. It can include extremely hard objects (or objectives) to ensure the quality and discipline of a desired result. Phrases such as "hard as flint" or "tough as diamonds" are referred to when structure is being applied in a person's life." The word structure has a Latin origin "struere" which means to build.
In social science circles the phrase "Life Chances" is taught in relation to obtaining desired results through the use of structure being applied in life's plans, whether it be short term or long term. The main objective in bringing structure to our lives is to create opportunities that has potential to improve the quality of life. Structure is often a progress and rarely an overnight phenomenon and reaches a zenith if coupled with discipline that produces these opportunities at key moments when advancement is favorable, regardless of race, gender, age, social class, social status, or political thought.
So, the question I have today: Do Christians need structure in their lives?
One thing I have noticed in my own life as a Christian is although I may have the talent, knowledge, or even passion to pursue a particular objective in life, without structure accompanied with discipline I find myself appearing as an octopus on roller skates. I may have plenty of movement going on within me with various ideas and thoughts to pursue, yet it is unclear whether I am going forward, backwards, or sideways.
Saint Augustine once wrote: " Do you want to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundation of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation."
Structure allows others to follow the way of godliness without the fear of being consumed. People can approach the great throne of Grace with a humility and innocence that allows one to ask God Why? How? or What must I do? in reference to purpose in life without fear of His wrath. Tom Watson once said in reference to various fires he has faced : " I'd rather fight 100 structure fires than a wildfire. With a structure fire, you know where your flames are, but in the woods it can move anywhere, it can come up right behind you." Structure in life gives an assurance God is working with you as you construct a vast fabric with His aid, rather than having to guess what you are to do in life only to think He might sneak up behind you and seemingly destroy the tangled threads of what you have seemingly failed to accomplish.
The book of Ruth is a good example of the benefit of structure. The story begins with a famine in the land of Israel. As a result a Hebrew family moves to the nearby country of Moab. Eventually the father of this family Elimelech along with his two sons Mahlon and Chilion all pass away in Moab with the two sons marrying two Moabite women who were now widows.
Meanwhile Naomi the wife of Elimelech makes a decision she should return to Bethlehem-judah in Israel and seek her family's support since she now is an older widow.
The two daughter-n-laws from Moab beg to go with Naomi to Israel yet Naomi explains she has no more sons to offer to be their husbands and as a result it would be best for her to return home alone. One daughter-n-law decides then to remain in Moab while the other one, her name being Ruth, desired to remain with Naomi. As Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem, Naomi was both financially and emotionally empty. yet her family receives them with joy.
I think the story shows how Naomi followed a structure and gave purpose to both her and Ruth as they carried on with their lives.
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