Do It Anyway!

✝️ Unpacking Truths: Episode 111: Do It Anyway!

🎙️ In this episode of "Unpacking Truths," titled "Do It Anyway!", Pastors Kendall and Mo delve into the profound wisdom behind the concept of "just do it," inspired by Jesus's teachings. From forgiving others to embodying Christ-like behavior, they explore the transformative power of obedience, even when it's challenging.

💡 Join them as they discuss the importance of living out God's Word, regardless of our feelings or circumstances. Drawing from personal anecdotes and biblical insights, they encourage listeners to embrace courage, perseverance, and authenticity in their spiritual journey.

🙏🏽 Whether it's practicing generosity, speaking truth with grace, or seeking God's love amidst trials, this episode offers practical wisdom for navigating life's complexities with faith and resilience.

🔍 Dive deeper into the conversation by sharing your own experiences of perseverance and obedience in the comments or by emailing unpackingtruths@locchurch.com. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to continue unpacking God's truth for your life!

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Transcript

0:00

Jesus didn't say um you know forgive the person who hurts you if they really deserve it right or forgive them if you really feel like it or um love your neighbor as yourself as long as it isn't too inconvenient yeah he just has these love your neighbor forgive your neighbor that that and there's a sense that it almost is like that just do it um it is that do it anyway whether I might feel like it or not hi I'm Pastor Kendall and I'm Pastor Mo and we are unpacking truths where we unpack God's Word and God's truth for life today everyone is seeking and we're here to help you find hope and power in God's work alright so Kendall we are going to be talking about today along with all those listening and watching us do it anyway that is our topic it's kind of like the Nike theme just do it do it anyway look like Christ look like the kingdom of God regardless of how you're feeling regardless of what you're going through regardless of how justified you feel or um for a certain situation and so what do you think about that what do you you know I I remember when I first heard the you know the Nike model and I thought like ah what's that about and I've got to say more the longer I I don't like to say it this way but I probably should just be honest the older I get the more I see the wisdom of it I because I thought you're gonna say like I can't do it anymore no no I'm not saying that I'm not going there yet not at all um that I do think there is something profound about just do it uh I mean it that because because I think it's human beings we are such good excuse makers yeah we are so good at rationalizing why this I justify everything yeah exactly that's why I Learned scripture so I can use it to justify no we it is one of the greatest unfortunately one of the greatest things humans do we justify what we want to believe or do or think so I think that do it anyway just do it I think there's even deeper profound wisdom uh than Nike intended in when they chose that as their model live into who the person you think you are right like living to who you really wanna be with your actions absolutely so so I think some of where we're going in this but we'll meander a little bit is always is just that whole sense of um you know Jesus didn't say um you know forgive the person who hurts you if they really deserve it or forgive them if you really feel like it or um love your neighbor as yourself as long as it isn't too inconvenient he just has these love your neighbor forgive your neighbor that that and there's a sense that it almost is like that just do it it is that do it anyway whether I might feel like it or not and I just there's a woman I know who um uh from a previous congregation and she just taught me something so wise um she was in a recovery journey yeah and she had been divorced and she said uh someone had really told her but where Jesus said pray for those who persecute you yeah and that's hard one and she felt like her husband had persecuted her in that journey of through the divorce and so she said I literally started praying for my soon to be ex husband like that and then she would like say a series of exploits and then say but god I want you to bless him and she said the more I kept actually praying for him even though it was the last thing I wanted to do absolutely she said you wouldn't believe it Kendall she said but my my heart started to change it does it's crazy but when you pray for your you know enemies right like those who are hurting you I mean your at first your prayer kind of sounds you know a little old testimony like god bring down your wrath and you know bash the heads against the rocks but then it changes it it's like you know what God I want you to just open their heart like be with them give them peace like it changes from like here are the ways I want you to change them and or the situation and or punish them to ugh just be with them and give them what they need to heal because hurt people hurt people and you begin to just see things differently even even in the in the people that have hurt us you know yeah yeah I there's just I think sometimes we hear some of the things Jesus say says um and it almost sounds like it's so aspirational it's so like way above us like well how could I ever do that but in some ways I think Jesus was being very down to earth and he was just saying just do this practically do this and I'll start changing our heart do this and we'll start changing things that you know we think well we somehow have to get to the point where we're feeling like we're going to do that yeah to do it but I mean that that's where the Nike thing was you know don't wait till you feel like exercising just do it yeah take that little step whatever that looks like little step whatever that little step it may not be perfection you may wanna get all the way over there but if you take a tiny step forward you are moving in the right direction yeah and and it just starts moving our spiritual lives forward but our whole lives forward because again Jesus didn't say these things cause he wanted to make our lives harder he wanted to make his world better right and and and in the end our lives better too that when I Learned to actually forgive to let go of my righteous anger towards this person who is a jerk to me and and doesn't deserve it when I actually start to let go of my anger towards them and forgive them it freeze me yeah it freeze me and so no I agree and you know I think there's a lot of different um a lot of different things that are areas where we're called to just do it right like even I think about my kids and um my inability to listen I'm I'm pretty good like with other people it's my mom and my kids I'm sorry I know you're probably listening to this well no they're like yeah she's telling the truth now finally like I don't know what it is like I go right to oh here's what you need to do here's how this is fixed you know rather than being present and living out what's in James being quick to listen and slow to speak like there's so much wisdom in that and I just think about how during some of the most pivotal moments in Jesus life he was just silent hmm and it there's so much to be said in that or like an amazing rabbi he would you know answer a question with a question to him because it's in that process of just asking people questions and that curious heart of like where are you coming from explain that more it helps people feel seen and it also then reveals things that we really need to see so that we know what's underneath maybe what's going on yeah mom I'm just gonna yeah if you guys don't know what active listening skills are go Google it and go look at some active listening skills because learning to be a good listener and an active listener profound yeah it's really hard it's you know and it's interesting because once if you've been in the presence of somebody who is a good listener it's felt it is felt you almost feel the presence of God you feel seen in a way that you have never been seen before and so it's such a gift when we learn how to do that yeah um you know I before we started into this Moe you said something to me that I think maybe just we wanna make sure we add this nuance to it and we're saying it's just do it just do it Jesus said we're not saying to deny our feelings that if we're feeling hurt by this person that somehow we shouldn't feel that no we we feel that that's real Jesus is not saying well don't feel hurt by the no you're gonna feel that but in spite of that still act this way well and I think that you know as Christians we have this idea that we have to put this happy kind facade on this face right it's a fake face because it's not being genuine with how we may be feeling inside and so I think there's a difference in just doing kind things but then feeling really ugly inside and like what is it look like to assimilate the both because you know like okay I hear this all the time it comes out of Romans 5 3 to 4 um we can rejoice when we run into problems and trials for we know they keep us oh they help us develop endurance right so but I hear so many people say well you know my kid just found out you know they're addicted to heroin but I'm rejoicing in the Lord or I am getting a divorce but I'm rejoicing in the Lord like they feel this need to um say that right or like something must be wrong with me I as a good Christian follower of Jesus should be rejoicing somehow or should be feel not feeling as sad or hurt or downtrodden when it's okay to feel that way right it's okay to own that and be like I feel like shit but I'm still gonna get out of bed I'm still gonna go to church I'm still gonna put myself in community in different ways I'm still gonna go to my small group because I know that's what's good for me I'm still gonna do that work of doing what Jesus said we need to do which is to look at the log hanging out of our own eye which is priceless work which we often avoid um because it helps us see others correctly right like when we learn what is our lens that were perceiving the world out of because so often it's I love what Pete's Cazaro says Jesus may be in your heart but Grandpa's in your bones like what we've Learned in our family systems some of the dysfunctional ways of being and surviving and living sometimes we unconsciously live that out and project that on other people you know sure we do yeah you know I think one of the ways where I've struggled to um uh live this out where I where I know sort of a word from scripture word from God that God's calling me to that that I've avoided and that's um that great line that I just sort of speak the truth in love and I think there have been times when because I can sometimes be a people pleaser yeah that I have not spoken a truth that's needed to be spoken um I mean of course doing it in love and kindness but I've like oh this might hurt the person so I'm gonna uh you know in the family I grew up in um I like to say tact was our middle name I mean we're really good at how do you say things in a way that people can hear which is a great great skill yeah unless you take it to the extreme and then you say things and people walk away thinking oh isn't that great and I didn't speak clearly the truth I needed to speak and I know it has cause problems um because misunderstandings I would say well misunderstandings but also like so I think there have been times where God wanted me to speak a truth that someone needed to hear but I was afraid of how they would react so I sort of sugar coated so much so they never heard and and then couldn't wrestle with that and um and so I've just had to how do I learn to not be such a people pleaser and and never be mean but but if there's a truth it's God it's leading me to speak to speak it in love yeah but also humble myself if there's something I need to hear but absolutely as people pleasers can get in trouble too so here's the space you know Kendall this is a safe sacred space so this is this is a moment when we're all gonna see a confession here please tell me what do you really think about me you've been sugarcoat and sugarcoat and so on well you really want to tell you what I really think it is been great to have you as a partner I'll see he's sugarcoat and there's something under there no that is something under there straight truth straight truth well it's it's funny that you actually I mean you're not perfect or anything I mean let's not go overboard but you've been a great partner I appreciate you thank you appreciate you too um it is funny that you say that how that's been kind of your your space where you don't just do it right you put so much sugar on something people walk away thinking it's sweet when really they need to be doing some some work and I've actually leaned in the opposite direction because growing up um nobody talked about their feelings no one shared anything no everything there were so many secrets and skeletons in the closet I rebelled against that by opening my big mouth and speaking truth uh all the time and it was like what is she doing and I mean the family didn't know what to do with me and I would do it in public I would do it like I mean I wasn't embarrassed I would just say this crazy stuff however what I Learned is that that's you know we're called to speak truth but with Grace and in love and that looks way different like where are you saying the things you're saying um you know how are you saying them is it in public or one yes yeah cause it's so you know it's so easy especially if we're in a space where we wanna defend ourselves with something or or we know someone's not saying something that's completely honest we wanna jump in right when really you know maybe we should just be taking a step back taking them to the side privately because that is what we would want right loving our neighbor as ourselves that's what Jesus said in Matthew 18 yeah if you had if someone sinned against you if you think God's calling you to call them out on that or to say hey this hurt yeah he says speak to them one on one in private when there aren't you know when it doesn't get complicated with drawing everyone else in so absolutely um the uh you know one of the others when you're thinking about this just just do it do it anyway yeah one of the areas that um God has shown me sort of faithfulness in this is around the whole idea of um generosity that that has been one of those years in my life that I was blessed by um my parents sort of taught that to us as kids yeah and uh my brother likes to tell the story of he goes uh um that when we got uh when his kids we were getting 25 cents allowance and he said uh um and we were putting a dime in the offering plate uh it it true I'm impressed like you did that yourself you put a dime of the wait why were you getting 25% or 25 cents for what like a whole day I was no I don't know I lived ancient years ago mom I'm an old guy is that fair pay no but is my brother like to say he goes that point I was giving 40% of my income to the Lord he goes now I just do 10% but that the so I mean it was it's a joke he's told but it's that sense that our parents taught us that early on so did you ever come on did you wrestle with that like I don't wanna I don't wanna get my 25 cents this is only 25 cents I got there's a candy store down the street I can get two pieces of candy with this the uh a there wasn't a candy store down the street and b um actually not so much no no and you know and that's one of those weird places that I have experienced god being faithful in this area that is he has LED me that I have sort of said well god said in scripture in different places to be generous and practice sort of the tie throughout my adult life and you know and even when I was crazy kid in college I wasn't a crazy kid in college as you loaded to but but I mean I gave offerings in the church I would like to see those polaroids though yeah whatever polaroids you have when you're in college but as I've done that I have seen that God is faithful and and that and that for me that do it anyway whether you think like I don't know how I can afford this I don't know if I should do this I have found that is I have done that yeah I've experienced god being faithful and providing yeah god is always provided but what when I've when I've done it as well right and at first I justified not doing it for a really long time and then you know and it was a struggle and it was hard um and God is always provided but what I've loved uh what that practice has done for me it's it's allowed me to detach from something that very much can become my God hmm money yeah um you know you do a lot with money it it embodies and symbolizes power and privilege in the ability to do things and um and I just it's helped me detach from it it is it's a real spiritual practice cause it's hard to let go yeah you know when that offering bucket went around I just held on tight like no I don't have to no you don't want to look like a jerk so sometimes when I was young I would pretend to put something in there did you guys do that too or am I alone here you know and sometimes my mom would like my mom would look yeah my mom would look oh wait I've seen people do that that's a whole another level I'm like seriously okay the um so I do think that there is words from scripture yeah that come to us that we you know and it's always easier to apply scripture to other people's lives right but to hear the things that Jesus says to us to read the things in scriptures yeah and to say what if God really meant that yeah no I no I know I'm not going to the places where I think Jesus used hyperbole where he says if your hand causes you to sin cut it off yeah that was hyperbole I think that's what he was trying to say takes in seriously so but I feel like we should preach that as though it's like literal that'd be fun to watch everyone's faces just to see you know please they would think it's a joke if I did it but if you did it just keep a straight face it'll be good it'll be so good well I am not into horror movies so no we're not going there but but I think there are verses and there are things that Jesus says there are things in scripture throughout where if we actually took him seriously yeah if we just did it if we do it anyway we would discover actually greater peace um a world more fully changed our own lives in a better place um the God would change our own hearts as we walked in that whether we felt like it way I think way more than that I you know too bad I'm a piss compelling cause I don't know scripture like the Baptist do so I can't spit it out like this is where it comes from but um where if if we only knew what God had for those who like had in store for those who loved him right like if we only knew we don't we don't fathom it and and if we lived into the ways of God in the world in in all facets of our life I bet our life would be unimaginable it would be amazing it would be far better than we could even create ourselves and yet we so often like to take back and like Lord over our own lives like Jesus thanks I got this for a little bit you know and it is it's hard to live into that um speaking of scripture and and just seeing how people persevere and still do the things that they should be doing I think of characters right and so I love one who people often don't think of I love Leah hmm I love how she is this poor forgotten sister um all we know about the poor girl she's got some kind of like you know lazy eye that's what it says lazy eye but like actually it it's almost it's really intriguing cause it means like uh like almost there could be a vision problem and she begins her journey right her father she has to feel worthless because her father didn't even collect or receive a dowry for her right just handed her over to Jacob and then he was upset he even had her and she was praying out and crying to god um to be able to have sons cause she so desperately wanted him to love her and just all these things she was doing but she continued to seek God right and and her vision it's it's like you can watch her vision getting better so she had weak eyes like she didn't see the world quite right and it just became better the the longer she was drawing closer to god and then all of a sudden you see this shift where she no longer is trying to find worth or fulfillment in her husband's love but she's satisfied in the love of God and God goes on to bless her in which she'd never imagine she's the one who's buried with her with Jacob in honor right in the burial tomb where the wife should go and poor Rachel the one he's absolutely in love with gets buried somewhere on the side of the road um she gets um oh my goodness that's the line Jesus came through right is is her so it's like it's just beautiful it's interesting yeah and I think you do see when there's faithfulness is honored and blessed yeah and not always in material ways but there is a piece that comes from it absolutely of knowing that you are walking in the right path yeah I would love to ask uh those watching or those listening uh if you would like to comment let us know some of the spaces that you have been able to persevere you've been able to do the right thing regardless of how hard it's been whether you comment or you can email us at uh unpackingtruths.com we would love love to hear these stories alright well sounds good this is it just do it just do it just do it alright next time on unpacking truths yeah so I couldn't imagine what it was like to not only try to figure out and wrestle what it looks like to look like Christ in the context of relationships parenting how I spend my money but then do it publicly yeah in the light of for everyone to see and you can all judge me and you know comment and put out videos and throw all over social media how you think I'm you know missing the Mark or I'm fake or whatever it is or or messy or you know all these judgments it's just I think it takes so much courage to do something like that thanks for tuning in if anything we said brought up any questions or ideas let's keep the conversation going in the comments below or email us at unpackingtruths at locchurch com and don't forget to like share and subscribe so we can continue helping people unpack God's truth for their lives