Freedom From Subjectivity

OFF COURSE

The skydiver dangled four feet above the ground; her parachute wrapped around the power lines above. Nearby, a second skydiver narrowly missed a mailbox, landing in someone’s backyard. High winds dragged a third jumper and her canopy through a liquid manure-soaked field. This story is a composite of bad landing experiences from my skydiving years.

 There are many reasons a skydiver misses the drop zone (DZ), a pea gravel-filled circle emblazoned with a large X. One reason is an incorrectly thrown wind-drift indicator (WDI). The WDI, a weighted stream of rolled, brightly colored crepe paper 20 feet long, is thrown from a plane flying at 2200 feet directly above the DZ. Jumpers track the WDI’s descent to determine wind speed and direction. If the WDI lands 500 feet north of the DZ, skydivers choose a landmark 500 feet south of the DZ as the exit point for later jumps.

 STRAIGHT DOWN

But how does a jumper know when she is directly above the DZ? The plane’s fuselage is constantly moving side to side and up and down. If one uses any part of the plane’s body as a point of reference, perspective will be skewed, subjective. Only by sticking one’s head out of the plane can one discern when the DZ is directly below them.

 Exit points chosen by carelessly dropped WDIs, cause jumpers to be blown off course.

 THE TYRANNY OF SUBJECTIVITY

Subjectivity is conviction based on personal views and feelings. In skydiving, it can be deadly; in life, it results in bondage. On July 16th, my husband Don had back surgery. Ten days after surgery, a five-man missions team from Nebraska joined us to minister among Muslims. Their visit coincided with four days of Children’s Backyard Bible Clubs. The missions team and the Bible Clubs were planned. The surgery was not in the original plan.

 Pain and doctor’s orders limited Don’s participation in those days. It was my turn to do the heavy lifting. Twice-a-day Bible clubs in two locations, prayer-walking, visiting the Mosque, attending an Iranian rally, 8 am team de-briefings, street evangelism, helping Don with personal needs, and, well, you get the idea.

 I tossed in bed after a sixteen-hour day. People exhaust me. I want to run. Are Don and I a disappointment to the team? There is no rest in sight. People must see me as a wimp. I am alone.

Wallowing in the soup of subjectivity, I was a skydiver bouncing around inside the plane’s fuselage, unable to get my bearings.

 I needed to find straight up.

 STRAIGHT UP

A lifetime of challenges and tight spots has made me an excellent escape artist. I have one move—straight up. Lying in the darkness; I made a break for the Word of God. And escaped.

The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 NASB

 I am not alone. I have a personal shepherd, watching over me and directing every detail of my life. Right now, I have everything I need. In this I rest.

 The relief of walking away from my bankruptcy into God’s full storehouse was palpable.

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 

O my God, in You I trust,

Do not let me be ashamed;

Do not let my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;

Psalm 25:1-3 NASB

 I am so vulnerable and I lack wisdom, but Lord, You promise I will not be ashamed if I wait for You. I will wait for You.

 Focusing on the promises delivered me from the tyranny of subjectivity, from things that feel true but are not. Instead of bogging down in human wisdom and feelings, I focused on class preparation, hosted the missions team, and served my husband. I side-stepped a minefield of unhealthy preoccupation.

 With the aid of hiking poles, my husband took part in the ministry week. A Muslim leader welcomed us inside the mosque. Parents and children loved the Bible Clubs. God provided a shade tree to park under for naps between clubs. We interacted with Pakistanis, Iranians, and Sudanese immigrants. What I feared did not happen.

 AM I LIVING SUBJECTIVITY?

In skydiving, a subjective jumper uses the door frame, the step, or the wing strut as reference points when exiting the plane. This results in a long walk back to the DZ, carrying heavy gear. But what does subjectivity look like in life? Based on personal experience, symptoms can include:

·       Backing out of commitments because of fear.

·       Getting derailed by the opinions of others.

·       Confirming God’s will by my feelings.

·       Small reversals or rejections are crippling.

·       Distraction, making it difficult to focus on daily tasks.

·       Introspection. Constantly examining one’s motives and actions.

 I WANT TO ESCAPE

Somewhere in the 90s, I was drowning in subjective thoughts and feelings. I needed something outside of myself and my circumstances to latch onto. I began consuming God’s Word through memorization and meditation. The book of Galatians was my first project. I followed this up with the book of Ephesians and others. Something happened to me. My mind developed a reliable, available lense through which to interpret my world. When random thoughts presented themselves, there was a guard at the gate demanding a pass before they could enter. Dr. Neil T. Anderson, Director of Freedom in Christ Ministries, calls this “threshold thinking.”[1] I highly recommend his book, The Bondage Breaker.

 TEN DAYS TO OBJECTIVITY

Are you ready to escape the tyranny of subjectivity and become an objective believer? When we fix our eyes on Jesus in the Word, we become more like Him and less like us. We gain God’s perspective.

 To get started, try this ten-day experiment in Colossians 2:6-15. You will meditate on (ponder) these verses slowly and deliberately, look up the meaning of words, and answer a few questions. If you choose to memorize them, even better. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

DAY ONE:

Read the book of Colossians. This will take about 15 minutes.

DAY TWO:

Meditate on Col. 2:6-7.

Look up the meaning of the Greek words for “walk”, “rooted”,

“built up”, and “established” in a Greek lexicon (GL). 

DAY THREE:

Meditate on Col. 2:8.

Look up “elementary principles” in a GL. 

DAY FOUR:

Meditate on Col. 2:9-10.

Look up “complete” in a GL. 

DAY FIVE:

Meditate on Col. 2:11.

Look up occurrences of “circumcised” or “circumcision” in the New Testament. 

DAY SIX:

Meditate on Col. 2:12. What does “baptism” mean in this verse?

There are at least 7 kinds of baptism in the Bible. 

DAY SEVEN:

Meditate on Col. 2:13.

When is a person “made alive” with Christ?

Does forgiveness happen at the same time?

DAY EIGHT:

Meditate on Col. 2:14.

Look up “certificate of debt,” “decrees,” and “taken it out of the way” in a GL. 

DAY NINE:

Meditate on Col. 2:15.

Who are the “rulers and authorities?” 

DAY TEN:

In one brief paragraph, write what you learned through this exercise.

 THE MIRACLE OF TYLENOL

Have you considered the miracle of Tylenol? Two people take Tylenol, one for a headache and the other for a sore knee. Both find relief because the Tylenol knows where to go. In the same way, two people read the same Scripture, and both find spiritual healing. Because the Word of God knows where to go.

Wherever we are in the long journey to be healthy, objective believers, the Word of God will lead us all the way.

All Scripture is inspired by God

and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB

[1] https://blog.ficm.org/blog/the-key-to-winning-the-battle-for-your-mind