Before we get to the things I think I think, let’s consider how I view the world.
I call this my per‘speck’tive.
My per‘speck’tive gives me a basic framework so I am able to respond to people and circumstances in consistent ways so I can be happy at the end of each day.
I force my thoughts, feelings, actions, every circumstance and every person to pass through these filters. I have found this action helpful in reducing my daily stress, pressure and fear.
My Per‘speck’tive
-I am just a speck. One of seven billion on a tiny planet in a tiny galaxy within a huge universe who is following the lead of generations of billions who have set up a game board for us, but who are now dead.
-As a speck, I do mostly smaller speck-level things. Speck-level things are mostly minuscule. There are no BIG things, even if other specks tell me there are. So, while I must do speck-level things every day of my life, I won’t super-size any of them despite others’ claims there is a lot riding on a specific speck-task. This removes any personal pressure or stress. I can act freely, do my best to create positive outcomes and never worry about how those outcomes actually land.
(There is no big game, big meeting, big test, big __________. How we elevate the consequences tied to the event or task will determine if we see anything as big or small. Fear of “our” worst-case scenarios, which is usually tied to insecurities which are often tied to real traumas, drives this elevation! “Who cares?” and “So what?” are key phrases to use a lot in our thoughts that drive our emotions and actions.)
-My proper speck-level sizing is based on this: Everything I do that is not for God’s glory or under His command is meaningless. While it may have an effect, it holds no real importance. Most of life is a silly game. Speck-stuff is just chasing after the wind.
-Many specks around me don’t think like I do, and thus, they try to be the biggest speck-fish in the biggest speck-ponds, chasing after game objectives I could not care less about. They might even try all sorts of manipulative tactics and form various sketchy alliances to gain control of larger sections of this planetary game board. I won’t judge them, but I won’t be fooled into elevating the small things or small people to places of significance like they do.
-Speck-media, speck-politicians and speck-marketers exist to super-spin and super-size issues and products so I will care about them enough to give them my attention and my money. I appreciate them trying to distract me from the boredom of this life, but I will mostly ignore their pleas.
-Speck-products can be entertaining, useful, convenient and/or exciting. But they are really not worth much in the long run. So, I will own some speck-products but will always be willing to leave them behind at the drop of a hat. I’ll not hold too tightly to that which I cannot take with me beyond this planet.
-Knowing that other people outside of media and marketing are also specks, I don’t have to care too much what they think about me. People’s perceptions are flawed because their experience and knowledge are limited. I will not give myself over to them whether they think me worthy of kingship or martyrdom. My identity as God’s loved speck is set and no other speck can add to that or subtract from it.
-All specks are created by and loved by God and thus must be loved by me. Seeing myself as but a speck makes it easier to be humble and even to lay down my speck-life for those around me.
-My speck-death is imminent. During the time I do have, I want to be a humble and grateful speck who uses what God has given me to impact the lives of the neediest specks within my sphere of influence, especially with regards to their eternal future.
-As a speck, I will not be remembered for very long after my death. Making speck-history is not my goal. I’m not here to have buildings named after me. I don’t even want or need a quality obituary or eulogy. As long as the speck-Maker remembers me on the other side, I am good to go. This saves me from trying to do what is “memorable” and frees me up to do what is kind and just.
(Most specks, even the most ripple-causing, intelligent and famous specks, are forgotten long before their deaths. Specks tend to ‘radar-blip,’ then fade.)
-I have a lot in common with the specks around me (loss, pain, troubles, options, preferences, families, traumas, stresses, barriers, temptations, desires, etc.), but what they are after, I am not. Still, it is good to think of my other specks as more similar to me than completely different from me. Our shared realities help form the basis of my re‘speck’t for others.
-Most specks I know chase after the following “game” objectives: Pleasure, Power, Influence, Fame, Wealth, Love, Happiness, Health, Purpose/Meaning, Strength, Beauty, Style, Spirituality, Intelligence and/or Possessions, and I will be tempted to go after them, too. But since the methods used to achieve them are typically joyless and busy grabs for what falls short of any version of lasting satisfaction (The Matrix Blue Pill), I pray I quickly notice any shifts of MO and exit ramp back onto my narrow, alien path toward deeper satisfaction.
-No other speck can ruin my life. They might ruin moments or seasons, but I have the choice to respond with resilience and grace.
-Some specks may try to hurt me, control me and/or use me for their base ends, but I choose whether or not to let them.
-My speck-life is guided by the Bible, and thus, I need to know what the point of the Bible is: to introduce me to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and to show me how to gain and maintain intimacy with them. As well, it tells me what I can be certain of no matter what is happening in my world. Faith is certainty. I must ask daily, what am I certain of and why am I uncertain of other things? Do I have a ‘no matter what’ kind of faith or an ‘if this, then’ type of faith?
(My “certainty” will be tested so I will probably find out.)
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