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Who Edit's You?
Jon Burgess2Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4
Timothy had given Paul editing privileges with the manuscript of his life. Timothy was being reminded that he was the editor in the lives of those in his church. Paul then points out that a time is coming when most will refuse to allow their lives, decisions, and actions to be edited by the Word and Spirit of God. Instead of looking for teachers who will tell them what they need to hear they would find those who will tell them what they want to hear. Instead of chasing after truth and rejecting myths, "They will reject the truth and chase after myths." You can't bring correction to those who refuse it. You can't bring instruction to those who ignore it. You can't edit mistakes if they don't believe they've made any in the first place.
As I read Paul's words about a time that is coming, I know full well, that time is here. Though many in this world have chosen to ignore the truth of God's Word as a guide for life I cannot just point the finger. I must also ask, who edit's me? Don't I also look for people that will agree with my point of view, tell me what I want to hear, make me feel good about my decisions? I justify all of this because I'm not serving my own agenda but the Lords. Right? Isn't the proof that this is not about me found in the very act of submitting my words and deeds to the editing process. I have many in my life full of wisdom and faith who would serve in this way, but an editor as to be invited and entrusted and that's on me, not them. Ultimately it comes down to not wanting to be corrected. Not wanting to be told I'm wrong. Doesn't that push me dangerously close to the very people Paul is describing in this passage? I was reading this article about the importance of authors finding an editor and it described it this way, "When you hire an editor, what you’re essentially doing is that you’re paying for an extra pair of eyes. (A pair with good writerly instincts, of course.) And this is different from asking your writer friends for feedback. Hiring an editor is to force him or her to be on your team, to see you through the publication of your book. Stephen King once described writing as rowing a bathtub across the Atlantic, and what you’re doing, really, when you hire an editor is to invite someone else into your bathtub, some five hundred meters away from shore." This goes beyond just tips on how to improve my teaching and preaching and leading and goes to the very need for editing in every area of my life. This morning Coach Egan was editing myattitude towards exercise. This past weekend Pastor Wayne was editing mythoughts of discouragement. Yesterday Cyndi was editing my attitude towards our home budget. Even while I'm typing this my Grammerlyprogram is editing my misspellings and reminding me of the need for commas. These are just a few of the examples of my need to let others edit me so I can continue to offer my very best to my God and those around me.
You say that You correct those that you love. It doesn't make it any easier to receive that correction. This morning you are reminding me that growth is active, not passive. I need to pursue editors if I want to grow in You. Forgive me for pride in the areas of my life where I have resisted input and editing. Let me continue to be a lifelong learner. Let me see that there is safety in a multitude of counselors and editors. They are in my life not to insult me but to improve me. Not to demean me but to deepen me. I can't see everything but You have put people into my life who can see my blind spots. Thank You for covering me this way.
