This week I had the opportunity to write for the weekly ‘Christian Comment’ section of the local paper. 

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I still remember the day well.

I don’t think I slept much the night before, and I definitely couldn’t face my Weetabix. Then there was the drive to school – it seemed to take ages, despite Mum’s smalltalk. Finally we arrived, and one of the teachers handed me that white A4 envelope with my name on. One way or another, it felt like this one envelope was going to dictate my future. I think it took me about a minute to get it open.

The Day of Dread

Exam results day. Whether it was GCSEs this past Thursday, or A Levels the week before, it often casts its shadow over the rest of the summer. Maybe that was the case for you this year, or for someone you love? Of course, for some all the dread will quickly be forgotten once the envelope gets opened. Instead, there’s relief, elation, joy. For others though, there will be crushing disappointment, anxiety and uncertainty. What happened?! What now? What next?

But whether you were happy with your results or whether you weren’t, the temptation will always be to think that it’s these grades that define us. As if it was these letters and numbers, whether they’re A’s or U’s (or the new 9’s or 1’s) that are the ultimate measure of my value and worth.

The Pressure to Achieve

And when you stop and think about it, this isn’t an experience that’s limited to getting your exam results. All too often life itself feels like one long exam; one long attempt to prove yourself, with the world keeping score. Even for those of us whose academic exams seem many light years ago, the reality is we can still feel the relentless pressure to perform and achieve. We measure ourselves against our peers or against what we feel the media is telling us we need to live upto, and frankly it can be exhausting.

So where does this leave us? Are we left to just navigate ourselves through this endless and restless obstacle course of defining ourselves by what we can achieve? What resources might Christianity bring to the table in the midst of all this?

You Are Not Your Grades

At the heart of the Christian faith is the foundational belief that we are not the sum of our achievements. You are not defined by what letters or numbers are found in that envelope. Sure, to some degree they have a say in what opportunities might present themselves over the next few years (although I’m always struck by hearing the stories of those who felt they did pretty badly in exams, but then life took them happily in a direction they’d never have expected).

But ultimately our identity is found in something deeper, something more fundamental and solid. Christianity is about the staggering news that we have been made by a personal God. And not only that, but that this God has given his own life to connect us back to him. Whether we’re top of the class or failing spectacularly, the invitation of his love is as necessary and certain for each of us. It’s an offer to see that the marks that really matter, the marks that define us, are not our exam grades, but the love-shaped marks in Jesus’ hands.

Now, I reckon that’s an envelope worth opening.

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Inspired by the video, Ticking Boxes, by Dave Crofts.

1) Only Messy People Allowed: Toward a Culture of Grace – Yes! Here’s to God helping Grace Church Barrow to have such a culture as this.

2) Ministry Is Not a Place to ‘Find Yourself’ – I’m not sure we ever get over some of these temptations, but the warnings and symptoms are really helpful to hear. 

3) No Room at the Inn for Minorities in Conservative Evangelicalism – It’s a fairly damning title, but the health of any movement is surely connected to its willingness to self-reflect and allow critique, especially from those who would see themselves as being ‘within the camp’. As David Shaw pointed out, the mindset of thinking everyone else needs to become a ‘little bit more like us’ is always dangerous.

4) Why I Don’t Sit With My Husband at Church – This has been getting a lot of traffic over the past few weeks. Essentially it boils down to how we see church.

5) The Importance of Character – First in a series of three posts by Ray Evans on the role of Character, Capability and Chemistry in church leadership.

6) Ten Tips for Taming Tech – Some useful ideas to make sure we have a handle on our technology use.

7) We all know what an Ibex is, right?! For something a bit different, a fun little moment from the freshened-up new series of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Seven up…

1) Lessons Learned from 30 Years in Ministry – Kathy Keller reflects on five ministry-philosophy principles that her and husband Tim have learned from decades ministering in New York City.

2) New Andrew Peterson Song from Resurrection Letters – If you’ve not come across AP before, this one-take music video showcases his gift for crafting beautiful songs that point to our Saviour amidst the messy realities of life in this broken world.

3) You Must Fight Hard for Peace – Challenged by this. How often is this how we think?

4) Rob Bell, Fundamentalist – 5 Ironies from the new Bell film – So it turns out that in the US, the self-pronounced heretic Rob Bell is the subject of his own new film, subtly titled Heretic. As this article shows, in actual fact Bell is essentially a liberal ‘fundamentalist’, being just as guilty of being ‘dogmatic’ as those he often mocks.

5) The Life of St. Patrick: An Inspiration for Missions – Stick a ‘St.’ on someone’s name and it’s easy to think of these  figures from history as somewhat ethereal, pious and remote. On the day after St Patrick’s day, this is a good reminder of the hard realities of this guy’s life and gospel ministry.

6) 50 Mums, 50 Kids, 1 Extra Chromosome – World Down Syndrome Day is this coming Wednesday, and this tear-jerking Carpool Karaoke style-video is a powerful celebration of the love shared between mothers and their children. Interesting to see how popular this has become, given that there was so much controversy when Sally Phillip’s 2016 BBC documentary made the case against the new Downs’ pregnancy screening tests, out of a concern it would lead to more abortions. 

7) The Overwhelming Emotion of Hearing Toto’s “Africa” Remixed to Sound Like It’s Playing in an Empty Mall – For something a bit different, this is really peculiar but strangely warming: “Hearing a song you love when it’s playing from elsewhere is a reassuring, isolating experience: you feel solitary and cared for at the same time.”

On the Blog this Week:

Review of The Goldilocks Zone (Collected Writings of Mike Ovey)

From the Archives:

Preacher, where are you wading deep?