INCREMENTALISM
“Listen – You are going to look at yourself 20 or 30 years from now and say ‘How did this happen?’ It will NOT have happened overnight. It’s not like you went to bed the night before weighing 180 pounds and woke up the next morning weighing 230. Not at all! It will be the result of the choices you make over the years that will determine what you will be like decades from now, and the slow gradual piling on of the pounds will hardly be noticeable.”
These were my words (or something like it) to my 10th grade Health Education students in 1977. I was trying to help them understand that the choices they make about what they eat and how they exercise would have a gradual, cumulative effect on the quality of their lives years later. Trying to get 15 and 16 year olds to think this way was like trying to convince today’s Tea Party members that higher taxes and bigger government would be good for the country. I was selling – they weren’t buying.
Occasionally, I see some of these former students. In fact, some of them are my clients. These “kids” are now in their early 50’s, and unfortunately for some, my words were prophetic. Many of them recall my lectures and have said to me “You were right, Mr. Ryce.” What happened?
For many of them (and many of us), the world offered up a tasty variety of foods, some of which were simply lacking in nutritional value, and sometimes downright harmful. Often, even though aware of the potential harm, many would still choose to consume these foods, because so many others choose to consume them, and BECAUSE THEY TASTE GOOD! Combine this practice with a slowing metabolism (usually in the 30’s) and a lifestyle lacking regular physical activity, and we have a formula guaranteed to produce a bad result. It doesn’t take long for our choices to become habit, and the inevitable result is a slow, incremental increase in weight and a slow incremental decrease in physical capacity.
“Listen – You are going to look at yourself 20 or 30 years from now and say ‘How did this happen?’ It will NOT have happened overnight. It’s not like you went to bed the night before weighing 180 pounds and woke up the next morning weighing 230. Not at all! It will be the result of the choices you make over the years that will determine what you will be like decades from now, and the slow gradual piling on of the pounds will hardly be noticeable.”
These were my words (or something like it) to my 10th grade Health Education students in 1977. I was trying to help them understand that the choices they make about what they eat and how they exercise would have a gradual, cumulative effect on the quality of their lives years later. Trying to get 15 and 16 year olds to think this way was like trying to convince today’s Tea Party members that higher taxes and bigger government would be good for the country. I was selling – they weren’t buying.
Occasionally, I see some of these former students. In fact, some of them are my clients. These “kids” are now in their early 50’s, and unfortunately for some, my words were prophetic. Many of them recall my lectures and have said to me “You were right, Mr. Ryce.” What happened?
For many of them (and many of us), the world offered up a tasty variety of foods, some of which were simply lacking in nutritional value, and sometimes downright harmful. Often, even though aware of the potential harm, many would still choose to consume these foods, because so many others choose to consume them, and BECAUSE THEY TASTE GOOD! Combine this practice with a slowing metabolism (usually in the 30’s) and a lifestyle lacking regular physical activity, and we have a formula guaranteed to produce a bad result. It doesn’t take long for our choices to become habit, and the inevitable result is a slow, incremental increase in weight and a slow incremental decrease in physical capacity.
It occurs to me that the same process can be at work on a spiritual level.
The world is constantly offering a wide variety of messages that we “feed” on. These messages are delivered via multiple media – Television news and Entertainment programming; Movies; Music and music videos; Magazines; Internet; You Tube; Facebook; Twitter… Just as it is with the foods we eat, some of the messages (some would argue most) are simply lacking in spiritual value, and sometimes downright harmful. Unfortunately, we unwisely “consume” these messages because we fail to realize the harm they can cause, because so many others are consuming them, or because they “taste so good” to our fallen nature. Incrementally, over time, born again Christians can begin to think about life in much the same way the unsaved do. The Lord has warned us about this:
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
Not long ago, one of George Barna’s studies revealed that only 9% of born again Christians actually possess a biblical worldview. (To read more about the study, GO HERE.) How can this be? The Puritans came to this land “… for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith.” Their worldview was such that every aspect of life was subject to God’s sovereign control.
So how did we get from there to here? From a country founded upon Christian principles to a nation that seems intent on removing God from every nook and cranny of life? How did we get to the point where the majority of those who are saved do not look at the world much differently than the unsaved? Did it happen overnight as a result of some dramatic, cataclysmic event? Of course not. It happened incrementally…
It is important to remember that, if the downward slide of this culture is to be reversed, this too is most likely going to happen incrementally, and God’s people are to be at the forefront. (See 2 Chronicles7:13-15)
For us to do our part, you and I must first be willing to examine our own lives. Have we been taken captive by the culture? Are our thoughts and attitudes pleasing to God? How do we examine our lives? With the inspired word of God:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
For us to do our part, we must also “grow up”, and become mature in our faith, exercising greater wisdom and discernment so that we are not so easily taken captive.
“…you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
When we examine our lives and rid ourselves of the corrupting thoughts and attitudes that have incrementally taken us captive; and when we train ourselves to better distinguish good from evil, we will have greater influence on the world around us. Incrementally, our nation can return to God – one heart at a time.
May it be so.
In Christ –
John
Soli Deo Gloria
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