Digging Deeper – Cut it Out
But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Philippians 3:12b-13 (NLT)
CUT IT OUT
I absolutely love a good (and clean) stand-up comic. A few of my favorites are Brian Regan, Nate Bargatze, and Leanne Morgan. But there’s another, lesser-known, yet equally hilarious comedian I’ve had the privilege of seeing numerous times: Tim Hawkins.
Tim performed at NorthStar Church for three consecutive years back in the late 2000s. I had the opportunity to see him up close and even had a conversation or two with him before and after his shows. As zany as Tim is on stage, he is rather introverted and tends to keep to himself when he isn’t making people bowl over in laughter. He often listens to his previous performances and takes notes to ensure he doesn’t repeat a bit for the same audience or venue.
I remember talking to his brother Todd (who is also Tim’s manager) about bringing Tim back a fourth time. By this point, Tim was in high demand and had begun to trim his schedule significantly. During our conversation, Todd said something I’ve never forgotten. I’m paraphrasing, but he said, “In the beginning, Tim said ‘yes’ to everything so that one day he could say ‘yes’ only to the things he wanted to say ‘yes’ to.”
I got it. He had reached a point where he could be selective and intentional with how and where he spent his time. Instead of doing 340 shows each year, he was now doing about half that many — and he could pick and choose where he traveled. He had earned that privilege.
Similarly, we work from our early twenties into our forties or early fifties to build a career — often squeezing out the most important voices in favor of the ones we believe will get us further along and closer to our goals. But what about the goal of becoming like Christ? If that is the goal (and it should be), what are we eliminating in order to develop a character like His?
Brian Bloye, Senior Pastor at Westridge Church in Dallas, Georgia, once shared that, like a radio dial, we need to “tune in” to the right voices and “tune out” the wrong ones. The places we go, the people we spend time with, and the things we devote our attention to will shape us – for better or for worse.
As we close, I’d ask you to set aside some time today — just ten minutes — to pray and seek God’s wisdom in this area. Then, jot down at least two “voices” you can begin to tune out to help you become the spiritual leader, spouse, parent, co-worker, or neighbor you desire to be.
Tomorrow, we’ll address the voices we need to tune in to.
C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.
