Spiritual Order of Operations

Have you ever seen a post like this –  “What is 2 + 5 * 0 + 7 * 3 – 10? (a) 11 (b) 39 (c) 13 (d) 18”   

These questions are designed to test your understanding of the order of operations for simple math problems. Most everyone knows how to multiply, divide, add and subtract. Far fewer people who have the correct understanding of the order of operations for simple math problems.

The minor tragedy is that you can know how to do the individual pieces of the problem correctly, but if you don’t get the order of operations right, you will get the wrong answer.

I learned order of operations with a simple mnemonic that goes as follows, “My Dear Aunt Sally,” and the expanded version, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” This simple phrase reminds one of the correct order of operations – P-E-M-D-A-S – first Parentheses, then Exponents (like squared, etc), Multiplication, Division, Addition and lastly, Subtraction.

So, applying that little mnemonic to the above simple math problem you get

2 + (5*0) + (7*3) – 10

= 2 + 0 + 21 – 10

= 23 -10

= 13

 

Without the correct understanding of the order in which you solve the equation, you will likely not get the right answer to even a very simple problem like the one above, forget about one’s that are more complex. You may accidently get the right answer with simpler problems, but you will never be consistent with the easy ones, and you will rarely succeed with the more difficult problems.

I have found that getting the right answer when it comes to things spiritual works mostly the same way. If you don’t get the spiritual order of operations right, you may accidently succeed with the simpler problems in life, but you will never be consistent with the easy problems, and you will rarely succeed with the more difficult problems and issues life throws at you.

 

After decades of struggles and failures, here is what I have found works best for me:

• Internal spiritual life first, then express it externally

Like Jesus said, nothing you eat can defile you, only what comes from inside your heart can defile you. That is the source of either blessings or curses. If my inside isn’t right, I am operating in fake it til you make it mode. That never works long-term for me. It might work for a while, but when the storms come, or fatigue, or both, I will come crashing down, and normally take a few people with me.

I need to listen for what God is saying to me by reflecting on his word daily. I need to have conversations with him about myself, those I care about, those I don’t like or understand, those I don’t know, and those I hate. When I am right inside, I am so much better at being right on the outside.

 

• Faith first, then works

James is famous for saying, faith without works is dead. This is absolutely true. If you read it properly, it implies that faith comes first, and that the best works come as an expression of internal faith.

It’s kind of like the Sears (excuse me, Willis) Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge. You can’t directly see the deep foundational moorings of either one, but you can indirectly see the expression of them in the rock-solid stability and longevity of both.

Faith is the foundation for enduring good works. One of the reasons why following Jesus is so difficult is because you don’t get partial credit. Doing the right things, for the wrong reasons, is still wrong. It’s not that Jesus is looking for any excuse to smack us down, it is because he wants us to be successful over the long-term.

 

• Significant-other first, then kids, close friends, acquaintances, then everyone else

Many of us know people personally, who are heroes in the public eye, and fail at home with those they should love and care about the most. The news is littered with stories of the broken legacies left behind by leaders in all walks of life, who failed where it counts the most, at home.

Success at home is less about the will and desire to be a good spouse, parent and/or child, and more about the relentless pursuit of accurate feedback and accountability.

I don’t think I have ever met anyone that walks down the aisle with the determined intent to fail in their marriage. I don’t know anyone who holds their newborn in their arms and is determined to screw them up and/or abandon them.

Our desire to live right at home is often times the very thing that blinds us to our areas of weakness. We want to do well and we are afraid to ask the tough questions, and be held accountable to the answers.

The pressures of life provide constant force to that continually tries to knock us off course, and only the relentless pursuit of honest feedback and accountability will lead to a successful finish.

Anytime I have taken a sabbatical from more casual communities like church, small group, hanging out with friends, etc., to focus on those closest to me, I have ended up getting even more weird. I have found that for me, I need to do all of it, in the right order, to be successful.

As I reflect back on my 46 year journey through life so far, my failures come much more often from getting the order wrong, than from not being able to do any one of the things right. What has your experience been? So what?