What Are You Programming?

Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matt. 5:16

My 88-year-old mom was recently hospitalized with heart problems, pneumonia and flu. When I went to see her, we visited, played cards and watched some of her favorite television programs. While we were watching a Sunday church service, she commented, “Isn’t that interesting … that pastor is dead, but his programming is going on.”

Then she went on, “And, Lawrence Welk is dead, but his programming is going on.”

That made me think about her life and all she’d programmed of herself into her family, friends and people she’s cared for. I looked at her, and said, “And, Mom, when you go to heaven, you’re programming will be going on too … in your daughters, in your grandchildren, in all the people you invested your life in while you were here on earth. Isn’t that incredible?”

It’s an interesting concept to contemplate … what kind of programming are we producing with our lives in the lives of others? Every thought, every word, every action, every exchange or interchange between ourselves and someone else creates programming that will play on in the lives of others long after we’re gone.

Jesus told us to let our light shine before men, so they would see our good works and glorify God, who is our motivation and our power source of all things good, positive, right, just, lovely, honest, etc.

Now, our lives seldom fit into neat categories like those in which movies or television shows are catalogued. Often, they’re a messy mixture of drama, comedy, mystery, pathos, variety, musical, struggle, triumph and defeat, due to circumstances or situations beyond our control. What’s important, however, isn’t deciding the category we might fit into, but, rather, what we do with those scenarios we find ourselves in that determines whether we program life or destruction in others.

When it comes to the programming of our lives, we play two critical parts: creative director and leading role. We get top billing, the same as any Hollywood star, when it comes to creating memorable scenes and dialogue that will live on in people’s minds and hearts long after we’ve departed this earth.

I’m not advocating melodramatic acting and hypocrisy that looks and feels phony. Nor am I talking about putting on a performance or manipulating people and events for staging purposes. I’m talking about honest, sincere, true-to-life living in the middle of whatever you’re going through that will enable those watching you, living with you, taking part in your life to gain strength, courage, power, motivation, wisdom, light and life from you.

Perhaps someone’s hurt or offended you. In the middle of this drama, you can choose to allow the rift between the two of you to widen … or, you can choose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation. Perhaps you’re battling a life-threatening disease. You can become the victim and give up in depression and anger, or you can choose to fight with courage, strength and joy. But, each episode of your life needs to be true, real, full of integrity.

What you don’t have in yourself to give, you can draw on from God. He told the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness.” He can supply the love and forgiveness you don’t have in yourself. He can supply the endurance and perseverance you may be lacking. He can supply the joy, the wisdom … whatever the need is … to make you unforgettable and cause your life to be replayed in the minds and hearts of others for generations.

My mom hasn’t created programming with the purpose and intent of being unforgettable. Her motivation has been the love of Christ. She’s wanted to honor God with her life, letting Jesus be seen and allowing His love and light to shine through her and bless others. She’s invested her life in others for their benefit, with no thought for herself. And that’s exactly what makes her memorable. That’s what makes each of us life-givers, life-producers, Oscar and Emmy winners on life’s stage, and worthy of long-playing reruns.

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