The Peter Principle

Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing
that is like walking through fire.

– 1 Peter 4:12

Its brilliance lies in its frankness and simplicity.

Its the Peter Principle, the hypothesis introduced by Dr. Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull that asserts that in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence. Dr. Peter also observed that work in an organization is actually accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.

If you’ve ever been a cubical-dweller in corporate America or a fan of the comic strip Dilbert, you know that Dr. Peter was onto something. On the other hand, many people have legitimately

worked their way through the ranks and earned their way to the top. But once they made it, the experience sometimes defied their expectations. Challenges arose, problems materialized and the limelight of prestige began to burn. That once sought-after corner office quickly became a place of tension and anxiety. 

If opposition and distraction are what many people face once they attain success (as the world defines it), what's it like for Christ-followers who strive for life's real measure of accomplishment: faithfulness to God? For the Lord’s perspective on the matter, let’s consider what we might call the 1 Peter Principle.  

The Bible teaches that those who’ve accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior can also expect opposition. In fact, they can count on it. The key to enduring the onslaught is learning how to recognize the opposition, and then turning it to an advantage — and all while placing our hope in God.

It's important to understand that this opposition will always bring added challenges. But the life-long habits we develop as Christ-followers — such as consistent prayer, Bible study and regular time with other believers — will prove themselves worthwhile many times over. It's like the long-distance runner, whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. That’s a desperate scenario for many people. But for those who have trained and prepared, that 5-mile jog to the nearest gas station is a mere inconvenience.

The challenges that Christ-followers face are also sure to bring testing. Maybe it's a layoff at work, an illness in the family or an unanticipated, budget-busting expense. Whatever it is, we can respond by either giving up … or placing our faith in our Creator to see us through the storm. Real faith and hope will stand strong to the end. But what's false is bound to fail. As the Bible puts it, "blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."

Is your faith-journey’s ladder to the top shaky or rock-solid? And if you’ve already landed that hard-earned promotion, are you finding that the view isn’t quite what you expected? If so, maybe it’s time to talk to The Boss:  

“I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give,” Jesus reminds his followers. “It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.”

Back On Track

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

-- Joshua 1:9    

It was a televised mishap that would have sidelined most athletes.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, Finnish runner Lasse Viren tripped and fell during the 10,000-meter race when his feet tangled with those of American gold medalist Frank Shorter. Both men crumpled to the track. But then Viren did the unimaginable. He got off the ground, resumed the race and soon caught the runners who had passed him. And then on the final lap, he not only passed his competitors, he literally left them in the dust to cross the finish line alone. Many sportswriters consider Viren’s performance to be one of the greatest comebacks in Olympics history.

Maybe your own errors and foul-ups aren’t of such epic proportions. And they might not play out before a global audience, but they certainly feel like it. How many times have we all made

such huge mistakes that it seems like the end of the world? We think we’ve blown it. It’s over. We’re discouraged. And we’ll never get back.

Life-changing mishaps can cover lots of territory. They might affect our personal relationships, career or even spiritual life — and maybe all the above. But the good news for Christ-followers is that we worship a God who not only understands what we’re going through, but also One who cares. What’s more, he’s a God of second (and third, fourth, etc.) chances.  

The apostle Peter learned this after asking Jesus, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?" Jesus answered, “Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”

If we’re to be so forgiving when others offend us, consider God’s patience with us when we make our many mistakes and fall short of his perfect standards. Let’s take to heart Peter’s testimony about our Creator — the One who can help us arise from failures, pain and discouragement — and then get back on track:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time,” proclaims the apostle. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  

Don't Tempt Me

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.”

-- Matthew 26:41

    

If you’re a current or former smoker, no one has to tell you how hard it is to quit the habit. As the great humorist Mark Twain once put it, “To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did; I ought to know because I have done it a thousand times.”

The same thing goes for Christ-followers when it comes to sin and temptation.

Even though we’ve accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior — and asked him for forgiveness and received it — we still tend to fall back into those same bad habits that we thought were left behind.

What’s the problem? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that becoming a Christ-follower makes us a new creation?

Indeed it does. But let’s remember that our transformation is a work in progress that runs on God’s timetable. That often means little by little, day after day. What’s more, the pathway along our faith-journey is narrow, twisting and full of unexpected hairpin curves. And when we don’t keep our eyes on the destination, we can end up in a ditch.

But this doesn’t mean we’re failures. As a matter of fact, Jesus told his disciples to expect bumps and potholes in the road. "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come,” Christ said. “But woe to that person through whom they come.”

Let’s also consider a life-lesson taught by the apostle Paul — the Christ-follower who wrote much of the New Testament. In his 2,000-year-old lament that still rings true to modern-day readers, Paul complains that he continues to do the very things he despises. And at the same time, he fails to do the things he knows he should accomplish. So here’s the obvious question: If one of history’s greatest Christians had so many problems with sin and temptation, what hope is there for us?

Paul’s struggles were nothing less than spiritual warfare — the same ugly conflict that we all fight every day in one way or another. But he has some good news for us:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

This means we’re free from sin’s power, and we don’t have to accept its dominance in our lives. Therefore, the answer to sin and temptation comes down to our trust and dependence on Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When we slip up and give in to sin, we can freely ask for help and forgiveness from Christ, the one who has already paid the ultimate price for all our mistakes and shortcomings — past, present and future.

The University of Adversity

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

-- Matthew 6:34

Why does God allow tragedy, suffering and injustice? 

We reason that if he’s all-powerful, he should prevent such adversity. But let’s consider that no one ever promised us a trouble-free life. What’s more, God’s perspective extends beyond our superficial human experience and into the immeasurable wonders of his creation. For example, can we comprehend how an awkward caterpillar gorges on leaves, spins a cocoon around itself and then emerges weeks later as a beautiful butterfly? And how can a tiny acorn grow into a mighty 80-foot oak?

It’s all beyond our understanding, but the principle here is the same. Whether we're going through good times or bad, we must remind ourselves that God's ways aren't our ways. Moreover, our human minds are much too limited to grasp the entirety of his greater purpose.

But we’re not totally in the dark here. God’s word to us — the Bible — gives us

several pointers. One is that we live in an imperfect world where bad things can (and often do) happen. It was when Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator in the Garden of Eden that Earth’s perfection was spoiled. And it’s only four chapters into Genesis that we read about mankind’s first murder: a cold-blooded encounter between siblings.

Our own poor choices are another source of adversity. For example, if someone chooses to drink too much, gets drunk and then gets behind the wheel, tragedy often follows. But that’s hardly God’s fault. We instead reap the fruits of the foolishness we’ve sown.

These are sobering facts of life, but the good news is that we worship a God who specializes in turning bad into good. Consider someone who gets laid off from their job, only to find a much better one in a different city — with better pay — and in an industry that he or she had never previously considered. If it weren’t for the “tragedy” of unemployment, he or she might have become stuck in a boring, dead-end situation with little future. God (as always) knows best!

God also uses our adversities to discipline and mature us. Are we ever the same after experiencing a major illness or family tragedy? It’s through such crises that we draw closer to him and depend on his help and presence. God can even use our anguish as a witness to others. If you’re a Christ-follower faced with a God-sized situation, where you place your faith speaks volumes to others.

While adversity is a difficult reality of the human experience, we can’t expect a pain-free existence. In fact, Jesus even told his disciples to expect troubles in life. But let’s take comfort that ours is a Big Picture God — One who sees beyond our limited scope to turn even the greatest tragedies into the greater good.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace,” Jesus assures us through John’s gospel. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”