Reflections on The Daily Stoic:

• The Discipline of Perception
• January's Theme: Clarity
• Topic: The One Path to Serenity
  
• Stoic: Epictetus

Today's quote:

Keep this thought at the ready at daybreak, and through the day and night - there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice, regarding nothing else as your possession, surrendering all else to God and Fortune.

- Discourses, 4.4.39

What is outside of our control is outside of our control - but it is not outside of God's control. Any time we find ourselves susceptible to anxiety or fear, we should meditate on this point: God is in control. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) Keep this thought at the ready, and make it a conscious effort when needed. "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Therefore, do not be consumed by anxiety over things outside of your control. Trust in God to see you through, and to give you peace about your circumstances. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Reflections on The Daily Stoic:

• The Discipline of Perception
• January's Theme: Clarity
• Topic: If You Want to be Unsteady
  
• Stoic: Epictetus

Today's quote:

For if a person shifts their caution to their own reasoned choices and the acts of those choices, they will at the same time gain the will to avoid, but if they shift their caution away from their own reasoned choices to things not under their control, seeking to avoid what is controlled by others, they will then be agitated, fearful, and unstable.

- Discourses, 2.1.12

We cannot find serenity by hiding from the world and its tribulations. As Christians, we are called to go into the world, to preach the gospel, and to be the body of Christ in the world - indeed, not to be of the world, yet to be in the world.

The stoics were not recluses as we might imagine a monk or a Zen Buddhist. They were fully participants in the world, engaged with the world - and in that context, grappled with how to live virtuously. The same is true of the early church. In fact, the Apostle Paul met with the Stoics in Athens, and debated with them in the Areopagus (Acts 17).

What I find interesting about this passage is that Paul - who very well may have been influenced by Stoic philosophy and who at least echoed some tenets of Stoic philosophy in his epistles - articulates some of the fundamental differences between Christian belief and Stoic philosophy in his debate at the Areopagus. One of the primary differences is that the Stoics were not inherently theistic; the philosophy is more agnostic, equally attributing the influence/control of fate, luck, nature, or God. The main point of Paul's debate is that God exists, has made Himself known to the world, and has revealed Himself as the basis for virtue.

As the Stoics taught, we cannot live the life we are intended by avoiding the world. Christians today must be in the world, which means we, too, must grapple with how to live virtuously, without avoiding the evils and temptations of the world. "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." (John 17:14-18)

Reflections on The Daily Stoic:

• The Discipline of Perception
• January's Theme: Clarity
• Topic: If You Want to be Steady
  
• Stoic: Epictetus

Today's quote:

The essence of good is a certain kind of reasoned choice; just as the essence of evil is another kind. What about externals, then? They are only the raw material for our reasoned choice, which finds its own good or evil in working with them. How will it find the good? Not by marveling at the material! For if judgments about the material are straight that makes our choices good, but if those judgments are twisted, our choices turn bad.

- Discourses, 1.29.1-3

The stoics considered good and bad to be attributes only of one's internal thoughts, choices, and actions - regardless of any benevolent or ill intent of external forces that lead to our exercise of internal control. To the stoics, assessing thoughts, choices, and actions as either good or bad was based on the application of reason and judgment to our reaction to those external forces, with the objective of achieving, as The Daily Stoic describes, "steadiness, stability, and tranquility."

As Christians, our reason and judgment are informed by the word of God, by our understanding of the nature of God, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. "Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you." (Psalm 119:89-91) "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17) "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth... But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:16-17, 26)

Thus, we find steadiness, stability, and tranquility in a world full of anything but, by standing firm in our faith - an active choice and conscious response, based on reason and judgment, to the external forces over which we have no control.

Reflections on The Daily Stoic:

• The Discipline of Perception
• January's Theme: Clarity
• Topic: What We Control and What We Don't
  
• Stoic: Epictetus

Today's quote:

Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don't control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in a word, everything not of our own doing. Even more , the things in our control are by nature free, unhindered, and unobstructed, while those not in our control are weak, slavish, can be hindered, and are not our own.

- Enchiridion, 1.1-2

Here, Epictetus echoes sentiments from Discourses, that we considered on January 1st, about differentiating between what is within and what is outside of our control. Beyond our own thoughts, choices, and actions, everything else is really outside of our control.

Our bodies? We may gain greater and greater understanding of biology, chemistry, and physiology - understanding that enables us to make better decisions about care for our bodies, as well as diagnosis and treatment for disorders and diseases of our bodies. But we have no direct control over the cells, hormonal, metabolic, genetic, or other processes of our bodies.

Even so, as Christians, we must strive to be good stewards, even masters, of our own bodies. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (I Corinthians 6:19-20) "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (I Corinthians 9:26-27)

Property? Homes can be lost to natural disasters, accidents, even taxes. Automobiles and material possessions can be lost to accidents, theft, and age/deterioration. Wealth can be lost to economic downturns or changes to economic policy.

As Christians, we know that our ultimate wealth and possessions are not earthly. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

Reputation? We certainly contribute to our reputation, but in the end, we cannot control the perceptions or opinions of others.

As Christians, we are instructed to act in ways that contribute to positive reputation. "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Proverbs 22:1) We also understand that it is only our reputation before God that truly matters. "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”" (I Samuel 16:7) "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." (Acts 24:16) "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

As Christians, we understand that, ultimately, God is in control. "Be still, and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10) This understanding informs our assent regarding those things that we cannot control. Regardless of what happens to us in this life - everything that is outside of our control - our ultimate hope is in Him. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (I Peter 1:3-7)

Reflections on The Daily Stoic:

• The Discipline of Perception
• January's Theme: Clarity
• Topic: Seven Clear Functions of the Mind
  
• Stoic: Epictetus

Today's quote:

The proper work of the mind is the exercise of choice, refusal, yearning, repulsion, preparation, purpose, and assent. What then can pollute and clog the mind's proper functioning? Nothing but its own corrupt decisions.

- Discourses, 4.11.6-7

The stoics believed that the mind should be applied for the following functions (as elaborated by The Daily Stoic) - functions that all align with biblical principles:

• Choice (to do and think right) - choice between right and wrong, of thought and decision to act:
  • "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8)
  • "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." (James 4:17)
  • "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:5-6)
  • "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Refusal (of temptation) - with respect to passion and vice:
  
  • "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)
  • "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (I John 2:15-17)
  • "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24)
  • "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (I Corinthians 10:13)
• Yearning (to be better) - with respect to reason and virtue:
  • "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." (I Corinthians 13:11)
  • "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." (II Corinthians 7:11)
  • "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)
  • "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2)
  • "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
• Repulsion (of negativity, of bad influences, of what isn't true):
  • "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (I Timothy 6:9-10)
  • "He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”" (Mark 7:20-23)
• Preparation (for what lies ahead or whatever may happen):
  • "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." (Proverbs 22:3)
  • "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-44)
  • "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (I Peter 3:15a)
• Purpose (our guiding principle and highest priority):
  • "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
  • "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (I Timothy 6:17-19)
• Assent (to be free of deception about what's inside and outside our control - and to be ready to accept the latter):
  • "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience." (Romans 13:1-5)
  • "Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”" (I Peter 3:13-14)
  • "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
  • "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body." (II Corinthians 4:8-11)
  • "Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." (II Corinthians 6:4-10)

The fundamental difference for Christians, I think, is the dichotomy we recognize between our inherent, sinful nature and our renewed spirit in Christ. As Paul laments: "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:14-25)