Well, welcome back everyone to Rising 365. I'm Mike Pena. And this is a podcast committed
to inspiring supporting others to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day.
You know, rising daily can be a challenge for many, and it has been for myself. So that
is why this podcast was created. And it's my hope that what you hear in these episodes
will assist you in rising every day of the year. Well, it's been an incredible week.
I've been working on a project here in Kearney, Nebraska. I enjoy doing live theater, and
there is a theater company here called Crane River Theater. And this week, today is Wednesday,
we have our final dress rehearsal and we open the show tomorrow, Thursday of To Kill a Mockingbird.
And if you aren't familiar with the book by Lee, Sharper Lee, it's an incredible book.
It's something that used to be on must read lists, but recently due to cultural changes
has been on band do not read lists. But this book, which was turned into a movie, which
was turned into a stage play, something that has stood the test of time over decades of
generations because there's so much to learn from it. That's why this episode of Rising
365 is called the Atticus Effect. This is part one of that and it's entitled The Same.
And this is episode 26. There will be a few episodes regarding the Atticus Effect. So
if you're not familiar with To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the main characters in there is a lawyer,
a father by the name of Atticus Finch. So he's a father of two children. He has a son
and a daughter and he is a widower. So he lost his wife. And he's also a lawyer in his
town in Alabama. This is set in the early 1930s. It was during the Depression. And Atticus
Finch is just an individual when you're done reading the book or seeing the movie or play.
Doesn't matter who you are, you want to be more like Atticus Finch. He's got a number
of amazing lines and lessons in the show and we'll unpack some of those. But one of his
main focuses is that he is the same person that he is in public, that he is at home.
He wants the people he interacts with on a daily basis at work, in day-to-day activities.
He wants that person to be the same person that interacts with his family, his wife who
has passed away. He wants that same person to be the father to his daughter and his son.
So there's a number of rows of lines that describe Atticus as being he's the same in
town as he is at home. He's the constant in the community because he's asked to do something,
to defend an innocent man in a time where race played a pivotal part. And there was
only one person in the town that had the moral faction and strength and belief to do what
needed to be done. Even though during that time frame he knew what he was doing, there
was a low likelihood of him actually winning the case and getting his client free, but
he proceeded to do so. Because he has this conversation with his daughter, but she doesn't
understand why he is so focused and determined to do what the community says he shouldn't
do. And so many people are ridiculing him and even saying he's turned his back on his
community because he's defending a black man who's been accused of rape being a white woman.
But all the evidence show that the man, Tom Robinson, is innocent. But it's during a time
frame where it didn't matter what the evidence showed. All that mattered was the color of
your skin and who you were devoted to. The thing about Atticus and why this episode 26
is called the same and the takeaway for us and you, the listener of Rising 365, is the
importance of knowing who we are. So the question is, are you the same person you are in public
that you are at home? Are you one way at work, one way with your friends, one way with strangers,
and another way when you walk into the door of your family? That's the question. And when
you watch Atticus and learn about him, he's the same. It doesn't matter if you're a stranger,
if you're a close friend, if you're his kids, he's the same and he's true and he's constant
and he's honest and he's kind and he's patient. And that's the thing. If we are different
people in one area of our lives and we are in other areas of our lives, there is a conflict
inside of us. We have to pretend and we aren't being true to ourselves. And there comes a
point in this show where Atticus's two children are threatened with being harmed by the protagonist
in the show and in the book. And he shows a moment of burnout, of being tired, of being
that constant stable person. He finally shows some anger and emotion because we can only
hold on to that person for so long. We burn out when we're playing multiple roles. And
we see this and we learn this also in the Bible. We see it constantly that we can't
be lukewarm. We can't be one way, one place and another way at another place. That's in
Revelations 3. We either need to be all hot or all cold. We can't be lukewarm. And then
we also see in James 4 that we can't have a blit personality basically. It says we can't
be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time. Because there's always
going to be this conflict and inner battle within you. Knowing you're not being true
to yourself. So the takeaway for this episode for the Atticus Effect Part 1 is asking yourself,
are you the same person in every aspect of your life? What are you producing? I know
there are different situations that require us to respond in a certain way, in certain
circumstances. But it doesn't negate who we are as a person. You know, are we at home
or at work? At home, especially if you have kids, you're trying to produce and shepherd
your children into a lives that produce what the Bible would say would be fruits of the
Spirit. Not spiritual giftings, those are different, but fruits of the Spirit, that
aspects of their lives. And when people look at them, they will actually see them being
joyful. They will see them being kind and helpful and caring and patient and giving
and hospitable and what else? Everything that is positive, that's what the people would
look at your kids. That's what we want as parents of our kids to be. And if we want
that from inside our home, are we displaying those things out in our work, in our friend
places or out in public? Or are we the opposite? Where are things in your life where you're
not the same person? And take steps to become the same person, no matter what people think
of you, no matter if you find yourself on the wrong side of populous, of what's popular.
That's okay. You need to be true to the truth of who you are. And if you are a Christian
listening to this, how are the fruitfulness of God working through you, how are they appeared
to those who see you? Are the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patient, kindness,
goodness, hospitality, are those being displayed inside your home and when you're not in your
home? And can people tangibly see those things in your lives? It's one thing to just say
you are these things, but are you actually these things? So that's the takeaway for Episode
26. Help you rise each new day you're given is to strive to be the most bountiful person
when it becomes the fruit of the spirit in every aspect of your life. And when people
interact with you, it doesn't matter if it's your closest friend and family to strangers,
when they experience time with you, they experience something genuine. And you're not doing it
because you're playing a role, a character, but you're doing it because you're the same
person no matter what situation you're facing. You're a person who bears fruit, good fruit,
that people can find nourishment and joy after spending time with you. Well, that wraps up
Episode 26. That's the Atticus Effect, Part 1. Are you the same person everywhere you
go in every situation you face? Thank you for tuning in. I hope each episode brings
you inspiration to embrace every new day. To support this podcast, consider booking
me as a speaker for your next conference, school assembly, youth event, Bible study,
or any special occasion where I can share the message of Rising 365. To arrange this,
simply send me a message or email at rising247365 at gmail.com. Additionally, you can support
by liking, sharing, and rating the podcast on your preferred listening platform. Until
we meet again, I am Mike Pinier reminding you to rise and seize the gift of a new day,
where you are destined for this moment. If you want information about the ministry that
I work for and represent, you can see that in the show notes. And you can also find the
book, the movie, and screenplay in the show notes for Kilt Mockingbird. Thanks for tuning
in and proceed and play.