I may have coined a new phrase in a recent sermon. I don't know if I'm the first person to use it, but as far as I know, I hadn't heard it before. My phrase was "don't go off half-cocked and totally cocky."
Maybe it'll catch on...
What I meant by that was it is really frustrating when someone gets a little bit of information, leaps to a conclusion, and then sticks to that conclusion. You remember Chicken Little? Versions of the story vary, but one of the earlier versions is that an acorn fell on Henny Penny's head, and from that Henny Penny concluded that the sky was falling. This meant the end of the world to Henny Penny, and she went around the barnyard telling everyone to take cover because the sky itself was caving in.
Here's how she went off half-cocked: Henny Penny didn't do any research, any checking to see if the terrible things she expected were actually happening. She didn't even look to see what had landed on her. She jumped to a conclusion. She really didn't even know what she was talking about. That's what I mean by half-cocked.
Here's how she went fully cocky: in light of any new information, any questioning, any possibility she might be wrong, Henny Penny stuck to her original conclusion. Nothing could change her mind. She knew the truth, and anyone who disagreed was foolish, stupid, or misinformed.
What a powerful story Chicken Little is. It is such a good glimpse into human nature as well. I should also add it is an insight into the way people read the bible. You probably knew I was going there, I'm a pastor, after all.
The bible is a rich and complex anthology of books about many different topics, including different types of literature (histories, laws, moralistic stories, proverbs, poetry, apocalypses, you get the point) written by any number of different people over the course of almost 2000 years. Trying to read the bible without understanding the culture of the time in which the words were written, the languages in which they were written, the people for whom they were written, the problems they were trying to solve or the issues they were trying to resolve by writing those words is difficult, if not impossible. And much of the information that we need to be sure what the authors meant is simply not available to us.
The bible does have an overall ethic, however. It stresses caring for one another and revering God. If something is not loving to a neighbor, it doesn't gel with the overall ethic of the bible. If something does not place God in the most important spot, it isn't of the bible.
Try to resist going off half-cocked and fully cocky when reading scripture or when listening to someone who wants to tell you what it says. Do your research. See what others are saying about a certain passage. Read different translations. Read commentaries. These tools have never been as available as they are now in the information age.
That will help keep us from jumping to conclusions. Being cocky about our conclusions is never in order. I have seen people--some pastors-- sarcastically dismissing others because they do not have the same interpretation on a passage or issue. Calling someone stupid or acting as if they are stupid is not biblical. Time and again Jesus showed us how to be humble even as we are being firm in our convictions. And remember, Jesus, who we look to as the number one most awesome human ever, allowed his mind to be changed in a conversation with a woman who he basically called a dog. Humility, research, mindfulness of other perspectives--these are the loving and Christian ways to handle disagreements over our sacred text.
At least, that's the view from where I'm standing...
Monday, August 26, 2019
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Grace
Who's your biggest critic?
If you are anything like I am, it didn't take long to figure the answer to that one out.
By far, I am my own biggest critic.
It's unhealthy, I know.
It's frustrating, I know.
It's counterproductive, I know.
And still there it is. Somewhere inside me is a character who plays the role of the judge. Whenever I do something--it could be anything--the judge comes around to inspect the product of my labor. And the judge usually finds something lacking.
It's exhausting.
Yet, when I try to look at things from a different perspective, attempting at least to see things from a new angle, I can see that I have created this character in order to help me to be my best self. I have internalized the idea that judging myself harshly will make me better at what I do.
Where I got this idea, I do not know. This judge is sometimes out of control. Instead of helping me to do better, the judge paralyses me from moving forward.
I don't know how prevalent this is in the world, but if my sense of other humans is even partially right, I think a lot of people have this kind of internal dialogue going on. Here are the words that I want you to hear. They are the words I need to hear myself. I hope they can give you and me a sense of grace about ourselves today.
You are imperfect. In fact, imperfect is the best any of us can ever hope to be. There is no reason to expect perfection. There is no reason to expect that you have everything figured out on whatever you are up to before you even begin. There is no reason to expect that even if you do have everything figured out that you will do things perfectly and have no mental or physical lapses while you are doing whatever it is.
Being human is beautiful. You are beautiful, right now, with all those imperfections. Certainly work to be better, but always remember that better has limitations.
And don't compare yourself to people you think are better. You'll find, if you come to know them, that they, too have insecurities and fears and imperfections. Ain't none of us perfect!
No, you aren't perfect. But you are whole. You are loved. You are God's. You are You.
Have grace where it is often hardest...for yourself.
That's the view today.
If you are anything like I am, it didn't take long to figure the answer to that one out.
By far, I am my own biggest critic.
It's unhealthy, I know.
It's frustrating, I know.
It's counterproductive, I know.
And still there it is. Somewhere inside me is a character who plays the role of the judge. Whenever I do something--it could be anything--the judge comes around to inspect the product of my labor. And the judge usually finds something lacking.
It's exhausting.
Yet, when I try to look at things from a different perspective, attempting at least to see things from a new angle, I can see that I have created this character in order to help me to be my best self. I have internalized the idea that judging myself harshly will make me better at what I do.
Where I got this idea, I do not know. This judge is sometimes out of control. Instead of helping me to do better, the judge paralyses me from moving forward.
I don't know how prevalent this is in the world, but if my sense of other humans is even partially right, I think a lot of people have this kind of internal dialogue going on. Here are the words that I want you to hear. They are the words I need to hear myself. I hope they can give you and me a sense of grace about ourselves today.
You are imperfect. In fact, imperfect is the best any of us can ever hope to be. There is no reason to expect perfection. There is no reason to expect that you have everything figured out on whatever you are up to before you even begin. There is no reason to expect that even if you do have everything figured out that you will do things perfectly and have no mental or physical lapses while you are doing whatever it is.
Being human is beautiful. You are beautiful, right now, with all those imperfections. Certainly work to be better, but always remember that better has limitations.
And don't compare yourself to people you think are better. You'll find, if you come to know them, that they, too have insecurities and fears and imperfections. Ain't none of us perfect!
No, you aren't perfect. But you are whole. You are loved. You are God's. You are You.
Have grace where it is often hardest...for yourself.
That's the view today.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Learning Something New
It takes time to learn something new. I don't mean learning the information itself, necessarily, but internalizing what you have learned can be a long process. When something comes up that challenges your prior understanding, the longer you've held that understanding, the longer it can be to change.
I have been reflecting recently on something I learned my freshman year of college. It has taken me a long time to internalize it, partially because of the shock in the lesson I learned because of the background I had.
My first year of college I joined in with a campus religious organization. My good friend Mike was the music leader for the meetings we had, and he encouraged me to go. I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet some new people on campus, and I was right. It was a small group and I got acquainted with a few students there.
One young woman I met there I knew only by her name and by sight. We hadn't really had any conversation, but she seemed like someone I would like hanging around with. So, when I was out at a local coffee shop, and I saw her, I greeted her in a way that I thought was warmly. "Hey, girl!" I shouted out when I saw her.
I learned that night that "Hey, girl!" is not an appropriate greeting for everyone.
At first I was baffled by her rebuke. Why would someone be angry when I was clearly being friendly? Then I was embarrassed, angry, confused-- several different emotions. I never spoke to her about that moment, and probably never spoke to her at all again. But I am grateful for the lesson, even though it took me a long time to understand.
My using the word "girl" was demeaning, even if I didn't intend it. It belittled her in comparison to me. White men have been doing this to women and people of color since time immemorial. It is so common I didn't even know why someone would be offended. It was years before I would fully understand.
I still make mistakes like this one sometimes, and when I do, I try to be more understanding when I am corrected. The way we talk to one another matters. The way we talk about one another matters. No one should be spoken of or to as less than. Period.
My situation was embarrassing but it wasn't of great importance in the world. But the way we talk about one another, maybe especially world leaders speak to and about one another, does change the way the world works. Respect, dignity, and kindness are things it costs nothing to offer to one another, but how rarely we see those gifts given. Even unintentional slights can change or sever relationships.
My view from where I stand today is to simply be aware of how our words referring to others can sound, even if we don't mean them in the way they are taken. Instead of building a defensive wall by blaming the person who was offended, simply take time to see why they might feel as they do. If we do this, we just might learn something new.
I have been reflecting recently on something I learned my freshman year of college. It has taken me a long time to internalize it, partially because of the shock in the lesson I learned because of the background I had.
My first year of college I joined in with a campus religious organization. My good friend Mike was the music leader for the meetings we had, and he encouraged me to go. I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet some new people on campus, and I was right. It was a small group and I got acquainted with a few students there.
One young woman I met there I knew only by her name and by sight. We hadn't really had any conversation, but she seemed like someone I would like hanging around with. So, when I was out at a local coffee shop, and I saw her, I greeted her in a way that I thought was warmly. "Hey, girl!" I shouted out when I saw her.
I learned that night that "Hey, girl!" is not an appropriate greeting for everyone.
At first I was baffled by her rebuke. Why would someone be angry when I was clearly being friendly? Then I was embarrassed, angry, confused-- several different emotions. I never spoke to her about that moment, and probably never spoke to her at all again. But I am grateful for the lesson, even though it took me a long time to understand.
My using the word "girl" was demeaning, even if I didn't intend it. It belittled her in comparison to me. White men have been doing this to women and people of color since time immemorial. It is so common I didn't even know why someone would be offended. It was years before I would fully understand.
I still make mistakes like this one sometimes, and when I do, I try to be more understanding when I am corrected. The way we talk to one another matters. The way we talk about one another matters. No one should be spoken of or to as less than. Period.
My situation was embarrassing but it wasn't of great importance in the world. But the way we talk about one another, maybe especially world leaders speak to and about one another, does change the way the world works. Respect, dignity, and kindness are things it costs nothing to offer to one another, but how rarely we see those gifts given. Even unintentional slights can change or sever relationships.
My view from where I stand today is to simply be aware of how our words referring to others can sound, even if we don't mean them in the way they are taken. Instead of building a defensive wall by blaming the person who was offended, simply take time to see why they might feel as they do. If we do this, we just might learn something new.
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