Monthly Archive for October, 2009

Loving Myself… And My Necktie

Published on October 11, 2009 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments

I recently flew a couple hours from home to attend a rather fancy function.  Close to the airport, and with no time to spare, I got that sick feeling every traveler dreads.  I had forgotten to pack a necktie.

 

My first reactions were: (this may seem extreme, but my character is filled with flaws) anger at myself for being stupid; sadness and anger that I would most likely have to waste money to buy a tie, even though I have probably 40 ties at home that I rarely wear; and other general negative self-talk.

 

Thoughts raced into my mind.  “Do I really need a tie?”  “Will everyone else be wearing a tie?”  “What if I buy a tie and then I get there and half the men are not wearing ties?… then I’ll be REALLY angry and upset.”  “What if I don’t buy a tie and I get there and I’m the only one without a tie?… that will be embarrassing.”  “Which is the greater downside?”  “Maybe I can borrow a tie from someone.”  The torment wouldn’t stop.

 

I knew this situation had the potential to cause the mental battle to continue for a long time.  It threatened to consume me and rob my joy.

 

Somehow I was reminded of Jesus’ words to love your neighbor as yourself.  The “as yourself” part doesn’t get a lot of attention, but I was fortunate enough to be in a discussion group on this topic just a few nights earlier.  So I asked myself, “What would I do if I was traveling with my wife, one of our children, or ANY ‘neighbor’ and they were in this predicament?”   The answer was, “I’d say ‘No big deal – these things happen – you had a lot on your mind when packing – etc.  Let’s buy you a ____ the first chance we get, so we won’t have to think about this anymore.’ ”   Then I’d buy the person the tie (or whatever) and put it out of my mind.

 

The obvious next internal question was, “Can I love myself as I would love that neighbor?” 

 

In the gift shop at the airport was a tie rack.  I selected the right color and pattern, bought it, and put it in my suitcase.  Done.  Peace.

 

I really like that tie now… not because it’s so exquisite, but because of what it represents.

 

 

God Is Good… Etc.

Published on October 4, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

There’s a mantra making its way around some Christian circles.  It goes like this:  One person says: “God is good,” and someone answers: “All the time.”  While I don’t dispute this outright, I’m afraid it portrays only part of the story.

 

Try out that chant to the hundreds (thousands?) of mothers who screamed as their young sons were slaughtered by Herod in an attempt to ensure that Jesus was eliminated.  As the scripture said, “Rachel weeps for her children, and she will not be comforted.”  Not even by an assertion that God is good.  Similar examples exist throughout scripture and in our own lives and those of our friends and families as well.

 

The idea that God is good seems to be based on the assumption that the opposite of “good” is “bad.”  Spiritually speaking, the opposite of good is “evil”.  So God is good in that God is not evil.  Agreed.  But does God sometimes seem to be “bad”?   Oh yeah.

 

Perhaps it is not a question of good / bad, but a question of good / better / best. In God’s eyes, there may be a situation where what I think is “bad” is actually best.

 

To say “God is good” may be to limit God.  Especially when “All the time” is added.  For a certain situation, He may be “good”…  For another situation, He may be something else.  For example:  God is jealous, God is angry, God is merciful, God is a chastiser, God is forgiving, God is vengeful, God is love, God is brutal, God is wise…   Or as C. S. Lewis tells us in The Chronicles Of Narnia, Aslan – the lion that is analogous to God – is a good lion… but he’s not tame.

 

I think the conclusion is this: “God is best.”  And to that, I heartily reply “All the time.”

 

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