The DOG...in ME

 

Monday, January 3, 2022

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes.  In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!  Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home.  And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.  Job 42:10-11

I recently read a version of a story that I’ve read (and experienced) many times.  The storyline goes like this:  Two dogs enter a room.  Later, one emerges growling like a wounded wolf, the other smiling like a contented puppy.  The question that sets-up the punch line is:  What, in the same room, could make one dog happy and another hopping mad?  Of course the punch line is…MIRRORS!  A dog may not have the sentient awareness to know he is looking at his own image, but he has the built-in radar to understand the danger or welcome signs he’s seeing.

It’s a short leap from a dog story to my story.  In a room full of mirrors that reflect my emotional state, political views, hurts, fears, joys, and all the other stuff that make up this dog called Russell, I’m going to bump into the real me.  And no matter what I may think of the critter I behold; he is what he is. 

The United States has, besides Russell, 332,915,072 others who have that same peculiarity…what we see in a mirror may make us mad or glad; it all depends on what we brought to the mirror.

Job was no different than Russell, or you, or any of the other 7.9 billion human critters on planet earth, past and present.  Job’s experience was pleasant at first.  He was rich, respected, and led a good life.  Looking in the mirror would not have been difficult.  Then it changed…hero became zero in an afternoon.  His family, riches, and comfort zone were taken down like a house of cards in a windstorm.  His “friends” finished the task with 40 chapters of telling him it was his own fault.

The end of Job’s life was better (by far) than the tale of woe.  But it’s been puzzling theologians, skeptics, and scoffers for as long as humans have breathed.  Why is it so that some dogs have so much to smile about, and others growl?  Job’s answer is not about what happens TO you, but how you respond to what has happened.  Notice that the Scripture tells us what Job did…he prayed for his friends.  The group that sat with Job, poking their fingers on Job’s sore spots, accusing him of some secret sins that brought the world of God’s judgment down on him…that’s the crew Job prayed God would forgive…and bless!

Did that sound familiar?  You may have heard it on a Sunday, or read it in the life of someone else who was in on the conversation with Job:

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.   But I say, love your enemies!  Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.  For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.  Matthew 5:43-46

Jesus told his listeners (that’s US if we will hear) to do a tough thing; he told them to pray for those who persecute you…love them.  But who can do that?  I’m glad you asked; it’s only the dog who brings a smile to the mirror.  All the others will rip apart whatever’s in front of them…and be angry at the entire world for being so violent and harsh.

For You Today

What we see in a mirror is what we bring to the table.  A good piece of advice is to make sure whatever we bring to the table is edible.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com and Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For other posts on this text see When Job Got it Right and Job's Story - From Hero to Zero (and back)

 

The Monster in the Closet

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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Test yourselves.  Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.  2 Corinthians 13:5^(NLT)

Most parents have had to deal with “monsters” in the closet.  As a parent of pre-school children I had to dispatch a number of the critters.  But how do you teach a concept of a fearful mind to children that young?

I read of a minister who dealt with the subject in a children’s time at church.  The children were all gathered around and the minister held up a paper bag and proclaimed to the children, I caught him; I finally got that monster in the closet.  Do you all want to see?  Every child was nervously eager to see, and, one-by-one she let them look inside, and what each one silently saw was his or her own reflection in a mirror. 

Sometimes the best teacher is silence, a simple face-to-face encounter with our fears, and an honest evaluation of what part we must claim as our own for creating the mess with which we live. 

There has been much said (myself included) about the present miserable state of American politics, lamenting over how in the world we ever got down to choosing between two candidates who are (arguably) the least likely to win the title of Miss Congeniality in this pageant we call a presidential campaign.  If we had time, I’d like to sit down with each citizen of our country and invite a peek in the mirror bag.

Do you recall Walt Kelly’s Pogo^© comic strip.  The possum’s saying is what most people would have to admit when looking in the monster bag’s mirror:  we have met the enemy and he is us!

At the risk of appearing like just another know-it-all-windbag, the problem with American politics is not the two candidates that make us want to hold our nose when we get in the voting booth, rather it is decades of voters choosing leaders who promise prosperity and an easier life, when we should be choosing leaders of exemplary character and integrity. 

When we choose empty promises over a moral backbone we tend to reinforce the idea that what we really want in a leader is empty promises.  And we always wind up living with those choices in which we place our faith!

So, what’s the fix?  How do we change?

It will not be easy, nor will it be quick, but the only way to change is to deal with the monster in the bag.  God gives each of us faith to follow His Word and the pathway of righteousness.  We must begin choosing in public life leaders who will be role models of making ethical and morally consistent decisions for the next generation. 

For You Today

A mirror can only reflect what stands before it, and is no use unless the beholder acts on what he sees, so faith is of no consequence without action. 

But don’t just listen to God’s word.  You must do what it says.  Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.   James 1:22-24^(NLT)

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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[i] Title Images: unknown source