I listen to KROQ in the morning and while these guys can get
totally messed up, most of the time I end up laughing hard enough to cause an
accident while I’m driving. Some of the humor is incredibly stupid, but I love
a lot of the irony. I just have a difficult time telling the difference between
Kevin and Bean…. I have a love/ hate relationship with the “phone calls” they
make. Normally, that’s when I switch stations, but they have some great ones.
On a side note, Bane giving the Show Biz Beat (sp???) was awesome, but I
digress….. Most of the time, the “interviewee” is so outrageously parodied, I
start missing the subtlety. Sometimes, however, the social commentary we can
apply is painfully spot on. Here is one example.
I only know the “facts” mentioned from the phone
call (because, I mean, it’s on the radio, it must be true), but basically there
was a gym that had classes where people got to hang in hammocks and nap as part
of whatever their routine was. Sounds awesome. You can schedule your “me” time
and be refreshed to take care of whatever else is going on in your life and
there’s accountability to actually do it because it’s a class, and damnit,
you’re paying for it anyway.
So they
“called” the instructor during class to get info. I know with yoga, they play
soft, pretty music, normally something with birds, or running water, which
often backfires.
One
time an unexpected Hallelujah Chorus was rather jolting, but besides that…
You’d expect a calm, relaxing atmosphere to help people sleep and relax, right?
This
didn’t quite live up to that expectation. As soon as the “instructor” picked up
the phone, we can hear a drill sergeant sounding off like we’re being invaded
by zombie Nazis. This may not be word for word, but a paraphrase of what we
hear is like this.
“LET’S GO PEOPLE MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT!!!! SLEEP PEOPLE
SLEEP!!!! I WANT TO SEE SOME REM CYCLES ARE YOU DREAMING?!?!?!?!? ARE YOU SLEEPING?!??!?!
GREAT JOB EVERYONE HUSTLE HUSTLE HUSTLE!!!”
The instructor returns to his drilling frequently during the
phone call and I’m reminded of the kick-boxing classes I’ve attended at the
gym. They were pretty low key compared to this. At first it was just funny, but
then a light bulb with a sad face went off over my head.
This is
what it feels like in church, especially how pastors teach from the pulpit. I
have in mind a particular author/pastor who wrote a particular book, and his
particular messages, but I’d rather not say the name, because that wouldn’t be
cool. But he seems to have the same approach when it comes to peace, stress,
and relying on God.
“YOU BETTER NOT BE STRESSING OR WORRYING! ARE YOU STRESSING
OR WORRYING, MAGGOTS?!?!?! IT’S A SIN DO YOU GET ME A S-I-N SO GET BEING
PEACEFUL PEOPLE MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT!!!! ARE YOU AT PEACE?!?! DO YOU FEEL
GOD’S PEACE!?!?!?!?”
Now, let’s be fair. The theme of not stressing and not
worrying is definitely in the Bible.
Matt 6:25-34/Luke 12:22-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will
wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the
ravens: they do not sow or reap; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable
you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing why do you worry about all the rest?
Philippians 4:6
So do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
I Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you.
HOWEVER….
Ephesians 6:21-22
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord,
will tell you everything, so that you may also know how I am and what I am
doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we
are, and that he may encourage you.
Philippians 2:25
But I think it is necessary to send back to you
Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your
messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you
and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed, he was ill, and almost
died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but also on me, to spare
me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I am all the more eager to send him so that
when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him
in the Lord and honor men like him…”
And then the obvious kickers:
Matthew26: 37-39
Then [Jesus] took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along
with him and he began to sorrowful and overwhelmed. The he said to them, “My
heart is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep
watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and
prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not
as I will, but as you will.”
Mark 14:33-36
He took Peter, James and John along with him and he began to
be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the
point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little father, he fell to the ground and prayed that
if possible the hour might pass him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is
possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you
will.”
Luke 22:41-44
He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down
and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my
will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened
him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like
drops of blood falling to the ground.
(I heard someone say if you ask 4 witnesses all about the
same car accident, you will get 4 at least slightly different versions. It
seems safe to say you can put stock in whatever is common in all their stories
and then reason from there. Like, it’s possible only Luke saw the angel because
the disciples fell asleep, which is also in the verses but I didn’t want to
type it all out. Maybe since he was a doctor he was used to the late hours, I
don’t know)
We can’t create theology out of isolated verses. That’s how
we get justification for misogyny, slavery, and Gold Star Churchianity. You
have to look at it as a whole, in context, and be willing to consider (not
necessarily always accepting) other points of view.
I don’t
think people get that the idea of not worrying shouldn’t be confused with
concern, shouldn’t be confused with appreciating the gravity and pain of
certain situations, and should be a reflexive characteristic, rather than an
aggressive correction. In other words, someone is legitimately stressing. Don’t
point it out and correct them. Care for them. See what they need. Do they need
listening? Do they need attention? Do they need distraction? As you do that, I
believe you are helping them grow stronger and teaching them how to not stress,
rather than smacking them on the back of the head for it. Because then we have
stress AND guilt.
This
doesn’t mean we don’t all need the occasional, “Get over it”. Because we do
sometimes. Sometimes I need to be reminded that, hey, other people have
feelings and if I consider what’s going on with them, I might get a more
balanced perspective of what’s happening, realize things aren’t the tragedy
they appear to be, and then move on. But don’t zero in on the stressing. This
isn’t pointing a finger like it was a “thou shalt not” on the Ten Commandments.
Zero in on the person.
