What's my motivation?

Not long ago my daughter and I were having one of our many conversations about life/religion/philosophy/the state of the world. The topic, I don't remember the specifics, was something I had blogged about and shared in my column in the West Plains Daily Quill. She said, "Why do you write your column and your blog? Is it because you like it when people tell you how much they enjoy reading what you've written?" (She and I like to keep each other on our toes. We're a family who tries to make sure no one "gets the big head," as my mother would say.) 

Her question is a good one. I struggled a bit with the answer. I don't think I write because I like to get the occasional pat on the back. It is nice to be complimented, and I appreciate encouraging words, but if "atta girl" is all I'm looking for, I would stick to warm and fuzzy stuff because we all like that sort of thing. 

Why do any of us share our thoughts and views, especially about religion? Is it because we believe our opinion is the right one? Do we think we know better than everyone else? In my case, am I trying to change anyone's mind about God and matters of faith? Do I think I have a corner on the market when it comes to The Way? 

When I walked into the Quill office over five years ago and asked city editor Carol Bruce if she would be interested in a weekly column I was willing to write for free for the religion page, I remember the frustration I was feeling with the mixing of God and politics in our country, with the way the name of Jesus was being used to justify all kinds of nonsense. I also remember how discouraged I was with the church situation I was in at the time. Allen and I were more or less forcing ourselves to attend Sunday morning services because it was a tradition, an obligation, a habit. We weren't getting anything out of it, and in fact, would leave feeling worse than when we arrived. I know, I know, local friends, YOUR church isn't like that, and I know we're welcome there any time. 

I will admit the church we were attending was pretty messed up, but, in general, I was worn down by years of hearing the same thing over and over again from the pulpit. In the church tradition I come from, it was the prosperity principle for a while and of course, an endless stream of altar calls. Where was the message of unconditional love? Why weren't we expending more resources to help the hurting? Sometimes I wondered if anyone going to church was even bothering to read the New Testament. I guess when it comes right down to it, I thought Jesus was getting a bad rap by those claiming to represent him. There are exceptions to that generalization, of course, and I think (I hope) the religious climate is changing, although I would be hard-pressed to prove it by the religious mudslinging so prevalent in the political realm.
  
My take on the message of Jesus is why I wrote my novel, "The Least of These." It's why I continue to comment on matters of religion. If nothing else, I write to remind MYSELF to be better, to love and forgive more, to judge less. When I make my views public, I feel an obligation to be consistent. I'm certainly not perfect, but I try not to be a hypocrite. 

Even though one of my ongoing claims is that Jesus is capable of taking care of himself, and he really doesn't need anyone's help, I suppose I feel like I'm defending his reputation with my words. Funny, isn't it? I know that's what everyone expressing a religious view which is in opposition to mine thinks, too. Why do I blog? What's the point of this one, in particular? Who knows? Might as well ask, what's the meaning of life? I'm on a constant quest for answers, a search for truth, I suppose. Thanks for going along on the journey.  

Gathering us in

The compassion of Jesus is beyond measure, even toward those who would be the ones to do him harm. In Luke 13:34, Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” He knew the ones he was addressing were behaving in ways which were not productive. Behaving in ways, in fact, which were destructive and bringing them misery, not joy, and he wanted to save them from themselves by gathering them in, protecting them.

I’ve been thinking about the upcoming holiday season in that light, wondering if Jesus would say to many of us something along the lines of, “You who are stressed out, worried about the mountain of gifts you’re planning to buy and the money you’re going to spend, the way you’re going to eat and how your schedule doesn’t have a spare moment, how I long to gather you to myself and remind you of the simple Way I have called you to live. I hope you are willing to let me gather you to myself to bring you peace.”

That’s imagined, of course, but there’s even something about the often loud way Christians try to convince others that Jesus is the reason for the season -- boycotting stores whose employees merely say 'happy holidays,' demanding Christmas trees and nativity scenes be on display everywhere, for example -- that doesn’t ring true with the larger message he proclaimed.

I wonder if Jesus is interested in being the reason for a season which is now officially beginning by big corporations asking employees to work on Thanksgiving to accommodate shoppers who want to get an early start on "black Friday." Doesn't it sees as though calming down around this time of year might be in order? 

In Luke chapter 1, there's a beautiful scripture which is part of Zacharias's prophecy regarding Jesus, "Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us...to guide our feet into the way of peace." (v. 78-79) Jesus can take care of himself and us, and wants to gather us to him. So what do you say? Let's relax and let his mercy and peace reign during the holidays and in every season.

The Wizard of Us

Shortly I'll be off to see the Wizard....The Wizard of Oz performed by the West Plains High School at the Avenue Theatre. I ventured back on to Facebook for a few minutes the day after the election, and I was pleasantly surprised to see (mostly) a mood of reconciliation amongst most of my friends and their friends. I did see a ridiculous chart about how the Democrats stole the election because of the lack of voter i.d. laws. Please note: similar future posts will have the end result of such "friends" being hidden by me if I see the posts. I'm not going to have that nonsense on my wall.

I'm short on time this morning, but here are some gentle reminders for my social conservative friends. Please take them as points to consider. I know I have many friends who will disagree with some of these observations, but we all need to start having conversations about how to work together to address the things we're passionate about, how to stop creating strife and instead, create solutions.

- If you believe there should be no abortions, don't have one. Men and women, don't have unprotected sex. If you are a member of a church, rather than campaign to make abortion illegal, perhaps you should immediately set up a program to welcome women who have an unplanned pregnancy, for whatever reason, and offer them an alternative other than abortion which is more than a prayer for their well-being. Help them find the way to adoption, or whatever it takes to insure their children, unwanted by them, will be wanted and cared for. Make it your mission to do what you can to see that there is never the need for abortions, except for medical reasons. Can you please consider there are times when an abortion is the best (as terrible as it is) option for some women?
- If you believe God is the one who is in charge of life and death and unwanted pregnancies are God's will, then I think you must also believe, as harsh as it sounds, that couples who can't conceive a child should not use medical intervention to help them have children. Rather than expensive and often risky procedures, those couples should adopt. Would that not also be God's will?
- If life is sacred, you cannot, in good conscience, favor the death penalty. Judgment is in God's realm. Yes, people who commit crimes should be jailed, many for the rest of their lives, but how/why can we use the law to kill them? There are have been innocent people who have been executed, and when there's even one instance of an innocent death (of a living, breathing individual) that should be enough for us to question the death penalty.
- If life is sacred, we should never, as a country, participate in wars where the rules and methods have been changed. Civilians have never been "fair game" in modern rules of war, and yet, by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of noncombatants (women and children and others not directly contributing to the wars) in the Middle East have been killed in recent wars. I don't believe it is intentional by our soldiers, but it is happening, nonetheless. We must stop being warmongers. When I talk to 90 year old men who break down and cry because of what they did during WWII, because of their friends who died in action, I wonder what it will take for us to ever stop sending our young men and women off to war, forcing them to have their lives changed forever. Blessed are the peace makers.
- If you believe homosexuality is wrong, don't fall in love with someone who is the same sex as you. Before we start harping about the sanctity of marriage, perhaps we, as believers, should do something about the divorce epidemic among Christians.

These are just a few things I've been considering lately, especially in the context of the Wizard of Oz. Do you remember how it goes? The wizard really didn't have the power to change to things. The power actually had been with Dorothy and her friends the whole time they were seeking for someone else to change their circumstances.

A set of laws will not make people moral. Government cannot force its people to do the right thing, and who decides what the right thing even is? Let's stop looking for magic solutions and start making the changes we can to start shifting from judgment to making a difference.

Almost Over

Barring any controversy over vote counts or other unforeseen circumstances, the election season will finally arrive at its conclusion on Tuesday. I don't know of a single person who will be anything other than relieved to see it end. I must agree with the phrase I hear with great frequency, "I'm sick of politics."
 
But what does that say about our country if the election process makes us feel awful? The U.S. is the self-proclaimed greatest nation on earth, but what's so great about the way we treat each other during presidential campaigns? What's so great about supporters of a particular candidate who are willing to spread false information about other candidates? What is it doing to the heart and soul of our country?
 
I have acquaintances who regularly spread lies about candidates, and others I know who send wrong information through emails or post false items on Facebook. Knowing that any of us can be careless and repeat something which is not true, several times I have gone to the trouble to find the evidence which shows the information to be false and then I passed it along to the offender. I have been astounded when the response has rarely been to issue a retraction, and most often has been, "I don't care." The excuses have ranged from, "It still makes a good point" to "I just thought it was funny." And yet, many of these same people claim we are a Christian nation. It has been my observation that most of the election process isn't funny or Christ-like, and for fans of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" is not merely a suggestion.
 
We can all rise above the fray. It is possible to participate in the political process without lowering our standards, without being disrespectful and unloving. We can choose to be part of the solution to reuniting as citizens, as neighbors, not divided along partisan lines. As in all things, apply the biblical Golden Rule of treating others as you wish to be treated. Check your facts, don't gossip or repeat falsehoods. And when it's all over, and we have elected a president, no matter who it is, it is up to Christians across the nation to show compassion and forgiveness and to display a willingness to leave the rancor behind and never pick it up again.
 
I'm still proud to be an American, but I would rather we all behave in a way which would make Jesus proud of us.