With working at Wal Mart, I am blessed with some very interesting interactions with others, whether with coworkers or customers. Recently I was doing some stocking and a customer asked if she was in the way, and I replied "nope, your perfect" and her response is what caught my attention. She replied that she wished I could tell her husband and boss that and then she walked away. I could tell that this was a loaded statement and there seemed to be a lot of emotion behind it. I didn't know how to take this and I just went about my work, but this phrase has stuck with me ever sense.
In America we are concerned with perfection, whether it is finding the perfect spouse, having the perfect kids, to the vehicles we drive, teams we cheer for and various other areas in our life. Our dominate view of perfection is that something that has no flaws or imperfections. In essence there is nothing wrong with it and it does what it is suppose to do. To add a Biblical definition of perfection, it means that something is sinless and without a blemish. In essence, this is one of God's major and overarching characteristics and God commands us to be perfect. So does God demand us to be perfect, as in without blemish in our thoughts, words and actions every minute of every day? The other side of this argument is that we will never see that form of perfection this side of heaven, even though we can try, we will fail. I think there just might be a middle ground here somewhere, but first we need to expand this idea of perfection. Yes it still means without blemish, but there is also a sense that perfection is doing completely what one is created to do. We all know that brooms can not cure cancer because that is not what it was created for. It was created to sweep up floors and to collect dirt. As long as it does this, its a perfect broom. The same can be said for us as people. Are we doing what we are created for. Here are some things that I think we are created for, and its more than just about vocation, and lifestyle.
The first idea of perfection and maybe the most important one is the idea of maturity. Maturity is more than just doing things or not doing things, I think it is a mind set. If its just about doing or not doing things, it turns us into being a legalist and honestly it burns me out just thinking about it. Being the legalist is all about the rules of what one can and can not do. In essence, its all about me. With maturity, there is still a concern for rules and lifestyles, but there is a different outlook on them. Not only are we suppose to ask how does doing or not doing something help or hinder me, but also the people around me. Maturity is taking inventory of where one is at and knowing where one is going and doing the necessary things to get there
The second idea of perfection is this idea of relationships. As much as some of us want to hide in a hole most days, we have to interact with others. Whether it is with God, family, friends, co workers or people that you feel you have no need for, I think we need to be reminded that we are not an island. My challenge to all of us is to name the top five people we interact with on either a daily or weekly basis. How are we being influenced by them and how are we influencing their character. A big part of being perfect, or maturity as I like to call it is how we interact with others. Are we challenging ourselves and others to a higher standard, or are we stuck in the same place for the last five years, or are we resorting to junior high behavior?
The other side of the relational side of perfection is our relationship with God. We all are being conformed into something or someone's likeness. If we are going with the definition of perfection of doing what we are created to do, the only way we know what we are created to do and to do with it with any success is to spend time with the Creator. If you want to know what something does and its full potential, not only do you read the owners manual, but you talk to the creator of the invention. With the help of the Creator of the Universe is the only way we can live up to what we are created for. I can do some things on my computer, but if I were to read the owners manual and spend time with a computer engineer, I can use my computer for so much more and it was designed to do those things.
The third thing about perfection or maturity as I like to call it is that we grow in love. It is not a conceded love that just cares for us and what we can get out of life, but a perfect love that grows and wants the best out of ourselves, but others as well. This love is sacrificial and it often pushes us out of our comfort zone. This love seeks to be in healthy and growing relationships. This means that we are not only seeking forgiveness from others, granting the same, and we even find ways to right the wrongs that have been committed through act of justice. Love and justice is about being in right relationship with others and this means not only supporting each other but we are also looking for ways to have healthy boundaries. Having healthy boundaries means that we have set rules in place not only for a sense that we feel that some things are wrong, but if we do them, it has a detrimental affect on not only us, but the people around us.
I know there is more about perfection or maturity that can be said, but lets save that for another time
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Go Team Go...Maybe
One of the things I really enjoy doing is being on Facebook and Twitter during sporting events. I really enjoy seeing all the comments and reactions to a particular game. This really was evident last night while I was watching the Royals/Athletics play in game. Not only was the game one for the ages, but the comments and reactions were just as good. One of the things that I find fascinating is that one play can have many different interpretations, it all depends who you are rooting for and what your interest are. I think there are several reasons why we are so passionate about sports.
The first thing is that it gives us something to hope in. If you are a sports fan, hope is what drives us to watch and to cheer for that particular team. It is a hope that our team will win, make the playoffs and win the championship. I think this hope is based on the notion that there is something greater then the mundane life that we live. It is wanting something more than what we have right now. I think this hope is based on our failures, unfulfilled dreams, or that someone or a group of people can achieve something greater than we can ever do or imagine.
Another concept of hope is that hope connects people. In a world of social media and cell phones that can connect us to people around the world instantly, there are studies that show that we are a people that do not connect well with other people on an personal and intimate level. We all want to belong to something, and to cheer for a cause that is bigger than us. When we cheer for a particular team, it gives us connection to other people, because it gives us something to talk about. I can tell you how many conversations that I have had that have been started over something dealing with sports. But there is a danger because our sports teams can give us this false sense of community and connectivity. If all we talk about is sports and nothing of importance, we are missing out on a deeper relationship. There is nothing wrong with watching the game or playing fantasy sports, but if that's all we do, we are missing out on a deeper relationships. I think as a society, we are content with knowing the useless facts and not digging deeper. True hope is where both people are actively engaged in the relationship and it is not one sided.
The second thing that sports does is that it gives us a sense of right or wrong. In a society that constantly demands moral relativism in all aspects of it, we turn to sports for absolutes. I know that every rule can be left up to interpretation just like the strike zone and the unwritten rules of baseball, but we long for concrete absolutes. We crave for to know what is right and wrong and to live by those standards. Sports gives us those absolutes, whether it is ten yards for a first down, three strikes is an out, or three twenty minute periods in hockey. As people we crave for standards to live by and not have things debated on right and wrong. Don't get me wrong, there still is plenty of this in sports, just as in life, but this still doesn't stop for us wanting and needing these absolute things to believe in and live by.
The third thing that sports can do for us is that it is an escape. We all need a break from reality and sports gives a chance to break away from the day in and day out of life. It is a chance to relax and enjoy something with other people. There is nothing wrong with watching a football game, but when we are using these things to not deal with issues, it becomes a problem. We all have our escapes, whether sports, food, alcohol or other things. We can make the shift from just taking a break, to life stinks and I don't want to deal with it. We spend so much time doing these things because we don't want to deal with reality. Life is so much better when we deal with these things, it may not be easy, but life will be worth while.
The fourth thing and the last thing is that sports is a reflection of our culture. By far football is Americas most popular sport. What sells us on football is sex and violence. Whether it is the television advertisements promoting sex and violence, to the players wanting to obliterate each other. How often do we act out towards each other. We may not be punching each other, but what we say to each other or behind each others back is just as damning. There is also a segment in sports where they live by the mantra of "its not cheating unless you get caught." As Americans, we have embraced that saying and use it often. It is the attitude that I will do anything to improve, just as long as I don get caught doing wrong.
Recently the NFL has been in the line of fire of the American public for spouse and child abuse. There has ben a public outrage over these things and as well as they should be, but here is the thing, we can condemn the players for doing this, but if we were doing the same thing, would we want the same condemnation. If I were to venture to guess, there are plenty of child and spousal abuse cases that do not get reported or cared about because the people aren't famous and that is wrong and a double standard.
I could probably go on, but here is the thing, sports are not the end all be all. The only thing that gives us true meaning and hope is through having a relationship with God through Jesus and being in healthy relationship with others, because nothing else matters
The first thing is that it gives us something to hope in. If you are a sports fan, hope is what drives us to watch and to cheer for that particular team. It is a hope that our team will win, make the playoffs and win the championship. I think this hope is based on the notion that there is something greater then the mundane life that we live. It is wanting something more than what we have right now. I think this hope is based on our failures, unfulfilled dreams, or that someone or a group of people can achieve something greater than we can ever do or imagine.
Another concept of hope is that hope connects people. In a world of social media and cell phones that can connect us to people around the world instantly, there are studies that show that we are a people that do not connect well with other people on an personal and intimate level. We all want to belong to something, and to cheer for a cause that is bigger than us. When we cheer for a particular team, it gives us connection to other people, because it gives us something to talk about. I can tell you how many conversations that I have had that have been started over something dealing with sports. But there is a danger because our sports teams can give us this false sense of community and connectivity. If all we talk about is sports and nothing of importance, we are missing out on a deeper relationship. There is nothing wrong with watching the game or playing fantasy sports, but if that's all we do, we are missing out on a deeper relationships. I think as a society, we are content with knowing the useless facts and not digging deeper. True hope is where both people are actively engaged in the relationship and it is not one sided.
The second thing that sports does is that it gives us a sense of right or wrong. In a society that constantly demands moral relativism in all aspects of it, we turn to sports for absolutes. I know that every rule can be left up to interpretation just like the strike zone and the unwritten rules of baseball, but we long for concrete absolutes. We crave for to know what is right and wrong and to live by those standards. Sports gives us those absolutes, whether it is ten yards for a first down, three strikes is an out, or three twenty minute periods in hockey. As people we crave for standards to live by and not have things debated on right and wrong. Don't get me wrong, there still is plenty of this in sports, just as in life, but this still doesn't stop for us wanting and needing these absolute things to believe in and live by.
The third thing that sports can do for us is that it is an escape. We all need a break from reality and sports gives a chance to break away from the day in and day out of life. It is a chance to relax and enjoy something with other people. There is nothing wrong with watching a football game, but when we are using these things to not deal with issues, it becomes a problem. We all have our escapes, whether sports, food, alcohol or other things. We can make the shift from just taking a break, to life stinks and I don't want to deal with it. We spend so much time doing these things because we don't want to deal with reality. Life is so much better when we deal with these things, it may not be easy, but life will be worth while.
The fourth thing and the last thing is that sports is a reflection of our culture. By far football is Americas most popular sport. What sells us on football is sex and violence. Whether it is the television advertisements promoting sex and violence, to the players wanting to obliterate each other. How often do we act out towards each other. We may not be punching each other, but what we say to each other or behind each others back is just as damning. There is also a segment in sports where they live by the mantra of "its not cheating unless you get caught." As Americans, we have embraced that saying and use it often. It is the attitude that I will do anything to improve, just as long as I don get caught doing wrong.
Recently the NFL has been in the line of fire of the American public for spouse and child abuse. There has ben a public outrage over these things and as well as they should be, but here is the thing, we can condemn the players for doing this, but if we were doing the same thing, would we want the same condemnation. If I were to venture to guess, there are plenty of child and spousal abuse cases that do not get reported or cared about because the people aren't famous and that is wrong and a double standard.
I could probably go on, but here is the thing, sports are not the end all be all. The only thing that gives us true meaning and hope is through having a relationship with God through Jesus and being in healthy relationship with others, because nothing else matters
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