Live Without Denial

 Oh, the house of denial has thick walls

and very small windows

and whoever lives there, little by little,

will turn to stone.

              -- Mary Oliver, "Hum Hum"

As humans, we go about our daily lives, frequently falling into the time and ego trap that the world and life revolve around us.  Yet it doesn't. Events and trouble suck us into thinking our participation in them is of earth-shattering importance. Self-help gurus have said and written about the importance of "staying in the now."  There is healthy wisdom in that, especially if one is prone to overthinking and catastrophizing imagined dangers. Getting out too far in front of your skis is hazardous to mental health as much as dwelling on unfortunate events or traumas of the past. But here I am thinking of our human calling and special abilities to improve our world. 

Much has gone haywire in the past ten months in the United States.  One of the most common questions arising in news commentary and posts online is, "What can we do about it?"  

Shrinking violets that so many of us are, think we're too small and insignificant to matter.  Being helpless and powerless was Moses' excuse initially to turn God down at the burning bush. Denying our capabilities is a sure way to freeze us out of making a difference.  Not seeing ourselves as worthy enough, strong enough, smart enough, or articulate enough turns change into stone; whatever is "haywire" then is allowed to proceed. 

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?  Commonly, we see all that's wrong with our face and wish it were different.  But faith affirms that we are made in the image of God, so when we look into the mirror, that person is God's image. So whatever is there, good/bad/indifferent, that is also God's presence.  With God's presence is the power to make a difference -- be that in your private life or in your communal life. 

You do not have to deny yourself. God wants you in the game.  Others in the game are counting on you, too. Live big.  Live boldly. 

Live By Virtue

 A dark tide is insidiously swelling into the lives of everyone living in the United States.  Whether you watch the news or not, tens of thousands of us are being directly impacted by incarceration, job loss, character assassination, twisted uses of due process, escalating costs of living, rising mental health concerns, and political violence. This darkness is undermining our strongest attributes for which we have historically stood.  Attributes like truth, fairness, justice, mercy, generosity, compassion, and the promise of hope. A government-wide action against diversity, equality, and inclusion is in full swing-- trying to purge "DEI" from schools, universities, libraries, and all government offices. And, "Christianity" has parted company with itself, leaving the ones with the loudest microphones dictating what people think of Christianity. (PS: it is not white Nationalism.)

I listened to a short video today about preaching. In it, Carey Nieuwhof talked about one attribute of a good sermon is ensuring that the essential focus is always on Jesus (not the text or side stories). I believe virtuous living is grounded solidly in how we see Jesus living his life through the Gospels.  There are many virtues well worth wrapping your life around.  They aren't necessarily spelled out specifically in Jesus' sermons, parables, or actions, but they are there.  Importantly, they are NOT intended as whipping posts to judge "good" from "bad." 

All virtues together weave a beautiful tapestry of nurturing community life. If they're used to divide and conquer the people we don't like, they quickly slip into the realm of vices.  When they are abandoned for vices, society suffers.  We're suffering because rudeness is replacing kindness. Hate of fellow human beings is replacing love. Greed is replacing generosity. Bragadocia is replacing humility. Fear is replacing compassion. The list goes on. 

It is incumbent upon the Church and people claiming the faith of true "Jesus-hood" to incorporate virtues into our daily walks with Jesus.  Study the virtues and vices.  Incorporate them into your prayer and devotional life.  Practice them in public, at home, and on social media. Raise the question with yourself regularly, "How did I do with living by virtue today?" 

I strongly recommend Grace Hamman's book: Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life

Mirth

Mirth - noun: "gaiety or jolity, especially when accompanied by laughter. Amusement or laughter."  From Middle English circa 900 CE mirthe

Mirth is a word not often heard in modern US English.  I'm claiming it and bringing it back. Having its rise in the medieval period, a time we don't often think of as happy, with Crusades, heresy trials, debt prisons, and lack of sanitation....  Yet sometimes, in the worst of times, a certain social counter-response evolves to aid in coping. This is my proposal: could we adopt mirth as a virtue to counteract the worst of our times?

This week, the sourpus man occupying the office of US President decided to cast his dour aspersions upon the late-night comedians. Steven Colbert had already been handed his termination notice by NBC a couple of weeks ago, and this week, through FCC arm-twisting, ABC/Disney has obediently silenced Jimmy Kimmel. The President suggested that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers might be next.  Laughter, or mirth, is most definitely not feelings or responses that a would-be dictator, trying to look the part of a serious strongman, wants his subjects to be snickering at.  Overwrought seriousness is a vice that stifles creativity.  It is part of life-squashing domination and the sign of imposed respect expected from us as the power tools of cruelty, political violence, inexplicable arrests, and ripping up of the US Constitution take unmistakable shape and rip lives apart. 

However, we, the People, have a far different goal/perspective for our lives.  It is succinctly expressed in our Declaration of Independence (from another despot 250 years ago): "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  Additionally, those are words that I believe God wants for us, the Creator's vision and hope for us.  Let's face it.  Religion is frowned upon, disparaged, and tossed in the fire because certain power-hungry, attention-driven (mostly) men usurped God's place and put themselves in as the definers and arbiters of what they wanted God to say to aid their domination of their subjects.  And Christianity ever since has had the unglorious reputation of being a violent, dour, rule-dominated, threatening, sorry excuse for what is the Beauty of the Universe.  A Beauty that values mirth, as in the dancing sparkle on the surface of a mountain lake or stream.  The majestic palette of color in a sunset/sunrise, or on the trees in the Fall.  The first giggle from a beloved child, or that special way your beloved's face lights up. These are the gifts and delights God desperately wants us to feel and share with each other. For when mirth is present, love (another virtue) blossoms and spreads.

Love, and the mirth I very much expect God expresses to all angelic beings (human and supernatural), is what also magnifies the goodwill and embrace of our shared humanity.  We are not and never were created to be subjects to anyone. We were created as companions to the Most High in the very beginning.  We were granted free will, and in freedom we love with all our powers. Companions, partners, co-conspirators of mirth. So today smile/laugh!  Spread the joy of knowing your true place in a life created for mirth and love, and the dominators be damned.