Everyone who knows me, has heard my rant about the glass question. It is not half full, nor half empty, it is equally and simulataneously both. On most occassions, I can call this a difference of opinion with my optimistic and pessimistic friends. Typically, as long as the Bible does not call it "wrong" or "sin", I am happy to label it as a point of view. However, when these "outlooks" start having hurting implications to people, I have to do the right thing and blow the whistle.
(Please note: the term whistleblower is typically attributed to a work environment. Though I could be discussing a work situation here, let me clear - I am not. I am more concerned about this issue in the Kingdom of God).
I had lunch with one of my awesome friends this week. She is known for seeing the world as Black and White (and dressing to match her view). LOL. While we were at lunch she said the most awesome thing ever: "People who are rosey all the time, tend to sometimes live in a denial of reality." BINGO! After this comment, I quickly presented her with the Most in Touch with Reality Award. :)
Now, I am not advocating negativity. As soon as people hear me talk about this, they assume I am promoting constant gloom and complaining. Nope. Several years ago, when I was new to my church, I went to a picnic. I only knew two people there at the time. I stayed for a few hours. There was one individual who did nothing but complain about everything and everybody. She complained about things that happened 8 years ago!!! I got up and left. Couldn't take it anymore.
See both this woman, and those who walk around constantly seeing nothing but roses, are both guilty of living in denial. Now, if you want to live in denial - that is your perogrative and none of my business - until I see injustices occuring and people being hurt. That is when it becomes more than an outlook or point of view - it becomes a disease.
I am going to illustrate my point in two versions: my mothers and the Bible's. Those of you who know my mother know that she doesnt mince words. She doesnt believe in flowering things up - she says it like it is - shocks you in hopes it will sink in.
Her version:
You walk into the room and you see two things - a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are breathtaking and fragrant, and a pile of crap. Literally. So what do we do? Be thankful and grateful for the beautful flowers and dance around enjoying that the fragrance is lessening the smell of the crap? Or do we lament and complain because there is a pile of crap in the room? Both sides are ridiculous. Again, both sides in denial. The appropriate response: First, find out who to thank for the flowers, be grateful, express your gratitude, rejoice in them and enjoy them. At the same time... CLEAN UP THE CRAP!!!!! Ask questions, analyze the situation. Find out how it got there - not just to pass blame, but to understand the situation better and develop ways so that it wont happen again. Clean it, deodorize it, fix it.
This is where some Christians are going to pull out the Serenity Prayer. I believe in the serenity prayer, I just believe most Christians fall into the wrong side of it. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I think most are too quick to see something wrong and just ask for serenity - then going skipping through the tulips (a change from roses) with Jesus and their serenity. The wisdom to know the difference can only be found by talking to God about it. When you talk to Him, you get His viewpoint. Is He okay with this? If He is, then its you (me) who needs to be changed and needs the courage to change. If He isn't okay with it - then we need wisdom on how to change it. Maybe one person can't change it, but many can. Maybe it can't be completely changed right now, but we can work toward change. But most people will opt for serenity because its easier and more comfortable AND... we don't ruffle any feathers with our serenity. Courage to change may offend people who are attached to protocol.
Perhaps, before we skip off with our serenity, we should remember another prayer - the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer was never meant to chanted in a ritualistic way or quoted like a poem. This prayer came about because the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. This was known as the Model Prayer - not because you are supposed to say these exact words ritualistically. But this was a model - for what your heart should be and what your mind should be focused on while praying. I don't have time to go through the whole prayer here, but the part that applies is:
"YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN".
So if Jesus told us that that prayer is to be a priority, and that is our goal - for His will to be done on earth, then with each thing that occurs we must ask ourselves "is this how God wants it to be?" If it is, rejoice. If it isn't... pray, then act.
I told you that I would give you two examples - my mothers and the Bibles. Christians like the WWJD thing. Well, at least we like the t-shirts and bracelets. But WWJD? Read the Gospels. Pick one, any one. Or read all four. I have been reading them for almost 25 years and I cannot find one instances where Jesus practiced "optimism" or "pessimism". He dealt with each situation individually and gave it the appropriate balance of grace and truth.
Consider John 8:1-11. The story of the woman caught in adultery. The people were about to stone her for her sin - which the law stated that was to be the consequence. Jesus showed up. He addressed the people with stones in their hands and said "if any of you has no sin, then go ahead - cast the first stone." Of course no one could. Then he addressed the woman. He offered grace, forgave her sins, restored her dignity, and said "go and sin no more". He didn't just love her. He didn't say "because I love you and forgave you, your sin is okay". He definitely didn't say that she could go on and keep doing that because He was a loving God and would forgive her. Grace, mercy, restoration, truth.
Or take for example the death of Lazarus. Jesus had a great friendship with Lazarus and his sisters. He had eaten dinner at their homes on numerous occassions. When Jesus got word of Lazarus's death, He made His way to go and comfort Mary and Martha. He already knew that God would raise Lazarus from the dead. So, wouldn't He coming rejoicing? Wouldn't he come proclaiming "I'm here, its okay." Nope. Read John 11. When He saw Mary and Martha sad and crying... what did He do? The shortest verse in the Bible... John 11:35... "Jesus wept". He already knew there would be a positive outcome, but seeing those He loved saddened, He wept. Then - He raised Lazarus from the dead.
My personal favorite: Jesus in the temple. I recently had a conversation with a friend about Jesus being the Lion and the Lamb. (again - equally both, not either or) I told this person that most people see one or the other. God is either Hitler or Santa Claus, an authoritarian on a power kick or the grandfather in the Werthers Original commercial. There are many instances throughout the Gospels where you saw that lamb. Kind, caring, gentle, compassionate, merciful. And in the face of injustice, the Lion roared. In John chapter 2, Jesus entered the temple, the place of worship. He saw that people had gotten their priorities out of whack and were making money in the temple. Verse 15 says HE MADE A WHIP and drove people and animals out of the temple. He flipped over tables and yelled "get out"! Oh heavens, Jesus... where is your grace? Where is proper protocol? Don't you know that you attract more flies with honey? Some of those people in there were authority figures. The injustice received the Lion's roar. Why didn't He just look at injustice, say "it is what it is" and ask for serenity??
Now note that this is the only instance we see Him that enraged. He wasn't like that every day all day. But if His concern was "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", then each instance
had to be viewed and acted upon appropriately through that lens.
So why have I given you a billion examples to prove a point? When we gravitate to positivity or negatively, it can have unintended damaging consequences. This is easier to point out with negativity. When we are negative, we can tear people down, make other things or people look bad, and stir up dissension and strife - like that lady at the picnic in 2007.
But I think we as Christians have swung to the opposite extreme - and the consequences can be brutal, though difficult to recognize if we arent paying attention - and typically we are not paying attention because we are just wrapped up in being positive.
Examples: The Beth Moore Bible study. I love it. It is wonderful. Been in it since I joined North Way - missed one session and felt like my arm was cut off. Overall, its a wonderful ministry that has brought many people closer to the Lord. However, I met a woman last year in a small group. She had signed up for several Beth Moore Bible studies. Each time she did, it hurt her. She mentioned it to the leaders, but they thought she was too sensitive or over-reacting. So she stopped coming. The woman had been married for several years but was the victim of domestic abuse. Divorced, lonely, trying to be around Godly people and dig into the Word and grow closer to God. She was constantly put into study groups with young married mothers. All they did was talk about their husband and kids.
This just made things harder for this woman. She suggested that they put single people together or at least put her with older folks whose primary focus wasnt PTA, but it fell on deaf ears and she fell away.
From a distance, folks who knew her would rejoice because she is a group with Christians and studying the Bible. We were so busy being happy and rejoicing about how wonderful this ministry is - we missed a hurting soul.
I am not suggesting we should not have Beth Moore Bible studies. My point is - just looking at the sunny side caused us to miss a reality - a reality that grieved the heart of God.
I can give many many more examples but this blog is too long already. I just worry that we have become so fixated on being happy and positive, that wrongs are not being made right, people are not getting their needs met, and His will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. This positivity epidemic caused Casting Crowns to write a song, appropriately titled "Stained Glass Masquerade".
A few lines of the song:
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
The chorus:
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
My prayer: "Father, give us eyes to see. Not the positive, not the negative, but what you see. Give us the desire to see what you see even if its unpleasant. Then, when we see what you see, give us wisdom. If what we see is pleasing to you, let us rejoice and give thanks. If it's not, give us courage to pray 'Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' and then give us wisdom and courage to act to make that happen. In each situation, help us to know what Jesus would do, and then enable us, the Body of Christ, to go and do likewise.
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