SNOWBOUND!
Last week I blogged and it got lost in cyberspace. I thought it was a pretty good take on a subject entitled “Sports God!” I found it and so I’ll send it along shortly. Of course, I usually think my take is pretty good. That’s how I get into trouble. I have been contemplating how poorly we, as a race, communicate with each other. The central issue is that we have to use words in order to do this. Words can convey simple ideas. I have determined recently that most of the disagreement lies within the silences. I am capable of assuming the worst in a persons’ intention. They don’t even have to be here.
Have you ever had one of those conversations with yourself where you get more and more angry as you talk. I have these discussions fairly often, which a.) identifies me as a kook, and b.) only augments whatever marginal emotion I had going into the dialogue/monologue. I believe that this happened to Jack Nickleson in “The Shining”.
I have discovered my own propensity to stir negative emotions, judge unfairly and assume evil (or at the least ineptitude)on the part of others. Here is where my Christianity takes form and gives substance. If I can hold conversation with Christ over the same issues and offenses, and do it even with the same emotions, I am diffused. I wrangle with and eventually desire peace. It’s about my prayer life.
This Christmas I am going to attend more to conversations with Christ. My rants never really get me what I need anyway. Peace.
So I’m finding, too. It wouldn’t be so bad if a)the conversations turned out the way they do in my head, and/or b)Christ approved of my attitude and actions within my conversations in my head. Instead He calls me to love, forgive, give grace, pray for those who use me poorly, etc. Then I have to go to Him, which means there’s humbling involved. The crazy thing is, I know that His way is best and wonderful. Why do I/we always fight it, or at least go our way first before we remember His way?