And please, I don't need someone correcting me about speaking badly about myself. This post is a healthy excercise. I try to live aware of this reality daily.
This very morning on my drive to work I was enjoying a conversation with Julie as she was in her car driving home from her nightshift nursing job and something happened. I arrived at work and once I got to the door of the salon and was in the process of unlocking it I had this realization that I didn't have my cell phone with me. In the midst of patting my pockets I say something like "dangit" to which Julie asks, "What's wrong?" By that time I am on my way back to my vehicle to look to see if I have left my phone in my truck...hehe...still patting my pockets just to make sure I haven't missed it. I answer her by saying "I must have left my cell phone at home." It's obvious by now where this is going isn't it?
Julie then says to me "Where are you at?" and I respond "Walking in the salon" to which she responds with "What the hell are you talking to me on?" Let's just say it was quite a hilarious moment.
The cool thing is I don't miss the beauty/value of moments like these anymore. They help me keep from taking myself too serious. Myself and all the people I am surrounded by have serious challenges when it comes to perception. It's been such a vital learning experience for me, in this process of letting God be God, and helping me stay grounded as far as how I live in this world with others.
In just about every moment of my life these days, words of wisdom come rushing through my head and they usually aren't consistent with the "conventional wisdom" of our day and the moment I described above was no different. Here are a few of the things that came to mind.
"Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the Truth and not see it?"
"Some things you shouldn't get too good at
Like smiling, crying and celebrity
Some people got way too much confidence baby"
and finally something that speaks to something that is so lacking in most of us that have been shaped by religion...an ability to acknowledged the truth about our limitations.
"Some people, including Christians (I think particularly of my Protestant friends), have the profound conviction that truth is "there." They say, for instance, that "the word of God is expressed in the Bible." Even so, I must be prudent enough to say that this word is conveyed through human language: witnesses who pass it on to other witnesses. And when I hear it, I understand it with my words, my verbal images, and I speak it with my language -- and I am not God, fortunately. If this were not so, human life would be closed. By these statements, I do not reduce the value of revealed truth in the slightest; on the contrary, in this way I respect it and recognize its special dimension and the depth and permanence that make it truth. If I claim to grasp and express it in its entirety, then it is no longer truth.
The connection between Word and Truth is of such a nature that nothing can be known of truth apart from language. This truth establishes itself over the duration of generations (Hebrew toledoth), in the ebb and flow of words, through our fellowship and our misunderstandings. This is where this marvelously human life is located. The most reliable thing speaks to the most uncertain world; my most flexible means expresses what is irrefutable."
This very morning on my drive to work I was enjoying a conversation with Julie as she was in her car driving home from her nightshift nursing job and something happened. I arrived at work and once I got to the door of the salon and was in the process of unlocking it I had this realization that I didn't have my cell phone with me. In the midst of patting my pockets I say something like "dangit" to which Julie asks, "What's wrong?" By that time I am on my way back to my vehicle to look to see if I have left my phone in my truck...hehe...still patting my pockets just to make sure I haven't missed it. I answer her by saying "I must have left my cell phone at home." It's obvious by now where this is going isn't it?
Julie then says to me "Where are you at?" and I respond "Walking in the salon" to which she responds with "What the hell are you talking to me on?" Let's just say it was quite a hilarious moment.
The cool thing is I don't miss the beauty/value of moments like these anymore. They help me keep from taking myself too serious. Myself and all the people I am surrounded by have serious challenges when it comes to perception. It's been such a vital learning experience for me, in this process of letting God be God, and helping me stay grounded as far as how I live in this world with others.
In just about every moment of my life these days, words of wisdom come rushing through my head and they usually aren't consistent with the "conventional wisdom" of our day and the moment I described above was no different. Here are a few of the things that came to mind.
"Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the Truth and not see it?"
"Some things you shouldn't get too good at
Like smiling, crying and celebrity
Some people got way too much confidence baby"
and finally something that speaks to something that is so lacking in most of us that have been shaped by religion...an ability to acknowledged the truth about our limitations.
"Some people, including Christians (I think particularly of my Protestant friends), have the profound conviction that truth is "there." They say, for instance, that "the word of God is expressed in the Bible." Even so, I must be prudent enough to say that this word is conveyed through human language: witnesses who pass it on to other witnesses. And when I hear it, I understand it with my words, my verbal images, and I speak it with my language -- and I am not God, fortunately. If this were not so, human life would be closed. By these statements, I do not reduce the value of revealed truth in the slightest; on the contrary, in this way I respect it and recognize its special dimension and the depth and permanence that make it truth. If I claim to grasp and express it in its entirety, then it is no longer truth.
The connection between Word and Truth is of such a nature that nothing can be known of truth apart from language. This truth establishes itself over the duration of generations (Hebrew toledoth), in the ebb and flow of words, through our fellowship and our misunderstandings. This is where this marvelously human life is located. The most reliable thing speaks to the most uncertain world; my most flexible means expresses what is irrefutable."
Living aware of our limitations and being able to laugh about it is a healthy thing. I'm sure that you all just like myself have much to laugh about ;)
This is clearly the word of the day:
"Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the Truth and not see it?"
10 comments:
Kent,
Ah, my friend! How I, too, have so done similar things such as you did with your cell phone today. Papa always giggling with me. I love when He gives us these moments to laugh together.
"...an ability to acknowledged the truth about our limitations."
Speaks the truth of humility...something of which I desire to continually grow in.
Your thoughts about Truth made me think of this: Truth can also be thought of as Experience with Relationship with/in the One (actual REAL EXPERIENCE with God being key). We grow to know Truth in more depth and reality, about more "things" as we experience engagement with Him.
Blessings,
~Amy :)
Kent... Hehe... I recently did a similar thing with my car keys. Along with several other keys, I have the large key to my work van on my key chain. On Monday I had given this key to the guy who filled in for me as I took a day off, so when I got to work yesterday I had to go inside first to get the key. Well, I locked my personal car and suddenly felt this dread, thinking I had locked my keys in my car. I patted my coat and pants pockets and searched each one twice, but nothing. I looked in my car and didn't see them there. Finally I realized - they're right there in my hand! It felt lighter because the huge van key was not on it, so I guess it just didn't all register. :)
Indeed it's good to laugh about these things... they really do remind us to not take ourselves too seriously.
Sometimes we just miss the obvious. I posted this today in my blog, it seems to relate to your post (at least to me).
The Ladder to God
This is a cartoon without the artwork.
Frame 1
There is a very tall ladder reaching all the way into and past the clouds. A man is a few feet up the ladder and another guy is holding the ladder so it won't fall.
Frame 2
A crowd begins to gather and they watch the man climb up higher and higher. A person in the crowd asks the guy holding the ladder, "What is He doing?" The guy answers, "He is trying to reach God."
Frame 3
Someone in the crowd shouts out to the guy holding the ladder, "Who are you?" The guy smiles and answers, "God."
You're not an idiot, just gettin old....
"And please, I don't need someone correcting me about speaking badly about myself. This post is a healthy excercise. I try to live aware of this reality daily."
+++++++
Yes, that drives me nuts when I wrote something "negative" about myself and people launch in with platitudes. Yerk.
So I won't do that here. Kent, you're an idiot.
:)
Thanks everyone for laughing along with/at me today.
I am an idiot.
I've laughed with my clients and co-workers about this all day.
Hey Kent,
Those idiot moments are God's way of telling you that you need a California Golfing vacation:))
One week and one day away from that golf trip to california.
Myself, Wayne and Dan were just talking today about some of the plans while we are out there. I'm so ready.
Thanks for the levity, Kent! I'm inclined to agree with zinger....
too funny kent. the worst for me is when i head to the office real early to get a head start on the day and forget my office key.
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