Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
@#$%
Because of my
mom, wife, and being a weenie about pain (Whenever I go to the doctor or
dentist, I write P-A-I-N where it asks about allergies!), I haven't been inked.
If it weren't for
that, I'd have a lion tat on a bicep; though I'd be careful because muscles
tend to sag over the years and I'm afraid my lion might look like a caterpillar
over time.
Hmm.
Why a lion?
Haven't you read
the Bible or seen The Lion
King?
Besides, a lion
is the mascot for my college.
Anyway, except
for orthodox Jews, nobody pays attention to that ink proscription in Leviticus
19:28 just like nobody pays attention to OT dietary laws or Red Lobster would
be out of business and vacationers wouldn't be big on Maine.
Older generations
who aren't into 'em tend to be more than a tad judgmental about our younger
generations who are really into 'em; betraying they never learned anything from
Steppenwolf about the monster in 'em: "We don't know how to mind our own
business 'cause the whole world's gotta be just like us."
How easy it is to
forget God likes rainbows and varieties.
Just like
everybody else, I'm nosey; so when I see some ink, I ask the person what it
means to 'em.
Try it some time
and you'll escape that terrible generational bias that assumes - and you know
what assuming does - "our thing" is better than "their
thing" as we discover the depth of meaning and inner beauty being
expressed in their ink.
It's always
better to ask than assume if you don't want people to think you're an...
It's like Martha
Young, the first African-American elder in the history of Winston-Salem, North
Carolina's First Presbyterian Church, said to me after I presided at her
ordination, "You love 'em and let God judge 'em."
Psst.
Don't forget
imposing our bias on others as the basis for judging them means He's gonna
judge us in the same way: "The measure you give will be the measure you
get. You will be judged just like you've judged."
Too many people,
especially in too many churches, seem to forget the Bible is bigger than their
favorite parts.
It's the tragic
lesson learned by Billy and Wyatt in Easy
Rider as George Hanson warns, "Well, you boys don't look like
you're from this part of the country...Well, they got this here, see,
scissor-happy 'Beautify America' thing goin' on around here. They're
tryin' to make everybody look like Yul..."
That's never been
God's way of doing things.
Again, God likes
rainbows and varieties.
He, uh, made 'em.
Most of the time,
Ray Stevens is right: "Everything is beautiful in its own way."
I'd paraphrase
that: "Everything is beautiful in His own way."
Maybe we just
need to learn the lesson of the watch.
It it's not
working, don't look at the hands.
Look deeper!
Instead of
judging people by...[Don't fill in the blank!]..., let's look deeper and listen
longer.
King was right.
It's the content
of a person's character not the skin color or
ink that matters.
While I may never
get that lion on my bicep because of mom, wife, or allergy and you may not like
it if I do, it's not about me or you but us and everyone else who have the
freedom to be who He designed us to be.
When we're free
to be who He designed us to be, no one has the right to judge us; but,
rather, the privilege to praise God for the beauty of His design.
@#$%
Blessings and Love!
@#$%
Salt! Shine! Leavenate!
Look up! Speak up! Stand up! Act up for Jesus!
@#$%
@#$%
1 comment:
so now, could you help explain this mark on my forehead?
Everybody stays away from me when they see it...
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