as I mentioned before , I have been going through some stuff as of late . Bill had a stint in the hospital where he could have died , but thankfully didn't . Little Wednesday has been ill , and in general we have had more than a few proverbial wolves at our door, but by the grace of the Good Lord we are survivin' and thrivin' !
Now with all of this going on , I got to doing a little soul searching , and started to wonder if I shouldn't find a way to incorperate the Big man upstairs into my writing as something more than just 'satire'. Then it dawned on me that I had never really set out to make him satire in the first place , apparently there are just a lot of judgemental people out there who apparently have a relationship with Jesus that is different than my own. That doesn't mean either one of us has a better relationship with him, we just understand him , and probably the concept of friendship, a little differently.
For instance , if someone is my good friend , or my best friend, they probably know a whole lot of stuff about me that nobody else on Earth is privy too. This would certainly apply to Jesus, because he knows EVERYTHING I have ever done ! If your my best friend , or even my good friend , we're bound to have at least one ( but let's face it SEVERAL) inside jokes that only the two of us get . Do I have that with Jesus , HECK YEAH I DO ! We laugh at all sorts of crap in his creation that we find hilarious ( i mean come on now people , do you really think the person who created the skunk and the platypus is without a sense of humor ? Watch the nature channel for about three hours and I promise you your gonna see a deity with a sense of humor who likes some variety ).
Occasionally , just like with any human friend , I may take a look at his work and extend a tip of my hat in gratitude for a job well done , but that doesn't mean I am not just as likely to have a day where I have to say , " Gee Buddy, you kinda dropped the ball on that one huh? That's okay, just shake it off, tomorrow is another day !" This is of course with the understanding that turnabout is fair play , and when I screw up , I fully expect him to call bullshit . Because that's what a good friend does . A so-called ' friend ', will sit there and placate you , and tell you what they think you want to hear , " oh that dress looks wonderful on you ! it is just your color ! and so flattering ! "
A real friend will tell you you look like a two-dollar whore , and offer to burn it with you and pray for your sins .
I pray. I am not the type that can drop to my knees and pray because there's a runner in my panty-hose , nor am I the type to lay my hands on a total stranger and start proclaiming healing over them in the middle of the 7-11, and if someone did that to me without my permission I would probably consider it assault. ( i do not like being touched, i am not a touchy person) That being said , as we are mostly solitary dwelling people, though I do not technically 'pray' in the common conception of the word , I do talk to Jesus every day, about everything and nothing at all. I would say he is my best friend and that I probably talk to him more than I do anybody else on Earth . We know each other , and I see him as my buddy . The kind of plain talking guy I could sit down and have a few beers with ( were I a drinking person) and just talk about whatever was on our minds . Maybe Some would consider that a sort of prayer , I guess it's my sort . I just like to think of it as talking with my creator.
For as long as I can remember , I have had issues with public prayer , even when I was little in Sunday School. You see , I remember reading somewhere in that Book , about how these people called the Pharisee's liked to walk through the streets and the town praying at the top of their voices the most poetic and beautiful prayers they could muster , each trying to be more eloquent then their predecessor making it a grand show . And when Jesus saw this, he turned to his followers and said , " Don't be like these guys , who do this all for show , so that everyone will be awed by their righteousness . Their prayers have been heard, and they will have their answer, but they already have their reward. Instead, go into your closet , and pray in secret, and your father , who see's in secret will provide you your reward in heaven ". When I see the star football player giving a tear-jerking prayer before a football game, or a family of five at a Denny's blessing their food and praying loudly for the salvation of the tattoed bikers the next table over , or a Rapper thanking Jesus for allegedly helping him win this award for his new hit single " smack that ho ", I have to wonder if any of them have actually READ that book they claim to put so much stock in ? and when they did , did they somehow manage to skip that part ? I also wonder when the Father of that same family of five that just got done praying for the salvation of his neighbors that he ASSUMED they needed , and then just ushers his family quickly past the homeless man outside the door while clinging to his wallet for dear life , what book is HE reading ? He must have missed the part where Jesus said to give to everyone who begs of you , and if someone requires your coat, you must offer him your shirt as well, not to mention the part about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you , and loving your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said that if you could remember and do just those two things, then you had every commandment , every law in a nutshell.What about that ?
When I look around me , I see pharisee's everywhere , I cannot see the difference . That being said , I also seem to remember a bit in that book about 'Judging not , lest I be judged' , so instead of slamming my beer/coffee mug down on the table and saying " Dammit Jesus ! what are you going to do about these sinners ! This is not the way I interpreted your word ! They are perverting it ! Messing it up ! Smite them ! Smite them now ! " I make the conscious effort ( i'll admit sometimes it's easier than others ) to choose to remember that whatever they are doing , no matter how little sense it makes to me , it makes sense to them , it works for them , and for better of for worse, they are doing it with a heart full of love , in a way that they believe will please their master just like me . And that's where that whole "forgiveness and understanding " thing comes into play . And If Jesus can forgive me , why shouldn't he forgive them ? And just because they judge me , do I have a right to judge them ? And furthermore, If HE forgives them , shouldn't I forgive them too ?
Just a little something to think about .
In the meantime , I'm just gonna keep on enjoying my one on one time with my Buddy .
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