Stop Believing the Unbelievable!

I used to believe in the Tooth Fairy.  I no longer do.

I used to believe in Santa Claus.  Not any more.

Same with the Easter Bunny: Used to believe...no longer do.

Those are the easy ones.  We don't usually bring up the uneasy ones in polite conversation.  Mostly, I think, because we would like to go on believing the unbelievable.

Do you still believe that if 100 people are praying to God for something to happen, that it is more effective than just 10 people praying for that same thing?

Do you continue to believe that violence can bring about peace?

Do you cling to a belief that God controls life and death?  (Tough one, huh?)

I have been saying to myself...and to others...for a good many years now: There comes a time to stop believing the unbelievable.  Some faith-professing friends find that bothersome for me to say, or to put in print.

Recently, as I stood with a grieving mother and her friends at the cemetery...
Watching as a grave-digger lay prone on the ground to lower the very small casket into the very small hole in the ground...
Listening to well-meaning friends attempt to speak of the unspeakable...
Reading the words of the liturgy that we used to celebrate and mourn a life that ended the moment it was birthed...
I was struck full-force with how much I truly am convinced that there does come a time for us to stop believing the unbelievable...and struck also by how harsh and hurtful such a time might be.

(I am reminded of the old saying that: The truth will set you free...but first it will piss you off!)

Is it time to stop believing that God is in charge of life and death, health and wealth, winners and losers?

And is it time to own up to our responsibility for life on this planet, and in our time?

Is it time to stop believing that 5 people praying for someone's healing won't move God to action, but 500 will?

And is it time to drop altogether any belief in a God who "moves to action" only when enough people get with the program?

Is it time to stop believing that God created Heaven and Hell, and spends time and energy assigning "good folks" to the former and "bad folks" to the latter?

And is it time to grow out of our need for eternal reward and/or eternal punishment to balance the scales of some twisted sense of cosmic justice?

Even discussing these topics can be painful for some people.  Feelings can get hurt.  Comfort and solace can be neutered.

But...when God is Grace, Forgiveness, and Presence...and is available to offer the best option in any situation; and when human beings are actually responsible for life and death, health and wealth, and winners and losers...things get a bit more believable. 

For me.

Improvise!

Things always go your way, do they?

Of course they don't.  For me either.

Life-Plan A never works out.  Plan B must be accounted for...and Plan C...and Plan Z.

Life is like jazz music in that respect: Improvisation is what makes it turn out great.

There is truly great evil in the world.  You want to do the right thing.  You are gonna have to improvise.

There are winners and loses in this life.  You strive for equality.  You are gonna have to improvise.  And BTW, life is not a zero-sum game.  Think about it.

Life requires commitment.  Quitting is strangely habit-forming.  You are gonna have to improvise.
And anyway, sticking-with-it can also be habit-forming.

Being the leader is sometimes important.  Being a follower is sometimes important.  You are not sure of your skills at either.  You are gonna have to improvise.

Things break.  Lives break.  Relationships break up.  You are gonna have to improvise.

Faith works...sometimes.  Other times...not so much. You are gonna have to improvise.
BTW, there will come a time to stop believing the unbelievable.

What you learned in Kindergarten will serve you well...sometimes.  Other times...not so much.  You are gonna have to improvise.

According to Isaac Marion: "There is no ideal world to wait around for.  The world is always just what it is now, and its up to you to know how to respond to it."  You are gonna have to improvise.

Sartre, the philosopher says this: "In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team."  You are gonna have to improvise.

Nobody can escape the fact that: You are gonna have to improvise.

I wish you well at the art of improvisation.   Listen to some jazz...it couldn't hurt.

Walk Wisely Thru Time and Space

Yes, wisely.

Which is far better than unwisely, of course.

Nelson Mandela nailed it when he said that, "A good head and a good heart are a formidable combination."

The writer of the New Testament book of Ephesians said it well, too:
"No more stumbling around.  Get on with it.
Don't waste your time...watch your step.
Use your head.
Make the most of every chance you get."

And since he was writing to a particular audience, the writer of Ephesians said that the best way to walk wisely thru time and space was to, "Figure out what will please Jesus, and then do it."

Wisely is far better than unwisely!

Gandhi would point out these seven ills to avoid as we walk thru time and space:
Politics without Principle
Wealth without Work
Commerce without Morality
Pleasure without Conscience
Education without Character
Science without Humanity
Worship without Sacrifice

Walking wisely just could mean that every day, every day...we would want to
Be careful to forgive,
Be careful to let go of resentments,
Be careful to release our need to control everything,
Be careful to choose grace over judgment.

Wise walkers are up to speed on the truth that its not what one is becoming but who one is becoming that really matters.

Wise walkers are careful who they surround themselves with.  (In the real world and the virtual world.)

Wise walkers make a habit of giving back.

And, wise walkers have great patience.

And wise walkers get off their butts and DO instead of just talking about it!