My Left Foot
Sarria-Portamarin
The Camino started today with a 240m climb over a 12
km distance. It was a rapid series of
breath-stealer after breath-stealer. I’d
reach the top of one peak, stop and suck wind, then proceed ahead for the next
one. Each stop was rewarded with
fabulous panoramas of the hillside. As
wonderful as hill and mountain views were, it was the return of enchanting
little surprises nature provided I loved most.
The trail threaded its way along towering trees bowing over
pilgrims. There were many little pristine-clean
streams to hop-scotch skip across on large boulders. This was God’s gift to me for 23 km.
While the trail was all so beautiful, my left foot
was a crabby companion. There is still
that half-dollar-sized blister on the ball of my foot just behind the
toes. It barked its pain with each step.
What a pain was my left foot!
For several miles I would recite with each new
painful step, “Oh, my left foot.” This rehearsed with each step until a
diversion played in my thinking. The expression, “My left foot” is used as an
expression for “I disagree” or “bologna” or in general, “no way.”
As I (gingerly) walked on, I started to contemplate
thinking I held about the Christian faith that I now know was worthy of someone
calling me out on it as “Yea, my left foot” that that’s true. Here are a few of those, let’s say, less mature
beliefs about have a Christian faith.
God
made me to be happy. Well, my left foot! He made me to be loved by Him and to love Him
in all circumstances. Of course we will be happy with Him. But to remember, happiness
is a temporary emotion that will weave in and out of life events. God will forever be present in all the good,
the bad, and the ugly. Happiness is my choice.
People have demonstrated happiness in the craziest of life struggles
from the Holocaust through war through poverty.
Happiness was a choice. Jesus
laid out how to achieve happiness in the 8 beatitudes. We were not made for happiness although we
generally are happy living in God’s plan.
Made for happiness? ‘My left
foot.’
If
I live a good life, of course, God will take me into heaven.
This is another, ‘my left foot’ presumption.
So, if I go to church, say some prayers (when I think about it), volunteer to
help a good cause, then I’ve done more than those who didn’t, and I’m certain
to get into heaven. Right? The crazy in this is a stench of entitlement. The Christian life is not a series of check
the boxes. It is a relationship. Jesus gave his all, and moment by moment we
are called to give Him our all. So once again, let’s give ‘my left foot’ to the
entitlement rational for entering heaven.
Being
good enough, is good enough. This complacency needs
a ‘my left foot’ boot. Embedded in this thinking is a comparison of my service
and faith activities against what it was years before or even worse, what
comparison I see in what others are doing.
It is thinking that teeter totters between “well, I’m not a terrible bad
sinner, but I’m not a saint either.” If
we press this further we’d recognize being good is the enemy of being
great. Former Pope Benedict called out
our modern culture with this statement, “We are called to greatness; we are not
called for comfort. No, we are called to greatness.” That’s a pretty firm ‘my
left foot’ debunk of good enough thinking.
I
don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.
A hello, that’s more ‘my left foot’ hogwash. The church needs us, and we need
the church. Central to all Christian
services is entering into group prayer, worship, and gratitude for all God’s
gifts. There is an element of being
humble before the Lord and seeing others being humble before one another. There is an “I’ll do it my way” attitude and
the “I don’t get anything out of it, so why go?” mentality. Both of these
excuses are Satan’s perfect ploys. The
evil one’s mission is to separate (Satan)
and (Devil) divide. Our faith and
need for spiritual leadership in the home is suffering without the church. The
church is suffering as well. Set the alarm for service Sunday morning and put
power back in the next six days of the week.
Give missing church on Sunday ‘my left foot.’
Our list could go on and on. Our modern culture battles the gospel
messages. I can no longer hit the snooze
button and sleep through life with comfort. I am made for greatness. You are
made for greatness. We are all made for greatness.
In our heart we know the truth of what is God’s way
and the world’s way. We can give complacency ‘my left foot.’ It is our destiny
for greatness.
Fondly, Deacon Willie
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