New Adage

Life is just a bad neighborhood I have to go through to get home.

Life is Like Baghetties*

When I was a kid, I loved to eat spaghetti with the noodles unbroken. My mother, however, always broke them in half, saying that Daddy hated them long. I remember thinking that he was so mean and unadventurous. Long noodles were so FUN! How could anybody not like ‘em? Now, fully grown, I understand his thinking. I can’t stand unbroken spaghetti noodles. See, the long noodles don’t let the meat mix in. You spin the fork and just get a big mound of pasta. Yeah, when the noodles are short, you miss out on some of the fun, but you get to the meat. As a grown man, I realize that eating is not just a game anymore. It is serious business!

Little things like that remind me of how the Christian journey is.

As God’s children, we often – usually- don’t understand why he does or allows difficult things. Our finite understanding causes us to wonder why He doesn’t allow the “fun” stuff.“Why don’t we all just live forever? Yaaay!” “Hey, lets ALL go to Heaven…”“Yaaay!”

“Live for today, man!”

“Lying is the best way to get out of a tight spot!”

“Yeah!”

“I’m a good person! I do good stuff. I don’t need Jeeesus!”

“Marriage is corny! Who needs that for sex? Or for kids?”

“Matter fact, I don’t love you no more. Let’s cut our losses. What’s the harm?”

“Let’s get those drunk girls to take their TOPS off and KISS! Hot!”

“What’s the big deal about a few cuss words, or nekkid butts on teevee? If you don’t like it, turn it off. Move your life out of my way!”

“What?!? Weed ain’t a drug like heroin! You gotta process that stuff! Weed is a herrrb. It comes from the earth!”

“What? God says ‘No?’ God’s WACK! He’s no fun at ALL! He made all this stuff and won’t let us use it! We gotta work, an’ study, an’ obey rules, an’ say ‘no’ to stuff…”

As we become more mature, however, we see the wisdom in order and structure. We see the consequences of unrestrained behavior. And Christian life is not boring up close as it seemed from a distance. We get rid of some of the extraneosity- if you will- and get right to the meat of life.

There is a joy in understanding the value of serving, peace in dealing with loss, and hope in eternity. We grow closer to God and more like Him.

My father wasn’t boring. He was just wise:

Life, while often fun, is serious business!

*Spaghetti