Once
again we are in that empty void of time and space between the end of the
playoffs and the Super Bowl. Rather than do nothing, the NFL is dragging out
the Pro Bowl in order to solve insomnia for millions. To say that it is a
boondoggle for players, league officials, the media and their families is to
give it more credit than it deserves. While the game was originally designed to
generate funds for player retirement, that need has long gone the way of the
dodo bird with the advent of multi-million dollar contracts and a $9-billion
television agreement. Now players stand around and dance with one another when
the ball is hiked until someone falls or goes out of bounds.
But
the Pro Bowl is worthy of our time and attention as it brings up the question
of what to do with things that just aren’t worth anything anymore. There are
literally thousands of things that we once thought indispensable that just need
to be thrown away. Here are a few;
- I had an 8-track tape player and I loved blaring out rock and roll in my in my 1968 Plymouth Valiant (not exactly a muscle car that was going to impress anyone). There is someone in our local farmers market who is still selling them – I have no idea who or why anyone would buy them other than they need something to collect dust.
- We put carbon paper in between pages to make copies of notes and letters. It was a terrible mess and (heaven forbid) when you made a mistake, you had to erase all the copies behind the original. Yet for all its trouble, it was a life saver in the pre-Xerox days. I was really surprised to find that Staples and other office supply stores still sell it.
- Whenever I had a bad cold, my mom would rub Vicks VaproRub on my chest to stop my coughing and relieve congestion. If I was really sick she would push some of it up my nose. It smelled really weird but doing it was not up for debate and I didn’t have a vote either. Mary Ann’s grand dad was really bullish about VapoRub and its benefits. Not only did he eat it, he would smear it in his eyes.
I’m
sure you could easily add to this list. There are so many things that we once
thought important but have slipped into triviality and worthlessness.
Some
people feel that way about themselves. Once they felt important, had things to
do, places to go, people to meet. Now they feel like their lives are filled
with hollow hours of depression, loneliness and emptiness. It doesn’t matter
that their schedules may be filled; there is still this ache in their heart
that something is missing.
- Lives that were once filled with activity and energy are silenced by injury or illness
- Entering retirement with expectations of freedom and an “active adult lifestyle” you wake up every morning wondering who you are, feeling empty
- A home that you hoped would be filled with the laughter of children or grandchildren is a silent, lonely cave because pregnancy will not come
- With the death of a loved one, there is a deep hole in your soul that will not be closed or healed
- The kids have grown up and moved on leaving you with only hollow memories and pictures gathering dust
There
was a man named Zach that felt this way about himself and his life; hated and
all alone. No one liked him, his job made him despised by everyone. Working for
the army of an occupation army, he was a traitor and was regularly stealing
from his neighbors. Zach heard that Jesus was coming so he climbed up a tree to
get a good look because he was short (I wonder if people made fun of him
because he was short too.) Anyway, when Jesus sees him up in that tree, he
calls to Zach by name and invites himself over for dinner. Zach was really
excited that someone as popular and important as Jesus wanted to be with him,
in his house. There was a lot of mumbling in the crowd because everyone knew
that Zach was a traitor and a thief. Looking at Jesus, Zach immediately gave
half of everything he owned and promised to pay back everyone four-times what
he stole. Jesus then announced to the crowd that Zach was one of them, a
brother, neighbor and fellow countrymen.
Jesus
then concludes with the radical words that he had come looking for the lonely
and lost so he could restore them. [1]
No
matter what the problem, Jesus never turned away from a person or a problem.
People came to him with all sorts of pain, suffering, death and questions. He
never sent people away, he never told them to fix themselves, he always reached
out and received them.
No
matter what our circumstances, God’s feeling and choice for us is one of love,
reception and redemption. You are not a mistake, you are not worthless and
neither is your life.
When
you think that you are alone in your pain and suffering, remember that it’s not
because God does not care. It is not that he hates us; nothing could be further
from the truth. He cares greatly. His love is so deep that he was willing to
send Jesus for us.
So if
you feel all along and you're stuck up a tree, reach out to Jesus. Hanging onto
him can and will make all the difference in your world.
Blessings
- Chet
Chet
Gladkowski speaks and writes on topics that touch on culture, life and faith
through GLAD Associates. This article is taken from a chapter in his upcoming
book.
Source:
[1] Luke 19:1-9
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