Spirituality is....Getting It

“I’ve defined myself, all my life, by what I was against. I fought against everything, but more and more I worry that I was never for anything. Oh, I can criticize and complain and judge everything, but where does that get me? Rebelling isn’t rebuilding. Ridicule isn’t replacing. My generation! All we did was make fun of the way the world was. We didn’t make it any better. We spent so much time judging what other people created we didn’t create anything of our own. We took the world apart, but had no idea what to do with the pieces.”

                             Ida Mancini in Choke, by Chuck Palahnuik

 Today at church during a lively children's sermon the speaker was talking about Jesus telling the woman at the well she could have "living water."  He carefully, and cheerfully, walked the thin, razor-sharp highwire made by the stringing of metaphors between small children still in their literal age.  In trying to explain that the woman didn't understand what Jesus was saying, he sought to show that people in our time, having the advantage of knowing the whole gospel story, understood it better.  What he said was, "She didn't understand what Jesus meant. But we have the benefit of "getting it."

I have thought about that sentence ever since he said it. (Proof once more that I am much better suited to learning from the children's sermon than the adult one. Not a surprise, really...). "We have the benefit of "getting it."   All day the question has nagged me.  Maybe -  when you look at a world in so much need and a church (universal) still struggling with science, acceptance, and how to reach outside the circle of the secluded saved, -  the same question nags you too:

Are we?
Are we "getting it?"

Another text in the Bible shows an exasperated Jesus encountering legalism and posing the same question. 

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow but he died also, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her.

Jesus replied, "Are you in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry or be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising - have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, "I am the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are badly mistaken."
                               Mark 12:18-27 (NIV)

 Jesus asks them -- Are you in error (are you not "getting it") because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God? In other words: Are you people ignorant or unbelieving? 

A professor once taught me that if you want to truly get the feel of a scripture - write it out by hand and see how you interact with the words.  I tried that with this scripture, grabbing my trusty fountain pen and writing it into my journal.  I noticed two things right off:

1.  What a long question!
2.  What a stupid question.

Jesus seems to notice both the length and stupidity of the query in his grumpy response, concluding - "You are badly mistaken".  Personally, of all the things I want to hear Jesus say to me, "You are badly mistaken" is NOT on the list.  What are their mistakes? Why aren't they "getting it?"

They, like Ida Mancini, are too busy ridiculing to gain any real knowledge.  They don't believe in resurrection, and they probably don't spend a lot of time caring about who is married to anyone. The ludicrous scenario is intended to make fun of the idea that we live on after we die.  They were not willing to learn. They were, in fact, ignorant.

They also were practicing what we know as "confirmation bias" - the psychological phenomenon that says we only give authority or acceptance to ideas that confirm what we already think instead of accepting something that might change or broaden our reality. They didn't want to believe in the power of God to carry our souls through death to life. They were, in fact, unbelieving.

 

Spirituality - "getting it" - is that act of leaving both of those qualities behind. It's easy to think of pithy questions and outrageous scenarios to question faith, hope or God. Like the always popular, "If God is all powerful, can God make an object so heavy that God cannot lift it?"   (My answer:  "Stop it."). Ridicule isn't replacing and logic traps don't make anyone brighter, better, or more hopeful.  Being a spiritual being is having the capacity to learn, and interact honestly with people, scripture and God.

Spirituality is also the willingness to confront our confirmation bias (we all have it - its connected to our ego - and what do we remember about ego?  E.G.O. -- Everybody's Got One).  When you realize you are drawn only to things that support what you think or what you think you think - stop and give other thoughts a chance. It doesn't mean you have to believe something just because its different.Rebelling isn't rebuilding. But it does mean a conscious effort to really consider ideas will give you more tools and more chances to be "getting it."

Finally, be energized and excited by the fact that while spiritual people are "getting it" - no one on this earth - has "got it."  Spirituality is a journey of learning, changing, praying and hope.  It is about rebuilding, and it is about replacing. It is about revelation, and re-creation.  No one gets to sit on the platform of "I got it all figured out" (and you should be highly suspicious of anyone who tries).  So do not worry about how near or far you think you are from "getting it" - just keep listening, learning, and loving.

Spirituality is...a Gentle Referee

 

"It's a one time thing. It just happens a lot."

   Cracking by Suzanne Vega.

 This Saturday I had the joy of offering the devotional at Upward Basketball. The games were held between teams such as the Leopards, the Minnows, the Pumas and the Polar Bears and the athletes were all in Kindergarten or First Grade. I remarked to a friend later that watching these games was not unlike watching kittens in uniforms play with giant orange balls of yarn.   Three of my favorite moments:

1. A little boy practicing shooting lost control of the ball. It hit a chair, bounced up and smacked him right in the face, knocking him over. With a huge smile he stood up, giggled, and said, "Thank you, Chair!" as he grabbed the ball and ran back to the basket.

2. Walking in the parking lot, two boys were ahead of me talking. One began to tease the other about his game. Before the parent admonished them to be nice they had the following exchange:

Little Boy:  Mark, I'm gonna call you "Mary" cause it's a girl name.

Mark:  (very seriously) - Girls play mean.

Little Boy:  (voiced hushed and dread-filled) - I know!

3. During the confusion over which way to run with the ball a girl fell and the ball bounced away. The three kids nearest her all ran to help her up as the ball rolled by unattended.

I would like to live in a world where we can all stop chasing the ball long enough to help one another up. I was completely captivated by the referee system for these little ones. 

The coach told me their goal at this age was to learn to dribble (not double dribble or travel), shoot, and stay in the boundaries. The referee (a high school volunteer) would blow the whistle if a child stepped off the court, took more than a step or two (or..three) without dribbling or double dribbled at length. You could see she would hesitate when she saw the beginnings of a penalty to give them a chance to remember what they were supposed to be doing, and then reluctantly she'd blow the whistle. Most of her time, however, was spent helping.  

She would move her hands to show the kids they needed to dribble, and any time a new team got the ball she would point to the correct basket and wave all the kids to the proper side. She told them when they were defense and encouraged them to put their hands up to guard. She didn't just tell each child once and expect them to remember. She reminded them again and again with a smile each time. I saw her tie more than one shoe.  She was, without a doubt, a most gentle referee.

Spirituality can be that way in our lives.  Too often we encounter religious doctrine or rigid people aimed at telling us what we do wrong, and penalizing us for misdeeds. Imagine how powerful communities of faith would be if we did more than blow a whistle when someone stepped out of bounds, but we actually reminded them along the way to watch their footing, or bent over to tie their shoe.  Instead of just calling out wrongs, spirituality exists to provide a guide to right. 

Jesus illustrates some of that in the well studied Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).  Notice what he says and what he doesn't.

Jesus says:  Blessed are the poor in spirit....

Not: You wouldn't be poor in spirit if you made some time for church.

Jesus says:  Blessed are those who mourn...

Not: God doesn't give you more than you can handle; be blessed not depressed!

Jesus says: If someone wants to sue you to take your shirt, give him your cloak also.

Not: Counter-sue for false witness and character defamation! Get elected on an official board and let the judges you know you don't like judicial interference into private matters! Tell everyone on facebook what they did.

Jesus definitely calls out wrongs during this amazing sermon. He points out there are boundaries, and traveling (like looking at someone as an object of lust instead of a human being) is still against the rules. However,  the overall picture he paints shows us a faith that spends more time guiding ourselves and others to the light rather  than simply pointing out and punishing darkness.

Spirituality has a dual role in our lives. It does serve to enliven our conscience and point out to us when we are doing something God does not desire. It also serves to encourage our hearts to learn the basics of community and helps us remember them when we stumble and forget.

In the game of our lives, let's not blame the referee or hide from the striped shirted whistle blower. Let's listen, and be thankful. And let's not be so quick to blow the whistle that we can't take the time to tie a shoe here or there.