Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
The Detriment of Certainty
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
I like to
play with words and phrases. A particular one recently popped up in my mind: the
benefit of the doubt.
We’ve heard
this expression before. It denotes largesse, a generosity to not write off a
person or circumstance so quickly. As it rolled around in my spirit, its opposite
phrase sprung to life: the detriment of certainty.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
The old
adage goes, “there’s no reality, only perception.” And, indeed, isn’t
perception a major element in addiction? Genetics, brain chemistry and
predisposition factors aside, aren’t we also altered by our personal view of
life?
“... ‘According to your faith be it unto you.’”
Matthew 9:29
Doesn’t this
influence us as to whether or not we reach for something external?
Faith, be it
positive or negative faith, plays its role in self-fulfilling prophecy.
Scripture gives us examples of both persuasions. It’s not to judge someone for
their so-called faith failings. Rather, it’s to illuminate the reality of our
human condition.
We have the
capacity for faith, every single one of us...
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that
is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath
dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
Romans 12:3
That, I
think, may be the first pit stop to where we get off track. Some of us believe
we don’t have “enough” faith, we don’t possess “the right kind” of faith and do
not execute our faith “as we’re supposed to.”
But we’re
all in faith school. Each of us is on some personal learning curve. Many of us
have to unlearn some harmful stuff before we even begin to apply a healthier
version of this attribute. ALL of this is messy, sometimes embarrassing and
frustrating. And no one gets it exactly perfect.
Yet, “the
detriment of certainty” can kick around in our brains, convincing us only the
bleak outcome is that bankable sure thing for our health, our recovery and
every aspect of our lives and destinies.
“The
detriment of certainty,” a/k/a, a negative faith perspective, purports it’s
hopeless. Scripture tells us human beings can have their tendency to go to the
worst case scenario almost instantly.
“...‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we
are.’”
Numbers 13:31
“And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the
land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living
in it. All the people we saw there are of great size... We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same
to them.’”
Numbers 13:32-33
“The
detriment of certainty” usually has its favorite words uttered, muttered or
thought within our sentences: “can’t,” “won’t,” “should” or “shouldn’t” (take
your judge-y, situational pick).
We’re all
guilty of possessing negative faith. However, it can be a stepping stone to our
educational, spiritual experience as human beings, provided we don’t stop and
camp at the disempowering site.
And, even
though this may sound like exhausting and frustrating news, it is, indeed, good
news for each of us. We don’t have to remain stuck where we are. We can
continue the transformation process.
Scripture,
likewise, also tackles the more positive approach in what and how we believe.
This exists when we choose to operate from “the benefit of the doubt,” of our
imperfect faith.
“...‘Go! As you have
believed, so will it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed at that very
hour.”
Matthew 8:13
“...‘Take courage, daughter,’ He said, ‘your faith has healed
you.’ And the woman was cured from that very hour.”
Matthew 9:22
We are
believing something. It’s ever fluctuating. Sometimes, we’re struggling,
especially concerning the myriad of issues surrounding our addictions.
Sometimes, we can only wallow in the imaginations which declare we are not
“enough” to deserve, practice and live healing.
And, if that
is where we find ourselves, Scripture has its healing balm of reassurance to
even that “perceived certainty...”
“A bruised reed shall he not break,
and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.”
Matthew 12:20
Spirituality
is never far away from choice.
“... ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ He asked.
‘Yes, Lord,’ they answered.”
Matthew 9:28
Maybe,
getting real, without any pretty red spiritual bows tied on, we are not
honestly responding with a “yes.” Maybe our choice is the bleak “no.”
And, to
that, I say, even that defined “poor choice” is not beyond the Most High’s
reach.
“There are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”
William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”
Or, if Shakespeare doesn’t do it for you, how
about this?
“But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him.’”
1 Corinthians 2:9
Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse
Monday, May 14, 2018
One Hundred Years in Hell
“Let all things be done decently and in
order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40
Internet
surfer that I am, I recently came across a meme which could be described as a
drama queen’s motto:
“I don’t want to be overdramatic. But
today felt like a hundred days in hell.”
Yes, within
the faith community, it is often agreed eternal torment is some kind of
reality, even if it is beyond our finite minds.
Nevertheless,
we do ourselves a large disservice to ignore our own self-created and contained
versions of this most unpleasant torture. For indeed, even those pious Christian
versions of us need to admit something hardly “Christ-like” or flattering. Sometimes
we like to create our own little Hells. And then we further enjoy tossing
others- and ourselves- INTO them.
This reality
can be the adjunct to our addictive natures. Or, more disturbingly, this can be
the addiction all on its own.
Let’s begin
with, perhaps, the easiest Hell of the three we’ll explore: people.
Hell is Others:
This gets
right to our blame focal point. In some circles, this person is called “The
Patsy” or “The Fall Guy.” Scripturally speaking, he/she is labelled even more
succinctly, if not more indirectly, as “The Scapegoat.”
“But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat,
shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat
into the wilderness.”
Leviticus 16:10
Ah, yes.
Where would we be in life, were it not for this wonderful creature? Leviticus
has all sorts of thoughts on the scapegoat.
“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the
LORD at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats;
one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall
bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on
which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the
LORD, to make an atonement with him, and
to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the
bullock of the sin offering, which is
for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and
shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself.”
Leviticus 16:7- 11
The blame
game has been in place for a lon-n-n-n-g time. Scripture points, I guess, to
our fundamental human need to affix blame outside of ourselves, in the name of
“making things right.”
We may not
acquire two bleating goats these days, but it is quite handy to have a person,
place or thing in mind which is the “reason” why we are miserable, struggling
or not what we deem we should be in life. Pin it on the scapegoat.
Only, upon
doing that, cliché reality alert, we avoid accepting any kind of responsibility
for OUR contribution to said mess/unhappiness.
What is the
familiar principle? Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting
the other person to die. It doesn’t happen. We can drink our scapegoat beverage
all day and still...nothing. We are not victorious; we are not happy. And that
scapegoat is still skipping around.
So, perhaps,
we ascertain then, we have constructed the wrong Hell to fulfill our lives. And
that leaves the door wide open for our next option...
Hell is Our Own Minds:
Well, that’s
direct. But let’s go one step further...
Scripture
reached that conclusion long before Rimbaud did.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
Self-fulfilling
prophecy (emphasis on “self”), speaks to the resemblance we, indeed, share with
our Creator by creating, well, anything.
And, unfortunately, I suppose, self-focused Hells are included in that.
Here, we confront
our addiction for self-pity. You have it; I have it. We all can wallow and
sometimes, that wallowing overtakes us to such a point where, yes, “we feel
like Hell.”
But, in all
of this “feeling like Hell,” some of us soon find ourselves deviating from this
torment to another, more nebulous form. Perhaps we do it because, come on, we
get tired of blaming ourselves and believing we are the rightful cause to every
agony that ever existed.
So, we look
for another, supposedly, less painful form of Hell to be marinate in.
Hell is Vague Other:
And, like
the many forms we fill out in life, we eventually check this “other” box
option. The amount of confusion, ridiculous desperation and embarrassing
shenanigans all ensue as we careen into the clueless unknown of vague Hell and why
we feel so bad in it.
Much of it,
not surprisingly, hinges on old favorites like jealousy, envy and the promise
of happily ever after disorder...
“We must picture hell as a state
where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement,
where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives with the deadly
serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.”
C.S. Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters”
C.S. Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters”
Or, as scripture
puts it...
“...envy
is rottenness to the bones.”
Proverbs
14:30
“For where envy and
self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
James 3:16
And then,
sometimes, we just prefer not to answer the Hell question...at all. It’s just
this nonspecific, but still, legitimate, torment hounding us. We stall at
another unflattering location.
“A
land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any
order, and where the light is as darkness.”
Job 10:22
It is here
where we discover-or avoid- the truth we enjoy a painful dwelling place. This
reality, however, does not have our Heavenly Father as the Entity granting us
His Power of Attorney. Instead, it’s more like this...
“Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
John 8:44
If that
doesn’t sting, it should, at least, make us squirm in discomfort. I know it
comes across as offensive, especially concerning those of us who are nice,
well-behaved, good Christian girls and boys out there. I don’t know of too many
believers who enjoy being called the devil’s spawn.
But again,
scripture cautions our overconfidence...
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he
does not fall.”
1 Corinthians 10:12
And, if our “Hell is Vague Other” demonstrates one
thing, it’s the delusional arrogance which demands our unrealistic expectations
be flawlessly and completely met BY that “other.”
(Setting-
ourselves- up- for- disappointment- launch- sequence activating in five, four,
three...)
“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are
never satisfied.”
Proverbs 27:20
There’s
nothing like the equation, entitlement plus unrealistic demand equals perpetual
frustration.
“What makes earth feel like hell is our
expectation that it should feel like heaven.”
Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
I’ve often heard
the concept that The Most High sends no one to Hell; we, in fact, are the ones
to volunteer to go there ourselves.
Again, this
emphasizes the geographical place of eternal damnation. And, let’s face it, no
human being has a lock on that exact actuality.
But that
statement makes much more sense as it applies to our self-created Hells here on
earth. WE willingly sign up for any combination of these three types of torment.
That needs
to be remembered as, in our self-created Hells, we might be tempted to
believe/blame Elohim for “doing this to us.”
Oh, really?
How, then,
do we explain The Most High of 1 Corinthians 14:33?
“...not the author
of confusion, but of peace...”
Or, The Most
High of Numbers 23:19?
“...is not a man, that he should lie...”
And, come
on, what do we come back with concerning
Acts 2:27?
“Because thou wilt not
leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
Are we more
interested in worshipping our own miseries instead of the Creator of all?
Are we
addicted to our self-made, excuse-endorsing Hells?
Are we so Hell-minded,
there is absolutely no room for The Most High to be involved in our lives?
We have to
get real with ourselves.
Is the
misery we’re experiencing conveniently pinned on some exterior torment
designation because we just don’t want to change anything in our lives?
Is our Hell-
of any variety- easier than doing the work of facing truth, changing our
disordered and addictive patterns and embracing accountability?
Yes, we have
an all-loving, all-knowing Creator and Father. That, however, still does change
another, just as real, Truth: we are given choice.
“... I have set before
you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your
children may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
Are we
choosing our Hell, choosing to stay in it for any length of time, all because
it’s more desirable than dealing with reality?
We need to
answer those questions.
Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Mother’s Day, Not Measuring Day
What’s your
reaction to this image? Can you relate? Did you and your mother actually
participate in this activity together, treating it as a bonding thing, a game,
a competition or a means of “self-improvement?”
Today is Mother’s
Day. It is devoted to the remembrance and celebration of our mothers, those
people who first loved us. And, perhaps, even, in the name of that love, diet
and weight measurement were a part of that.
With my mom,
I believe it was. She battled with her weight her entire life, certainly as
long as I’ve known her. I discuss it in my book. Years later, I see how it
wasn’t intentionally done to harm me.
But,
nevertheless, that focus on body image, weight and thinness did. It’s not just
my experience, not perhaps, not just yours, either. Studies have, indeed, shown
its impact: I can relate.
“…The study,
published this week in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, found that when a
teen-age girl develops an eating disorder ‘the mother-daughter relationship appears
to contribute significantly.’
Kathleen M. Pike and Judith Rodin, who
wrote the study, say they concluded this after comparing the test results of
girls with eating disorders with those of girls who did not.
‘It appears that some of the mother's
own dieting and eating behavior and especially her concerns about her
daughter's weight and appearance pose a significant risk that a daughter will
be disordered in her eating,’ said the authors, who are researchers at Yale
University… But their study said that daughters who have eating disorders are
more likely to be those whose mothers have abnormal concern about weight
control.
The researchers studied 41 teen-agers
in the 9th through 12th grades who showed a drive for thinness, bulimia and
dissatisfaction with their bodies, and compared them with 39 who did not show
these characteristics. Bulimia is a psychological condition characterized by
cycles of food binges, purging and then avoiding food. It may include bouts of
anorexia nervosa, where a person has an abnormal fear of obesity and may refuse
to eat.
In selecting as a control group the
teen-agers who scored low on what the researchers called an eating disorder
inventory, the researchers excluded the lowest 10 percent on the ground that
dieting is so pervasive that this group was not typical.
Mothers and daughters in the groups
were then given a series of questionnaires that asked about attitudes toward
the family, dieting, weight loss and attractiveness. The study showed that ‘mothers
of daughters with disordered eating had a longer dieting history and were more
eating-disordered themselves.’
Eating disorders ‘may be learned at
least partially through the daughter's modeling the mother's behavior,’ the
study said.
For some, eating disorders may be an
effort to manage anxiety, the study said, adding that ‘mothers are influential
in terms of modeling this type of coping behavior for their daughters.’
The most marked difference between the
two groups studied, the researchers said, involved the mothers' attitudes
toward the daughters' weight and appearance. Mothers of girls with eating
disorders may place ‘direct pressure on their daughters to be thin,’ the
researchers said…
‘Mothers whose daughters were
eating-disordered were more critical of their daughters than the mothers were
of themselves,’ the study said. ‘These mothers did not think they needed to
lose more weight than their peers; however, they thought that their daughters
should lose.’
These same mothers also ‘rated their
daughters as significantly less attractive than the daughters rated
themselves.’
In the control group, the mothers'
ratings of their daughters' attractiveness were much closer to ratings the
daughters gave…”
(“Study Says Mothers
May Pass On Eating Disorders”)
Growing up,
Mom often used the term “right weight” as we were diet and food buddies, on
again, off again. The standard was still the same: we needed to look a certain
way- thinner- in order to be beautiful, a/k/a, worthy.
Image was stressed, beauty was stressed, weight loss was stressed. But,
what wasn’t stressed? Honor.
I find that particularly striking now, on Mother’s Day.
Indeed, the fourth commandment states:
“Honor thy father and
thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12
But, nowhere, did I learn to honor women, my mother and
myself, included in that commandment. And that’s the saddest thing when I think
about the mother-daughter connection. How many of those relationships were
spent dieting, focusing on their weight, instead of their separate value as
incredibly valuable females?
How many
mothers and daughters focused on how God viewed us?
“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm 139:14
This
Mother’s Day, no matter what our experience has been, no matter if we’re a
mother, a daughter and/or an eating disorder sufferer, we can choose to honor,
to celebrate ourselves as women. Let’s allow God to meet us and help us,
wherever we may reside in the spectrum of mother-daughter issues. Let’s not
make our lives about conditional, oppressive standards. Let’s not teach these
standards to the next generation. Let’s not continue practicing those standards
ourselves.
It is
Mother’s Day, not measuring day. Value yourself, via this scripture, today:’
“For I am persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
Happy
Mother’s Day!
Copyright © 2018 by
Sheryle Cruse
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
The Abstract Arise
I once came
across a painting by the artist Hyett Moore, entitled “Jairus’ Daughter.” Because
of the personal impact this scriptural passage on my own recovery, I am,
therefore, drawn to any artistic portrayal of it (Mark 5:35-43):
What is,
perhaps, the most striking depiction of Moore’s work is its abstract effect. It
reminds me of a rain-streaked window pane. This art differs from most expressions
of the scripture; most, quite frankly, depict a white Messiah and a white little
girl. It’s the European, Hollywood interpretation of the individuals.
And, in my
opinion, it adds a stumbling block to recovery that need not be there.
It places
limits of what “healing” is supposed to look like.
The word, “arise” means “to emerge; become apparent; stand up; get up.”
Recovery is present within
that powerful word. But
are our preconceived notions and prejudices standing in the way? They were for
me.
And again,
it was connected to Jairus’ daughter.
Blue-Eyed Robert Powell:
As a child, what really did it for me
was the NBC television miniseries, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Here was where I fell in
love with the Savior. Or rather, Robert Powell, the actor portraying the
Savior.
For, as I watched that 1970’s miniseries, I believed
Mr. Powell. What mesmerized me the most were his blue eyes which never seemed
to blink. I don’t know if that was a conscious choice on the actor’s part, but
the effect was captivating.
In addition, the miniseries cast an actress
playing Jairus’ daughter who was a few years older than me; so, I related to
her.
There was no
cynicism or doubt in that film scene. The scripture came alive in my heart and
on my television; Divinity was looking at me without blinking.
But, here
was where I first limited its healing effect.
As that child,
I bought the dazzling fairytale of the scripture, never understanding how, not
only was it inaccurate, it was also confining.
For Mr.
Powell, the miniseries and the account of Jairus’ daughter, itself, could not create
a pain-free existence for my life. Expecting that was to be unrealistic.
I grew up. And,
as an adolescent and young adult, I gathered questions and doubts. I fell into
disordered eating and image issues and became convinced I was only damned and
hopeless. The dazzling fairytale did me no good whatsoever.
Jairus’
daughter seemed nowhere to be found.
That was,
however, until post- college; I then fused Jairus’ daughter with my eating
disorder struggles. And, it dared to reintroduce healing again to me.
When I
finally submitted my will (as much as control freak me could) to embrace, not hide, my eating disorder truth,
everything opened up. My writing flourished. Even though it would be years
before my book, “Thin Enough” solidified, my life was altered after this latest
bout with Jairus’ daughter. Mark 5:35-43 changed me.
“…‘Behold, I make all things new.’…”
Revelation 21:5
Jairus’ Daughter: An Ongoing Story...
But, The
Most High also understood life would bring its many different changes in my
faith development.
“Search me... and know my heart: try
me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24
And, like the
uncomfortable physical growth spurts, there would, likewise, be some awkward
stages concerning The Divine, image associations and my imperfect recovery
process.
And no, back
when I was intoxicated by this spiritual experience and all of its heady promises
of renewal, I hadn’t counted on that. I hadn’t counted on the constant NEED to
challenge my beliefs, my perception of faith, my definition of recovery and
just, what exactly, I believed both the figure of the Savior and the dying girl
alike, were supposed to represent for me?
The “arise”
now transcends eating disorder recovery for me. It speaks to the deeper healing
of my faith.
“Behold... is there anything too hard for me?”
Jeremiah 32:27
Again, the word, “arise” means “to emerge; become apparent; stand up; get
up.”
Healing
cannot be pigeon-holed.
And, I think
that’s where we can get this “Higher Power” thing wrong. He is infused in every
step. “Arise” is embedded in each step.
1.
We admitted we
were powerless over addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.
- We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
We “emerge,
become apparent, stand and get up” in our attitude and action of each step.
But, it
still doesn’t change that our faith and recovery walks often feel abstract, at
best.
Unique personal rising is usually
not clear, much like Hyett Moore’s painting. We may feel like the rain-steaked
window.
Jairus’ daughter means
different things to me now than it did years ago. Now, it challenges me to look
at nothing at face value: recovery, healing, faith and default settings of what
first comes to my mind on any subject.
We do ourselves a disservice
to believe that, once we embrace a “Higher Power,” recovery steps or even just
a commitment to change, things will all fall crystal clear into place. They
don’t.
Nevertheless, if we return to the
rain-streaked Hyett Moore painting, we see that, despite its smudgy image,
unclear, open to interpretation, it is still the image of healing. That image
of healing depicts each of us.
The challenge is to locate, for ourselves,
just what our own “abstract arise” looks like and rise to that reality.
Copyright © 2018 by
Sheryle Cruse
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
The Bobble Head: Get Your Dumb Idol Here!
I recently
came across a humorous post of a cat’s head on a Barbie doll’s figure. And the
quote accompanying it?
“Yet another unrealistic standard of
beauty for women.”
I
immediately thought of those bobble head toys of many celebrities and
characters.
And it
struck a nerve.
For, honestly,
within our culture, this post isn’t that far-fetched. It may seem ridiculous,
this Barbie doll body with an actual feline’s head on top of it.
But, come
on. What absurd things have we put out there in the name of image? What crash diets,
what severe beauty aesthetics and value measurements have come and gone,
changed, only to resurface, once again, in some other strange, distorted fashion?
It still
doesn’t address the fact of how we often refuse to confront the real issue.
We want an
instant, easy “solution,” one which only focuses on the often unrealistic
exterior.
After all...
“The body type portrayed in
advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of the American
females.”
The Renfrew Center Foundation for
Eating Disorders, “Eating Disorders: A
Summary of Issues, Statistics, and Resources”
Our pursuit
of an emaciated standard is unrealistic, much like this cat head/human female
body hybrid.
Furthermore,
the construction of such weird, absurd and extreme idols does not work...
“What profiteth the graven image that the
maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the
maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith
to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is
laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of
it.”
Habakkuk
2:18-19
Unfortunately,
we often choose not to believe Scripture. We are thoroughly convinced this bobble head option will be our magic
cure.
This will
fulfill us. This is our answer.
Years ago, in popular culture and
image history, there was a celebrity phenomenon called “the Lollipop actresses.” These famous
starlets were known to diet to a point in which their much whittled frames were
disproportionate to their now seemingly, gigantic heads. They looked like
lollipops.
And, again, Habakkuk pops up...
“What
profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten
image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to
make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone,
Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there
is no breath at all in the midst of it.”
This humorous cat/Barbie post
underscores an uncomfortable, unflattering issue.
In one way or another, we make the graven
image (the idol).
In one way or another, we allow it to
influence us and teach us lies.
In one way or another, we expect the dumb idol
to spring to life and, therefore, give us life in return.
One little hitch to that plan?
“there
is no breath at all in the midst of it.”
You and I may not have a shrine
erected to a cat head/Barbie body within our homes, but, really, honestly, couldn’t
there be some form of image we wish to embody? Be honest.
And that is the spiritual, hard work
challenge.
What is your Bobble head? What is your
idol?
And how is it failing you?
A little afterthought here...
“I returned, and saw under the sun... time and chance happeneth to
them all. “
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Just recently, I came across another similar
bobble head post on social media.
Only now, we have a dinosaur head on a
female body.
It is absurd and yet again,
illustrates the point of how, there truly is “nothing new” going on when it
comes to the frenzy of an accepted beauty image.
And there is nothing new about the
drastic distortion, presented as “achievable” or “normal.”
Therefore, it is up to each of us to,
in our own unique way, identify, confront and see these images for what they
are, dumb, powerless idols, stacked up against the reality of our presence, wonderful,
incredible us.
And again, if you need a scripture
cheer to underscore that...
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm 139:14
No bobble head can promise that.
None.
Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse
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