Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Reading Instructions
Yesterday my daughter and I drove to Huntsville to pick up our (their) baby cribs. We had a good time and ended up buying a few cute little outfits too. When we got back to their house Joseph (my son-in-law) got the beds unloaded and he and I decided to put one together. Diana thought maybe we should call David, but Joseph and I insisted that we could do it!
You see, David is one of those guys with skills . “Yeah, you know, you send them into the wilderness with a pocket knife and a Q-tip and they build you a shopping mall.” (Six Days and Seven Nights). My son used to call him Macgyver. He is inventive and creative. On the other hand if you were going to compare my skills with a TV character you would think of Gilligan, or Tim The Tool Man. I have been known to destroy a lawn mower and weed eater in the same day.
But the instructions were there, I felt sure we could handle this project. But you know the thing about instructions is they are written by people who have been through the process before. We did eventually get the bed together. But we moved and adjusted and tried and scratched our heads a few times before we completed the process. It was real important that we kept the final result in mind to make the illustrated instructions make sense.
I think this may be a problem we get into when we read the Bible as an instruction book. It is easy to get hung up on nuts and bolts and forget that the overall process is to build a “Christian”. Many times the instructions will not make sense to someone who has not been through the process. Our Christian life will involve making adjustments, moving things around and even realizing that we were just reading things wrong. Being able to make changes and adjustments is necessary to function in life. Why do we sometimes resist changing ideals and traditions that are keeping us from building what we want to be?
You see, David is one of those guys with skills . “Yeah, you know, you send them into the wilderness with a pocket knife and a Q-tip and they build you a shopping mall.” (Six Days and Seven Nights). My son used to call him Macgyver. He is inventive and creative. On the other hand if you were going to compare my skills with a TV character you would think of Gilligan, or Tim The Tool Man. I have been known to destroy a lawn mower and weed eater in the same day.
But the instructions were there, I felt sure we could handle this project. But you know the thing about instructions is they are written by people who have been through the process before. We did eventually get the bed together. But we moved and adjusted and tried and scratched our heads a few times before we completed the process. It was real important that we kept the final result in mind to make the illustrated instructions make sense.
I think this may be a problem we get into when we read the Bible as an instruction book. It is easy to get hung up on nuts and bolts and forget that the overall process is to build a “Christian”. Many times the instructions will not make sense to someone who has not been through the process. Our Christian life will involve making adjustments, moving things around and even realizing that we were just reading things wrong. Being able to make changes and adjustments is necessary to function in life. Why do we sometimes resist changing ideals and traditions that are keeping us from building what we want to be?
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" But you know the thing about instructions is they are written by people who have been through the process before."
Is that orginal? That is really profound. No sarcasim.
Is that orginal? That is really profound. No sarcasim.
Good analogy
I have had to put a crib together and then take it back apart cause it wouldn't fit through the door of the baby's room. Don't make that mistake. Put it up in the room where it goes, not in the room with the TV and the game.
I have had to put a crib together and then take it back apart cause it wouldn't fit through the door of the baby's room. Don't make that mistake. Put it up in the room where it goes, not in the room with the TV and the game.
Let me see, putting together my christian life will mean putting on reading glasses to see the instructions, breaking into a sweat trying to tighten that bolt down and sweat getting into my eyes and on my glasses so I can see the instructions. Cleaning the sweat off my brow and glasses so I can see clearly now. And having an Ice Cold Beer when it's all over. Dang I can just see Homer now as he steps through the pearly gates....Bbbbeeeeeeeerrrrr.
I taught a class one time on Tradition. One of the main points I remember makings was, tradition is good till we make it law. Seems like that's what the Pharisees did.
Change? What do you mean change? Instructions? What are those for?
Okay. I get your point. I think the Christian life is more easily caught from a loving example than ripped from the text. Truth is, I am from Missouri (pronounced Missoura and I typed it that way the first time) and I really need you to SHOW ME. Sorry about that yelling. I am more visual. Show me, don't just tell me. I have a better chance of getting it. I think that is why Jesus spent so much time doing and not just teaching. We have lots of different learning styles and the master teacher knew how to get his point across.
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Okay. I get your point. I think the Christian life is more easily caught from a loving example than ripped from the text. Truth is, I am from Missouri (pronounced Missoura and I typed it that way the first time) and I really need you to SHOW ME. Sorry about that yelling. I am more visual. Show me, don't just tell me. I have a better chance of getting it. I think that is why Jesus spent so much time doing and not just teaching. We have lots of different learning styles and the master teacher knew how to get his point across.
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