It’s sort of sad, really.  One of the big 3 religions can be boiled down to five (or less) kitchy phrases…

“Having girl problems? I feel bad for you, son!  I’ve got 99 problems but a Bit** aint one.”

Now that’s a phrase I can kind of get into. But it, of course, is not one of the five i heard growing up.

It’s just nice.

I suppose  the problem with boiling down truth to simple sayings is the answers come off a little bit patronizing or childish.  (Other than quid est veritas – the Latin for “What is Truth?” which seems a perfectly reasonable saying.)

What about, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

OK. Thanks. Now I’m really confused.

Could it be that the Gospel of Jesus is slightly more deep -even murky-  than I was lead to believe as a child?  Could it be that the little phrases have made it look deceptively shallow? – Like one of those clear pools in the mountains that look to be about 2 feet, but are actually 40′?

Here’s another good one (like the above also not found in the Bible.)

“Make Jesus personal Lord and Savior of your Life.”

Um, What?

I have absolutely no idea what that means.

I’m not advocating a new theology.   I’m just saying maybe HOPEFULLY God is more than a bunch of phrases. (I hesitate to post this – only because Christians can be the most cannibalistic people on the internet.)

I hope God is really an independent agent who is sovereign to do whatever he wants.

The phrases don’t work anyways.

When Jesus instructed people to “come as a child” I don’t think he meant “be childish and hang your hope on kitchy phrases.”

Jesus is real and He is more than a feeling  (Thanks Boston) of being in control because of the power to use phrases.

I hope Jesus hasn’t been abandoned as a result of the 5 (or less) answers to every one of life’s problems. It would seem a shame to dissuade an adventurous  cliff jumper with the wrong information on just how deep the pool is.

Introspection looks in.  It puts you at the center of your focus.  It is a mirror to look at yourself.
Outrospection looks out.  It makes other people and situations the focus of your attention.

Like the intro and outro of a story they both have a place.

Introspection is the doormat to your life story.  It is where the greatest adventures will begin and end. It is where you will learn about yourself.  It is where you will see your strengths and weaknesses.  In the end, though, it is mostly just a good place to wipe your feet.

Outrospection lifts our eyes from the muddy doormat to the bright red door of opportunity.  It sees people’s needs, it sees what could be, it amalgamates the information gained from introspection with what it sees in the world ‘out there.’

Every great story that I can think of features people who have struck an organic relationship between these two elements.  They temper one with the other.

>Gandhi tempered his awareness that he needed to eat with the knowledge that his people were dying.  Because of his strong sense of justice he decided that he would pay the personal price.  For an interesting read on Gandhi check this out: http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/gandhi/english/e_gandhi

>Jesus, though moved with compassion for the multitude also took time to be alone in the hills.

>Tevye, the dairyman and father from Fiddler on the Roof watched in dismay as his children broke with tradition and as a pogrom was affected on his town.  He was aware of how his children felt and sacrificed his own convictions for them.  He always took time to talk and walk with his own thoughts and God.

>Bob Dylan was aware of what was going on.  He wrote songs that inspired a nation and a generation.  Songs of immense personal searching and reflection on the happenings of the day.  The crowd wanted him to lead them in their revolution.  He knew he was a voice and not a savior.  He complained of people pursuing him – preferring to live a quiet life. Of all the super sensations of the musical world he is one of the few with no self destroying drug addictions.

The list goes on and on.  I would be surprised if you could think of a story where this dynamic relationship did not exist.

“How would you change the world?” was the inane question I was assigned. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I was supposed to write IN FIVE PAGES how I would make the world a better place. My grade 10 mind exploded.

“Was this some kind of joke?”

My completed masterpiece was entitled “Gold Fish and World Peace.” Really, I might as well have called it “The Stupid Paper by a Know-it-all kid Who Thinks This Assignment is a Big Fat Waste of Time.” It was no essay I had handed in:  It was a mockera –a hastily thrown together (and mildly entertaining) project in which I crammed the first thoughts that came to mind. (In fact, I sign Christmas cards using the same writing philosophy.)

The idea I submitted was simple:  give every household in the world a gold fish.

I think the plan was that the gold fish would serve as a reminder to the families that they needed to think about something or someone other than themselves.  I reasoned that because it was a living creature people would feel more in tune with nature and therefore would be less likely to throw away recyclables or to pour paint down the drain.  I loftily portrayed neighbors united in their common cause of caring for their goldfish –forgetting about tools not returned and embracing the fish as a new symbol of hope.  Warring factions would see the common bond of the fish between them and stop slaughtering one another. “You have a fish and I have a fish… we are brothers.” It was a beautiful world I had written.

I don’t recall scoring particularly well on that paper, but I think I may have actually learned something.

Truthfully, I think that teacher asked one of the most important questions I have ever been asked. How would I take responsibility in the world and make a difference? How would I put myself in the game? How would I make a difference? That teacher taught me that I could be a part of the solution to the problems I could see around me.

It has been eleven years since I was in grade ten and, you know?, there are not many times that question has come up since.

Do I still think that everyone should own a goldfish?  Well, let’s just say I think there are better options… you might be able to think of some yourself.  Do I think my idea was dumb?  Impractical –yes.  Dumb –no.

The grim reality is that the world WOULD be a better place if I gave my neighbor a gold fish. It’s even grimmer that I probably won’t. It just doesn’t seem like a BIG enough solution.

Has anyone ever asked you how you’d fix the world?

If you can’t think of anything, you might want to give someone a goldfish.