“My Karma Ran Over Your Dogma”

This bumper sticker came to mind when I considered the random ‘events’ of last week, which may not have been so random after all.

From a dear friend I received a humorous list of words, winners of a Washington Post contest in which participants removed or added letters to create new words not found in the dictionary. My personal favorite is too crass to share with you. My runner-up is not: ‘Karmageddon (n): It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.’

Then, there was Valentine’s Day which can be a serious bummer for some people. I, for one, was charged with purchasing Valentines for my daughter Lillian’s 45 closest friends 🙂 After dropping her off at gymnastics class, I treated myself to an inaugural visit of Fresh Market which just opened in our city. Although a feast for the senses, it was not exactly a practical move.

The following occurred to me: how can our local economy support 3 upscale grocery stores within 3 square miles? Really. Afterwards, I reluctantly drove to the sure bet, Walmart. Well, the progression from Fresh Market to Walmart is like going from the Homestead to Jellystone Park – not that there’s anything wrong with camping – I rather like it. Lodging in Haiti is glorified camping in fact. Yet Walmart is one store which before entering, I must inhale deeply and while there, I still end up talking to MYSELF…out loud.

Upon realizing there were only sweet tarts and twizzlers left (not cool), I remembered Charlie Brown’s comment after he received zero Christmas cards: ‘I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?’

The contrived consumerism was utterly nauseating. And people were actually shopping in their pajamas! To top it off, no pun intended, the employee bidding farewell was wearing a turban. I didn’t know whether to wave and say ‘Thank you’ or bring my hands together and offer ‘Namaste’. I was so disarmed, I couldn’t even find my van in the sea of cars – thank goodness for all of its dents (and bumper stickers) and the after-market roof rack.

What struck me well after my shopping debacle was how lonely this day must be for some. How lonely are so many days. Countless people experience chronic isolation and alienation – whether or not the condition is of their own making is irrelevant. This is my take-away from a reflection by apologist, Ravi Zacharias, that my sister, Mary, sent to me. Here is an excerpt:

‘…Until we are properly related to God, our true identity and potential will always elude us. No virtual reality or gadget can even begin to address the problem, for they only give back to us what we have put into them. They are like the message in a bottle which a castaway on a remote island excitedly received, only to realize that it was a cry for help that he himself had sent out months before. As Augustine prayed, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You. We are finite creatures, created for a relationship with an Infinite Being, and no finite substitute can ever meet our deepest needs. Trying to meet our real needs without God is like trying to satisfy our thirst with salty water: the more we drink, the thirstier we become…’

I once read that people defend against what they need the most. They figuratively and, often, unwittingly give others The Heisman because, for some reason, they don’t believe they will ever get enough (love, usually). In relating to people, this defense can take the form of words and body language. In relating to God, it can take the form of self satisfaction and reliance.

On Friday night I watched the movie Amazing Grace for the second time. With fascination I studied William Wilberforce, a long standing member of British Parliament whose life’s work culminated in the abolition of slavery. The film portrays his encounter with God as a young adult. The butler, coming to fetch him in the garden, recognizes this and inquires, ‘You found God, sir?’ Wilberforce replies, ‘I think He found me’ and goes on to suggest how terribly inconvenient that is with regard to his political aspirations. Then the butler surprises him with a quote from Sir Francis Bacon: It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else and still unknown to himself.

What greater life-altering self-knowledge is there than . . . “We are nothing apart from Him?”

Martin Luther wrote a reformation hymn entitled A Mighty Fortress is our God. I believe for restoration, we need to tear down the mighty fortress which may surround our very own hearts. Wilberforce’s heart broke for the slaves, and, ultimately, for God. His professional and spiritual lives continually intersected as well as embodied a philosophy I first heard yesterday at church. It is paraphrased here yet worthy of earnest contemplation:

Whatever stirs your affections for God, fill your life with them. 

Whatever robs your affections for Him, leave them at any cost.

Amen.

– Caroline Watkins