April
28, 2014
Pastorgraphs: “#Stupidity”
“The good
man out of the good treasure
of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luke 6:45 NASB)
Peter
Diamandis emphasizes Abundance in his book, “Abundance: The Future is Better
Than You Think”. My reasoning for creating The Fount of Blessings (MyFount.com) is that there
is an abundance of food, clothing, shelter and much more being offered by
churches, charities and social agencies in San Diego. These are “streams of
mercy, never ceasing”: abundant resources right in every neighborhood. That is
good news.
But based
upon the news lately, there must also be an abundance of STUPIDITY. Just ask
chef Paula Deen, Phil (Duck Dynasty) Robertson, the Nevada cattle farmer, or
the owner of a certain Los Angeles NBA team, just to name a few (all of whom
may be as pure as the driven snow – but whose words leave huge doubts). Add to
that the guy who shot up a Jewish Center and killed two Methodists and a
Catholic! And the epidemic seems to be spreading.
I call it
hash-tag stupidity (#Stupidity). It is the result of being caught in the act of
letting what is in the heart slip out the mouth uncensored. It’s different from
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). We have all said things we wish we could take back.
Mouth-and-heart disease (#Stupidity) is much worse, for it reveals what is
really going on inside a person’s heart, mind and soul. That is where anger,
lust, envy, hate and a dozen other lethal vices lurk.
#Stupidity
is no respecter of persons. You and I are susceptible to it, too. I know, we
are not a racist, haters, or stupid, are we? Of course not. No one in their own
mind ever is. We all have a way of justifying our anger, our hatred, our
passions (they cut me off in traffic, look threatening per my preconceived
notions, or did something to set me off).
I know that
places me dangerously close to calling some people fools (which Matthew 5:22
prohibits). So let me clarify the difference between #Stupidity and #Fools. A
fool ignores the lessons of God, and God Himself. #Stupidity ignores the
symptoms within the heart, mind and soul that separate us from God and each
other.
So in the
campaign to eradicate #Stupidity, I offer:
7 Steps
to Cure #Stupidity
1.
Admit
your prejudices. Do
you hold your purse a bit closer or lock your car doors and windows when
“certain people” get too close? Just as the first step in all self-help
programs is admitting you have a problem, you must admit your prejudices before
you can deal with #Stupidity.
2.
Love
your neighbor as yourself.
Change your attitude of “those people” to “my brothers and sisters”. Enlarging
your family goes a long way to eradicate #Stupidity.
3.
Forgive
trespasses. In the Lord’s
Prayer, we pray “Forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those who trespass
against us.” Yikes. ‘Nuff said.
4.
Thou
shalt not blame others.
It is a trap to blame the ills of society upon the poor, a whole race of
people, liberals or conservatives, or even the government. The problem is not
out there, it is within all of us.
5.
Heal
thyself. Jesus
warned that we should remove the beam that is in our own eye, before trying to
remove the speck in our brother’s eye.
6.
Extend
a helping hand.
Rather than pointing fingers or fists, try extending a helping hand to someone
who is hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison or a stranger. You might be
surprised how your attitude changes.
7.
Get
a new heart. Have a
spiritual heart transplant. Remember, #Stupidity is letting what is in your
heart slip out your mouth uncensored. If what is in your heart is love,
kindness, joy, peace, patience, and the like, then #Stupidity is not going to
be a problem.
No matter
what pretty words come out of the mouth to hide #Stupidity, it has a way of
coming out sooner or later; for as Jesus said, “The mouth speaks what the heart
is full of.” (The word for “full” here is the same in the Greek as
“abundance”.)
So if you
make sure there is an abundance of charity, compassion, forgiveness and brotherly
love in your heart, mind and soul, you will not have to worry about #Stupidity.
Devotedly
yours, Bill Jenkins
From the
Quote Garden:
“If ignorance is
bliss, why aren't there more happy people?”
~ Author Unknown ~
Christ United Methodist Ministry
Center
“Christ
in the Heart of San Diego”
3295
Meade Avenue - San Diego, CA 92116 - (619) 284-9205
Home of
Exodus
Cooperative Parish
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