Mr. Rogers Wisdom

Having raised four kids and many more foster kids, I'm pretty sharp on children's television. I can tell you how to get to Sesame Street (and, while you're there, tell you about the People In Your Neighborhood). I can sing the Barney song (but don't get me started). And I'll help you remember that "It's You I Like."

That last reference, for those not quite as sharp on their children's television, is from a song that Mr. Rogers often sang on his show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Mr. Rogers always had some wonderful things to say about how we ought to treat one another. And did you know that Fred (Mr.) Rogers had some pretty insightful things to say to adults, too? Consider this quote of his:

"When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is
far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you
that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive.
Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that
proves more powerful than greed."

Love that conquers hate...peace that rises triumphant over war...justice that proves more powerful than greed. What are other things without which humankind cannot survive? Let's chat...

DRINK OF LOVE

The mystic poet Hafiz writes,

I know the way you can get
When you have not had a drink of Love;

Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.

Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.

Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one's self.

O I know the way you can get
If you have not been out drinking Love;

How often have we felt that way? Empty...longing...searching...? And as hard as we try to hide the pain or emptiness we're feeling, we can't fool those closest to us. Sometimes even strangers see it or sense it in us. And sometimes, try as we might, our pain is transferred to others by the unhappiness we project on to them.

What do we do? Where do we go when we begin to feel this way? Let me answer with two possibilities:

Hafiz continues,

Bring your cup near me,
For I am a Sweet Old Vagabond
With an Infinite Leaking Barrel
Of Light and Laughter and Truth
That the Beloved has tied to my back.

Dear one,
Indeed, please bring your heart near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!

All a sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!

And then from the words of scripture, the book of 1 John:

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us - and we ought to lay down our lives for one another (3:16).

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action (3:18).

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us (3:23).

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God (4:7).

We love because he first loved us (4:19).

Who is your "Sweet Old Vagabond" to whom you can turn when you need a fill of love? How often do you position your "Infinite Leaking Barrel" so that you can fill the empty reservoirs of others? And when you find yourself living in love, do you give thanks to God who is love, and who makes it possible for us to love others? Let's chat...

HOPE?

I spent the morning on the phone with two people in grief. The first was a woman whose 18 year old daughter gave birth last week to a baby who was stillborn. Quite premature, the baby was not expected to survive long outside the confines of the mother's womb. Yet still, there was hope. Hope that the doctors were wrong. Hope that the contractions would cease and labor could be held off until the baby was more fully developed. Hope for a miracle. Later this week, I will lead a Memorial Service for this tiny child of God.

The second was a woman calling to tell me that her 30-something son had just passed away at the University of Minnesota Hospital. This young man has suffered with an immune system deficiency for at least the second half of his life. Earlier this year he received a bone marrow transplant in hopes that it would kick start his body to begin producing the necessary cells to boost him immune system. For a short time, it appeared that the transplant had worked. Hopes were high that he would get back to living a "normal" life. But last week he developed pneumonia and influenza. The high doses of medication he was receiving took their toll on his heart and other organs. At the end of this week, this young man will be eulogized by his friends and family members.

What is the proper response when our hopes are dashed?
What can we say to someone who placed so much hope in God, only to have God answer with something totally unexpected?
What, if anything, can be done to restore hope when it has been lost?

Let's chat...but please don't stop there. If you would, join me in praying for these two families...sometimes it's the only thing we can do.