Stop the Insanity...

Last night was the yearly showing of the Peanuts Thanksgiving special on TV. We normally watch it, but Marci and I attended a going away party for one of our friends, and had to miss it. But, Will watched it with Nana and hasn't stopped talking about Snoopy, Linus, and how mean Lucy is every time Charlie Brown tries to kick the football.

I'm sure you know this story, that's illustrated in the picture at the right. But, if you've been living in a cave, under a rock, or on another planet for the past 30 or so years, here's the quick and simple explanation:

Charlie Brown wants to kick the football. Lucy tells him she'll hold it for him. He goes to kick it and she pulls it away at the last second. Charlie's momentum is such that he cannot stop and goes flying through the air and lands several feet away with a severe headache. And to make matters worse, Lucy walks away laughing at him.

This has been a recurring theme in almost every Peanuts cartoon that I've ever seen. Every time Lucy holds the football for Charlie, she pulls it away. Charlie even tells her that he knows she's going to pull it away but he tries to kick it anyway, failing miserably time after time. In one episode, Charlie tries to sneak up on her but her "spidey senses" must have warned her, because once again, she pulls it away. Over and over, Charlie loses out and gets hurt. But, he keeps trying because he thinks he will one day succeed.

Benjamin Franklin once wrote that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In Charlie Brown's case, he is so trusting in Lucy that he is willing to believe she will not pull the ball away. Even though she does every time, he tries to kick it. Is he insane? Or is he just to afraid to do something different to alter the outcome?

Think about this from a spiritual standpoint... What would you like to change, if you could change anything about your spiritual life? AND, are you doing anything different to change it? I know that I for one, get "stuck in a rut" of going through the same "religious" paces over and over.

My friend Roy Hooker has been writing a ton of convicting stuff lately about everything from praying before eating to attending Church and how we go through the motions without ever attempting to do anything different. For instance, how many of you say the same prayer at the "Appointed Prayer Time" that falls in the slot between sitting down at the table and passing the rolls? This is just one example, but if you sit and take inventory, I'm sure you'll compile a nice sized list in a short period of time.

So, if you are up for it, I want you to think about what you may have settled on as the only outcome for a certain aspect of your spiritual life. Now, ask God to open up a door and teach you what you can do to get a better result. In my case, God's led me to learn more about my family's finances and stewardship so that I can better glorify him. Maybe it's not finances, but something as simple as praying an honest prayer and really thanking him before a meal... Maybe it's overcoming a fear of lifting a holy hand during worship... But whatever it is, try it.

In Charlie Brown's case, two sticks would have teed up that football up good enough to boot it down the field. But, that would have required him to do some work and put forth some effort. He'd have had to found the sticks, trimmed them, and experimented with them until he had the football set up just right. It would have taking some time, some sweat, and maybe even some frustration, but in the end, the result would have been a victory rather than a same ol' same ol' lump on the head...





PS- Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!