Keeping
it real. Chapter 3
“Real”
is an interesting term. We use the word
in many different ways. For example, I
assume the chair I am sitting in is ‘real’—it’s solid, it holds me off the
ground, it’s something I can touch. Yet,
when I have dreams at night (or in the day!), they are real too—I experience
them, that is, they can make an impact on me, I remember them, I think about
them just as I might think about a lecture I hear. Okay, maybe a bit too philosophical, but my
point is that say that “to keep it real” always had a lot of levels and is a
dynamic process. To be real in relationships
is something different for each person and we each experience another person’s ‘realness’
in a different ways than they do. Yet,
for all that “keeping it real” may involve, it is important to explore as we
continue to work on becoming self-aware which I would argue is one of the key
factors in growing relationships, faith, or any sort of inner work.
One of my favorite
examples of “keeping it real” comes from “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery
Williams and here’s my favorite section:
“What is
REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side….”Does it
mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out-handle?”
“Real
isn’t’ how you are made,” said the Skin Horse.
“It’s a thing that happens to you.
When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but
REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does
it hurt?” asked the Rabbit
“Sometimes,”
said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t
mind being hurt.”
“Does
it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It
doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people
who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of
your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the
joints and very shabby. But these things
don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people
who don’t understand.”
~from “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery
Williams
…What more can you say.
++++++++++++
I plan to include each week some
unique prayers that I’ve used and found meaningful. The following prayer is from Edward Hays, a
Catholic priest, and I would highly
recommend any of his books. http://www.edwardhays.com It is from his book “Pray All Ways”. I like
the title and he gives us Chapters about praying in ways we might not think
about, thus in “all ways”. Such as: Praying with the Eyes; How to Pray with our
Feet; The Prayer of Napping (one of my favorites!); Play as Prayer; and many more.
But here is a Chapter that concludes his chapter titled, “Praying
Through the Nose”:
A PRAYER OF GRATITUDE FOR THE GIFT OF A NOSE
Blessed
are You, Lord of All Gifts, for Your masterful handiwork: the nose.
I thank You for the gift of my nose and its marvelous power of smelling
life. I rejoice in the sense of smell
which brings delight to my meals, enchances the beauty of flowers and heightens
the pleasure of love.
Show
to me Lord, how my nose can be a source of my prayer as I awaken to, sense and
enjoy the ten thousand different incenses that arise from all things in praise
of You, their holy and artistic Creator.
Regardless
of the shape or size of the nose that You, my Creator, have given me, may it be
for me an instrument of worship. The
next time I have the opportunity to meet an odor, a pleasant aroma or scent,
make me aware that I am at prayer. Allow
me the grace to take each scent in, to relish it and to rejoice that You have
made the possibility of prayer so easy and entertaining.
Blessed
are You, Lord of Noses, for countless and varied smells. Amen+
+++++
It’s
always good to look at the early church writers and leaders when it comes to
being ‘real’. What they were dealing
with was different in many ways but the same in way too many ways. The problem of the inequities of the
distribution of wealth and even the basic amenities for life are with us
today. The gap between the rich and poor
is real and is growing worse. As Basil the Great of the 4th Century
reminds us, as Christians we must focus on what is ‘real’—the needs of our
brothers and sisters, the pain of humanity, and the importance of taking care
of the truly real needs of people.
Advertisers, TV, the culture of excess, etc., tell us what they think is
real--but I think Jesus might have a different take on what is real. Hear these 1700 year old words and reflect
upon how relevant they are today:
When
someone steals a man's clothes
we
call him a thief.
Should
we not give the same name
to
one who could
clothe
the naked
and
does not?
The
bread in your cupboard
belongs
to the hungry man;
the
coat hanging unused
in
your closet
belongs
to the man
who
has not shoes;
the
money which you
hoard
up
belongs
to the poor.
--Basil the Great, 4th
Century
++++++++
Finally,
as a reminder…here’s a another way to keep it ‘real’:
“He who is in love with
himself has at least this advantage -- he won't encounter many rivals.”
-- G.C. Lichtenberg
++++++++++++++++
Some book Recommendations:
by W. Paul Jones
Theological
Worlds: Understanding the Alternative Rhythms of Christian Belief
The
Providence Beyond the River: The Diary of a Protestant at a Trappist Monastery
by Ronald Klug
How
to Keep a Spiritual Journal
by Erik Kobell
What Jesus
Meant: The Beatitudes and a Meaningful
Life
(Read this along with the UMC Social Principles)
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