Post from July 17, 2023

”👟 RSD 1175 ✅ Today’s Verse: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” — Micah 6:8 (1+5=6:1+7=8)

The Message translation: “But He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.”

What’s the song that gets stuck in your head? I don’t mean the latest Tik Tok or American Top 40 trend: I’m referring to a song (probably more than one) that you’ll find yourself humming or singing to yourself for YEARS. This one’s probably stuck with you since childhood (or teenage-hood, maybe young adulthood, for those of us who have a non-young adulthood). For a lot of us, it might be the theme song to a TV show. I once rapped the entire “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme in front of one of my classes (I was teaching), and my students were VERY impressed…and, by “impressed,” I mean they looked basically in my direction for the solid minute it took to rap the theme without the music breaks. And, in true Millennial fashion, I still know the ending song to “Barney,” although neither of these things get stuck in my head…really ever. But, “Hakuna Matata” might on occasion. Sometimes for us though, it’s not even the whole song: it’s only snippets.
🎶”Na na na na-na-na-na-naaa, na-na-naaa, hey Jude..”🎶
🎶 “867-5309 (e-ine)”🎶
🎶“I don’t practice Santeria; I ain’t got no crystal ball. Well, I had a million dollars, but I’d—I’d spend it all.”🎶
🎶”I bless the rains down in Aaafricaaaaa.”🎶
🎶”MA-MA, oooh….!” 🎶 (maybe also the “Galileo” part)
🎶”Sugar pie, honey bunch: you know that I loooveeee youuuu. Ah, I can’t help myself: I love you and nobody else.”🎶
Here it is for all of us ahem 🎶”Sweeeet Caro-line, BUM BUM BUM!” 🎶
One more, picks up imaginary microphone 🎶 ”So no one told you life was gonna be this way. (Claps) Your job’s a joke; you’re broke. Your love life’s DOA. It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear: when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but I’ll be there forrrrr youuuuu.”🎶

Ever wonder why these stick in the mind? Why not? They’re upbeat; they’re catchy; they make us feel good, remind us of a good memory, or at least are fun to sing along to. Bottom line: the parts that stick are short and easy to remember. You know your ABC’s, right? It’s not because you were some 2-3 year old genius: it’s because you learned the song (which, incidentally, is to the same tune as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”…you’re welcome). When you’re trying to teach a little kid something, you have to make it easy to remember. I remember thinking of something during my Godson’s First Confession a few years ago when I was watching all the littles stand in line, go to Confession, then come out and be so careful to do their prayers and remember what they’re supposed to do. Or, if you’re unfamiliar with this scene, think about a little kid (PreK maybe) tracing their letters so carefully to make sure they look right. Anyway, here’s the thought: maybe that’s how God sees all of us, you know? Just little kids trying to figure out life. We look at these kids and think they are just precious (when they do just about anything), and there’s so much for them to learn and a whole life ahead of them, and we’d all do anything for them. That’s who we are to God. You know, we’re relatively new, compared to the rest of Creation, and we have limited human understanding, so God affords us many different avenues to receive information so that it’ll hopefully stick.

Today’s verse comes from Micah, who was a prophet (you know, like Isaiah or Jeremiah…the guys who God granted the ability to give people a “heads up” to). Like the other prophets, Micah had to give bad news. Remember that story about the money changers cheating people in front of the temple, and Jesus came up, flipped the tables, and told them (in no uncertain terms) that this was disrespectful to God? Well, the religious and community leaders of Israel in Micah’s day were doing things akin to the money changers in Jesus’s time, or, the more modern example the selling of indulgences by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Micah had to warn the leaders against their ways of corrupting justice and skewing it to favor the rich (or at least who would pay up), and he had to warn common people that their inclination to do their own thing instead of what God wants will lead them to ruin. These prophets also shared with their communities how to get back on track. Today’s verse is telling all of us how to get back on track, if we’re off of it, and what the right track looks like. Micah notes that God had “already made it plain how to live, what to do” and that “it’s quite simple.”

Simple words, simple tasks. “Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” Do these things, and do your best to walk with God. We all have things we’re good at (the gifts and talents God painted into us), and we all have things we’re not good at (and, I don’t mean something like one-handed juggling…I mean character things—like having a tendency to be selfish, greedy, mean-spirited, indifferent…everybody has things they need to work on). If you’re like, “I know I’m joyful and generous, but I’m really impatient with people,” or, “I serve happily, but I am really bad about judging people;” or, “I’m a really fair person—I’m not harsh with people in my life (or even with strangers), but I’m not super compassionate either: I’m just…indifferent, and I don’t care as much as I should,” you’re not alone in your self-reflection because everybody has stuff they do well and stuff they need to work on. Hey y’all, even the Pope goes to Confession. The secret to the people who seem to have their good characteristics more forward and the bad ones more “hidden” is a result of what they choose to “shade and fade,” as a surprisingly helpful presentation at one of those teacher workshops once put it. It’s like that story, a Native American (usually credited to Cherokee, I believe) legend about two wolves. Here’s what I remember: a grandfather talks to his grandson about life and that everybody has good and bad qualities within themselves (selflessness vs selfishness, compassion vs indifference, love vs abhorrence, peace vs anger, humility vs pride…that sort of thing) and how this dichotomy is like two wolves within us: a good wolf (who is things like compassion personified) and a bad wolf (who is things like indifference personified). He warns the grandson that the two wolves are always fighting, so the grandson asks him which wolf will win. The grandfather tells him, “The one you feed.”

So, in our quest to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God,” we have to lean into our good qualities (really work to develop them) and, instead of acting like our character weaknesses aren’t there, we work to address our poorer qualities and, in turn, add to the strengths of things like honesty and courage and humility and perseverance. Be honest about who exactly we are. God already knows us, so there’s nothing we can hide from Him, and there’s nothing to be overly embarrassed about—we shouldn’t worry so much about other people in how they’re doing on their journeys or what they think about ours. We just simply have to do good as much as we can, and, when we mess up, ask God for forgiveness and guidance. Staccato, easy to remember: “act justly…love mercy…walk humbly.” “Walk humbly.” “Don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” We hear people all the time talk about “making our mark” on the world. But, maybe “making our mark” doesn’t mean leaving the biggest footprints. Allowing the Lord to lift us with things like His purpose for us might mean our footprints are lighter and aren’t as prominent as others’ whose footprints might make their presence look more important. So, we might become discouraged looking at the prints and the dirt disturbed by other people pounding the pavement, when all the time our steps, though lighter, in all likelihood cover more ground. Just because others are walking hard doesn’t mean they’re walking far or even going the right way. “Walk humbly with your God.” Let angels lift you: you don’t have to step heavy. “Don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” So, sing that off-key happy tune to yourself (🎶”I’ll be there forrrr youuu”🎶), and walk lightly along the path God has laid out perfectly. He’s walking with you, and He probably likes the “Friends” theme too.”