Thursday, February 28, 2013

PRESSING OUR BUTTONS

Certain things get Baxter excited.  On one hand, the smell of salmon on the grill, the sound of his feeder offering a new meal, the rustle of his package of treats opening, these widen his eyes, perk his tail, and send him running in the direction the smells or sounds indicate.  On the other hand, the sound of fireworks or the household sweeper, the smell of vinegar or lemons set him in the opposite direction, fleeing the repulsive signal.  Baxter has two sets of buttons.  Some are pushed by those things that make him happy, and others by those that repel him and set him on edge.  Either reaction is abrupt, and he doesn’t try to hide how he feels about the situation at hand.

We have the same sort of visceral responses to certain things.  The mention of certain persons, places, or things may set us off with either cascades of praise or deluges of disgust.  (Chocolate works the first way for me, and grits the second.)  Usually there is no convincing us otherwise when one of these “buttons” is pushed for us.  We either delight or disgust ourselves at the mere mention of the word. We love to savor the delights, and we hope to forget, avoid or eliminate those disgusting stimuli we encounter.  Often our responses are failsafe.  No conditions, disguises, or exceptions will change our minds and the reactions our memory generates.

God has certain positive and negative buttons too.  We see them clearly displayed in Jesus’ ministry.  He can’t resist forgiving the humble and contrite sinner.  He is attracted to the weak and vulnerable among us.  He puts down the arrogant and proud, and he exposes the deceiver and manipulator for what he or she is.  He accepts any genuine invitation to sit and eat at someone’s house, and He invites others to His table with only a few conditions—a wedding garment, no excuses, and a hunger.  Jesus’ buttons are clearly marked.  Push a certain one and you get what’s coming—a warm and enthusiastic embrace or a direct and challenging rebuke.  The lukewarm doesn’t hold much value in the Kingdom preferences Jesus displays.  His likes and dislikes are definite.

What sets us off?  That’s a good way to examine our consciences this Lent.  Do we get excited and upset about the right things from God’s point of view?  Are our buttons set to value what God values, to seek what God desires for us and the world, to explode with enthusiasm for what is genuinely good for all and with outrage for what degrades others as less than children of God?  Lent is a time to adjust the settings of our lives, so that we care passionately about what God loves and are unmoved by lesser things.

Baxter’s buttons are rather simple and clear.  As long as he can get the food that he likes and have the security and quiet he prefers, he is set for his life.  Our buttons are more complicated with more at stake.  When something sets us off, it’s an explosion that can either destroy what makes life valuable and meaningful or add to its value and meaning.  Unlock the power for good this Lent.  Push the right buttons in yourself and others for the right reasons for God’s sake and our own.