Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Jumping Around

My dog has some really ridiculous behaviors. In his defense, I think that most of them are a result of genetics and instinct. Let me explain…

I think that Charlie might be a new breed of dog, only recognized by the AKC in 2003, called a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. This dog is the smallest in the retriever family and looks like a miniature golden retriever with white markings. The breed was developed to help duck hunters. In the wild, a fox will play at the waters edge in order to entice a duck to come closer, which the silly ducks do! The dog was bred to simulate fox behavior so hunters would have an advantage and then send the dog to retrieve it. This frolicking behavior is actually part of the breed standard and a dog must pass a field test exhibiting it to be considered an actual Nova Scotia Duck Toller.

Charlie exhibits this EXACT behavior! When he thinks he is on the hunt he leaps around our yard like a Tigger. Tail is flashing back and forth and all four paws literally leap from spot to spot.

He never catches anything when he acts like that, though, because rodents are scared away by his breed standard behavior. It is hilarious to watch from a human perspective, though.

I wonder if we don’t scare folks away with our leaping and jumping about when it comes to God? Let me explain.

Sometimes we think that there needs to be some big huge movement to signal that God is involved in what we are doing. We think we need to proclaim Christmas greetings and God’s blessing upon all those we meet. We think we need to offer explanation for our good treatment of others: that it is for the kingdom of God.

We also think that people need to come to us in droves. The way we can tell if our programs are successful is if oodles of people are in attendance.

We also fall into this all or nothing trap with our treatment of others, but in an opposite sense. We talk a good game about justice, peace, and love toward one another in the plural, but we renege when it comes to a single person. When faced with a particular individual all our judgement and anxiety take over and we aren’t just, or peaceful, or loving toward them.

I suppose that it is the intimacy and vulnerability of facing a single person that brings out the worst in us. But, this is ultimately where the rubber hits the road with our faith.

Being a Christian isn’t really converting huge numbers of people, it’s about individual relationships.

If we look to the bible for guidance, we will see that God operates on the small scale more often than on a large one. While in the Gospels Jesus did preach to the crowds, and they did follow him about, you only hear about the real conversions on a one on one basis.

Think of who brought you into the church. Whether a cradle Catholic, a convert, or some other state, you learned about God from someone. We can almost always point to an individual (or a few individuals) who set an example, shared their faith, and who loved us.

Practicing Christianity involves a listening ear and a loving heart. That means forgiving others, for ALL their failures. It also means realizing that we too have flaws, and need to ask for forgiveness.

Just like Charlie we have a natural tendency to jump around and make a big fuss when we are after something. Unlike Charlie, we have a mind and can reason, so we don’t have to be bound to our instincts. Learning to love others on a one on one basis is hard and takes practice. It’s part of our faith tradition to understand discipline and virtue, though.

St. Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ!”

(No jumping required!)

Right, Charlie?

~Christy Cabaniss
Parish Minister