Keith's Korner for November 1, 2011

How Loopy Can You Get?

            A few years back, before we found a new home for our wacked out, under achieving beagle, Loopy, I picked up three pig leg bones for our three beagles – one large bone for each dog.  Then I gave them to them and watched to see how the pack dynamics would go.  They surprised me.  Usually, Mangler, the Alpha Female usually tries to take control of all three treats until she’s satisfied and ready to share and Socks, the generally subservient male, sits back and waits for the leftovers.  This time I wanted to see what the 7 month old “teenager” Loopy would add to the mix.

            Mangler staked out her bone.  Socks got his and growled to let Loopy know it was his and this time he was keeping it.  And Loopy carried hers around occasionally chewing it and trying to get Socks bone to boot.  When I returned later one of the bones was missing.  Loopy had buried hers.  Then she got a hold of Sock’s bone and tried to bury it.  Then she even went for Mangler’s and began to bury it too.  And none of the dogs growled or did anything about it!  They just watched Loopy hoard more than she could use and then waited until they were in the mood for a bone and then proceeded to dig one up and gnaw on it while Loopy watched all her hard work go for nothing.

            All of Loopy’s hard work and hoarding were just wasted energy on her part.  Socks and Mangler just let her do her thing and let her think she was all so wise and then helped themselves when they were ready.  

            In another setting, in the wild, Loopy would have been right on in hiding and preserving her food source.  But in a kennel with owners watching out, not only for her bare minimum needs, but also wanting to do a little pampering and loving on all three of them it was just misguided, wasted effort on her part.

            What’s your setting?  Is your world one where it’s all up to you and dog-eat-dog or are you in the loving care of your heavenly Father looking after your bare minimum needs, but also wanting to bless and grow you into all you can be as a partner with Him in redeeming a lost and hurting world?  Are you living accordingly?  Are you a child of the King living as if you aren’t?  Do you find yourself loving God, but also living and choosing and acting as if it’s all up to you when it comes to how you invest the time, energy, talents and resources entrusted to you?

            Loopy got her bone, Socks got his and Mangler got hers, but who do you think was more relaxed and enjoyed their bone blessing more?  Are you enjoying the blessings God entrusts to you or are you stressed over getting, keeping and protecting what God wants to freely entrust and bless?

            Are you and I living like Loopy or in the steady wisdom of Socks and Mangler?

            One of our founders, John Wesley, encouraged us to “earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can.”  Are we – are you – am I – doing this?  Are we working hard, being prudent in what we lay aside for future needs and looking for every opportunity to invest in others or are we turning “earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can” into get all you can, can all you get and sit on the lid Loopy-style? And how do you know which you’re doing when you’re so close to the situation?

            That’s what stewardship is all about: seeking to be wise and faithful stewards of all that God entrusts to us. It’s discerning between prudence and hoarding, giving and being a soft touch, self care and selfishness and so much more.  I invite you to prayerfully stay open and even take the initiative in opening and reopening these issues between you and our Lord.

Pastor Keith