Implications In the Things We Say

One of my favorite things is to see the implications in the things people say. Maybe I look for these things more than others, but I see a certain insight into people by what they leave unsaid with the way they say things. For instance, today my cousin shared a picture on Facebook. It read, "Share if God is #1." Obviously, whoever made it is looking for agreement, but the implication if you don't share it is that God is not #1 to you. Along with that implication is that you aren't a dedicated believer, or that your faith in God is less than it should be.

I have been a netizen for a long time, so I have played my share in the games that poke fun at the mistakes we make when typing a message in a chat room, on a forum, or social media. Words have meanings and saying things carries an intent. Sometimes the meaning of an individual word does not match the intent of the message being shared. Some people are quick to jump on those mistakes as being the actual itent, but are we really getting at the business of communicating with each other? So, this is what I find: I may understand the implications in what others say, but they may not recognize them at all.

Which means, there may be things I say that I do not understand the implications of. Paul said something on the gift of tongues that seems particularly cogent in this case, "If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a [foreigner], and the one who speaks will be a [foreigner] to me" (1 Corinthians 14:11, NASB).

Communication is a process of sending and receiving messages, and so often we are too involved in jumping to conclusions instead of verifying that the message we received is the one intended. I can see no other explanation for the partisanship in politics (worldwide, even) and the snarky eruptions that happen in online settings.

Talking Out Loud

So, I am trying to sort out what is going on upstairs...No, not in heaven, in my head. There is the realization that something is different. Not necessarily in a good way, but not in the worst ways either. Combat messes with you and the way you perceive...everyday life. I am so detached right now. Yeah, detached is a good word, because it isn't the same as disconnected. Sure, it is similar, but it is different enough that the difference feels Important. I can't seem to do more than recognize that I feel that way. The fact that I am writing this down feels good. It has been so long since I felt I could listen to the thoughts rattle around like marbles in my brain pan.

Have you noticed that there is a lot of noise in the world? Just on the radio the other day, they had a story/interview about a guy who records sounds. He was talking about how there is a shortage of quiet places where man-made sounds do not intrude. I totally agree. It is even hard to find a quiet place in my mind. There aren't minutes in the day it seems, where I can find a place to breathe, and think, and listen.

Peace. Peace to me is a quiet mountain stream with cool shade on the banks, listening to the songs of birds. Literally, I am a long way from the mountain stream. Figuratively, it feels only just out of my reach. I think I would just need a quiet spot, truly quiet, where cars, planes, generators, phones, fans, computers, and sometimes even voices can't reach. Not forever, just for a few minutes, maybe a half hour or more, but let me sort through the mess on my virtual desktop and file some notes that have been waiting for me to have a minute to pay them attention. 

The Latest and Greatest Thing

Another paid programming for the latest and greatest thing that we don't have that will change our life has just finished. Did we buy into it? Is it really going to do what it promises? Anymore, I don't care about a product's potential to work. I want the product to absolutely work if I am going to invest in it. When you have been disappointed by so many things that promised to change your life, you just want one thing to work. Those programs trying to sell us something on the television always have their little catches. Like the fitness program works, IF we follow their diet plan and maybe buy into the related supplements they offer. The magic fat pill only works if we have too much weight to lose, not the 20-30 pounds that most people care about losing. Oh, and the claims have not been verified by the FDA, which pretty much means that they can say whatever they want. And we let them get away with it.

What if God did it that way? What if we had to accept the free gift, and then do X, Y, and Z to be successful. The XYZ doesn't have to be anything particular, they can be little things. The problem is that the minute we are required to do XYZ, the gift is no longer a gift. The gift becomes payment for the services you rendered. "God, I did what you told me, now I want that reward." This point was brought home to me during my two-hour employment stint as a telemarketer. I had called one lady up and read my script. She astutely pointed out, "You mean you will give me a free trip to Zanzabar if I buy this coupon book? Don't you mean that I just paid X dollars for the book AND the trip?" Quite. Thank you for your time, ma'am. Click.

Why don't we all see things as clearly? The demand that I have to see, do, or say anything to receive salvation offered as a free gift really kind of takes the whole "free" thing away from it. The opposite side of that coin is that we must demonstrate proof of receipt by XYZ. It is the same song, only a different verse. The Emperor's New Clothes, anyone? We act out who we are inside. If the product is real, and brings about a real transformation, there won't be a need to prove it by demanding an artificial demonstration.