Even though we live in an age that worships and idolizes so many things, it’s really hard to find something that comes even close to giving us an appropriate definition and understanding of the word reverence. The word and its synonyms have been so thoroughly contaminated in wildly irreverent world we live in (which, BTW, I don’t mind at all, because most comedians are not laughing at the REAL thing but at our warped perceptions of it and accompanying screwed up idiosyncrasies). Because of this, I won’t even try going to a on-line dictionary in search of the definition.
The closest I could come to a better understanding of the meaning of reverence in our every day use is the way we approach bathroom scale each morning. There is hope. There is a little (or a lot) bit of trepidation. There is a realization that no matter what we may want it to say, it will reveal the truth. The scale doesn’t lie. However, how we hear and interpret a simple digit, 62, for example will largely hinge on the frame our minds and hearts are in, on the way we have been conditioned to listen to feedback messages in our families, peer groups, educational institutions and our societies at large. (BTW, number 62 stands for 62 kilograms, if you are living in a metric world like I do. For those of you who prefer to be pounded, here’s the link to a converter
http://www.infoplease.com/pages/unitconversion.html?qty=62&fromopts=kilogram&toopts=pound&unittype=weight&grp=&convert.x=27&convert.y=12
Back to the conversation with the bathroom scale. So, the scale may say 62 kg, but what I hear might be,
You big, fat ugly pig! I knew you have no self-control. I have given you warnings time and time again, but you, you weak-willed, wretched glutton…. And so on, and so forth… If this is how your scale talks to you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have already thrown it across the room… several times. And if you haven't, maybe you should. It might do a little bit of good to your soul.
Now, if you’d like to know, the way my bathroom scale talks to me is more like this:
Good morning, precious. Aaaah, you are absolutely gorgeous, my darling…. At this, I usually look around the bathroom to see if there is anybody else there, for not even my husband talks to me like this every morning. Once I ascertain that I am all alone, and that the scale is indeed talking to me, I bend my ear a little bit closer to make sure I don’t miss a word of what else this lovely scale has to reveal about how she sees me.
I love the shape of your body. I love those dimples you have. But, if you care to hear what I have to say, that second helping of the blueberry pie with extra serving of ice-cream on top you enjoyed so much last night is carrying some consequences this morning, if you know what I mean. … My eyes pop out at this, as I remember the pie and the ice-cream. And do remember that that second helping the scale is talking about wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as the first… So, I look back at my friend and respond,
Well, thank you so much! I do appreciate your honest feedback... and everything else you said, even though I find very hard to believe. Next time our neighbor Bob brings that awesome blueberry pie I’ll certainly take everything you said to me this morning into consideration. See you tomorrow!
Of course, I am always free to forget or ignore the loving feedback of my wonderful scale. But, I am never free from experiencing the consequences of rejecting the truth and believing a lie.
Sadly enough, most of us have been bludgered silly by clueless people acting ‘in the name of God’ who use the Bible (or rather their personal pet interpretation of it) as an assault weapon - to judge and condemn, to criticize and point out all that is so horribly wrong with this world. In fact, if I want to be completely honest with you, I’ve done that myself many times over. If you've ever experienced this side of me, I am sorry! I mean it. Please, don’t count it against God. Count it against me and my own cluelessness and ignorance! However, improper use of God’s Word doesn’t invalidate the Word of God. It only shows that there have been, there are, and there will always be a lot of ignorant, clueless people around wielding it stupid like some cosmic baseball bat.
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