Some people are blessed with the gift of using their mental prowess and social networking skills to make sure that others are doing all the things they are supposed to doing and not doing all the things they are not supposed to do.
          “Aunt Jooooo Annnnnnn!  Tommy isn’t cleaning his bedroooooom!” Debby whined.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” my mother would say, and then add, “Tommy Clark, you better get your toys picked up!” 
          I’d drop my Howdy Doody Cowboy, forced once again into humiliating obeisance for my mother because of Cousin Debby’s whining.
          “Aunt Jooooo Annnnnn!  Tommy hit Larry!”
          “Aunt Jooooo Annnnnn!  Tommy is hogging all the oxygen in the rooooooom! Tell him to stop breathing!!”
          Life’s not good as a five-year-old when you’ve got Cousin Debby following you around everywhere like snooping Matlock and reporting on all your personal activities like ditzy spiritual paparazzi.  I hope you never get afflicted with the Cousin Debby Syndrome, feeling the “call of God” to make sure everyone is living up to the standards of Momma.  It’s a serious affliction.  It’ll make you sick and everyone around you.  It’ll make you sick of being tired, and tired of being sick.  It’s also a burden to big for you to carry, trying to coerce and force people to live like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa, when most of us are happy that we can gather our eclectic little families together for Sunday worship and pray over a McDonald’s meal together every once in awhile.  
          The Father knows how to take care of his children without the help of pharisaical spiritual tattle-tales.  He knows how to take care of the inner business of the heart through the powerful and incisive work of the Holy Spirit and the Word.  My new favorite homiletician (a.k.a preacher), Fred Craddock, tells the story about the Rich Young Ruler’s encounter with Jesus.  The first-century yuppie had it all.  Cool cars, ipods, HDTV flat screens, and money left over for Chili’s, but he knew something was empty on the inside.  Jesus said, “Your life is absolutely cluttered.  You’ve got too much stuff.  Just give it away to the poor people and then come follow me.”  The man became sad and said, “I can’t. I just have to have it.”
          Craddock comments, “Jesus gave him room to say no, because if you don’t have room to say no, yes doesn’t mean a thing.  There is no coercion.”  I like that.
          There is no condemnation in the Kingdom.  And, there is no coercion.  You can’t force people to live for Jesus.  You can’t force people to worship.  You can’t force people to be saved. 
But Debby asks, “Well, if you can’t force him and guilt him into doing what’s right, then what in the world am I supposed to do?”
          How about take a look in the mirror and pull the chemically-treated 2 x 4 out of your forehead?

Category : Tommy Talk