Day Eighteen and one-half of
"Lessons I Have Learned Since I Admitted the Fact I am Older than You."
THE CONGREGATION OF THE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED
I am not a student of languages but I found myself thinking about the label, “emotionally disturbed,” tonight when I should have been asleep.
Now follow me on this – you can disagree but don’t let your right brain know that your left brain is thinking, “This chick doesn’t know what the heck she is talking about.” Please, pretty please just continue to think through my thin thread of thought (say THAT 10 times real fast!).
Now, my students, the word, “emotion” is based Latin words. The“e” comes from “eenside” and is the basis of today’s “in-basket.” The“mo” comes from “mooveit” -- the basis of today’s phrase, “get the lead out.” The “tion” comes from, well, “tion,” or “the action of” (today’s phrase, “just do it” – Nike regularly pays copyright privileges to dead languages). In other words, “emotion” is the crud that is in the act of moving around inside of you.
The word, “disturbed” is equally fascinating. (Imagine me rubbing my chin thoughtfully and raising one eyebrow.) (I would love to be able to raise one eyebrow without manual assistance) (Have you lost track of what is going on yet?
) The “dis” comes from “disk” and the basis of today’s phrase, “get that thing OUT of here!” The “turbed” comes from “turbulence” or, as we say nowadays, “Kansas wind.”
So “emotionally disturbed” is taking the crud that is moving around inside of you and flapping it around like the Kansas wind OUTSIDE of you.
Our Western Culture (in caps, of course) -- or, perhaps, just the Western Culture that I am exposed to – does not like to admit this. The W. C. (also short for Water Closet – strictly coincidence!) figures if you “fit in” you pretty much have everything together at all times and nothing inappropriate leaks out. In other words, you are a really good plastic bag.
I say. “WHAT is the harm in admitting to being emotionally disturbed?” My plastic bag is ALWAYS leaking – so I am going to act like I always planned it to be that way. At the very least, I act intelligent (did you believe all that trash above about what those words meant???). At the very most, I am keeping everybody from getting bored. A “win/win,” I think.
Anyway, who do people think they are fooling by pretending that they have it all together? One unreliable statistic I have heard is that one out of every four people are emotionally challenged (a euphemism for “off their rockers”) (You can quote this statistic but you should probably check it out first – I was too lazy to.) (In fact, I just made it up!) (Have you lost track of what is going on yet?
). I know I am… I know you are because you are reading this. That means only the two of us are emotionally disturbed and the rest of the population isn’t?? … I don’t think so. If you DO believe that “they” have it all together – then I have some imaginary land with a beautiful imaginary house I would LOVE to sell you
Here is an example of how my emotions leak out -- I am an impatient person (and nobody who knows me is dropping their jaw in surprise at this statement.) My impatience is the reason why I tell people I graduated from college with an Elementary Education degree because I felt “called,” but later came to believe it was the wrong number. I am even impatient at times with my saintly mother.
You can tell someone is REALLY a saint when you are impatient with them and they are still patient with you – like when you ask them to burp with their mouths closed and they thank you for the suggestion and earnestly try to change – or when you ask them to PLEASE hold the door open for you if you are right behind them (I have a permanently flattened nose) and they thank you again and apologize.
My mother is 81. People should be allowed to burp with their mouths open and close the door after they waddle through it at the age of 81 (everyone behind them beware) – in fact, I think it may be a law that was passed with unilateral, bi-partisan support (this is an election year). But Mom is 81 going on 18 – as wise as the ancients yet as flexible as the very young. She even laughed when I read her this. (Sure I read it to her – I read it to her first before anyone else saw it. Her response? “That is funny – BURP!”)
I see my impatience as both a good and a bad thing – it works to my advantage at some times – it is a strength (I tell myself I am a double-ply plastic bag) and a weakness. The big thing about my impatience is that it is no big thing – because God and I have made this our own little project. And God is going to heal me of this. He has started the job and He will finish it – it would be nice if He would work a little faster though!
The thing about us plastic bags is that we are usually more transparent than we think we are. There we are, all hiding this crud from each other – crud that everyone usually can guess by just looking at you (please try to look surprised if I tell you I have a little problem with overeating). Also, chances are we are all hiding the same crud from each other (YOU are filled with green and yellow M & M’s? Oh my GOODNESS – I am filled with yellow and green M&M’s. Who’da THUNK it!) (Only mine are sugar-free because I am diabetic.) So let’s all be James 5:16 to each other – I’ll confess my M&M’s and you confess your M&M’s, let’s pray for each other’s M&M’s and be healed – then just WATCH God turn our weaknesses into His strengths! LIVE the CHAPTER! (I have copyrighted this statement.)
Really, I think this is such a refreshing thought. Send me to a church where this sign is posted on top of the doors into the sanctuary: “Congregation of the Emotionally Disturbed.” Let me walk inside and find a congregation of people who the world thinks is absolutely bonkers -- people are inside praying about silly things like Andy’s corn (field or toe- either works for me) and Sally’s sick puppy and praising God that Joe is learning that, in Christ, he is not an angry person – that is no longer him. A place where misfits fit. A place where people come completely dependent on other people to get them through tough times -and leave completely dependent on Christ as they are helping others get through their tough times (Should I rewrite that sentence? It started out much clearer in my head but somehow on the way to my fingers it got muddy). (Say “no.”) (Because I don’t want to hear any other answer.) (I wonder if this means that it’s raining in my elbows.) (Because of the mud.) (Have you lost track NOW???? Then you gotta re-read the first half of this paragraph – which is a great thing ‘cause I said some really profound crud there.
) A place where one person who supports people who need healing does not get “burned out” because there is a whole CONGREGATION of people behind them -praying, supporting, helping. A place where people having a serious issue with each other feel so at ease they can bring the issue to a committee of healers. This committee of people first prays the blood of Christ over the situation, deal with it honestly by saying how THEY dealt with it – then stand beside the people listening, crying, humbly, prayerfully as long as Jesus asks them to.
I would fit right in with that church. I’m a misfit. I have been emotionally disturbed in the past but am not now – yes, I am – no, I’m not – yes, I am – NO, I’m not – YES I AM - AND STOP INTERRUPTING!!!!
I believe that a congregation like this – a congregation like this that may start with only like a dozen people anointed by the Holy Spirit – could change their community, their city, their state, and bring real revival to their nation. Even greater changes have started with one “nut” and 12 people. I’m looking for the Congregation of the Emotionally Disturbed. In the name of Jesus, Father, lead me. In the name of Jesus call up Your people to this field white, white to harvest – filled with crying, hurting, anxious, lonely people. Lead me, Jesus, because I am ready for Your miracles and I want to see some REAL healing!
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