Today I got the opportunity to see another show taping. Last week Bill Maher, this week- "Your Life- A to Z". It's a local show here in the Valley. Geared toward the stay-at-home-mom dynamic, I went along as moral support for my friend. She was a guest, talking about traveling with children and offering some tips. Which really has nothing to do with her business, but when you're trying to get exposure, well, you adjust.
True to form, she arrives promptly at 8am to collect me. True to form, I woke up late, and had been running around for 45 minutes straight getting kids ready for school while getting myself ready at the same time. My husband took the kids to school so I could do this, so he was upstairs getting ready for work while I got the kids ready. Which normally wouldn't matter because I normally take the kids to school in my PJ's... but today I needed to mix among the living.
So I hop in the car, and we're off. She listens to motivational things in the car. Business, religious, whatever. Today was religious. She apologized, but I didn't care. I settled in to listen and analyze.
The woman was preaching to women. Oh my, did she preach! (Lemme hear ya say AMEN!) Jesus this, Jesus that. God this, God that. Do it all for Him.
OK, I was starting to get angry. I felt it. God and Jesus don't mix well with me. Someday I might really dig down and figure out what my issue is, but this morning all I was wishing was that she would turn on her A/C in the car and find us coffee. So I started to focus on what this woman was preaching about.
Discovering yourself. Accepting yourself. Loving yourself. Finding out what has hurt you in your past, to make you who you are today. How to let go.
Wow. It was a great, wonderful message. I think about these sorts of things all the time actually. Then she said it- what made me want to scream and yell and tear my hair out-
"Do it for Jesus."
Do it for Jesus? Now, why would I want to do that? Do it for Jesus. It's the only way to save yourself, if you change your attitude for him. I looked at my friend. Here was someone I considered to be a very strong woman. A go-getter, determined. Makes her own path. She was doing it all in the name of Jesus?
Seriously, would Jesus really WANT me to better myself, find my path, find my spirit, for HIM? Not the Jesus I've learned about.
Are humans really that weak-minded that they need an in-animate being to do things for? We can't do it because WE want to? We can't do it for ourselves? Because WE want to be better people, we want to know our path- for US. Not for Jesus, not for God, not for Allah, not for Buddha. Not because the Torah said so.
Religion is an excuse. An excuse to be a better person, but also an excuse to make mistakes. Because you go to church, go to confess your sins when you "do wrong", and all is forgiven. Clean slate to do more wrong. No one takes the time to learn from what they do, good or bad. Use it to make yourself a better person. No, instead everyone operates on the "Jesus will forgive me in the end, so who cares?" mentality.
That is the sort of hypocrisy that irritates me. Don't do anything for Jesus, me, your husband, your wife, your dog- do it because YOU want to.
Do it for you. That is more impressive than anything.
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