This is the age
of the half-read page;
The quick hash
and the mad dash.
This is the age
of the bright night
with the nerves tight;
And the plane hop
with a brief stop.
This is the age
of the lamp tan
in a short span.
The brain strain
and the heart pain;
The catnaps till
the spring snaps
and the fun is done.
I know, that sounds kind of cynical. But there's lots of truth in that poem. An article in the magazine, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, had this to say:
"In the next 12 months, we will consume around 20,000 tons of aspirin...That totals 225 tablets per person, per year, or 2/3 of a tablet per person, per day. If you go by these sales figures alone, it would suggest that most everyone in the United States has a headache most of the time."
I don't know if this generation is any more "uptight" or anxious than the last one. However, a seminar leader made a statement recently that caught my attention. The statement was this: "Twenty years ago people were asking: `How can I get to heaven?' Today people are asking: `How can I get through this day?'" That statement made such an impact on me because:
*That's what I've been hearing.
*That's what I've been seeing.
*That's what I've been feeling inside.
You may have seen the study that showed that in the early 1900s the top ten killers of humankind in the United States were all infectious diseases. In the 1980s it is estimated that the top ten killers of humankind are all stress-related diseases. The medical profession, changed economic conditions, and child protection laws have all worked to reduce substantially the death rate. Meanwhile, our lives have gotten more and more complicated.
We're such busy people. Many of you are under lots of pressure at work or at school. Some of you are under stress because of a shaky marriage or problems with the children. Of course, some of us deal with stress better than others.
Dr. John Anderson tells about a cartoon that appeared in the NEW YORKER magazine. Approaching a small bridge plainly marked, "Load Limit ” 8 tons" was a truck, also marked on its side, "8 tons." When the 8 ton truck was about in the middle of the bridge with the 8 ton limit, a bluebird lighted on the top girder. At that point the bridge gave way and crashed with the truck into the river below, to the obvious surprise of the bluebird.
The bridge was built as indicated for 8 tons; the truck weighed exactly that. The bridge could hold up under its load limit, but not under 8 tons and one bluebird.
Of course, this story is wonderfully ridiculous. Most bridges could stand up under their load limit and several thousand bluebirds extra. But, to be sure, all bridges have a breaking point somewhere ” that point at which the bluebird would be just much too much. But, friends, it really isn't the bluebird that breaks it down. It is the fact that 8 tons are already present.
We all have bluebird troubles, don't we? We are all burdened by the facts of our lives which load us to the point of "load limit." We let little things get the best of us, little bluebirds of nothingness, tiny bluebirds of no importance, but just the thing to bring us down. Every person has a limit and we would do well to watch for the warning signs of one bluebird too many. There is always a load limit. *
Obviously, we are not the first generation of people who are under lots of pressure, anxiety and stress. There were people uptight and anxious in the time of Jesus too. In fact, in our gospel text, Jesus told a good friend named Martha to slow down and "smell the flowers," so to speak.
Jesus was coming to Bethany to visit Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Great news! Martha didn't hesitate a minute to begin the preparations. A thorough house cleaning. And, no doubt, cooking and baking many of the foods she knew that Jesus liked.
Jesus must have arrived early. (Don't you just hate it when people arrive early? Here you are, making last minute preparations. You're still in your grubbies giving that floor a last vacuuming, when the doorbell rings. There are your guests! You had just enough time for a quick shower and change of clothes. So much for those plans. You chastise yourself and say: "I knew I should have started earlier.")
Whether Jesus arrived early or not, suffice it to say that there were more things to be done. Martha was working feverishly. Mary was working feverishly, too. But when Jesus arrives, all of Mary's activity stops as she visits with and listens to him.
Meanwhile, Martha's in the kitchen finishing up the meal. "When is that girl going to get in here and help me finish up?" she huffs. The pots and pans and slamming doors get louder and louder. That doesn't work. So, finally Martha can't stand it anymore. She bursts into the living room, hands on her hips, her face flushed with anger, as she blurts out these words to Jesus:
"Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me!" I picture Jesus responding with a loving smile, as he says to her: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."
Can't you just empathize with Martha here? Shocked. Embarrassed. What was she supposed to do, let the casserole burn in the oven?
If we don't know the rest of the story, we may assume that Martha had quite a shallow faith and that Mary had all the spiritual depth. Not so! Recall when Lazarus died? They had sent for Jesus several days before. When he finally comes, Martha hurries to him while Mary stays home. "If you had been here," she says to Jesus, "my brother would not have died." No recrimination. Just simple trust. "I know even now," she goes on, "that God will give you whatever you ask of Him!" Notice that Martha did not say, "I hope" or "I think," but she said, "I know"! In spite of her sorrow, she exclaims: "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who was to come into the world!"
What a confession of faith! The woman who once was flustered by last minute preparations has become one of the first to recognize and proclaim who Jesus really is. Martha's faux pas was not lack of spirituality. It was a matter of timing and perspective. In Ecclesiastes chapter three, we hear the rhythmic cadence of the writer who says:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...
...a time to be born, and a time to die.
...a time to break down, and a time to build up.
...a time to cry, and a time to laugh.
...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
There's a time for everything. The tough part is keeping it all in perspective. How to you achieve the kind of wisdom that avoids "making mountains out of mole hills and mole hills out of mountains"?
Have you ever been in a hurry and buttoned up a long overcoat with lots of buttons and when you were done, found out that the coat was uneven? What went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong. When you don't get the first button in the right hole, all the rest are out of sequence too, right?! That's a parable about life. Jesus said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount: "Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well." (Matthew 6:33) If the Lord is not the high priority in your life, then, like the overcoat, so many other things in life will be out of whack as well.
Is it true that people today are not asking as fervently as in the past, "How can I get to heaven?" Is it true they are asking: "How can I get through this day?" Who really knows for sure. Ultimately, it really doesn't make that much difference. Even though the questions are different, they are co-dependent in a startling way! For the closer we are to Jesus Christ, the more he will have a positive effect on our faith-walk each day. I like this prayer because it captures the themes of both questions:
"O Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today, that you and I together, can't handle." Amen.
* Adapted from David Capehart, "One Bluebird over the Limit," NATIONAL CHRISTIAN REPORTER, January 29, 1989. Contributed by Mike McConachie, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Paris, Mo.