TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021- COSTUMES - PART II

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021- COSTUMES - PART II

Yesterday, I wrote about costumes and masks.  Yes, I am thinking ahead to Halloween.

I think we do have different costumes every day in our life.  On Sunday morning at a Church service, I may have a “spiritual” costume.  When I play tuba, I may have a “musical” costume.  When I play granny basketball, I have a physical costume, a ‘team’ costume.

First, a memory.  I knew my father as a fantastic dad to me.  In the summer between my high school senior year and my freshman year at college, I worked with a furniture delivery company (they delivered the furniture my father sold).  One day as we were loading furniture with the delivery guy and others, the conversation got a little earthy.  My father never swore at home, and his comments were not profane, but more of being “part of the group”.  

When I am with maybe three people, I can slip in a word or two that is not part of my normal vocabulary.  If you will, I’m wearing a verbal costume that fits easier than my standard costume (or as I sense it) with these people.  

I acted in plays in High School and College.  There we had costumes and we acted differently.  

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I’m trying to explore who I am.  Am I different - depending on where I am, or who I am with?  

I say “Love Wins”, “Love one another”.  Can I do that if I am “wearing” different costumes, if I am with a different set of people. Last weekend when I was with my former students from 50 years ago, was I in a ‘different’ costume - one of a teacher (authoritarian), and one of a friend (close to their age)?

The apostle Paul wrote “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” I Corinthians 9:22

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CHANGING GEARS - MOVING AND TRANSFORMING.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) 

Renewing your mind?  So how can I do that?  How can you do that?  Is that like a car detailing shop?

You take your car in, leave it.  During the day, car detailers carefully go over every surface.  Washing, polishing, cleaning.  They get inside your car and not just clean your seats, but deep clean them, restoring them to original condition (or pretty close to original condition).  The little grooves on the air blowers get scrubbed, the floor mats get buffed and cleaned.  The finger prints on your dash and all surfaces are polished out.  (So much so that if the FBI needed a sample of your fingerprints, they couldn’t find it). 

Can I renew my mind as deeply as the car detailers can renew my car?  In my case, I have 74 years of thoughts clogging up my brain.  There are times (like yesterday morning in the laundromat), when I started to whistle (when I spontaneously whistle, life is awesome).  Why did my brain pick that time to whistle?  (I'm whistling the same tune as I write - and trying to place what the tune is - it is from my classical music - but which piece??)

So, how to be transformed?

Let’s look at the first part of that before moving on.  DON’T BE CONFORMED TO THE WORLD. Huh?

But, generally conformity is okay?  I conform to the speed limits, I conform to the lane I’m in when I drive.  I don’t weave in and out.  I don’t drive at 10 miles per hour on the Interstate (normally, I have driven at 10 mph and even zero mph when traffic is backed up).  I don’t wear my swimsuit to church or the grocery store.  I don’t wear a formal dress to the swimming pool.  I don’t walk naked down the main street - so, I guess I am conforming to the society in which I like.  

The first way NOT to be conformed to this world is a GIGO approach (Garbage In, Garbage Out).  As you know, I don’t have a TV set - so I can’t watch the programs that give a certain perspective on life in 2021.  

What is going on in my mind?  Good question.  When I walk I can have an audiobook on my phone, or my classic music.  On my recent trip, I finished three audiobooks in the car.  (Now, that doesn’t mean that I am always getting good stuff going into my head.  One of the audiobooks  had  a male/female relationship that got sensual and sexual, but it also approached a tough topic of OCD - obsessive-compulsive disorder, as the lady in the story didn’t touch anybody (other than the boyfriend who made an effort to help her).  [aside - and don’t think in the least that I am some kind of “Holy Karen”].

I have written about friends - one who is a faithful MS-NBC liberal viewpoint watcher, and one who is a faithful FOX News viewpoint watcher.  Over time, I’ve seen them lose some of their own thinking and questioning approaches.  In past times, we might have called it “brainwashing”. 

“Our way is the only way”, “Our way is right”.  In politics that can’t be, and even in religion, I have heard people espousing such views.  (Like the friend who tells me I’ve going to hell because of who I am becoming).

As an educator, I wanted students to THINK, and to THINK CRITICALLY.  Students need to evaluate inputs - are they all appropriate?  

So, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds can take different inputs and we must critically evaluate them within the context of our situation!!!

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I think I am rambling on too much.  Let me get this out, and see what I write tomorrow about making decisions.

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen