“Look, it’s a catalog!” I said, holding up the mail for my family to
see.
When I was a boy, we got lots
of catalogs in the mail. There was the
Oriental Trading Company – which had catalogs of cheap items photographed in
such a way that they looked worth buying.
Then there was the Sharper Image which always had sci-fi appearing devices
for purchase that were supposed to make your life better. On top of those, there were companies like Montgomery
Ward and Sears whose catalogs were mostly filled with clothing.
These days, the only catalogs I
get are from nurseries and seed companies.
When they start to arrive, it is an indication that spring isn’t too far
away.
Of course, all of the seeds
sound like they produce amazing vegetables.
The description for each variety sounds as though it will produce the
sweetest musk melon, the biggest pumpkin, or the largest harvest of green
beans. I often wonder if the folks
writing the descriptions have actually raised the varieties themselves or if
they are simply men and women who are experienced in writing advertising copy who
decided to ply their trade in the direction of selling gardening supplies.
“Listen children,” I said to
them as I opened the catalog. “This is a
‘burpless’ cucumber. This is what we
have been waiting for all these years!
You have no idea how disgusting it is to go down to the garden to weed
and have to listen to those cucumber vines burping away! Oh, and this muskmelon says that it has
succulent and melodious sweetness – I don’t know what that means, but I guess
we should get it to find out!”
Most of us try to put our best
foot forward when we interact with other people. It isn’t that we lie about who we are, but
whether we are interviewing with for a job, or talking with people after
church, we want to look and sound our best.
The problem is that we end up
hiding the areas of our lives where we are struggling. It could be finances, or struggles with one
of our children, or even just feeling emotionally worn down, but since we love
Jesus, we somehow think that means we should have it all together.
“Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
As I think about the meaning of
this verse, it strikes me that in order for other people to help us bear our burdens,
we have to be transparent enough that they are aware of our struggles. It isn’t about trying to look like we are overachieving but rather sharing honestly – at least with some people – about areas where we
need prayer.
It may feel good to act as
though, like those who are home on the range, we seldom hear a discouraging
word, but the reality is often far from that.
Telling others that we only deal with “melodious sweetness” in our homes
may feel easier than being honest about the real struggles, but each of us
needs help carrying burdens and the beginning of that is honesty with a
community of believers – not ad copy about how awesome we and the people around
us are.
