#039 - Rules - pt. 2

NOVEMBER 2023

Double-doozie.

I hate doing things twice, more than waking up early or pulling heavy power cables through mud and dirt—wasting time, and money, and the monotony of doing something again bugs me. Meetings, planning, and conversations beforehand fix the issue. It also helps to have a good plan of attack, like military strategists or economic planners. In the military, drills, maps, and surveillance all help ensure a successful mission. The economy is a little more tricky, but planners issue bonds, raise interest rates, and print and increase the circulation of money to try and stabilize the beast that is the global market or at least prevent it from destabilization. There are so many reasons why plans and rules are essential. 

So, what pet peeves do you find yourself clinging to? Yes, I hate doing things over again, but if the client forgot to tell me that the band needed to go on the other side of the room - you have to make it right. After all, they may pay you thousands of dollars, and you may ruin the night by not obliging. This is the reason weddings can be highly stressful. You only have one opportunity to create an unforgettable moment. In the world of hospitality, it would be sacrosanct not to oblige to a guest's request. When rules are broken, people become inhospitable, so, in a sense, you oblige an angry person to maintain peace and order. You have to do this - it’s your job. Sit down, shut up, and follow the rules. The customer is always right but can become unruly. Going back to the situational Karens we all turn into. But, big but, if we were to follow some more basic rules for living? What would happen? But wait a second, religions have already established these cultural norms.

Life SOPs

Or at least changed the word's rules to standards of practice. A rule can be followed, but a standard must be set, followed, and looked up to. A standard like Jesus is what we Christ-followers hold ourselves to. Outside of the church, in the corporate world, these are known as Standard Operating Procedures, but once again, let us shift the lens and focus to our own lives. What are some good life SOPs? In the business sense, what are some excellent healthy habits of success? In the modern sense, what are you doing to ensure the success of not just yourself but the success of others? If you’re a Christian again, what practices and measurement standards do you have in your life beyond Jesus? 

Since I am a Christian, we have built-in measures of our success. These are called the fruits of the spirit, as most people in Bible times were agrarian. Today, they may be called traits of highly successful and charismatic people, but in those days, good fruit meant prosperity and wealth and bad fruit - well, we all know bad fruit. But for persuasive purposes and to sell the point, I remember several times when I became violently ill due to food poisoning. I can’t eat banana pudding or pad thai because of this. I accidentally ate some rotten strawberries and my dude Lucas had the pleasure of seeing me excuse myself every hour to use the restroom during our hangout time. The epic response from my body was enough for me to swear off banana pudding and check my fruit before consuming it. But I’m getting off track.

Fruit by the spirit foot.

What are these traits of suitable fruit or fruitful people? They are written on my bathroom mirror and are things I cherish (GAL 5:22-23): patience, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Some of them are easy for me and difficult for others, and vice versa. But the thing I know, as well as anyone who practices a fruitful life - is that it is impossible to live a life of hate, depression, or negativity when you place in your life these timeless and never-changing SOPs of Christianity. Especially when the fruits of the spirit become your tool of measurement. But once again this is about rules, and instead, I'm on an adventure to Knott's Berry Farm.

If you have read most of my writings you may feel convicted or that I am speaking judgment against others or other groups, but this is not the case. I type convicting thoughts and messages more to convict myself than others. If you feel ultimately convicted to the point of anger then please know that your anger is the spirit telling you something in your life needs to change. For real, every single damn time the spirit's conviction makes me angry it is my fault. This next part may anger you, so trigger warning for the sensitive folks.

There are several biblical allegories to fruit, grapes, and vines. When I write about the fruits of the spirit humans are the vines who produce fruits in their lives. I'm sure some other pastors and communicators speak on these passages in ways that honor Christianity a bit more than myself so please go check out the numerous sermons on this topic. North Point just finished an eight-parter on the topic. But my mind always goes to food and produce because I love food. Procuring the food can be tedious though. A quick lively story from my childhood.

Rotten apples.

When I was growing up in Snellville, which is a small suburb of Atlanta, we lived in several houses, but one in particular had some fruit trees growing on the property. These trees were scattered about and included some pears, apples, and pecans that the previous owner planted in hopes of fresh produce. Snellville was a rural community for most of its existence and fruit trees like these were common in the area.

Even though our trees gave fruit, most of the fruit was inedible for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the worms would get the pears before we could grab them. I remember seeing mold grow so easily on the peaches in the Southern humidity that we had to strip the skin and mold to get to marble-sized edible mush. The worst were the apples which were sour granny smiths.

They were practically inedible because of their minuscule size and at least if we caught the pears and peaches before the persistent pests we could eat those. The apples would ripen and fall to ground and congeal to a mushy sweat mess that would attract some of the most aggressive insects. In elementary school, I was terrified of anything that could potentially sting me, and those seemed to be the only insects that were attracted to the rotten apples. Despite my pleas to build some character, I was always tasked with shoveling and bagging up the rotten apples. You know harmless childhood chores.

Fruitful living.

Luckily the only sting I felt was from a belt from refusing to do this chore for fear of getting stung by a bee, or wasp, or a yellow jacket. It was the only time my mom cried while punishing me. However, this applies because once you ripen a particular fruit does it not fall off the vine to be replaced by a better and perhaps less rotten fruit? It becomes a metaphor for life maintenance. And it's easy for me to see the waspy gaslighters in my own life who are attracted to this rotten fruit. They gaslight me into producing this fruit that they can then feed off.

But also see how easy it is to judge others for their rotten fruit. The fruits may be rotten if not harvested or grown properly. If left to nature, they fall off the vine and become food for the animals and keep the ecosystem cycles going through organisms spreading seeds and feeding the food chain. Some would rather let fruit atrophy on the vine rather than harvest and share it with the world. But people who practice the sacred art of fruitful living have the potential to change the world. All by practicing Christian SOPs and healthy living habits.

Luxury rules.

These are all things I have to work on, and the reason I write these journals. To remind myself and others to live in their best light and to love God and Jesus. Even if you do not, love those around you and love the beauty of the world. Yeah, life may suck, but there is more to it than the monotony of living and more to see than just the interior of your room. I have seen and can report that the world is great, but God is greater. God, the world, and the society that we live in give us rules to follow to hold everyone accountable, make life better, and ensure we humans don't blow ourselves or others up for acting outside of the rules. Our metric or measurement for the successful following of these are the fruits in others' lives.

I could write endlessly about the rules, rulers, and who or what rules my life and yours. Some pastors parrot the phrase Who is the ruler of your life? But it's a good question. Who or what is the ruler of your life? Is it God? Is it Family? Is it a job? Is it money? Having God rule over your life could be as simple as saying no to one thing that produces bad fruit, or perhaps a rule that I should be following that I am not. I suck at following the rules though have a great appreciation for the feeling of knowing that you followed all the rules, did all the right things, and though may not have all the luxuries that modern life can afford have truly lived a luxurious existence. It is why a man in a developing country can be truly happy with what Americans would consider absolutely nothing, while we shovel pills in our mouths due to the effects of overconsumption.

I don't want to get too preachy or off-topic, as always just some food for thought. Until next time.