REAL (originally written in 1983)

The other day I discovered a long lost copy of some of my early writings - this item being the oldest.  It was printed in the United Methodist Church weekly bulletin in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1983, the week after I moved to Nashville to start a new job in June of that year.  About eight years ago I included it in my book entitled; A View from the Fence. (A story for another time.)   It's interesting to see how my ideas have changed somewhat over the past 30 plus years, yet in so many ways they're still grounded in the same truths I knew way back then.   It's been quite a journey since I scribbled these thoughts - quite a journey indeed.      The original version was included in a thank you letter to all my friends in the church that I was leaving behind - those that had showed me on a daily basis what it truly meant to be Real.                                               

 “Real”

The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.        Matthew 6:22-23

"If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness."    Wow, now how deep is that one!  So often we forget about the enormous philosophical overtures of the biblical scriptures, and only see the theological aspect of them, but sometimes sentences such as this just seems to scream out to us.  For the most part the writers of the scriptures as we read it today weren't known as the great thinkers of their day, they were more commonly known as, the great believers  but boy, some of their stuff is really really deep! That's really where the God inspired thing shows its validity if you ask me.  Man can't duplicate what God created. 

  

You may think what I am about to admit seems a bit shallow, (especially compared to the words of Jesus we just read) but what the heck.  My favorite book of all time is the children’s tale, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams! Now I suspect, unless you have a small child, grandchildren, or work in a daycare center it’s probably a safe bet to say you haven’t read this story in quite a while.   Me, I’ve read it numerous times over the years.   A simple book, with lots of big pictures which is right down my alley! 

Actually, at the heart of the message from the Velveteen Rabbit is a moral which is much more geared for the grown up in spirit, than the small children we often read it to.  An adult level comprehension finds a meaning in the story that a child simply can’t understand.  I suggest if you haven’t read it lately, do so because it’s a tale for all ages. In the mean time I will paraphrase the jest of the Ms. Williams’ wonderful tale for us.

The boy, (whose name, by the way is never mentioned) gets a fat, bunchy, brown and white spotted velveteen rabbit for Christmas one year.   For almost two hours the boy loved and played with his rabbit, but in the excitement of the day, and the fun he had playing with his many gifts he soon forgot about ol’ mister rabbit.    Then we find the velveteen rabbit, (whose name, also is never mentioned) gets tossed in the boy’s room among his other toys that evening.

The rabbit began to feel out of place almost immediately, as the more expensive toys openly snubbed him.  (Ever been the new kid on the block? I certainly have!)  The only one that was kind to him was a cloth rocking horse that had lived in the boy’s room longer than any of the other toys.   After overhearing a conversation between a few of the other toys the rabbit asked the horse “What is real?”   The cloth horse caught off guard by the question, thought for a minute, and then responded.  

Real; well real is not about what you’re made of, or even how you’re made.  It doesn’t have anything to do with the fancy things you can do, or even what you’re able to say.

Real is something that happens to you over a long period of time, and it doesn’t come easy.  

Generally by the time you become real most of your hair has been loved off, and you begin to look pretty shabby.  Often you end up with a few loose stitches, a hand or ear that has had to be sewn back on, and you’re probably missing a bow, a shoe, or maybe even an eye that has popped out. 

The rocking horse finished by saying; “But you want to know the best part about becoming real, the best part is that it can never be taken away from you, because once you’re real it lasts for always.” 

The velveteen rabbit sat there overcome with sadness at the thought of it taking so long, and possibly very painful just to become real.  

Over time the boy grew very fond of his new toy, and soon they became inseparable.  After awhile the velveteen rabbit began to show signs of such an intimate relationship, (just as the horse had predicted years earlier).   Stains, rubbed off fur, loose stitches, missing ear, he had it all.  Then one day in defense of the rabbit (as it was suggested the rabbit be thrown away) the boy exclaimed to his nanny; My rabbit isn't a dirty worn out toy, “He's real!”  

Hearing those words made the rabbit so happy, and very proud, for now he was finally Real.

  

[Real, what a wonderful presence of existence, yet sadly some of us never make it to that point in our lives.   We end up spending most of our time pretending to be real, but deep down we never allow ourselves to be loved in a manner that's transforming at all.  We boast of being real, yet honestly we would rather not be real as to have our hair messed up, or risk the possibility of being hurt.   We live our lives everyday in fear that we will be hugged one too many times, and our stuffing will be exposed for the whole world to see.  The risk of ridicule and criticism is too great to chance, so we continue to live at an arms-distance away, pretending to be something we’re not.  All the while in our heart of hearts we know how we live isn't real at all, but it's safe, and living safely can become addictive. Living a life that is real is risky business.]

Whew, where did that come from?   Anyway, back to the children’s story…

Later, the boy developed Scarlet Fever and the doctor insisted the family destroy all of his toys, and bedding from his room in order to eliminate the bacteria from lingering,  (this is obviously the toughest part of the book to explain to the child while reading).  

As the rabbit sat outside with the pile of the other things to be burned he thought, “What good does it do to become real if this is how things are going to end up anyway?  And then, right at that very moment a tear began to roll down his furry little cheek.  A real tear, and from this tear he began to be transformed into a real bunny.  The other toys looked on in amazement as he hopped away into the woods and was saved.  Hurrah he thought, the old cloth rocking horse was right, real does exist, but then he became saddened at the thought of those toys, (some friends, and some that chose not to be) still lying there in the pile to be burned.  He wished somehow he could save them, each and every one, regardless how they felt about him.   

Later on, once the boy had fully recovered, he was outside playing again in the backyard when the rabbit, his rabbit, hopped out of the nearby woods and the two had a wonderful time playing together all day long.

Many a life has been wasted trying to disprove Jesus was in fact a real person – that he truly existed as a living, air-breathing being in the history of mankind.  Yet, many of those so-called researchers never reach a point where they can admit the truth that Jesus’ realness isn't merely proven in his physical existence, (which certainly exists) but also in the message of his words, and the example he gave through the recorded life he lived. 

Matthew 5:39-41, the lesson about turning the other cheek, - Luke 10:30-35, the good Samaritan story, - Mark 12:13-17 render unto Caesar which is Caesar’s, - Luke 16:1-8 the shrewd master parable, - Mark 10:31 the first will be last, warning, - Matthew 20:1-15, the instructions to love your enemies, (and my personal favorite) Matthew 20:1-15 the vineyard laborer story, where Jesus taught us the vitally important lessons of focusing on our own relationship with God, and not on our fellow man.

Seventy-three of the so-called greatest biblical scholars (from the Jesus Seminar Conferences) of our generation all agreed, without reservation that these scriptures, and many more came directly from the teachings from a man known as Jesus of Nazareth.   I don’t know about you, but this sure passes the smell test for me, so I declare, He is “Real”!

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from a thorn-bush, or grapes from the briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good that is stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil stored in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.  Luke 6:43-45  Speaking / living out the language of realness, that was the message He shared, the same message mankind needs to hear today!

Us, with our re-sewn seams, repaired appendages, balding cover, and visible stuffing.   He, with his nailed-scarred hands, spear pierced side, and shredded forehead, - all signs of the wear and tear from the pathway to realness.   Us, from accepting (all too often reluctantly) the transforming type of love we truly need, and His from the rejection of those that feared He was actually who they said He was.  

What's so remarkable though, is the undeniable impact that this single man from some two thousand years ago, (in such a remote part of the world) has had on the lives of all those that have heard his name ever since.

Through, the love and admiration of so many millions of people throughout the world today- maintains the realness of the one we call Jesus, yet without it He would still be just as real.  We can only hope to ever achieve a speck of His type of realness in our own lives, which is exactly why we must strive to be more Jesus-like every day. 

Thanks to the wonderful story from Margery Williams we have a great reminder of the impact our love for each other can have, but just as importantly we also learn the hard truth about the distance between being real and otherwise - at least that's my take on it!  Being real means living a life that is anything but safe! To be real we must be willing to offer ourselves up for the possibility of being hurt or even killed for someone else - someone that very possibly would not do the same for you or me.  We must expose our vulnerabilities to others and have faith it will be okay in the end.  

Despite the skepticism of some scholars, I personally believe it is still Jesus today who reminds us to; “love your neighbor as you love yourself” and for me, that becomes a very big step on the road to becoming “Real” in my own life. How we love ourselves is fairly obvious, and how we love others becomes just as obvious to those around us.

(This ending is from the 1983 letter) I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all my friends I now leave behind in pursuit of a new beginning in Nashville.  I take with me all the lessons learned from the times we've spent together - leaning on each other, loving on each other, and most importantly, holding each other accountable - accountable to the quest of realness. 

With great love, His love, your servant for life, doug