a meditation on camels and messes

Watch out for the camels and messes

Driving Dodge street east last night I was rubber necking Westside Church (Southern Baptist). There in the parking lot were two camels. They looked to be five or six feel tall at the hump. I laughed when I thought of them inside the church building because I knew someone was excited about the beauty of the pageant and its meaning. Reality dictates, however, there were others who worried about “who’s going to clean up this mess? Camels make messes, you know. They spit, they’ve got hooves, they pass gas and, well you know what else they can do. They’re animals. And who let them in on this carpet anyway?”

The answer in life is this: some messes are worth it!

Pets are part of a lot of peoples’ lives. Most have cats and dogs. There is a rage now to have pet rats. On Tuesday night at our ministry’s cookie decorating event, I met a few. These rats, evidently, have personalities and attitudes. To work with her inner rat, this rat owner has constructed a multi-level rat condo with cardboard boxes and duct tape. The luxury penthouse is complete with terrace, a deck, and viewing tower. Presumably, there is a master bath as well. Even with a castle, though, rats make a mess. But it’s worth it.

Children are messy, too. This morning’s paper displayed a photo of a baby in a Santa’s outfit. Cute and adorable? Absolutely! Do babies make a mess? Of course. But it’s worth it.

Christmas is messy. Every year we hear about Magi and Shepherds, and Angels and Mary and Joseph. A terrific visual description of the retelling of that story is in the movie, “Simon Birch.” Simon, a birth challenged small person always ends up being the baby. One year, though, he’s going through a pre teen challenge, and the beautiful Mary pays the price, as does the free range angel who comes down on stage losing lunch from the heavens. The chain smoking, delusional Sunday School director doesn’t get a free pass either. Quite a sight. Not pretty, except for being pretty funny. Lots of messes to clean up here—both on stage and off. But it’s worth it.

Life has its messes. The challenge is not so much in eliminating them, but acknowledging them, and cleaning them up.

Last night’s TV broadcast a show of a wealthy family that is all about itself and how entitled behavior runs amok. One character, who played the part of a college age loafer with no direction, brings a race horse and jockey into his parents’ formal dinner party. It reminded me of Peter Sellers’ “The Party” or Robin Williams’ “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The hilarity, however, is cut with the sharp knife of impropriety, inattention, narcissism, and life without purpose. The cutting left a mess. But was it worth it?

The message of Jesus’ love invites us to use our passions for the love God. Those passions will leave messes—changes of schedule, equipment, budgets, relationships and more. But those are the messes worth cleaning up!

Mark 10:17-30

“As he was going out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “you lack one thin; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”