Category: Reflection

Humanity’s Demise – Now even Scattered, Covered, and Smothered

I have a confession to make. Well it is only a confession for those of you who don’t know me well. I love Waffle House. Eggs scrambled light with cheese, double hash browns scattered well covered with cheese, white toast, and a diet coke. It is the breakfast, lunch or dinner of champions. Available 24-7 it is a perfect analogy and reminder that God’s love and grace is always available.

Actually, the other part I love about the Waffle House is its ambiance. I know ambiance and Waffle House rarely go together in the same sentence, but I love sitting at the counter. Whether or not I was dining with someone or alone I know I can sit at the counter and not only watch but converse with the chef.

The ambiance also allows for conversation with everyone in the place. You can talk with a mechanic or roofer. A lawyer or teacher. An accountant or hairdresser. Newlyweds or retirees. Families. Teens and college students. Black, White, Hispanic, male, female, gay, straight and so much more…everyone loves waffles.

The conversations were rich and typically civil. The topics were as diverse as the people in it. And anytime it got heated a waitress put folks back in line in a hurry. Alas if you planned it right you could pick the correct background music via the jukebox and suddenly it felt like an episode of Friday Night Light’s or Parenthood.

And then last night I realized it may have all changed.

I sat next to my daughter. I had ordered my usual but added bacon – cause sometimes
you just got to live life to the fullest.

I conversed with the cook while he was cooking. I added salt, pepper and the perfect amount of ketchup. I took that first bite and was ready to give a compliment when I saw the chef looking down on his cellular device. I looked over at the waitress who was waiting on a waffle to be done. She was staring at her cellular device and then I began looking around at the rest of the diner.

My daughter was snap chatting – no surprise. Everyone wants to see a picture of her taking a big bite of a waffle with chocolate chips and peanut butter.

A booth with a family. All looking down and not in prayer unless it was a prayer app.

Another table with folks watching Netflix.

A lady on her tablet.

A construction worker texting.

Everyone staring down, and no one engaged with anyone.

Other than the clicking of keys and the sounds of texts going and coming it sounded like a funeral home. Actually quieter.

Looking at this scene I nearly teared up.

Is this now our world?

Are we no longer able to connect with one another unless through a screen?

It is scary when you can no longer connect even over hash browns -scattered, covered and smothered.

I don’t know the answer and I have been guilty myself of doing this, but I wonder about question that was popular a few years ago. WWJD – What would Jesus Do or at least What would Jesus Think?

Jesus was a gourmand which is a person who is fond of good eating. (Yes, I had to look that up)

Think about it – Jesus was often eating a meal, on his way to a meal, preparing a meal for a lot of folks, or talking about eating.

Spending time around the table was a religious experience for Jesus. It was important, and all were invited (which often got him in trouble.)

But unless Jesus was the chef (such as The Last Supper and Feeding 5000) the menu isn’t what was mentioned. What was filing at the table where the conversations. And if Jesus wasn’t sympathetic with Martha for her sister not helping in the kitchen I doubt he would be happy about folks staring down at their glowing screen. I don’t know if Jesus would dump over the table like he did in the Temple, but he might.

I do believe a parable about smart devices making us dumber about the Kingdom of God might appear if Jesus had been subject to cell phones like we are today.

So, I am going to do better myself by putting the phone down when at table. I will still go to the WoHo to work sometimes. But when with others I will try to look into one another’s eyes and hear their words. As such I will know a great deal about their heart and soul.

There are many other hours to be connected to the world with my device. Just not while putting food in my mouth at table.

I am sure I won’t be perfect at this, but I am going to try because I refuse to let my humanity become smothered and covered by a bunch of microchips surrounded by glass and aluminum.
Clay Gunter
7/17/18

Cooking Scrambled Eggs

I can see him still in his worn and faded overalls
Slowly cracking each egg
Placing them one by one in the bowl
Each slowly whisked together
A pinch of salt
A touch of pepper
A bit of milk
Deliberately mixed and then added to the pan
Its heat is so very low
And the stirring continues
So very gradually they cook
This old gentleman, with the little grey hair he has left, works at this job like every job I’ve ever seen him do
– unhurried
With a content smile
Consistency in his approach
His labor untroubled
The cooking finally completed even in that ultra-low heat
And alas they are delicious
Light and fluffy
Masterfully seasoned before they are ever plated
They melt in your mouth
They bring joy
Quite frankly are perfect

The eggs I cook are scrambled…
But often have a bit of shell included
Cooked in a hot pan
They are done quickly
There is little wait before you can eat
But they are dry
You better add seasoning before you taste
and alas
They bring little joy
The job is done…the meal prepared but…
Like most of my life they are done in a rush
and without a smile…
hurried along as “What’s Next” seems to be ever looming

The aged retired millworker, church sexton and lifelong farmer (and master breakfast maker) seems to know so much more about line than this man I am
– with my fancy certificates and degrees
Maybe the secret he whispers in his slow South Carolina drawl is to take it slow.
Be deliberate.
Perhaps the old man’s lesson to me – that I have never learned – is that the pleasure of life is found in the journey and not in crossing off “to do’s”

AND by choosing to really do the job right
…unhurried…
consistent…
with a slow, deliberate and gentle shuffle full of grace and not a flustered and panting sprint to be done

Only in living in the moment will joy indeed be realized
Hope appreciated
And life, love, and beauty fully savored

It’s a simple lesson that sadly I’ve been in too big a hurry to learn

My breakfast is done but not enjoyed
and my life is lived but not experienced
A life not well lived but hurried along as tasks are finished and a living accomplished
but the love of life lost…

Perhaps someday I will master this…
Unfortunately, there is no time to do it today…
Or is there?

Clay Gunter
August 2nd and 3rd, 2014 updated/completed 4/26/18

(In loving memory of Harold Foster – “Mr. Foster”)

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

Why I am No Longer Trying to be Happy.

Seven Thoughts on Contentment

When asked about what they really want for their lives, many people will respond that they want to be happy.  And for a long time I would probably answer that question the same way.  However, I have discovered that while it sounds like a great answer, seeking happiness has some real problems.  Happiness is often subject to a variety of exterior factors.  This often makes happiness quite fleeting.

The dictionary defines happy as “delighted, please or glad, as over a particular thing.”  The problem is once that particular thing is gone, the happiness often disappears with it.  This leads to the emotional roller coasters on which most of us live our lives.  We continually move between ecstasy and agony.  While I recognize that some of this is unavoidable, I have come to realize that the issue is our attempt to seek this fleeting idea of being happy.  I am now no longer seeking happiness, but instead, I am trying to gain contentment.  Unlike happiness, contentment is defined as the state of being satisfied and having a mind at ease.

Contentment is not easy; in fact, it is often quite a struggle.  Happiness can appear out of nowhere.  Even people who consider themselves unlucky eventually have something good come along that makes them feel happy.  And most of us have those things come along quite regularly.  While the old adage might remind us that the sun does not shine on the same dog’s butt every day, it also reminds us that eventually the sun shines on everyone, no matter what we do or do not do.

However, contentment is different from this – it relies on no one but you.

As I have begun to recognize and struggle with this truth, I have discovered several rules that are helping me in my efforts to achieve contentment.  I hope by sharing them, they may help you to find a life of satisfaction where your mind is truly at these.

Please note that while I am phrasing these statements in terms of “you,” that these questions are the ones I ask myself daily.

1. You are responsible for your own joy. No one can create your joyful life but you.  It is not up to your spouse or parents or siblings or friends or colleagues or boss or spiritual adviser.  It is up to you.  If you want a joy-filled life then it is up to you. Henri Nouwen reminds us that, “joy does not simply happen to us.  We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

What will be those things that bring you joy, again is up to you. Everyone finds joy in different area. Some find that joy in doing triathlons – that is not me. Others find it in gardening or music or cooking or in many other ways! The possibilities are limitless, and while I cannot even start to guess what your joys will be, I can offer one thing that I have always found to bring joy. This is the joy found in service to others. If you are not sure where to start in finding your own joy, start by simply giving of yourself. I assure you that it will bring joy.

And finding joy is the starting point for creating a life of contentment.

2. You are responsible for your own growth. Your growth personally, professionally, and spiritually is up to you and your efforts. If you want to improve at your work, you need to find those professional development activities that will help you grow. If you want to be better at your hobby, then you need to practice and push yourself. Want to get closer to God? Then you must set aside time from prayer and scripture and worship.

As human beings, we are at our best when we are striving and growing. It is why we are explorers. It is why we are inventors. Contentment of the heart and soul means we are never content with where we are. Alas, we either grow or die.

3. You are responsible for your own health and wellness. Exercise, proper nutrition, getting the sleep you need, brushing and flossing, getting checkups, taking prescribed medications, and taking time to engage in mindfulness are all up to you. Certainly there are supports available for all of these things both from others and even apps on your phone! However, at the end of the day it is up to you.

While an app can remind you to brush your teeth, doing so is up to you. Scheduling workouts is great but showing up and doing them requires your effort. Support groups and counseling require you to both show up and follow through with the advice.

The choice about all of this is yours and mine. In John’s Gospel, Jesus asked the paralyzed man if he wanted be well. I often imagine that question is one God is asking me. Do I really want to be well – if so I know what to do – the question is do I really want to do these things. Do I really want to be healthy enough to find contentment?

4. You are responsible for how you see the world.

Are you grateful or are you bitter?

Do you see the glass as half full or half empty?

How you view life is up to you.

If you want to find the bad, it is always available.

I must admit this is probably the area I struggle with the most. I struggle with finding possibilities in the midst of problems. Yet I recognize this is a key area for my own growth.

Now I am not saying to go out and buy a set of rose-colored glasses. But finding the potential in times of troubles is what contentment is all about. Making choices to find hope is essential to a full life.

5. You are responsible for creating your own vision. Too many people go around from day to day with no direction – no vision. Scripture reminds us that where there is no vision the people perish.

To find contentment you must find a vision, set goals, and create a plan. Your vision may change over time and it can be very simple. In fact, the speaker and author John Gordon encourages an individual’s visions to be just One Word. Whatever your vision is, make it easy to remember and worthy of your effort.

Having a vision will be a powerful step towards a contented life.

6. You are responsible for being part of a culture that provides affirmation.

Business leaders often remind the managers they work with that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Without a culture that provides positive energy, your strategies will always struggle. A life of contentment will be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.

You must find those people who help you to be your best. Those people will also bring you joy. They will help you see a hopeful future. It is as your parents said – choose your friends wisely.

Sadly, this will sometimes mean moving on from those who are hurtful and not helpful.

And sometimes it may be hard to find those who are on similar paths.

Nevertheless, just as a bad apple can spoil the bushel, one negative relationship can prove to be a disease on your soul.

7. You are responsible for discovering your whys.

The whys are the big questions of your life. Often you will need to ask them again and again in order to find the bottom line real and truthful answer.

It is essential to keep asking why as you make decisions. If the answers fit your vision, help you grow, and bring you joy, then you are on the right track to helping find your state of contentment. If it does not, then odds are you need to do something else.

Contentment is like sitting on a quiet beach and watching the sunrise or rocking a newborn who has curled up in your arms. It is a feeling that you wish would never end.

This is what I encourage you to seek. It will bring peace to your life and allow you to face both good times and bad times with grace and hope and joy.