{"id":1685,"date":"2010-09-04T13:36:12","date_gmt":"2010-09-04T19:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raincitypastor.wordpress.com\/?p=633"},"modified":"2010-09-04T13:36:12","modified_gmt":"2010-09-04T19:36:12","slug":"as-if-a-tiny-anniversary-meditation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/09\/04\/as-if-a-tiny-anniversary-meditation-2\/","title":{"rendered":"As if…a tiny anniversary meditation."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I don\u2019t know famous people, but this summer I was able to become friends with one of the actors<\/a> on \u201cThe Middle\u201d because his dad and I were in architecture school together. \u00a0We were all together at a conference where I spoke, and I learned about the challenges and opportunities that come to Christ followers who are professional actors. \u00a0He told me Patricia Heaton, who plays the mom in \u201cThe Middle\u201d is a committed Christ follower. \u00a0So it was with great interest, two weekends ago, that I listened to this interview<\/a> of her on NPR.<\/p>\n

Funny, articulate, intelligent, devoted to her family, and a lover of Christ \u2013 I don\u2019t know Hollywood firsthand, but this seems like a rare combo! \u00a0She speaks openly of wrestling with her calling and of ultimately opening herself utterly to following God\u2019s will. \u00a0I sat with my coffee, alone, early on a Saturday morning, and soaked in the interview, telling myself that \u201cThe Middle\u201d is my new favorite TV show, even before I\u2019ve seen a single episode.<\/p>\n

She spoke of being \u201coff-Broadway\u201d in a play where, night after night, she needed to kiss the man who was not only her husband\u2019s best friend, but also the best man at their wedding! \u00a0In the context of sharing this story, she offered some practical marital advice, that I\u2019ve summarized like this: \u00a0\u201cas if\u201d.<\/p>\n

No matter where our emotions are on a given day, Patricia suggests that we continue to do the things we do when we feel the emotions of love. \u00a0I realize that her advice might be fraught with problems if taken absolutely, realize that she\u2019s not a therapist, realize that if your spouse is being abusive, you don\u2019t bring flowers and pretend nothing\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n

Still, the core principle she offers here seems priceless to me, and I\u2019ve said it this way many times: Let\u2019s keep showing up! <\/em>Let\u2019s keep showing up for each other when we feel like and when we don\u2019t; when we\u2019re excited and when we\u2019re bored; when we\u2019re feeling the thrill of the relationship and when it\u2019s wearying. \u00a0Act AS IF this person is the most important person in the world because he\/she is. \u00a0And while you\u2019re at it, act AS IF God is at work in the world, at work in your world, even when your legs feel like concrete mix, and your prayers like ashes. \u00a0Go ahead and show up.<\/p>\n

Previous generations had the liability of duty<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0Routines, commitments, and relationships, would continue, even though all the life and meaning had long ago been sucked out of them because of that overblown word: duty. \u00a0It implied that you just kept showing up no matter how you felt. \u00a0People sometimes ended up in lifeless marriages, and sterile relationships with God, but the \u2018hung in there\u2019, and were proud of it.<\/p>\n

This is not that<\/strong>. \u00a0This is, instead, a response to the liability of this new century, which is authenticity<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0This word implies that you only invest in your commitments as you long as you feel like it, as long as you can see the payoff. \u00a0I\u2019m here to tell you, at 54 and during the week of my 31st anniversary, that there are days, sometimes even weeks, when the payoff is buried under activities, obligations, words that sting, health or money challenges, and a boatload of other things. \u00a0So you don\u2019t see the payoff on some particular day; big deal. \u00a0Invest anyway, not out of a sense of duty, but out of a belief that the investment will payout someday soon. \u00a0The payout won\u2019t be some sterile boast that you did the right thing, or that you stayed together. \u00a0It will be that you\u2019re more in love than ever<\/strong><\/em> before. \u00a0At least that\u2019s the way it\u2019s been around my house lately \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Act AS IF God is sitting there with you, when you read your Bible, and then let God know, in your journal or words, how frustrated you are with the parts of the Bible you don\u2019t get. Understanding will come, little by little. \u00a0Act AS IF he hears your prayers, and you\u2019ll find God answering yes, little by little.<\/p>\n

We can do this, must do this, if our lives are to ripen and enjoy the fruitfulness of faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Cheers\u2026<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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