Ego.

I have a heaping pile of that to give away.

I’m smart. No, really.

I get that I can’t tell time and have a hard time doing simple math (“simple” is really a misnomer and should be ashamed of itself for hanging out with math in the first place), but I once took an Internet IQ test, and let’s just say I should be doing your taxes right now.

And here’s the thing: we’re all at fault.

And maybe not just ego, but pride, too.

I kind of think the worst thing in the world is to be proud. 

I can’t tell you how many people (myself included) strut around this place (Earth) like we’re the fourth member of Hanson.

Have you taken a hard look at us lately?

We kind of suck, you guys.

The world, our world, America is quickly dissolving into a pot of stewed tomatoes. We smell terrible and are the most hideous shade of vermilion.

And even if we mean well, storming to the polls, shaking our Internet fists at the wrong in the world…we still think on an individual level that we got it all figured it out (our way is the right way, correct?).

But do we?

I have a hard time believing in collective thought, meaning, I have a hard time fitting inside the restraints of what “I SHOULD BE” and doing anything at all that somebody tells me to do.

It’s why I sacrifice a majority of my time as a living mannequin for the auto section of Wal-Mart.  

And I’m always in awe of people on the interwebs, how self-assured they are of their thoughts, beliefs, social acceptances, political alliances, when in the background, the bills aren’t getting paid, the violence is getting worse, the sickness is worming its way in.

The car won’t start.

Pride is the tip of the mountain, the zenith (shout out to my fourth grade vocabulary test. I owned you like a beast), the uppermost point of something built on hidden failures and too much time spent pointing fingers instead of taking a hard, long internal sweep of the soul.

And that dang mountain has a stench about it that’s worst than a whole vat of stewed tomatoes.

You can’t love Jesus and serve two masters, his heart and your staunch convictions.

You can’t worry about the state of everything and call yourself a Christian.

“Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

Meaning? Let go of it all and start walking His path.

There’s a lot of talk in the Bible about those who call themselves Christians truly not getting it. And not getting it is the worst thing in the world.

Because when you don’t understand and are frustrated by the state of things that you truly can’t control, you’re too busy fretting to love.

And love, complete faith in Christ, and moving through the world with an empathetic heart will get you much farther than taking sides and teetering on your soapbox.

SPOILER ALERT: you’re going to die. But you have today. You have your home, your children, small steps to make changes where it counts.

You might not be able to take the whole world in your hands and conform it to what you think is best. But you can you start praying and listening and doing what HE thinks is best.

And I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something to be said about closing your eyes and letting go.

Well, I better get a move on. Those heavy duty windshield wipers aren’t going to artfully model themselves. 

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