Neuroticy = A Societal Madness: If I Only Had A Prayer

Friday, January 13, 2012

If I Only Had A Prayer

“I’d unravel every riddle for any individ’le in trouble or in pain. I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry, if I only had a brain…”

My brain rarely has answers, but it sure comes up with a lot of questions. It asks, then I sit, and it thinks.

I don’t understand the church of football. It’s not a game I can sink my teeth in to, but my husband is a devout worshipper, especially after his hometown team, the Green Bay Packers, won the Super Bowl (compare to the Holy Grail) last year. There are few things that truly excite him, so I have to believe there’s some merit to these men running around in their girlish spandex uniforms, making up amendments to rules every time something goes wrong, pretending they’re not divas and drama queens with shoulder pads. I’ve seen some of them throw down like Krystal and Alexis on any given day.

It’s a brutal sport, so I figure that’s the appeal. Then, along comes a gentle lion named Tim Tebow, and he’s getting a whole lot of attention. He’s like the little Christian that could, chugging to the end zone before dropping to his knees in prayer. Apparently, a good chunk of Americans believe he’s got angel wings under that jersey. “According to a telephone survey conducted Tuesday by the website Poll Position, 43.3 percent of people believe Tebow's accomplishments on the field can be attributed to divine intervention. The poll surveyed 1,056 people, and of the 756 who said they were familiar with Tebow, roughly 327 of them said they believe God plays a role in the second-year NFL quarterback's success.”

Which led to a debate I stumbled upon online, led by Brian Copeland, a San Francisco news personality.

It’s all about the learning, and the growing. Evil exists so that we might know right from wrong. Challenging me to think about such things is only preaching to the choir, Carol, but I’m always thankful for a reminder memo.

Does God have a hand in all things, big and small? If I were to believe in the Christian God, I’d like to think that he doesn’t play favorites. He is the Almighty, and a title such as that comes with responsibilities. A parent can’t only be there for the child’s biggest traumas; parenting requires also dealing with the little sniffles, the small heartbreaks and the triumphs of all sizes.

So how do we compare a small victory like a winning touchdown to the horrors we witness across the globe? Is it really apples and oranges? I don’t know why bad things happen to good people, but I have my theories that help me sleep at night.

My dear friend Anthony sure gets on my nerves at times. He is a good soul, albeit a small soul in a big pond, and believes anything God has to say to him, but I don’t think God’s given an answer yet as to why Anthony’s been battling cancer for the past year.

Maybe He’s been too busy helping Tim Tebow get through the season.

“I’m pushing an elephant up the stairs, I’m tossin’ out punchlines that were never there. Over my shoulder a piano falls, crashing to the ground. I’m breakin’ through, I’m bending spoons, I’m keeping flowers in full bloom. I’m lookin’ for answers from the great beyond…”