Burn Baby, Burn
And he went back, and took the oxen and put them to death, and cooking their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, he gave the people a feast. Then he got up and went after Elijah and became his servant. 1st Kings 19:21
I was reminded of this "Burn Baby Burn" refrain when trying to think of a catchy title for this week's blog. A good title is like the aroma coming off the BBQ, tantalizing the readers with the smokey seductiveness. Is anyone hungry? (Special bonus if you can name the band in CCM who had this lyric in one of their songs).
My present devotional has been excellent. It does what I want a devotional to do. It starts first with a biblical story and then works in a contemporary application. There is a reason why God put the stories in there. Human nature and reality has not changed; technology changes of course, but there is nothing new under the sun. Some devotionals, like big slabs of meat, are too theologically big to get our mind's mouth around. Some devotionals are like corn chips. Puffery, with no real content. So, the theological/practical balance is both the bite-sized meat and the sauce.
The story told in the Scripture verse is when Elijah (really God) calls Elisha to assume the prophetic mantle from Elijah before Elijah is called by Uber-Chariot to heaven. The devotional writer talked about Elisha leaving his life behind. His family, farming vocation, his oxen/tools of trade, everything. Not only that, when Elisha was called, he broke up his yoke and plows, then made a barbeque pit with it all, and then roasted his aforementioned oxen and had a barbeque for the town-folk.
That's burning a BBQ Bridge is there ever was one. All that was left were bones and ashes. Some full bellies. And a new life. Last week I was going to get into a burning of bridges. I decided to go elsewhere because of the political climate and thus switched to addressing the break of the civic bridge by us putting too much hope on the political chicanery of the current scene. Tell me lies, sweet little lies, as the old pop tune goes. So, now I return to a burning of bridges in a more general sense; not necessarily a call to ministry but the principle of letting the past go--and some people with it--and moving ahead.
I am general a forgiving person because I am so flawed. I know that I have failed a lot and have no room to sit and judge others as a rule. However, that does not connote that I maintain all relationships at all costs. I have some non-negotiables and a couple of them are someone not being honest or betraying me. Those are mortal sins to me. Once done, I am putting the relationship on the fire. It is over and done. I don't do it often but I have had to at times. In order to forgive, I have to forsake. Otherwise, it is one of those "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" type of deals. Once someone has crossed the truth line or betrayed me, I don't think there is much hope that it won't happen again.
I would say that this principle only applies to people in my personal life, especially Christians. Professionally, I don't have a right to jettison kids regardless. I am called to serve them in all seasons and circumstances. In my inner circle though, the life I live outside of work, I adhere to this ethic of don't burn me or we are done. We can still hope and pray for another's person's best; that God would bless them or burden them for their soul's benefit but we are no longer going to be what we were ever. I suppose that there could be exceptions to the rule yet I don't think I am that important to make others' change their ways.
Loss is a good teacher. Perhaps the best. Some of the most helpful words we can hear are "Good-Bye" and it sticks. That's the way it goes. The freedom that comes from letting go is healthy and holy but make sure that this decision is warranted. It is sometimes too late, too long, to continue. Let it burn to ash.
Eric Bierker Ph.D is the author of "On The Edge: Transitioning Imaginatively to College." A book for the college-bound.
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