A Life Without the B.S. #1
No Big Shots Allowed
I grew up in West Texas. There was a stockyard near Lubbock and if the wind blew just right you could smell nothing else. People would always joke about that being the smell of money. All I knew was that it smelled like bull shit. Of course I know you might be a little shocked to read that last sentence. Those two words shaped my life. My grandmother used to tell me never to listen to it. My great aunt told me to never take any of it. My grandpa told me to never step in it and my mother told me to never say it. Some of the advice has stuck with me for the last fifty plus years.
I often wonder what a life without all the BS would look like. Could we actually have that be real in our lives? A life that did not have all the added drama and BS seems like a dream. I decided a few years ago that I would begin to search this out and see if it could actually happen. I believed in it enough that I even spend some Sundays at our church talking about it. We all agreed that it would be good to be a part of a church that was BS free.
One of the things I do know about life is from early on a pecking order is created. From the time we are born we are given a place in our family. Then we start school and everyone is sized up and given their place in the pecking order in the classroom. Then we get judged by our jobs, kids, spouse even the car we drive as adults. It seems the pecking order thing just never stops. So the first part of bs we need to realize is simply this: there are no Big Shots in life.
That simply goes against everything we are taught and see happen in life, isn’t it? The Apostle Paul wrote a long time ago about this when a church was being run by some big shots. In 1 Corinthians 12:14 – 27 in the New Century Version he writes: The human body has many parts. The foot might say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body.“ But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. The ear might say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body.“ But saying this would not stop the ear from being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, it would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, it would not be able to smell. If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But truly God put all the parts, each one of them, in the body as he wanted them. So then there are many parts, but only one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!“ And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!“ No! Those parts of the body that seem to be the weaker are really necessary. And the parts of the body we think are less deserving are the parts to which we give the most honor. We give special respect to the parts we want to hide. The more respectable parts of our body need no special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it so our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor. Together you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body.
Hidden in the ancient scripture are some things we all need to remember in life when it comes to Big Shots. First, never forget that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. It doesn’t matter if you want to admit it or not the entire world is made up of others. We are all a small part of a larger story. It does not matter if you are President or a person on the street. We are part of something much bigger. I believe the majority of our problems could be solved if we would just get over the thought that some people are bigger shots than others. That they “deserve” to be treated differently and that all the other people are here only to serve them.
Once we begin to realize that none of us can survive without all of us our world will change for the better. We are all responsible to help each other in this world. I know that last sentence brings up a big bunch of questions and protests in our hearts. The Bible admonishes us to love others as much as we love ourselves. To even love our enemies is the truest test of our commitment to being a part of this something bigger going on in our world. To truly help each other starts with the belief that they matter and are worth loving. After all we will all find ourselves one day on the needing love and help side of the equation. We are all called to make the world a better place, not just for ourselves but for everyone who is here and a part of our lives.
We all need to dedicate ourselves to serving others and helping them in their lives. The best way to remind ourselves that we are not Big Shots is to serve the people around us with love and care. If we will just give our lives to others then there is no need for Big Shots. So why don’t we stop looking to get ahead of others and start seeing how we can help and serve them. Then we can at least get a little of the BS off our shoes.