Hi, I’m having a pity party today. Would you like to come? My special event manager, the devil has arranged lots of negative events for us to chew over. Are you sure? I’ve got sour grapes and regretful pie, followed by lots of whine. Really? What do you mean you’re busy. I went to yours. I’ve got some lovely negative music to play all in a dreary whiney minor key. Oh, thats sad, I was going to dig up the past and re examine those seeping old wounds.Your’e sure. Thats so sad. What? You’ve been praising and trusting God? I was hoping to have at least some pals to commiserate with, and you know what, trouble is nobody wants to come. I invited my friends and my family, but they haven’t got time, or they didn’t really enjoy the last one. Probably why they left so early. Nobody left to enjoy it with me, but me, myself and I. My unholy trinity. I’m just going to get dressed up in my hair shirt, knock myself about with a bit of self flagellation and focus on all of the wrongs done to poor old me and just enjoy myself as I get stuck into all of that nice whine. Now, where’s that Leonard Cohen CD. Darn, I got rid of it when I was stocking up on all of the shiny new uplifting Christian Cd’s. That and Marilyn Manson and Korn. Oh dear, I felt like a bit of a head banging sob. I’m sure the neighbours would have liked to hear them too.
I’m pretty sure that if you read this post right to the end, you realised that I am talking very much in a facetious way. I am in no way denigrating or under estimating the hugely painful issues that many are dealing with at the moment, ones where you need a listening ear and prayer supporters. This post really is tongue in cheek. I’ve had many a pity party in my life, after all I’ve been ignored, sidelined, stood up, criticised, maligned, misunderstood, abandoned and lied about. I’ve been overlooked, judged and passed by when I was obviously the best choice. But guess what. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last. You probably have too. It’s something we cannot escape from in this crazy journey called life. The few guests that used to attend my pity parties have all moved away or moved onwards and upwards. They decided that hanging around and complaining wasn’t really helping them to move ahead in their lives, so they gave it a big fat miss. Also,the main guest, the Devil, was so ego centric, he hated it when we started to praise Jesus instead and stormed off in a sulphuric huff.
I think of someone else who was sidelined, misjudged, misunderstood and criticised. But unlike me, he really was an amazing person. Completely untainted by sin and self advancement, he took on a massive undertaking in collaboration with his perfect and loving father. He decided that even though it was going to be a hugely challenging role that would eventually kill him, he was going to do it fuelled with passionate love and steely determination. He knew it was going to be hard. He knew that it was going to be gruelling and that the ultimate finale would plunge him into such a horrific confrontation with the very essence of evil that he would wrestle for three long days and nights until he rose with the early morning light of day, having won a victory that could not be achieved by following a rigid set of laws. He won by blood and love, and he wins by blood and love every day as we embrace his love, get cleansed in his blood and grow toward an identity modelled upon his perfection. When we take on his identity, through reading his love letter to us, and conversing with him in prayer, then the need for the pity party lessens.
But we are human. I was the last time I looked. So why the need to hold a pity party? Why the need to weep, rant and ask why and pick off the scabs of old wounds? Why? – well because we are human and understanding and processing pain and disappointment can be incredibly hard. That is why when we come to that point (yet again as I often do) we need to nip it right in the bud before we get the invitations written. Just as we’re organising an audience to attend, Yes, I know it seems justified. After all, the Pastor walked right past you at church without acknowledging you and you were ignored once again even though you offered to join the worship team. Yes, your voice needs some work, but that shouldn’t be a problem should it? Christians are supposed to be accepting and all embracing and non judgemental. And that new connect group. They are so cliquey. No matter what I do, they ignore me every time I speak, and I know the bible better than they do. Need I go on? We can always find a reason to revel in angst and bitterness. But, it only turns inwards and isolates us. It does not change the situation. They probably don’t even know that you got offended.
Yes, i know you have some invitations left over from last time, but heres an idea. Chuck them away. Lets change it into something that is the opposite of a pity party. Lets make it a praise and worship party. Instead of the unholy trinity of me myself and I, invite the Holiest and most perfect of trinities – the only trinity – that of God the heavenly father, the precious Holy Spirit, and yes, the perfect and precious provider of grace, Jesus himself. As we tear up the misery and hurt from our fear, rejection and pain, and just bask and soak in his presence, we can sense the peace and comfort of the Holy spirit as he folds his dove wings around us. We can feel the huge arms of our daddy God sweep us up into his arms as he holds us close to his heart of love. And we sense Jesus as once again, he takes our hand and leads us out of our pit of self pity, and into the presence of grace. That precious and available love and grace.
Thrive 