MediocreMan

The Cross Dangling from My Neck · 13 April 2024

I wonder about the cross dangling from your neck. You see, I have a cross dangling from my neck too. I do not display it prominently. It usually dangles beneath my shirt rather than over it.

Many people are sporting crosses these days. Tattoos and jewelry are most noticeable. And when I see them, I always want to ask the wearer, “What does that cross dangling from your neck mean to you?” I want to ask the question because I want to have a discussion. And I want to know because I had to ask myself that question when I started wearing a cross.

I had been contemplating getting a cross when I received it as an anniversary gift from my wife. As I was contemplating the cross, I wondered why I wanted one. I wondered if it would just be a meaningless symbol or if it would be something more. More than that, I wondered how I would answer somebody when they asked me, “What does that cross dangling from your neck mean to you?” I wanted to be sure of my reasons for wearing the cross before I took up my cross. And I figured out two reasons for wearing my cross.

First, I wear the cross as a reminder to me of whose I am. Yes, whose, not who. I know who I am. I am just a guy striving to become a mediocre man. I am normal. Average or below. Like I said, striving to be mediocre. But whose I am is much more important than who I am. For I belong to God. Jesus is my Master and I am not ashamed to say it. The Bible uses the word “slave” or “servant” to describe a follower’s relationship to Jesus. We cringe from those words today. But perhaps we should not. Perhaps we should rather embrace them. At least when talking about our relationship to the one who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. You see, Jesus died for every bad thing that I have ever done or will do. Everything that goes against God has been paid for. The cross is the symbol that tells me the debt has been paid. God is appeased. I am free. And that goes for all followers of Jesus.

So since the cross means that my debt has been paid, since it is my bill of sale, I wear it to remind myself that I am not my own. God has paid my ransom. I am His. And as such, I will do what He says to do. He is the Master. I am His slave. Which is perhaps why people do not want to follow Jesus. The free gift of life costs too much. But does it really? Is obedience out of gratitude that much to ask when we weigh it against the reward? Life forever in God’s presence seems to be more of a gift than I could ever hope for. So first and foremost, I wear my cross to show that I belong to Jesus.

(I must digress for a moment. We Christians have co-opted the most vicious form of torture and death that the world has ever known to be a symbol of life. But in reality, the symbol could have and maybe should have been an empty tomb. After all, the empty tomb shows God’s resurrection power. The empty tomb is the symbol that tells me Jesus’ words were true. He is God. The empty tomb gives Jesus credibility. The empty tomb is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. Without it, there is no Christianity. But how do you depict an empty tomb? How do you wear an empty tomb around your neck? You do not. But a cross? That’s the ticket. It is easy to make. It wears well as a piece of jewelry. And it is full of meaning. At least to the wearers who rely on resurrection power.)

The other reason I wear my cross is so that others can tell me when I misbehave. When I am not acting like Christ would want me to act, people can point to the cross and ask if I am really His emissary. The cross is an invitation to others to hold me accountable to God. Now I know that some people do not know exactly what that means, but that is okay. For in inviting others to hold me accountable to God, I am inviting others to a conversation about what God really says. And I welcome that with open arms and open mind.

Nobody could ever really give a full description of their take on theology in a short blog post. After all, there is so much to say about grace and forgiveness and a whole lot more. And even though I will probably not ask many people what that cross dangling around their necks means, I certainly invite others to ask me. Your answer might be different from mine, but I still ask the question, “What does that cross dangling from your neck mean to you?”

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Four Inches · 6 April 2024

If you know me or have read my blog for long, you know that I coach athletes who throw the shot, discus, and javelin. I often say that I coach the throws, but in reality, I know that I coach the athletes who do the throws. Which means that I deal with personalities. Which is the best part of coaching. And perhaps the most challenging.

We all know that everybody is unique. I know. Some people think that they have doppelgangers out there. People who look and maybe even act just like them. But I do not agree with those people. I think that everybody is unique. Which is a difficult thing when teaching and coaching because it means that one size does not fit all. One coaching technique does not work with every athlete. One form of praise and encouragement does not work with every person.

Take Maddy. Maddy is an exceptional athlete. She works hard every day. She listens and takes instruction. She applies that instruction to get better. True, she does this in her own unique Maddy fashion. She has this gruff exterior, but it hides her softer side. It hides the fact that she really cares. Not just about her own performance, but about her teammates and everybody around her. Her false bravado hides her true nature. She is a softy.

Which is not to say that all her gruffness is a façade. In fact, I think she is tough as well as gruff.

The thing is that Maddy’s toughness and gruffness is only toward herself. Yes, she wants the best from those around her. Ask her lifting partner, Lily. They push each other to be better than they were the day before. They want the best for each other. And for themselves. In the weight room. On the mat (they are both wrestlers too). And in throwing. They want the best for each other, but Maddy does not demand perfection from anybody but herself. (Lily is like that too, but in a different way. But that is a different story.)

I see this drive for perfection every day of Track and Field (T&F). Maddy wants one more throw at the end of practice. She thinks that even her farthest throws are too short. There is something wrong with each attempt. And she is right. But nobody ever attains perfection. It is a matter of doing the best we can to get close. Maddy does not see it this way. She knows that she can always do better. I love this about her even though I try to temper it with a bit of perspective. Unfortunately, Maddy will not have any of that. She knows that she can always do better.

The most poignant example of Maddy’s drive, self-deprecation, and gruffness was when she got her first Personal Record (PR) this year.

Maddy is a rare talent in discus at our school. Her freshman year, she was one throw away from going to the state competition. (Sorry for bringing up the memory.) Last year as a sophomore, Maddy was chasing the school record. (I probably should never have told her how close she was.) Her farthest throw of the year was not the school record she sought. But even though she went to the state competition, she felt her season was not complete because she did not get the school record.

This season, Maddy has had some nice throws. One of those throws on the day before the day of this writing, Maddy got her first PR of the season. I knew it was a good throw. And I was pretty sure it was close to the school record. When we heard the distance, Maddy did not jump for joy. She did not relish her PR. Instead, she said in anguish, “Four inches.” She knew that she was a mere four inches short of the school record (which has stood for twenty-four years).

I love all my athletes and students. I celebrate with them in their successes. I grieve with them in their failures. And I do the best I can to give them the personal encouragement that they need regardless of the situation.

I celebrate and grieve with Maddy. She got her first PR of the season! Just four inches short of the school record.

[Note: The day after this writing, Maddy got her second PR of the season. She broke the school discus record this time. By more than four inches.]

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Special Days Indeed! · 30 March 2024

Speaking of special days, Good Friday and Easter are here! Special days indeed.

If you are reading this blog post on Thursday (because you read it early on Facebook or X, formerly Twitter), you are reading it on Maundy Thursday. Which is the commemoration of the Last Supper. The day when Jesus of Nazareth washed the disciples’ feet and when He instituted the sacrament of communion. If you are reading it Saturday (when it is technically released), Good Friday has already passed, and Easter Sunday is just around the corner. Regardless of when you read it, all of these are special days!

I have not always loved Good Friday. I mean think about it. Why would Christ followers the world over celebrate the day when the Lord, God himself, was crucified? It is a bit crazy when you look at it from the outside. When you do not know the whole story. Which is where the disciples were. They were terrified on Friday when it happened. And all of Saturday too. Which is completely understandable. They were looking for the King of kings to take His throne. Instead, He was crucified like a common criminal. So it is completely understandable that the disciples hid and cowered in fear of the Romans. Good Friday indeed.

When you read more of the history of Good Friday, you see that it was a dismal day. The sky was darkened for several hours. The Lord was forsaken. Only a few of His disciples watched His torment and death on the cross. It was a dark day indeed.

Fortunately, nowadays, we have the luxury of hindsight. We have history on our side, so we know that Easter is coming. Good Friday would not be so good, if it was the end of the story. But history tells us that it is not the end at all. In fact, it is just the beginning. Oh sure, there was the whole precursor to the cross. Jesus had a public ministry for about three years. And of course, we celebrate Christmas because it is good to celebrate the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Which, by the way, would just be a day like any other day without Easter.) And we know what happened after the resurrection, after Easter, too. Those cowering disciples became bold and preached to the world that Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

Now, I did not plan to write about Good Friday and Easter (not to mention Maundy Thursday and Christmas) when I wrote about Pi Day and Leap Day or when I mused about every day being special. But it fits. After all, Easter is really what makes every day special. Without Easter, there is not much hope. Life just goes by. Day by day. Week by week. Year by year. Without much hope. Without much meaning. But when we realize that God thinks of us as special and that He has a plan for us, we realize that we do have a place in this vast universe. And when we realize that He wants the best for us, that He wants us to be near Him, we have hope.

So as fun and special as Pi Day and Leap Day are, they do not compare to Good Friday and Easter. These are special days indeed. And when you go through your dark days (we all have them), remember Good Friday. Remember the pain and suffering of Jesus. Remember the hopelessness of the disciples. But more importantly, remember that there is hope. There is hope because Easter is coming.

Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed.

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