Mouth or Money

The origin of the phrase; “put your money where your mouth is” dates back to the Greek mythology era. A Greek burial custom required a coin to be placed in the mouth of the deceased to pay the toll to Charon who was the ferryman that took souls by boat across Styx, the river of Hades.

The phrase has now become synonymous with less talk and more action. I have had no choice but to eat some crow or humble pie this week, as I found my attitude to be provoked to anger, and now have to put my words into action. I know that the things I write about are difficult to put into action, as I have a natural desire to get pissed off and seek revenge when feeling wronged, infringed upon, or victimized.

I have been through my share of earth schooling over the past 50+ years of life, but nothing more significant than the past 4 years. Many of us have been bombarded with so much turmoil, especially in regards to things that we have put our heart in, that much of our soul feels sucked dry. I keep my head up and try my best to find love in the most difficult of situations, but I keep thinking, when does the chaos end? I have been choosing to write as a mindful escape, as well as using my blogs as teaching moments for anyone who may be struggling in the same arena. This being said, teaching about true love and compassion is a daunting task, because, well.. it can be... how do I say... hmmm... SOUL SUCKING. It is costing me plenty of grief if I allow it.

Last November I boarded up the property that I have been managing in the small town where I reside. In one of the buildings, I have put my pride and joy, a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Van. I purchased this van in 2003 and intended it to be an advertising tool for my small business. As time went by, raising a family took precedence over the van. Month after month and year after year went by, and very little got done with the van. As a result, my heart was not in the project and the van began to feel like a burden. It started to consume my thoughts, and I tried very hard to not let this material possession rule my heart. It is difficult to not be consumed mentally by something that so much time and money had been invested in.

I checked out the van this week, and I was unfortunately shocked and dismayed to find that it had been tampered with. Somebody has been so bold as to start dismantling it, and I was upset to say the very least. Many of the van's parts have been strewn about throughout the garage. It's disheartening to see, as over twenty years and hundreds of hours of passion have been stripped away by some ungrateful individual with a screwdriver and wrench. 

I wasn't sure what to do at first. I thought about going to the police, but the thought of bringing some individual into a system that benefits the lawmakers, and puts pressure on me to seek restitution from a person that probably has no means to pay me back, seems hopeless. I am all for justice, but justice for who; myself, judges, lawyers, police, or the culprit? If you have ever been part of the justice system as a victim, you will understand what I mean. It is not worth my time to be chasing a person around to find restitution, the cat-and-mouse game is not something that I am interested in. It's exhausting, and it proves where my heart is if I desire to play the game of justice-seeking.

So I started to pray and ask for guidance.

I was reminded of a sermon I heard many years ago when my first son was born. The sermon was on how to raise healthy children, something that I will never forget from the pastor's teaching is this; "Don't do something that you expect your child not to do", or to put it a simpler way, "Lead by example". I grew up in a home where my parents would say, "Do as I say, not as I do", this was quite the opposite of what the pastor was saying. Comically, my mind always takes me back to the song, Fight For Your Right, by the Beastie Boys, "For that hypocrite smokes two packs a day". If you don't want your child smoking, drinking, or drugs then don't do the aforementioned. Furthermore, if you want your children to be respectful, honest, and of good character, you must also have these attributes. It is not easy! I have failed many times at being a good example to my children, but have been finding that when I take responsibility for my actions, my children appreciate my vulnerability. 

Children learn what they live, and if the home is chaotic, they learn how to navigate chaos. For many parents, we are also navigating chaos as divorce, separation, and deficient relationships are soaring at an unreasonable rate. Many parents are raising kids as single caregivers. By the time the children are old enough to seek independence and sovereignty, the struggle to teach right and wrong is left with new peers. These new peers are very rarely authoritarians, teachers, or parents. These new peers are usually people who extend the next dopamine hit from the big fatty mind-altering trip or the heart-pounding adrenaline rush from not getting caught doing wrong. Let me be clear, I do understand that some kids are just mischievous by nature and nothing we as parents do seem to have much effect.

How do we teach children to be leaders for good and not followers of bad? Big question...
I am reminded of this; "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". Romans - 8:28 KJV  

This van situation has me thinking, and as strange as this may sound, the van is an extension of me. You may be thinking that a van is just an assembly of nuts and bolts, which it is, but it is also a creation of my vision. We are all extensions of the vision of God our Creator. Like God, I took a part of myself and created something from the images I conjured up in my mind. If I profess to be an extension of a God, then what I build with my hands is a product of God and myself. What I should be concerned about is my attitude, that comes from the heart, where the kingdom of God resides.

"Built not bought", is a slogan that many people in the car community use as a sense of pride for re-building or creating something desirable from garbage being tossed away. There is no egocentric pride. This pride, at least for me, comes from the heart. Taking something that most of the world would throw away, and making it new or operatable again should be seen as righteousness, not sinfulness. God is in the business of taking garbage, the things that are tossed aside, and rebuilding and creating something desirable, a renewed heart.
 
So what do I do about the situation at hand, the van? The boy or boys (assuming) that victimized a part of me are also extensions of a loving God. In the material world, the van is just a bucket of bolts, it symbolizes the flesh. The culprit(s) are victims as well, living in a world of turmoil, hate, gossip, slander, lies, deception, etc., living in a world full of fleshly desires. The idea of vandalizing,  breaking, or wrecking anything usually comes from a place of hate that is spurred by jealousy and/or anger, the opposite of love. If we buy into the idea that we are worthless, we ultimately will lash out in an undesirable way. So I am extending love and understanding. I am choosing to let this be an opportunity to teach and learn for everyone involved. 

Again, I am not trying to be passive or passive-aggressive in this matter. I understand the seriousness of ruining something that doesn't belong to us. I am simply trying to put the words I write into action. I want my money (material) and my mouth (action) to be directed in love, found within the teachings of a guy named Jesus Christ. We are all an assembly of dust particles and an extension of a vision of Creation, God, and the Most High. We are way more important than any bucket of nuts and bolts we can assemble, no matter how shiny and beautiful.

​By the Vessel, 
William John

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