Snippet: “Is this really the thing or is there a thing beneath the thing?”

snip·pet | ˈsnipit | noun a small piece or brief extract.

Steve Carter (in a recent Carey Nieuwhof podcast episode) on what happened after he chased and caught a middle school boy who had thrown a chunk of ice at his car while driving:

"‘Who's the crazy one now? You left your wife and nine-month-old on the side of the road, you ran, what is going on?’ And I realized that was the last time I was going to see my grandparents. And it was the last time I was going to see my dad for a while who had leukemia, the buyers who said they were going to buy our house had backed out that night. And all of this was in me. All of this energy, all of this sadness and a junior higher gave me a place to channel that energy when they threw a chunk of ice. And I called a mentor the next day. And I said, "Rob, what do I do with this?" And he laughed and he said, ‘Hey, welcome to the endless pursuit of getting after the thing beneath the thing. Getting after what is really going on.’"

I need to ask myself, much more often, “Is this thing really the thing or is there a thing beneath the thing?” I need to ask God this question and listen.

And I’m coming to understand that I need help remembering to even look for the thing beneath the thing. Not making others responsible for something I need to do, but admitting I could use help in a way that actually helps.

And then I wonder if I can help others, too.

And when I do, I’d like to learn to do it like I like it. Start with some empathy. Move toward the basic question: “Is this really the thing or is there a thing beneath the thing?”

Photo by Janusz Maniak on Unsplash

Snippet: The Tyrant Impulse

snip·pet | ˈsnipit | noun a small piece or brief extract.

Justin Giboney commenting on government and public schools overreach, disempowering parents and encouraging kids to keep secrets from their parents:

“This is what I call the ‘tyrant impulse.’ And both ideologies have this ‘tyrant impulse’ that ‘I have to control you and your family because I know best and you guys are stupid and I have to save your kids even from you.’”

How can we address this when we see it?

I don’t recommend accusing someone of this. That never goes well nor persuades.

It’s probably not even a good idea to bring the “tyrant impulse” idea into the conversation. There’s no way to do it without it coming across as an accusation.

The best thing is prevention by talking about how leaders in government, education, and other vocations need to fight this temptation…pastors included.

But if you have a real-life situation that requires a response, you can talk through the issues without resorting to calling anyone a tyrant…even if you’re pretty sure they are acting like one.

Photo by Erika Fletcher on Unsplash