E2H Sept. Issue

RUNNING FROM ZOMBIES

[Lonnie Jones just finished a gospel meeting with us. Below is one of the many articles he is written in the past. You can find more of the same at: www.keepingupwithjones.us. Enjoy! - BK]

I’m sitting here listening to the rain. After two more client sessions and one lunch meeting I’ll be driving to Indiana. While I’m in Indiana I will pass a benchmark. That benchmark being six weeks from the date of my knee surgery. This will mark the day when I can begin to try to jog again. It has been somewhat humorous when I have talked to the medical personnel concerning my injury. “So Mr. Jones how did you injure your knee.” “Running from zombies.” “Pardon?” “Running from zombies. We had a minor zombie breakout at camp this summer and they got between me and my flame thrower—you know fire is really the only sure way to solve that little problem.”

It’s interesting that the actual problem with my knee didn’t actually come from zombies. Zombies aren’t real you know—although based on the latent response time behind the counter at T-Bell one does wonder. As I was saying. Actually I was running from a bunch of kids pretending to be zombies. I moved through a door and left the tile floor and moved onto the carpet. My foot caught, my leg twisted and my medial meniscus was torn.

So running from a make believe problem can create real life, long term difficulties. In fact that one choice at camp has interfered with working out, running, climbing, and Sunday afternoon football. It may even cause me to be sidelined at the annual Chili Bowl this year in Waverly. Maybe “make believe” should not be the right term to move this discussion into the application phase. The term I’m looking for is probably “negative fantasy”. This is where we take a course of action or avoid a course of action based on what might happen rather than what should happen. We often create unrealistic scenarios about how others will react or what circumstances will unfold and during those evasive maneuvers we end up really hurting ourselves. If the zombies catch you at camp what happens? I’m not sure; but since they aren’t real zombies and most of them are junior high students the actual potential for harm is low. By running willy nilly from them one can tear up a knee.

Avoiding actions or choosing actions based on unrealistic thoughts, fears or doubts is major mistake in decision making process. We often let this fear keep us from stopping something that should be stopped or initiating something that should be started. Please understand I’m not saying that we should not give thought as to what might happen. But those thoughts need to based in realistic probabilities. There is a difference in possible and probable. Failing to confront, set limits, ask, speak up or stand up because of false fears keeps good people from acting and allows evil to prosper.

In almost all of New Testament teachings on interpersonal relationships the burden for initiation of action is place on us. If your brother sins against you go to your brother…Matthew 18; If you bring your gift to the altar and remember your brother has something against you go to your brother…Matthew 5; If it is possible as much as it depends on you be at peace with all men….Romans 12. These are pretty clear instructions that we should not let the fear of awkwardness, admittance of wrong or potential embarrassment keep us from doing that which is consistent with our calling and character.

-Lonnie Jones