Jesus in a Bottle

“Well you know what his problem is, he’s looking for Jesus in a bottle!”  Wow, what a descriptive phrase!  I was working at an exclusive men’s clothing store, one of the many jobs I had before entering the ministry, when I first heard the expression; ‘looking for Jesus in a bottle’ as a way to describe a person seeking answers to their problems through alcohol.  I often took my lunch break in the seamstress room in the back of the clothing store.  I enjoyed the company of the two elderly black women who made alterations on the suits we sold.  They were the age of my grandmothers and had observed a great deal over the years that gave them considerable wisdom.  I learned much that is not found in a text book or classroom from talking and listening to them.

I have often thought of how much was expressed in that simple and colorful statement.  Whether we realize it or not we are all seekers in this life.  Most, if not all, of our activities and pursuits are actually seeking the things that are only found in and through the love of God.  Some get lost or discouraged in the journey and look in wrong directions or wrong places such as; alcohol, drugs, sex, power and sometimes even in distorted religious viewpoints but still we all really want the same things.  No matter how we go about it we are really seeking love, fulfillment, joy and redemption as we go through life.

We all have physical needs; food, shelter, etc. but a noted student of human behavior taught me that people have three primary emotional needs in addition to our physical needs.  Physical needs are essential for survival while emotional needs are crucial for the quality of life one experiences.  The three universal emotional needs are described as; the need to be loved, the need to give love and to have a sense of purpose.  One cannot experience the full joy of life without emotional and spiritual maturity. 

A newborn baby needs to be loved.  Babies who are not loved become emotionally deprived and often spend the rest of their lives seeking to be noticed or accepted, frequently in ways that are not healthy or constructive.  They may act up or act out in ways that are destructive to themselves and those around them when they are really seeking to fill the void caused by a lack of love. 

The second emotional need, the need to share love, is also important for healthy and mature emotional health.  A two year old can often be difficult because they think they are the center of the universe and everything exists for their own use or pleasure.  Hopefully the ‘terrible two’ stage is short-lived as the child learns to share or express love to those around them.  Sadly some people never learn to properly give love and spend their lives in a sad immature narcissistic world. 

We also have a need to find meaning or purpose in our existence.  

Herman Melville in his classic novel, Moby Dick wrote the following; “For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all of the horrors of the half-lived life”.   We all really want to get the most out of this brief life.  Melville describes the inner peace and fulfillment we seek as a tropical island paradise, “one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy”.   However the island is surrounded by “this appalling ocean” of uncertainty, depression and despair which can cause a hopelessness described as “the horrors of the half-lived life”, that can lead to destructive ‘escape destinations’, in other words, “looking for Jesus in a bottle!”

I do not think it is too simplistic to say that most, if not all, destructive behavior to ourselves and those around us comes from looking in the wrong places for that which is offered by following the teachings and life example of Jesus.  In nearly 7 decades of a life spent looking for Jesus I have discovered Him in expected and sometimes surprising places.   Sadly I find that He is not seen often enough in churches.  We frequently try to create an atmosphere in church that is actually more emotional than Spiritual.  One can have an emotionally uplifting experience in church but that same result can also be experienced attending a Taylor Swift concert.  I actually was more moved by Tina Turner in my day but that is another subject.  Too often one system of belief tries to claim an exclusive title to truth which actually leads followers farther away from finding Jesus.  No matter what religious belief one prefers (Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism or Christianity) there is a common ground of truth in all legitimate religious teachings.  In obedience and repentance one finds salvation, if you obey God and do good deeds, you will be blessed, if you disobey you will be lost; that is the clear message of all true religious teachings. 

So I look for Jesus in everything and everywhere one can find truth, harmony and love.  Certainly He can be found in church but more often I see Him in the truth of His Word, the innocent smile and joy of a child, the love shown to (or from) a stranger, the faithfulness and forgiveness of a friend or loved one.  We can see Jesus most clearly when we are truly unified as brothers and sisters.  That was his prayer in John 17:21-23.  Thus the love, fulfillment, joy and redemption we really need and seek in life is not that difficult to find if we look in the right places.  Where are you looking today?

Just for Fun

Now that we have survived the holidays and look forward to the New Year let us not forget that we live in a sin-scarred world where bad thing can happen.  Jesus told us that it rains on the just and unjust so I share the following to help you understand and cope when things go wrong.  

Laws That Explain Why Things Go Awry

Have you ever received a phone call the minute you stepped outside and locked the door?  Has the phone started to ring the minute you get into the bathtub?  Certain astute individuals have noticed that such events are not the exception but the rule.  Men like Murphy, Peter, and Parkinson have made it their lifework to ferret out the operating principles, the laws that govern the frustrating lives we mortals live.  Here is a small sampling of these laws from Arthur Booch’s book; Murphy’s Law-and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong!

1. Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.

2. O’Toole’s Commentary on Murphy’s Law: “Murphy was an optimist!”

3. The Unspeakable Law: As soon as you mention something, if it’s good, it goes away.  If it is bad, it happens.

4. Nonreciprocal Laws of Expectations: Negative expectations yield negative results.  Positive expectations yield negative results.

5. Etorre’s Observation: The other line moves faster.

6. Law of Selective Gravity: An object will fall so as to do the most damage.

7. Jenning’s Corollary to the Law of Selective Gravity: The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

8. Maier’s Law: If the facts do not conform to the theory, they may be disposed of.

9.  Boren’s First Law: When in doubt, mumble. 

10. Ninety-Nine Rule of Project Schedules: The first 90% of the job takes 90% of the time and the last 10% takes the other 90%.

Since certain laws of nature such as these are often unavoidable.   I find the following diet is very helpful in coping with the stress that builds up during the day.  Please Read and Follow Carefully. 

Breakfast                                                                             Lunch

½ Grapefruit                                                                      4 oz. Lean Broiled Chicken

1 slice whole wheat toast                                               1 cup of steamed spinach

4 oz. skim milk                                                                  1 cup of herb tea and 1 Oreo Cookie

Afternoon Snack                                                              Dinner

Rest of the Oreo's in the package                                 2 loaves of garlic bread with cheese

2 pints of Fudge Royal ice cream                                  Sausage, mushroom and cheese pizza

1 jar of hot fudge sauce                                                 4 cans of Coke

Nuts, cherries & whipped cream                                  3 Milky Way candy bars

Late Evening Snack Before Bed

Entire frozen cheesecake eaten directly from the freezer

Remember the diet is designed to help as stress builds during the day.  There are certain rules to follow that you may find helpful as well.

1.  If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

2.  If you drink a diet drink with a candy bar, the diet drink cancels the calories in the candy bar.

3.  When you eat with someone else, calories don’t count if you eat more than they do.

4.  If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.

5.  Movie related foods don’t have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment.

6.  Cookie pieces contain no calories.  The process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

7.  Foods ‘licked off’ knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something.  The calories remain in the main dish.

8.  Foods that have the same color have the same calories.  Examples; spinach and pistachio ice cream, mushrooms and white chocolate.  (Note: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other color.) 

I hope this gave you a little smile and I do hope you have a wonderful and stress free year!