I recently make a trek across some of our Country to visit my mother. Or, as we like to say in the South, “I had to get out ‘n see momma.” I drove from Earlham to Atlanta, GA. I stayed a day or two with a friend and his family, and then drove to Oxford, GA to spend a few days with my mother. While there I also drove to Blue Ridge, GA to see my nephew’s graduation. I drove a long way to go see family and then I spent most of my week driving. The one most notable bit of truth I gathered from my trip there and back is that a person can tune in a Country Music Radio Station in every part of the country no matter how remote, mountainous or flat it may be. The Christian stations came and went. The Rock stations came and went. The Country stations just kept coming. I caught up on the last couple of years of Country music.
There was one song I heard over and over and over (among the many others) that I found to be quite funny and true at the same time. Keep in mind that I do not drink alcohol of any kind but neither am I opposed to people enjoying a drink or two with their meal or at a social function. Having literally been raised around the bar room, I have seen up front and in person the evils of alcohol addiction and it would be my desire that no one have to struggle with that, but I really don’t see a problem with a drink in moderation. Anyway, back to my story about that song. There was one particular song I found amusing and surprisingly true that is performed by a guy named Billy Currington. The song is People Are Crazy. Essentially the chorus is “God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.”
I have tasted a lot of different beers in my life time and I simply haven’t developed a taste for beer. In my opinion, none of it is good, but that doesn’t stop a lot of people enjoying the sentiment that beer is good. I am not sure why sitting around having a drink of alcohol became enjoyable but I do know that sitting around after a long day of work or sitting around when you need some time to reflect or just sitting around and being lazy doing nothing can be very good for the soul. Hanging out with friends and family has its advantages but sometimes hanging out with people that don’t know every detail of your life can be helpful in a whole set of other ways. Combine that with a nice glass of iced tea and perhaps some finger foods and you have the recipe for good times. Some people fancy their coffee and baked goods and that is probably as enjoyable, which is why there are nearly as many coffee shops as there are bars these days. You get the point.
God is great, beverages are good and people are crazy. I was happy that country music seemed to be more reflective of the values I share when it comes to my faith. I was happy that so many songs seemed to understand that God is the source and sustainer of all that is good in life. I was thrilled to hear so many people sing about the love of simpler things, their country, their faith and their friends. Yeah…there was a whole lot of drinking going on…but it seemed to be more in celebration of things that are good instead of a pity party over things that are wrong with the world. God is great and I hope those folks singing and hearing those songs truly believe it. God working through His people is what made our Country so great.
Now to the lighter side of the song: people are crazy. I am not talking about “clinical” crazy, but I suspect there is one or two of you out there that may qualify. I am simply commenting on the way some of us humans behave at times. Having spent most of my life observing people either up close or from a distance, I can attest that people do a lot of silly things. Some of our crazy moments are intentional while others are spontaneous. Occasionally we behave out of compulsion and even coercion. Fact remains, all of us do some pretty silly things that some people may observe to be a bit “crazy.”
We all make bad decisions at times and we all have “times of our lives” when we seem to make a series or season of bad decisions. If I had a point to all this, let me remind you of point number one: God is great! You aren’t too far gone to stop where you are and start again in a new direction. Go find a friend, one that behaves and lives responsibly, choose the meeting location and favorite beverage (in moderation of course) and just talk about it. Let me say it again: you aren’t too far gone to stop where you are and start over again on a new course. God may not choose to undo all your craziness and there may be difficult consequences for your actions, but God will give you another chance. The first step is simply to ask. If you want to know what else to do after that, find one of your friends that talks about God a lot or find one of us preacher types around town and we will do all we can to help you walk down your new path.
