{"id":6602,"date":"2016-09-01T07:15:59","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T11:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6602"},"modified":"2016-09-01T07:48:01","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T11:48:01","slug":"the-world-is-not-our-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6602","title":{"rendered":"the world is not our stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"photo-1466584820433-9ad1cc6798f3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With the recent acts of questionable protest and patriotism, it got me thinking. (Ok, true \u2014 I think a lot.)<\/em> But I return to where this week\u2019s conversation started: what are we focused on?<\/p>\n

Many are focused on the NFL quarterback who refuses to stand for the national anthem.<\/p>\n

For some, the reaction is disgust. For a seemingly lesser few, it\u2019s a \u201cway to go.\u201d For most, no less, it seems a \u201cyou have that right, but that\u2019s the wrong way to show it\u201d (\u2026 see Kaepernick, birthmother\u2026).<\/em><\/p>\n

With Colin Kaepernick suggesting his motive is to support African-Americans and people of color, It causes me to think about how we best support other people \u2014 the way in which our support and good deeds are done\u2026 the way in which we make a significant difference.<\/p>\n

Kaepernick \u2014 and let me add a semi-subtle caveat here, as my perspective is so limited, and I have no desire to be judgmental \u2014 but Kaepernick has said he is protesting until people of color are no longer \u201coppressed\u201d and until the flag means what it \u201cshould.\u201d He has a right to that expression; and we each have a right to agree or disagree with his behavior.<\/p>\n

I wonder about that behavior. I mean, is this all he does?<\/p>\n

Again, let me not be judgmental. But I wonder\u2026 he sits when all eyes are on him. When the world is watching, he takes a stand of support. So what does he do when the public is not<\/em><\/strong> watching?<\/p>\n

\u2026 does he get involved? \u2026 does he volunteer? \u2026 does he invest in community relations? \u2026 does he utilize his celebrity status to bring police and various ethnic communities together?<\/em><\/p>\n

And\u2026 does he use any of his $19 million salary to support the causes for which he says he is passionate?<\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, are his public and private behavior aligned?<\/p>\n

One of the things I appreciate is how so much of the ancient scriptures have become accepted truth. We don\u2019t always recognize that \u2014 and sometimes, we fight against them, wanting to figure wisdom out on our own a bit \u2014 but typically, we find wisdom already, generously provided. When I focus on the big picture here, the following wisdom comes to mind:<\/p>\n

\u201cBe especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don\u2019t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won\u2019t be applauding.<\/em><\/p>\n

When you do something for someone else, don\u2019t call attention to yourself. You\u2019ve seen them in action, I\u2019m sure \u2014 \u2018playactors\u2019 I call them \u2014 treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that\u2019s all they get. When you help someone out, don\u2019t think about how it looks. Just do it \u2014 quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The world, my friends, is not our stage.<\/p>\n

We are not the stars.<\/p>\n

We have been blessed with communities and cultures that provide beautiful opportunity to support and sharpen one another. We need to help the least of these. We need to support and care for one another, especially the oppressed.<\/p>\n

Some will say, no doubt, that Kaepernick is doing good by utilizing his celebrity as leverage. There\u2019s a valid point in that; he\u2019s getting people\u2019s attention. That then is where how he spends his time and money also comes into question.<\/p>\n

Am I consistent in how I care for others? Are my public and private behaviors consistent with one another?<\/p>\n

Or\u2026 am I utilizing the world as my stage?<\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the recent acts of questionable protest and patriotism, it got me thinking. (Ok, true \u2014 I think a lot.) But I return to where this week\u2019s conversation started: what are we focused on? Many are focused on the NFL quarterback who refuses to stand for the national anthem. For some, the reaction is disgust. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “the world is not our stage”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[601],"class_list":["post-6602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-issue","tag-colin-kaepernick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6602"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6607,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6602\/revisions\/6607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}