We are true West Virginians, born and bred, and way proud of it! We fly the colors, blue and gold (Yeller or old gold? There’s that debate.) We walk with one leg shorter than the other because of the ridge tops, we are fiercely proud, barefoot and pregnant (not I!), we are God fearing, gun toting, moonshine drinking, deer hunting, Moth man chasing, ramp eating people, at least that’s what folks on the outside say.
But this past Sunday evening I truly felt at one with this great State. Tony and I had been on vacation. We got back in town Saturday afternoon. It’s always good to get away, but it’s always great to come home – my home is West Virginia. Anyway, you know what happens when you get home from vacation, you unpack, go to the grocery store, catch up on mowing, and do massive mounds of laundry. So, I started on the massive mounds. Load em up. But, there was a problem. When I hit start on the dryer it made this hideous noise. Not a little grind or squeak but a high pitched, nonstop squeal. Not just a let’s sit on the front porch until the dryer stops, but a noise ordinance (Do we have one?) violating noise.
We did what every innovative West Virginian would do — we Googled it! We diagnosed what we thought the problem was and Tony started taking the dryer apart. We went at it. Do you know how many parts there are to a dryer? We had dryer pieces and parts laying all over our kitchen and laundry room. After a bit we determined that we were not Maytag repair men and we had to go with Plan B. We did a little cost comparison – age vs. repair vs. purchase and at 7:00 on Sunday evening, we ran to Lowe’s and we got a new dryer – Happy Mother’s Day to me!
We brought her home – her, because all laundry goddesses give life to their appliances – it’s a partnership. We did what everyone does with a broken dryer at 8:00 on a Sunday night – moved that puppy to the back porch. That’s the moment I felt at one with our great State. With many of our kinsmen in West Virginia, we now have an appliance on a porch. Although our neighbors are probably going – what?!? I’m not too hung up on it. We have finally arrived. We are finally living up to the perception of others. Every State has it’s identifiers – those things it’s known for – whether they are true or not — and each State has their loyalists, those myth busters that constantly try to debunk or challenge what other people think.
I got to thinking. What am I known for? Are there perceptions (you know that’s reality to folks) that need to be debunked? Are there myths about me that others think are true? Maybe. You too, I bet.
People struggled with who Jesus was too. There was a time even the disciples did.
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Mark 4:41
But then the disciples arrived, became one with the One.
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:13-15
You see, the myths people believed about Jesus were slowly debunked.
Folks were looking for a military leader — He led the Lord’s army. Folks were looking for someone to save them –He is the Savior of the world. Folks were looking for a king – His Kingdom will reign forever. Folks were looking for someone to cure what ails them – He came to provide the ultimate cure — healing of broken and dead hearts.
That’s what He was known for. That’s who He was. How did people know that? That’s what His life reflected. Jesus didn’t just tell them who He was – He lived who He was. How He lived His life is what debunked the myths.
He truly was the Son of God.
Matthew 27:54
That’s an example to follow, isn’t it? Our actions speak louder than our words. We can talk about Jesus all we want but our lives and our lips have to line up. If they don’t, we’re no more than a myth. – we are not believed to be true. So who do people say we are? Maybe the best question is not who do they say we are, but whose do they say we are? How can they tell? Is perception reality?