Tv's, Zombies and My Very Smart Wife

Hello Emmanuel,

My wife talks to the tv.  I’ll probably get into trouble for writing about this.  Of all people in the house, I talk to the tv more than anyone.  My passion for the Reds and Bengals encourages me to do so.  I know they can’t hear me, but my frustration or my need to celebrate gets the best of me.  I talk to the tv too… sometimes I yell things at the tv (one of the reasons I watch sports by myself).

But the Bengals and Reds are real people playing a real game.  Zombies?  They aren’t so real.

The Walking Dead is a popular tv show.  Kim likes it probably too much.  If she ever has blood pressure issues, it is probably between 9 and 10 o’clock on Sunday nights.  She tries to warn people when there are zombies just around the corner and she will verbally question a person’s wisdom of walking down a dark hallway with a weak flashlight.  They never listen to her.  Then again, it’s been claimed that I don’t listen to her either.  Maybe I’m to blame for her semi-entertaining behavior?

Before I get into too much trouble, I should probably come up with a point for this illustration.  The point is this:  Kim is very smart.  She knows when you are in trouble.  Her skill at anticipating the tragic moment of getting bit by a zombie is unparalleled.  There.  Now that I’ve balanced my critique of Kim’s tv watching and her higher intellect (thus clearly getting me out of trouble) let’s get to the real point.

How often do you talk to God?  Do you talk to God more than you talk to the tv?  I suspect God listens better.  Do you yell at God more than at the tv?  Again… God probably listens better.  I’m not going to spend time discussing how God may or may not respond.  For this MMP, I just want to suggest that there is value in just talking to God, regardless of His response.  There is a certain kind of psychological comfort when your faith says that God listens.  He hears you.  He wants your interaction.

And it doesn’t so much matter your emotional state.  A Pastor of mine once suggested to me that it may be okay to even vent frustration at God….. that God just might be able to handle it.  While we are taught to speak to God with reverence, the reality is that sometimes we aren’t happy with God.  I want you to know that it’s okay.  You wouldn’t be the first.  Indeed, more than one person in the Bible had moments of displeasure with God and told Him about it. 

But what you also need to know is that, while you may vent at God, understand that He inevitably knows best, even when you are the most scared or frustrated or even angry.  In the end, I do believe we will understand all that we don’t understand now.  It’s one understanding that I hold onto even in those moments when I throw up my hands in frustration.  God promises new life.   God also promises peace.  There are days when I’m more thankful for the peace.

So the next time you want to yell at the tv, know that the tv doesn’t care what you say.  God does.  Not that I would ever suggest that God would need to save you from zombies, but Matthew 27:51-53 might say otherwise.  This scripture reference is for Kim to read….. and for my continued entertainment purposes.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe