Less Real Housewives and More Real McCoys
To be fair, I've never watched an episode of The Real Housewives, but from what I have seen I can't think of anything that would make me want to watch at all. Feeding on drama, selfishness, entitlement and bitterness just isn't appealing. Although there was a time that I'd hurry home from church to watch another drama that had many of the same features, although fictional. Why did I watch that? I can't even tell you now. Maybe it was a deterrent or something. I honestly can't remember.
Nowadays you're more likely to find me pulling up black and white shows if and when I watch television. One of my very favorite is The Real McCoys. It's full of honesty, truth, family, hard work, simplicity, community and Checkers!
I can hardly get enough of "Grampa" and his antics. He's a fiesty ol' coot that is always up for a good lesson. Never one to give up easy, always ready to fight for his family and quick to share a good prayer or show of faith. There hasn't been an episode that didn't leave me with a happy feeling and a full heart. I just love those shows and don't mind watching them over and over.
There was a time I watched shows that left me angry and flustered. Sometimes I could even feel my blood pressure rise during the intensity of the plot. Lies, adultery, financial stresses, always trying to one up the other, yuck. Now when I need to feel anxious I'll watch shows about living in Alaska or fishing in the Atlantic!
One episode of The Real McCoys finds a city couple in their fancy foreign car breaking down at the McCoy farm. It soon became evident to them the things they deemed important were not significant after all. And all the time they spent running around trying to show off their "importance" only made them seem snooty and proud. In the end they found the value of time together and simplicity in life to be more than all the fanciness of the life they worked so hard to lead.
The McCoy family welcomed those folks into their home, fed them and treated them like family. How many of us would do that today I wonder.
These days it's easy to see people scurrying around trying to make more money to buy more stuff or putting their priorities in strange order, choosing to thwart family time for more time at the office or even skipping holidays for other events. Having stuff and doing things are all fine and good unless they take the place of the parts of our lives that should really be top priority.
We can't get time back. Kids grow up. Family members age and pass on. Friends come and go. Life happens and it happens quick! Just consider how fast the seasons change. As I write this, the year is half over, I'm closer to being another year older and the things I thought were important to get done still haven't been started. Money slips through our fingers and "things" just take up space and collect dust. All the stuff I used to collect were really just obsessions that no one cared about and if I died they would just be disposed of because I couldn't take them with me and who would've wanted them? They didn't have any meaning to anyone besides me anyway.
Today I realize the one thing I can generate, collect, share and pass on is my faith. I can't think of anything more valuable than my salvation. It's the one thing I can take with me when I die while also leaving behind.
The Real Housewives may be a reality show, but I can't really think of how they relate to my life. I'm not sure if they learn much or reconcile anything-ever. The Real McCoys on the other hand, is a fictional show that hits home. Although our lives don't move along wrapping up loose ends at the end of every day, I have to hope that more of us can relate to that 50 year old show than to the more recent one.
Proverbs 6 definitely sheds light on some traits of those who seem to get the limelight these days. It can even be a bit eye brow raising to read. Check out second Thessalonians 3 and it's easy to understand what's right. Paul was telling the people of the church how to act. How to model the life of a Christian to honor God and to be blessed in return. (vs 6) "...withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." That's reminding that as a follower of Christ we should present ourselves in a way that He would. Remove ourselves from those who desire to follow a sinful life because that's not becoming of one who should be modeling the hope and joy that our salvation brings. Paul goes on to point this out in verses 7-15, even using the description "busybodies". Stay away from the like, and definitely don't be one.
These helpful scriptures are valuable today and I believe they were written for us now even more than they were for the people of Paul's day. It isn't becoming to be haughty and proud, to have abundance of random objects that we place our importance on above even human life. That's idolatry.
Christian's should be approachable and we should have a presence about us that makes others want to know about our countenance. I may seem simple in my faded jeans and t-shirt, but I can honestly say that I am happy! Some days you can even catch me in my overalls and big hat. Maybe I'm calling on my contankerous inner Grampa! But hopefully I have a peaceful way that is comforting and welcoming...depends on who you ask I'm sure. I hate to shop, but I'm always up for a good game of Checkers!
