Have No Admiration for Old Fuddy-duddies

Ed, my neighbor next door, celebrated Halloween night greeting trick and treaters at his door. Both Ed and I think treating excited youngsters with chips or candy is great Halloween fun. This year Ed opened his door wearing an impressive skeleton costume. Each Halloween, Ed is willing to spend his money for an excellent disguise. Unfortunately with his costume, Ed frightened one little child, but he gave out double treats to get back in the little one’s good graces. “Pretty smooth move for a bone head,” he bragged to me later. I told Ed that I commended the high number of parents who made the effort to be out with their kids on Halloween night.

Ed said, “Don’t admire parents for chaperoning, unless the kids are really young. If there are endless parents around, they spoil the atmosphere of a spooky Halloween adventure.”

“It’s, better if parents give a safe and mischief-free environment for everyone to enjoy,” I commented.

“I have no admiration for an old fuddy-duddy,” Ed commented as our discussion ended.

Ed’s comment reminded me of how admiration for another person is a very subjective affair. An Angus Reid poll asked the question, “Whom do you admire?” The person that topped the poll was, David Suzuki. When the National Post asked readers to respond to the same question, it wasn’t David Suzuki or other public figures that the paper’s readers admired the most. The largest number of responses was for common ordinary people. Some were for particular types of workers who face the general public positively, day after day, like the streetcar conductor, the waitress and the cashier at the grocery. The members of the armed forces, the police, the firemen and the ambulance personnel were among those whom people admired. Veterans and specific veterans were also admired.

Some famous Canadians were admired like Terry Fox and Rick Hanson. Yet, the more publicity a person receives, the more that individual may be both celebrated and criticized. If no one knows you, how can they like or dislike you? Admiration like popularity can vanish in a twinkling of an eye. Dislike, rejection and contempt, can come our way for being a friend or supporter of a particular person. If we are a true friend of Jesus, we will suffer for it. Jesus said it this way, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” In September of this year, 78 believers in Christ were killed, and 100 more injured when a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up at the end of an Anglican Church service in Pakistan.

Jesus warned his disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. I have chosen you out of the world. No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” Paul also warned Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. When we are persecuted for Jesus’ sake, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, our master, who endured the cross set before him. Jesus did this so that we can proclaim with admiration that salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb!

 

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