Meh

A little word that can have big consequences in your faith.

Meh!..Its definition is lack of enthusiasm, lethargy, mediocrity, apathy, blah, whatever, indifference… basically the verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders. We hear it all the time, and we see it all the time; written down in emails and on MySpace and face book. People use it when they don't know what to say and they use it when they don't care. They use it when they won't answer a question and they use it to avoid confrontation. To me it's FRUSTRATING!!! And NAUSEATING and to God it is the same.

Revelation 3:15 NLT I know all the things you do - that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water I will spit you out of my mouth! You say I am rich; I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. And you don't even realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

Meh is a dangerous weapon that the devil uses. It's very sneaky and unsuspecting and people fall victim to it over and over again.

It is apathy…MEH! A lack of enthusiasm, a tiredness, a willingness  to be so-so, mediocre, blah, and yell out whatever-when someone asks them to do anything at all in their lives; and they use their meh's as a path to avoid any real change in their lives.

People honestly and truthfully don't seem to care much about anything anymore these days …unless of course it directly affects them in their own lives.

But meh is dangerous…..Meh or apathy over time causes us to lose hope, it drains our energy, and it stops our creativity and stunts us from growing into the people that we were actually called to be. Meh affects everyone at all ages and at all education levels and income levels.

With young people it's:

How are you doing in school…? Meh.

Do your mom and dad care if you go there? Meh.

Don't you have to be at work tonight? Meh.

With adults … it's – didn't you tell your kids and your wife that you were going to be home tonight to spend time with them? Meh.

I was going to go to take a walk tonight and get on this fitness plan but …meh.

I know I should get up from this television and go and do my laundry but …meh.

Meh has become a covering for a multitude of sins.

It is a lacksidaisical way of thinking and being and it just doesn't fit in the life of a true follower. The problem is that human beings were created by God TO CARE. We are designed by Him to be caretakers, givers who not only just give but give passionately! When we STOP caring and become meh; life actually begins to lose its meaning and its purpose for us and for those around us.

Revelation 3:15 The Message. I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold; you're not hot- far better to be either cold or hot. Your stale, your stagnant, you make me want to vomit, you brag; I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone, oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar threadbare and homeless.

God makes it really clear that He hates indifference.

This message that He wrote was written to a church (those so called Christians again) and God is telling them that they WILL NOT get to heaven because of their apathy… their mehs.

God is saddened that there are so many people who refuse to accept His offer of help but He is sickened with the so called good enough believers.Those who call themselves Christians can be the most difficult people in the world to motivate because they think they've got all the answers to the questions that they deem important. While the other side was motivated passionately to remove God from public schools, legalize the killing of innocent babies, and embrace alternative lifestyle choices, and attempt to ban the 10 commandments and prayer… Christians have for the most part just been - meh, indifferent, unconcerned and apathetic.And we can see where it's gotten us…in our elections, in our schools and in our families. This has definitely translated inside of our churches.You know we have to be in trouble when other countries start sending their missionaries to the United States to try to do the work that Christians themselves should be doing. In the book Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action, by Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and Robert K. Merton; they conducted studies to show that increasing numbers of people within our society devote more and more of their time to mass media and because of it society has actually grown to become more apathetic and show just  superficial concern for the problems in their society. In their study they hypothesize that the constant flood of information and news over time has a narcotizing effect rather than an energizing effect on the audience that hears it. Because people get lots of information about issues and problems, they begin to feel as if they have real knowledge about the topics enough to discuss them, and then they begin to believe in their own minds that they are actually helping or aiding in the solution itself. They begin to confuse just knowing about an issue with actually doing something about it. Society's conscience however is cleared as they think that is enough.

However, being informed and concerned is not an actual replacement for action. Could it be that the same thing happens in churches across America? That between Christian media that's spoon fed to Christians and then the church itself that we just live in concern for those who are dying and going to hell and have concern over those missionaries who are being beheaded for sharing their faith but yet we do actually do NOTHING AT ALL TO TRULY HELP?

To me this has to be part of it…there are a big number of Christians who complain about abortion, the lack of family values and other issues but after just talking and talking and talking and talking and nothing else we do nothing to help us gain valuable ground.  There is a meh mindset. A comfortableness within the walls… all you have to do is take a look at our attendance at a Mission week service or prayer service and compare it to a potluck or Free Church dinner to see that that's true.  

There was a statement that I read that stated that the idea of the average normal church service today was a mild mannered man standing before a group of mild mannered people telling everyone to be more mild mannered.

Is that it? Is that all? Please – tell me it isn't! My Christ, my Savior Jesus Christ deserves much more than meh. There is a saying that the cross of Jesus Christ demands a response and I don't think meh will ever cut it. Have we just become narcotized in the church and about our faith?  Take a look at the other half of the scripture… You say I am rich; I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. Or in The Message: you brag; I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone. Is that truly the message that's being taught inside of churches today? Have we begun to think that we don't need anything from Him; that we have all we need and that we're okay? L What happened? I can't for the life of me believe that these people were always this way… didn't they at one time cling passionately to God and beg for His help and mercy? Was it just over time that they began to lose their passion because it was normal to be mild mannered instead like all the other people and leaders and become lackluster and grow lukewarm?I think what has happened is Me thinking has crept in…it has become more about me and less about Jesus Christ. I ALMOST fell for it… thankfully God didn't let me…I can't tell you how many times over the years that someone who was doing NOTHING for God tried to tell me that it was more important to be home as a family sometimes then go to a mission service or how it was more important to save for a rainy day instead of giving it away to those who are doing real ministry. Thankfully I didn't listen and instead read the truth; Gods Word. And because of that I'm still in the fight; a lot of the people who told me those things are today either no longer here serving Jesus OR they have just become narcotized. Losing our enthusiasm in our faith and in life itself is easy to do… because to do it - all we have to do is DO NOTHING. Let me ask you something… What do you need prayer for? What are you desperate for? These people that God's talking about couldn't think of anything…they thought that they already had it all – and Jesus tells them… you don't even realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked or in The Message…you are oblivious that in fact you are a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. They weren't even able to see themselves in the true light. And they didn't realize that because of their lack of passion… neither being hot nor cold – that they were going to be spit out and it was only just a matter of time.  What do you need? Will you answer me with a meh; because you don't know what to say, or because you don't care, or because you just simply won't answer the question?

Read the message from Paul who speaks about his experience following Jesus. You won't hear him describing his faith as being comfortable and easy in it anywhere; there's no  mehs in it anywhere.

2 Corinthians 6:2. In The Message Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated -or not- in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly and unswervingly… in hard times, tough times, bad times, when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating, with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing His power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted, ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead, beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing yet having it all.

I thank God that that He spoke to me and told me to pattern myself after the people the likes of Paul and others. Thankfully, it's not too late for you either; you have the choice right now to be either cold or hot to the message just no more mehs…ok.