1. Bainespal says:

    This post is a funny, light read, but it’s very relevant.

    The wimpy mustache poster really hits me where it hurts.  I wish I could have real beard, but I have a big bald scar on my chin, and it doesn’t grow in that well, anyways. My idealized self-conception can never be actualized.

    As light and humorous as the whole mustache thing may be, I think it raises a legitimate point.  What about trying to be what we aspire to be?  Are there legitimate seeds of “relevance”?  I know there are wrong aspirations, there is vanity.  What about when we long to be better, more “epic,” than we really are on the outside?

    I think this whole “relevance” thing comes to down to a sense of serious, honest proficiency or excellence.  We are very small and very pathetic people, but we want to be good, not just morally, but we want to be compelling, awe-inspiring, attractive, epic.   Meaningful.

    • I know, right? That mustache with the hockey player is what I imagine mine would look like. 

      As to your questions:

      I’m sure there is probably a healthy dose of longing to be relevant. For instance, missionaries seeking to reach foreign cultures have a legitimate need to be accepted by the people group they are hoping to reach. However, the way they typically go about it is not by pursuing “relevance” as their main goal. Typically they will enter a village as authentic outsiders who are coming with willing hearts to learn from the people. They don’t arrive dressed in native garb (with skin painted to match) in hopes of “fitting in”. It’s the wrong approach. Over time, relevance happens because they’ve taken time to listen and understand the other culture. It’s an authentic desire to reach them. Even still, they don’t change who they are.

      True aspiration is something that I think comes as part of our authentic desires. It’s not birthed out of a mindset of “gee, we should look like him/her”. Ultimately, our value isn’t based on being externally relevant..it’s based on being authentically loved by God and feeling comfortable in that love.

      God gives us our meaning. Our art isn’t what defines that. It’s just part of our love song back to the giver of everything good. Oh…and it doesn’t have to be labeled “christian” to be part of that song either. Building skyscrapers can be done to the glory of God if your heart is right.

      My two cents.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts too. Good discussion.

  2. Galadriel says:

    My theme song is”I’m not cool (That’s okay)” by Scott Kripayne, so… it’s not really one of my issues.

  3. Kessie says:

    Your link to the mice-with-guns story doesn’t seem to have showed up. Can you link it again?
     
    And you’re right about the authenticity vs. relevance. I mean, what do you write to be “relevant?” I haven’t a clue. But I can write authentic.

  4. Dotty says:

    It’s funny how in the world right most people are struggling to be relevant, instead of being authentic. The pressure of being like so and so is just to high and some people are willing to do anything to achieve that.

  5. Thanks for this reminder. It took me a while to get around to reading this article, but His timing is perfect. Tonight is when I needed to hear it.

What do you think?