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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Handkerchief to Cell Phones



I sorted through my drawers this weekend (something my wife has been after me to do for some time.) I needed to get rid of some shirts, that at this time in their life, would make better rags.  This was a task long overdue, Melanie would agree. 

As I sorted through and threw rag/shirts over into the toss pile I wondered what had taken me so long. I have a tendency to wear shirts down to nothing  - especially undershirts. Working my way to the bottom of the drawer I discovered an ancient artifact - handkerchiefs.  

What were these square clothes - much to thin to make a good rag? I don't know why I even have them in my drawer.  I don't remember buying them.  One was blue with a KC logo.  Okay that one was promotional item.  Two others were folded in a triangle - I remember wearing those under my bicycle helmet to catch sweat.  Four were the straight up white variety (much whiter than my undershirts due to the lack of use.) 

I recall my dad and grandpa always having one of these in their back pocket.  On the farm it was handy in the field, when no tissues were nearby.  And the dust and dirt blowing up in your face always made a handkerchief necessary.  Just a kid in those days, I remember having a handkerchief of my own when I joined dad in the hayfield. 

Why don't I carry them around now?  Well, I work in an office.  Dirt seldom blows up into my face.  My biggest nuisance is the occasional headache from the florescent lights or the sore shoulders and back from hunching over my computer.  Even if I needed a handkerchief, I wouldn't have room for one.  Like a lot of us, my back pocket is occupied by my cell phone. 

Handkerchiefs now seem to be something of nostalgia and not just of a life on the farm where one was needed to relieve the sinuses of dust.  Remember how Carey Grant or Jimmy Stewart used to offer the lady their handkerchief when she would cry?  Who does that anymore?  Handkerchiefs came in very handy to the beau sharing a moment onscreen with his emotional gal.  "Don't cry, shopgirl."

Romans 12:15-16 says
15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 

This is all a part of sharing life together. We are made in the image of a relational God and we are to be relational! And not just carnal relationship, but heavenly relationships - sharing life as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Galatians is one of my favorite books in the NT, especially chapter 6.   And in that chapter, Paul instructs us to;

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. 

I'm not saying that we should all go back to the days of carrying around a handkerchief, or that we should give up our cell phones in our back pockets and return to the days of blowing our noses into linens. What I am saying is that, as the opportunity presents itself, we should be obedient to Christ and submit ourselves to one another.  We should speak truth and encouragement to one another and when the moment calls for it we should just shut up and be a shoulder to lean on.  There isn't an app for that.

5 comments:

Susan said...

What a great article! Here in Allergyville, hankies are not a plausible solution - big, huge boxes of lotion covered tissues are. Thank you for the reminder of Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Back in the days when there were still ladies and gentlemen who treated each other with respect and honor. That is just how Jesus instructed us to treat others. What a concept. I pray that God blesses you with honor and respect from all around you.

Bryan said...

Good post with a great lesson for us all. However, how do you keep a cell phone in your back pocket without smashing it to smithereens? :)

Mel said...

Thanks for cleaning out your dresser drawers! Your kind act has touched me deeply - may need one of those hankies!

Alden Schoeneberg said...

Thanks for the kind comments. I believe that our churches would be very different if we truly submitted ourselves to one another. When we share life together and put each others needs above our own that's when we begin to live the Christ life; He is the One living in us and loving through us.

As for the secret to not crushing the phone; it's called a salad, Bryan.

Mel, I'd like to say that I've been meaning to get it done. But you know I've avoided it for too long.

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