On Straightening Pictures
My mother liked straight pictures. When I painted for her through the years, the worst part of the job was rehanging all the pictures. We had to measure. Mark. Compare the mark to the next picture. Re-measure. Hang. Put the level on it. Take it back down. Re-measure again. Try a new nail over 1/8th of an inch. Hang. Move it just a little to the left. No back. Okay, just a bit. There.
About that time someone would shut a door somewhere else in the house and the picture would move just enough not to be straight. Start over.
She always kept a keen eye on the pictures and hangings throughout the house. Any that got just a little off kilter would have to be straightened. The ones that habitually moved when doors were closed or people walked by would get just a little tape on the back to keep them in place.
I cannot vouch that every single picture in her house was always absolutely straight, but she sure gave it her best effort.
Pictures should be straight.
She wasn’t crazy about crooked pictures outside of her house either. If she was out at a store, she might remark to another how something hanging in the store window wasn’t exactly straight. When she visited our house, if I had a picture askew, she would bring it to my attention… gently. At other people’s houses I know she noticed when pictures were crooked. She wouldn’t talk about it; she would notice it.
Pictures should be straight.
It might not be the end of the world if they are not, but not straight is… not straight.
Don’t get me wrong about my mother. She was neither neurotic nor rude about this. She understood that there are lots of other issues that need to addressed. She did what she could when she could, but she let the rest of it go. For instance she would never be so wrapped up in straightening pictures at a funeral home that she would forget to comfort the bereaved.
Now think theology.
Theology, like pictures, ought to be straight, orthodox.
As pastor you will, and should, spend much energy making sure that things theological are straight.
But be careful. Be kind. Be polite. Be reasonable.
Where you have direct responsibility for the theology, be careful. In your sermons, your Bible classes, your writing, training of other teachers, make sure that you go to great lengths to get things straight. Measure. Re-measure. Correct. Refine.
The theological picture you hang needs to be as straight as you can make it. Take the extra time and effort it takes to get it and keep it straight. Be careful!
Where you have indirect responsibility for the theology, be kind. You cannot correct everything that gets said in a Bible class, in a meeting, by an elder, by a staff member. Pick and choose the theology that is most crooked and deal with that. But do it in a kind way. Don’t blast fellow members or staff as heretics or fools or know-nothings. Choose your words carefully and make sure your demeanor is friendly.
But do it. It may be your indirect responsibility, but it is your responsibility. Like a mom in a son’s home, see what you can do to help keep the pictures straight. But be kind.
When you have no responsibility for the theological picture, be polite. You should not butt into the theological affairs of another congregation, even if it is of your own church body, making a fuss over how crooked all the pictures are. There is no gain in being the community’s self-appointed theology straightener. Surely you would not take it upon yourself to straighten the pictures at a neighbor’s house when you visit.
Yes, theology that is not quite straight is hard to abide. And sure if a picture was completely falling off the wall at a neighbor’s, you would try to catch it. But you are not always positioned to do something about it. There are times when it is really not your business. Be polite.
When there is something more pressing than the horizontal precision of the theological picture, be reasonable. Wedding and funeral settings can get a little askew when family members come from all sorts of backgrounds; things can get off kilter. When you are working with clergy or congregations of other denominations on social projects in your community, don’t plan to fix everyone else’s theology when you ought to be driving nails or packing groceries. If you and another Christian from a different theological background are sharing Christ with an unbeliever, don’t focus on correcting everything you find off level—focus on sharing Christ.
Sometimes there are fish that need to be fried. Fry the fish. Don’t straighten the pictures. Be reasonable.
The church body to which I belong revels in getting the pictures as straight as possible. We walk around with theological levels at the ready. We love straight pictures.
Sure, pictures ought to be straight. Pictures that aren’t straight… aren’t straight. But we live in an incurably unbalanced world. There is only so much we can do. Be careful. Be kind. Be polite. Be reasonable. A balanced approach to straightening pictures will help on your path toward significance.