for 21 JAN 06: FINGER FOOD
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this humorous, serious, or a little of both - but from time to time, we offer things to reflect upon as we keep the seventh-day Sabbath.)
Before we begin, we send sympathies to a fellow area blogger, Chuck at Redneckin. He's lost a close relative in east Alabama in recent days. He put it better than we could: "Uncle NoPass has passed."
"His pointing and yelling and gesticulating thing at the line." That was how Atlanta sports columnist Mark Bradley described quarterback Peyton Manning's play-calling this past week. And I thought he was making sure the Indianapolis Colts moved toward the correct end zone.
But a different sort of finger-pointing was Bradley's focus. "Look in the mirror, Manning," was his title - saying the Indianapolis quarterback should NOT blame a weak offensive line for last weekend's playoff loss to Pittsburgh. Instead, Manning should blame himself. After all, his loss should prove finger-pointers don't win.
Yet hold on a minute here. By chastising Peyton Manning for finger-pointing, isn't Mark Bradley doing some finger-pointing of his own? He's done it for decades in Atlanta. In fact, I sometimes wish a sports team would name HIM head coach -- since he's such a genius at these things.
It's easy for newspaper columnists to point fingers. So can politicians, radio talk show hosts -- and yes, even bloggers. That's why I try to be careful and check myself, before I post comments on other people and things. To borrow a phrase: if you're going to blog the blog, you should also jog the jog.
Have YOU looked in the mirror lately? And I'm talking about more than making sure you didn't miss a spot while shaving....
Here's what I mean: are you accusing others of mistakes or omissions, when you're guilty of similar behavior in some way? If so, it's time to look closely at yourself and make some changes - since others may quietly be pointing fingers at YOU, and expecting change themselves.
There's a word for the disease of finger-pointing and blame-placing - one adapted as the name of a Christian rock band: "Plankeye." It comes from the New Testament, and it's really not a new problem at all. If you're doing it, ask God for help in overcoming it. It's always better to look in the mirror, and see things clearly.
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