When Bruce and I moved in, I
placed a concrete statue of a little girl—she looks maybe three or four years
old—in a niche in the wall outside our door. She is about 20” tall; her head is
bowed; her hands are folded, and two concrete wings sprout from her little
concrete shoulders. I decorate her every month to fit a holiday or seasonal
theme. Right now she is wearing a turkey tail, beak, and wattle for
thanksgiving.
Although she bears no resemblance
to the angels described in the Bible, I have been known to refer to this statue
as “my angel.” This has resulted in the following brouhaha:
Last month, October, I put a
half mask over her eyes, put artificial green leaves on her wings, and a
sunflower on her head. I hung a green trick or treat bag over her hands
and spread candy at her feet. Two days later, someone left a note, “This is
nothing to do to an angel.” I took it as a joke and left it for all
to see. Two days after that, I found a plastic bag hanging on my door containing my
“angel’s” costume. I was astounded that anyone would have the nerve to do such
a thing without notifying me.
Shortly thereafter, a lady I now
refer to as “Super Christian” showed up at my door. She was all smiles as she
told me that she had taken down the costume while I wasn’t in because “people
were talking.” She went on. “I just wanted to protect you from the gossip.”
I was incensed, but, all smiles. (I haven't lived in the South for 40 years without learning something.) I asked if
she wanted any help removing the pumpkin down the hall or the witch hanging
from my neighbor’s door. She answered that she was "offended" by Halloween, but she had removed my decorations only because I had done such
a thing “to an angel.”
[God help us. Yet another misapplication of the Biblical term "offended" by those who would control the behavior of other Christians. *To "offend" in the Bible means to cause another to sin.]
After she left, I thought of all
sorts of things to do in retaliation, including placing the following note on
my statue: “I realize that those of you who
have recently stopped practicing witchcraft can be very tempted to return to
those practices by any hint of the occult, so I apologize to all of you former
witches for having costumed my statue for Halloween. Please know I am
praying for your total rehabilitation.”
But I didn’t. In the end my better angels prevailed, and I posted the following:
Dear Residents,
I want to apologize
for Becky who in the past has referred to me as “an angel.” Biblical angels are
scary, wingless, and male.
I am a concrete
statue made by Becky’s sister to commemorate their sister, Rita, who died in a
car accident.
Becky has been
dressing me up monthly to try and create a more joyful atmosphere here at C--------.
For October she
dressed me as a sprite for “trick or treat,” forgetting that Rita did not allow
her own children to celebrate Halloween.
I will close by
reminding all of us that one way we can stop the Devil in his tracks is to NOT
GOSSIP.
Anytime you hear
anyone say anything about anybody, tell them to go to that person and say it to
their face.
Thank you, “Angel”
Rita
*Romans 14: 19-23 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
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