When I was a youngster, my pop stepped forward and volunteered to coach my baseball team. He didn’t go off the clock for the next eight or nine years. Year after year, when spring rolled around, we would go down to Beavers Farm Implement where all the baseball equipment was stored for the winter and load up my dad’s truck. After that, we would load up a bunch of boys and drive to a local park for practice – and more practice. We ended up with two city championships for my little league team, the Farrier Construction Mets, and two for my Babe Ruth league team, the Kiwanis Club.
Youth baseball is a pure sport without much attention paid to specialization. It is a pastime of generalists who just enjoy the sport. During any given game, a kid who started out on the pitching mound might end up catching. A catcher might toss off his gear and be re-deployed to third base. A third baseman might make a move to the outfield. In other words, one person can serve many functions. In the majors, a person who can play many positions is called a utility player. You don’t see them too much anymore, but when I was a kid, the baseball cards I collected often said “utility player” underneath the player’s name. I loved those guys. They could play any position – just like us little leaguers. One summer, I had a real streak going with a guy named “Ducky Schofield – Utility Player.” It seemed as though every Topps baseball card I bought - which included that little flat, tasteless sheet of stiff bubble gum – there was my friend, “Ducky.” Ducky didn’t make it into the hall of fame, but he became a short-lived, common-man, hero of mine.
There are certain words that I have come across that play the roll of utility player. Because words evolve over time in their usage, they can mean one thing to one generation and something quite different to another. Allow me to illustrate…
I am used to reading old guy stuff, i.e. guys who have been dead awhile. Once you get into the rhythm and the vernacular of a different era, you can manage quite well. However, the sometimes jarring disconnects between their antiquated language usage and ours is occasionally brought back to me through questions asked by new readers of old stuff. I was chatting with a young fellow the other day who was reading, at my recommendation, a 19th Century preacher who was considered “the prince of the pulpit.” The title of the sermon that he read went something like: “The Importance of Ejaculatory Prayer.” My young friend was troubled. I suggested replacing that “e” word with “enthusiastic” every time he came across it and all would be well. You get that sort of thing when you read the old guys.
Now, there is one word that has managed to straddle two ages and whose meaning is clearly defined by context. The word is “wit.” Originally, the word “wit”, which came from the Old English word “witan”, meant: “To know.” It is closely associated with the Germanic word “wissen”, which means: “To see.”
We witness these variations in such colloquial usages as: “I am at my wit’s end”; “That was a witty invention”; and “It was a stressful situation, but he kept his wits about him.” All of these infer a sense of knowledge and perception.
The word “wit” in our day has also grown to mean funny or humorous. To be a “witty” person is a high compliment because from one’s lips or actions, something is expected that will bring amusement.
I will now venture some conjecture. How is it that knowledge, perception and humor have grown from the same soil? Is it one of those etymological accidents, or is there some great truth to be discovered? Well, of course, I believe the latter…
Humor, or wit, primarily derives its strength from the power of observation. Likewise, to keep one’s wits in a stressful situation means that you are able to see options – again through the power of observation. To be witty or to keep one’s wits – there is an ability to not allow a given circumstance to define one’s reality. Read that last sentence again. It is huge.
I have a witty friend – in both senses of the word – named James Lane. James is an engineer, a musician, a rancher, an inventor, a writer, and a mechanic. It is the last one that has made an impression on me time and again. Although I can work on cars when a gun is put to my head – I do not like it. As any good mechanic will tell you, fixing a car isn’t the hard part – diagnosing the problem is where the challenge lies. Checker Auto has been the happy recipient of many disgruntled (Pointless Note: Disgruntled, verb, 1) a pig who has lost his oink) visits from me as I have gone wholesale, buying part after part after part thinking that I had made the right purchase - only to be disappointed that the new part didn't fix the problem. (And being all honked up at myself for having just replaced a perfectly good part that didn’t need replacing). James doesn’t experience these trials. He usually can diagnose and fix a mechanical problem in one smooth motion. I have also witnessed him pulling a Macgyver. (Note: Urban Dictionary definition of “pulling a Macgyver”: Macgyver, verb, 1) To create or fix anything with something totally outrageous and unrelated. 2) Someone who can jump start a car with a cactus. 3) The ability to use a Dorito, a paper clip and duct tape to build a time machine. Example: Guy 1: “Dude, my car broke down on the highway.” Guy 2: “What did you do , dude?” Guy1: “I totally macgyvered that sucker with a shoe string, belly button lint and a leftover Budweiser can.” Guy 2: “Cool…dude.”)
The point is this: Most people, when faced with an automotive crisis on the side of a highway, allow the moment to define them. Their options narrow because they can no longer think beyond the circumstance. Not so with James. I have been with him on motorcycle rides where one of us has broken down. James smiles and gets busy and starts shouting directions: “Here, bring me that piece of wire off that fence over there, scrape up that piece of gum and grab that dried earthworm. That should do the trick.”
Humor plays the exact same roll in our lives. Stressful situations roll in on us and the humorless are overwhelmed. The mechanism by which a person keeps his or her wits to creatively fix a situation is the same employed by the person who can ferret out humor in the ordinary affairs of life.
And there is this - these two types of wit find an apex of agreement in the antonym: "dull". A dull person is neither funny nor terribly creative. Language usage tells a tale. Somehow the connection between “wit” as “knowledge or perception” and “wit” as “humor” has produced a marriage between the two. Over time people began to see, based upon experience – that, well, witty people are witty – and vice versa! :)
Now allow me to pull a Kierkegaard, he, of “leap of faith” fame. Just as the two definitions of wit have an apex of agreement in the antonym “dull”, so too I believe, they have an apex of agreement in what I will risk as a synonym with the word “faith.” Faith is knowledge, perception and yes – humor - all rolled into one. Faith does not allow circumstance to define what it sees. Faith always perceives better options and preferred futures – always. Faith rejoices (joy is holy humor) in all things because it knows how the story will ultimately end.
For those caught up in the dull dreariness of a faithless life – I offer you Jesus. Take just one snapshot from His life and you can begin to see the story of a Savior who kept His wits about Him.
In the book of Mark chapter 4, you have Jesus taking a boat ride with His disciples to catch a little R & R. As the boat moves out across the Sea of Galilee, a storm arises. The boat begins to take on water and Jesus just snoozes away. The disciples – trapped by a lack of perception, and seeing a watery grave as their only option, begin shrieking. It should be noted that there were many fisherman aboard who should have manned up to the situation – but as it so often goes with unbelief – it became a fast-spreading contagion. More than likely, Matthew the tax collector was the first melt-down, but that didn’t matter. It soon became a chorus.
The disciples poked Jesus and informed Him of their dire situation. And, being Jesus, He exercised His option by simply telling the wind to hush up – and it did. And then, He in effect told the disciples to “hush-up” by saying: “Why are you so timid? Where’s you faith?” In so many words Jesus was asking them why they had chosen this one option , fear, when they had so many others from which to choose – options which faith would have revealed. (Of course, waking up Jesus turned out to be a pretty good option – it always is).
The story doesn’t end there. As they debark from the boat, we are given the account of a horrific greeting party. It is the middle of the night, they have just survived a terrific storm, and where do they guide the boat? - To a graveyard. That is troubling enough. But, this graveyard happens to be the home of a guy who Mark tells us was filled to the brim with demonic guests – a thousand or so. So, get the picture: The disciples have not even had a chance to dry their togas from the passage across the sea when they land their boat in a graveyard and are met by Hannibal Lecter, naked and in chains.
What would you do in this situation? Some obvious options would be to: run, scream, cower, or hide – or all of the above. Fear is the opposite of faith, and thus the opposite of wit. Fear paralyzes and narrows possibilities. Faith and wit frees and releases possibilities. They help you to play loose. Jesus exercised faith. He kept His wits about Him and reached for the very best option and healed the man.
How is it with you? Are you at your wits end? Has a circumstance overwhelmed your mind and your heart to the extent that your options have narrowed to the thin gruel of worry, fixation, and fear? Listen up -we serve a God who is never, NEVER surprised or vexed by our circumstances. While we may be overwhelmed, He is not. Faith, wit, is the ability – and even the responsibility – we have of: “…casting our cares upon Him, because He cares for us.” I Peter 5:7 Just as fear is contagious, so is faith. As we place our faith in Him, He will pour His faith into us. He who “rides above the heavens” will give us a Divine perspective on things. He has made it pretty easy for us – the only thing that we need to remember when trying to keep our wits about us is...Him. He really doesn’t mind being bothered in the midst of the storm.
Youth baseball is a pure sport without much attention paid to specialization. It is a pastime of generalists who just enjoy the sport. During any given game, a kid who started out on the pitching mound might end up catching. A catcher might toss off his gear and be re-deployed to third base. A third baseman might make a move to the outfield. In other words, one person can serve many functions. In the majors, a person who can play many positions is called a utility player. You don’t see them too much anymore, but when I was a kid, the baseball cards I collected often said “utility player” underneath the player’s name. I loved those guys. They could play any position – just like us little leaguers. One summer, I had a real streak going with a guy named “Ducky Schofield – Utility Player.” It seemed as though every Topps baseball card I bought - which included that little flat, tasteless sheet of stiff bubble gum – there was my friend, “Ducky.” Ducky didn’t make it into the hall of fame, but he became a short-lived, common-man, hero of mine.
There are certain words that I have come across that play the roll of utility player. Because words evolve over time in their usage, they can mean one thing to one generation and something quite different to another. Allow me to illustrate…
I am used to reading old guy stuff, i.e. guys who have been dead awhile. Once you get into the rhythm and the vernacular of a different era, you can manage quite well. However, the sometimes jarring disconnects between their antiquated language usage and ours is occasionally brought back to me through questions asked by new readers of old stuff. I was chatting with a young fellow the other day who was reading, at my recommendation, a 19th Century preacher who was considered “the prince of the pulpit.” The title of the sermon that he read went something like: “The Importance of Ejaculatory Prayer.” My young friend was troubled. I suggested replacing that “e” word with “enthusiastic” every time he came across it and all would be well. You get that sort of thing when you read the old guys.
Now, there is one word that has managed to straddle two ages and whose meaning is clearly defined by context. The word is “wit.” Originally, the word “wit”, which came from the Old English word “witan”, meant: “To know.” It is closely associated with the Germanic word “wissen”, which means: “To see.”
We witness these variations in such colloquial usages as: “I am at my wit’s end”; “That was a witty invention”; and “It was a stressful situation, but he kept his wits about him.” All of these infer a sense of knowledge and perception.
The word “wit” in our day has also grown to mean funny or humorous. To be a “witty” person is a high compliment because from one’s lips or actions, something is expected that will bring amusement.
I will now venture some conjecture. How is it that knowledge, perception and humor have grown from the same soil? Is it one of those etymological accidents, or is there some great truth to be discovered? Well, of course, I believe the latter…
Humor, or wit, primarily derives its strength from the power of observation. Likewise, to keep one’s wits in a stressful situation means that you are able to see options – again through the power of observation. To be witty or to keep one’s wits – there is an ability to not allow a given circumstance to define one’s reality. Read that last sentence again. It is huge.
I have a witty friend – in both senses of the word – named James Lane. James is an engineer, a musician, a rancher, an inventor, a writer, and a mechanic. It is the last one that has made an impression on me time and again. Although I can work on cars when a gun is put to my head – I do not like it. As any good mechanic will tell you, fixing a car isn’t the hard part – diagnosing the problem is where the challenge lies. Checker Auto has been the happy recipient of many disgruntled (Pointless Note: Disgruntled, verb, 1) a pig who has lost his oink) visits from me as I have gone wholesale, buying part after part after part thinking that I had made the right purchase - only to be disappointed that the new part didn't fix the problem. (And being all honked up at myself for having just replaced a perfectly good part that didn’t need replacing). James doesn’t experience these trials. He usually can diagnose and fix a mechanical problem in one smooth motion. I have also witnessed him pulling a Macgyver. (Note: Urban Dictionary definition of “pulling a Macgyver”: Macgyver, verb, 1) To create or fix anything with something totally outrageous and unrelated. 2) Someone who can jump start a car with a cactus. 3) The ability to use a Dorito, a paper clip and duct tape to build a time machine. Example: Guy 1: “Dude, my car broke down on the highway.” Guy 2: “What did you do , dude?” Guy1: “I totally macgyvered that sucker with a shoe string, belly button lint and a leftover Budweiser can.” Guy 2: “Cool…dude.”)
The point is this: Most people, when faced with an automotive crisis on the side of a highway, allow the moment to define them. Their options narrow because they can no longer think beyond the circumstance. Not so with James. I have been with him on motorcycle rides where one of us has broken down. James smiles and gets busy and starts shouting directions: “Here, bring me that piece of wire off that fence over there, scrape up that piece of gum and grab that dried earthworm. That should do the trick.”
Humor plays the exact same roll in our lives. Stressful situations roll in on us and the humorless are overwhelmed. The mechanism by which a person keeps his or her wits to creatively fix a situation is the same employed by the person who can ferret out humor in the ordinary affairs of life.
And there is this - these two types of wit find an apex of agreement in the antonym: "dull". A dull person is neither funny nor terribly creative. Language usage tells a tale. Somehow the connection between “wit” as “knowledge or perception” and “wit” as “humor” has produced a marriage between the two. Over time people began to see, based upon experience – that, well, witty people are witty – and vice versa! :)
Now allow me to pull a Kierkegaard, he, of “leap of faith” fame. Just as the two definitions of wit have an apex of agreement in the antonym “dull”, so too I believe, they have an apex of agreement in what I will risk as a synonym with the word “faith.” Faith is knowledge, perception and yes – humor - all rolled into one. Faith does not allow circumstance to define what it sees. Faith always perceives better options and preferred futures – always. Faith rejoices (joy is holy humor) in all things because it knows how the story will ultimately end.
For those caught up in the dull dreariness of a faithless life – I offer you Jesus. Take just one snapshot from His life and you can begin to see the story of a Savior who kept His wits about Him.
In the book of Mark chapter 4, you have Jesus taking a boat ride with His disciples to catch a little R & R. As the boat moves out across the Sea of Galilee, a storm arises. The boat begins to take on water and Jesus just snoozes away. The disciples – trapped by a lack of perception, and seeing a watery grave as their only option, begin shrieking. It should be noted that there were many fisherman aboard who should have manned up to the situation – but as it so often goes with unbelief – it became a fast-spreading contagion. More than likely, Matthew the tax collector was the first melt-down, but that didn’t matter. It soon became a chorus.
The disciples poked Jesus and informed Him of their dire situation. And, being Jesus, He exercised His option by simply telling the wind to hush up – and it did. And then, He in effect told the disciples to “hush-up” by saying: “Why are you so timid? Where’s you faith?” In so many words Jesus was asking them why they had chosen this one option , fear, when they had so many others from which to choose – options which faith would have revealed. (Of course, waking up Jesus turned out to be a pretty good option – it always is).
The story doesn’t end there. As they debark from the boat, we are given the account of a horrific greeting party. It is the middle of the night, they have just survived a terrific storm, and where do they guide the boat? - To a graveyard. That is troubling enough. But, this graveyard happens to be the home of a guy who Mark tells us was filled to the brim with demonic guests – a thousand or so. So, get the picture: The disciples have not even had a chance to dry their togas from the passage across the sea when they land their boat in a graveyard and are met by Hannibal Lecter, naked and in chains.
What would you do in this situation? Some obvious options would be to: run, scream, cower, or hide – or all of the above. Fear is the opposite of faith, and thus the opposite of wit. Fear paralyzes and narrows possibilities. Faith and wit frees and releases possibilities. They help you to play loose. Jesus exercised faith. He kept His wits about Him and reached for the very best option and healed the man.
How is it with you? Are you at your wits end? Has a circumstance overwhelmed your mind and your heart to the extent that your options have narrowed to the thin gruel of worry, fixation, and fear? Listen up -we serve a God who is never, NEVER surprised or vexed by our circumstances. While we may be overwhelmed, He is not. Faith, wit, is the ability – and even the responsibility – we have of: “…casting our cares upon Him, because He cares for us.” I Peter 5:7 Just as fear is contagious, so is faith. As we place our faith in Him, He will pour His faith into us. He who “rides above the heavens” will give us a Divine perspective on things. He has made it pretty easy for us – the only thing that we need to remember when trying to keep our wits about us is...Him. He really doesn’t mind being bothered in the midst of the storm.
