Week 34 2013 God is Great, Beer is Good, People are Crazy

I’m not much of a country western fan, but this song caught my attention.  What an interesting sentiment.  The lyrics tell the story of an old man who has suffered the indignities of life, having gone through two wars and a divorce.  His prophetic piece of advice to his younger protégée is that God is good, beer is great, and people are crazy.  It is a different kind of wisdom.  One that some might find offensive, while others may laugh, and still others finding it to be profound.  I’m not sure which category I fall into.  I must admit that his sense of priority is appealing, only because it is so different from anything I have heard before.  Yet, when I really put my mind to it, I must come to the conclusion that is flawed.  As much as we may tend to dwell on the negatives of our society and the people who seem to be falling into a morass of sinful and difficult to understand behavior, I can’t escape two truths that have helped guide my life.  We are made in God’s image, and, as my mother used to say, there is good in everyone if we will only look deep enough to find it.  The second truth is found in the Lord’s prioritization of God’s commands, giving us the mandate to love others as we love ourselves.  Understanding that some have a difficult time loving themselves, it is still true that God has found something within us that is very lovable.  So much so, that He provided the life of His only begotten Son out of love for each and every one of us!

Therefore, as crazy as people might often be, we have been bought with an indescribable price, the cost of which is far greater than beer, or anything else for that matter.  Yes, God is great!  Whether or not beer is good, I will leave that up to the individual.  However, I must conclude that, at base, people are not crazy.  Yes, we are a sinful lot, filled with idiosyncracies that befuddle each other, but we are still chosen by God to be with Him forevermore.  I, for one, cannot and will not call that crazy.  Having said that, I will probably continue to enjoy the fanciful lyrics of this song, along with its catchy tune.