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A conversation between my four year old girl and my eight year old boy in the back of the car as I’m driving them somewhere not too long ago:

Jeremy, trying to irritate his sister: “Hey Kailey, you’re crazy!”

Kailey: “No, I’m not crazy.” uttered casually but with a hint of “stop bothering me” in her voice.

Jeremy: “Yeah, you are crazy.”

Kailey, now fully engaged and irritated, “NO! I am not crazy Jeremy!”

Okay, so I should have stopped it at this point but was kind of enjoying the show.

“YES! You are crazy!” Jeremy continued.

Kailey, raised her voice like only a four year old girl could, “NO, I AM NOT CRAZY!!!”

Jeremy: “Kailey, everyone’s crazy…except Jesus! Right dad?”

“Right” I said without thinking about it much.

But now, as I think about it, I have to agree with Jeremy’s evaluation of humanity. Everyone, to a greater or lesser degree, is crazy…except Jesus. What else could explain all of the war, divorce, murder, jealousy, sex trade, arguments, selfishness and other crazy things in this world? The only feasible answer is that we’re all spiritually insane.

Our jacked up state of mind goes back thousands and thousands of years to The Garden of Eden when the first man and woman picked a piece of forbidden fruit, broke the command of God and in one swift bite turned the ultimate paradise into the ultimate Cookoo’s nest. When Adam and Eve chomped down on the no-no fruit they were choosing madness over gladness. As a result of their choice this world has become a sophisticated mental institute.

Think about it. We make crazy choices all of the time. We fight instead of talk. We conive instead of collaborate. We run away from God instead of to him.

Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Is it nature or nurture that makes us spiritually insane? I’m convinced it’s both. We were born in depravity (that’s why we don’t have to teach kids how to be bad but how to be good), were nurtured by it (depraved parents, friends and school systems) and continue to live in it (we keep biting the forbidden fruit even though we know it’s killing us!) Now that’s crazy!

The only hope of sanity that we have is Jesus Christ. He doesn’t offer 12 steps but one: come into relationship with him and he will take you into a journey toward sanity. Ultimately, on the day we die or fly, we will enter into the state of mind and state of being that we were created for. We will know fully even as we are fully known.

Until the day that we are completely freed from the straightjacket of sin let us fix our eyes on Jesus. As we do we will become more and more like him as we make our way this insane asylum called earth. What’s really funny is that the closer we get to spiritual sanity through Jesus Christ the more the world will call us crazy. Go figure!

Thanks Jeremy for giving me a theology lesson without even knowing it. And Kailey your brother is right. Everyone, except Jesus, is crazy!