The truth must come out . . .

So, I guess it’s time for me to come out of the geek closet (as if there were any question of my geekiness up until now) . . . I like the music of “Weird Al” Yankovic. There, I said it. I feel cleansed now.

In all seriousness, there’s a certain art to what Weird Al does. I mean, who else do you know that has made a very successful career out of parodying the music of other artists? He’s so successful, in fact, that most singers/musicians consider it a barometer of their success when Weird Al does one of their songs.

And when he decides to parody a video . . . well, he doesn’t mess around. He makes it look as close to the original as possible while throwing in his own unique touches. This classic, for example. It’s brilliant, really. So, yes . . . I’m a fan.

That being said, the art of the parody should probably remain in the realm of music. I’ve sadly noticed that parodies have started to sneak into areas of life where it really doesn’t belong . . . like our spiritual lives.

Much like Weird Al taking a song and making it look and sound as much like the original as possible, ultimately, it becomes a big joke. And I’ve seen too many people try to make their lives look and sound like what they think God wants it to be . . . and it’s a joke. A sad, pitiful joke. As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve been one of those people, too.

For so many years, I labored under the delusion that if I said the right words, if I did the right things, then my life would be . . . well, right. After all, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck . . .

Well, I was sadly mistaken. I see that now. I was putting on a show so that others would think well of me and so that God would like me, which is completely counter to what Jesus actually taught. “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out f it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure – ‘playactors’ I call them – treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s al they get. When you help someone, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it – quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.” (Matthew 6:1-4, Message)

In other words, don’t be a parody of the life Jesus has actually called you to. If you try to approximate the life He’s called you to, but with your own tweaks added in . . . then the joke is on you.