I was passing through the living room the other day and caught – or thought I caught — a portion of a news story on T.V. about a radio talk show host who was fired because he called his mother a “terrorist organization” on the air. I found it disturbing.
I thought it was very sad that so many Americans seem to have lost their sense of humor. On top of that, the man may have been telling the truth. I don’t know his mother, but I have one and I am one and I can tell you that the recipe for effective motherhood is a whole truckload of love, a generous portion of sacrifice and just a dash of healthy terror.
True, I don’t want my grown sons to refer to me as a “terrorist organization,” but I would probably chuckle (and understand) if they did. I was shocked that this radio announcer had lost his job over something so ridiculous.
Later, I said to my husband, “Hey, I heard something nuts on T.V. today — that a radio guy got fired because he called his mother a terrorist organization. Can you believe that?”
“Uh – I heard about a talk show host who got fired for calling the Muslim religion a terrorist organization,” Joe said. “Muslims – not his mother.”
“Ooops,” I sheepishly responded. “Never mind. Guess that was a big Emily Latella.”
Some of you may remember Emily Latella. She was a Gilda Radner character on the T.V. show “Saturday Night Live” back in the 70s. Emily was a loopy “news” commentator who delivered ranting commentaries on subjects she had gotten more than a little confused about. When corrected about her misfired comments, her typical response was a curt, bewildered, “Oh. Never mind.”
Now, whenever my husband or I misunderstand something and take off on a completely erroneous rant, our miscue is dubbed an “Emily Latella.”
It’s no fun wasting time and energy doing “Emily Latellas.” I got my knickers in a knot over a man getting fired for what I thought was an innocuous jab at his mother, when he had actually been booted for slamming Muslims. I won’t comment on whether or not I think his firing was justified (he should stick to insulting Evangelical Christians – we’re the only unprotected group in this country), but I certainly had my facts confused.
It was a good reminder that I should always make sure I hear and understand well before I jump to conclusions. Otherwise, an “Emily Latella” may result.
God has clearly communicated how He feels about us, what He wants from us, and what He has done and planned for us. It’s not really complicated, cloudy or convoluted. But too often our relationship with our Maker is filled with “Emily Latellas,” as we mistakenly rant about rules and requirements God never said we had to labor under. And having misunderstood His word and His will, it’s far too easy to malign His tender, perfect heart.
God wants and invites us to know Him. When we misunderstand Him, we misunderstand life. And that’s far, far too important to shrug off with a simple, “Oh. Never mind.”
So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord … — Hosea 6:3a
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. — Jeremiah 24:7