Spiritual Spinach - food for the soul when you can't stands no more

An short, ugly tar with a slow-burning fuse, Popeye the Sailor Man was actually a fairly patient guy. In spite of his reputation as a brawling hothead, Popeye could actually tolerate a fair amount of abuse, almost to a fault. You could almost say that he was a peace-loving man at heart who preferred, whenever possible, to find solace from life's little challenges in his own quiet mumblings rather than through wrestling and fisticuffs.

Almost. But the fact is that not every trial of life was deemed a "little challenge" to Popeye. In particular, whenever his true love, the sometimes fickle but uniquely attractive Olive Oyl, was threatened, Popeye became a man possessed. He just could not bear to see any harm befall his beloved Olive. Popeye's great rivals, Bluto (and later, Brutus), never seemed to learn the lesson that you just don't mess with a sailor's girl. Even though his opponents were at least twice his size and immensely strong, once Popeye's wrath was roused, there was no saving Bluto or any other rival for Olive's affection.

Of course, we all knew it was over when two things happened. The first was the Popeye's immortal utterance, "That's alls I can stands, and I can't stands no more!" And with those words, everyone knew the fight was on. At first, this was actually a pretty bad thing for Popeye. You see, once stirred into action, Popeye would let his passion blind him to some really important and obvious facts, such as the immense size and strength of his opponent. So Popeye typically got himself into a terrific mess at this point, frequently appearing to be on the verge of leaving his troubles behind ... for good.

But that's when when the tide would turn. Always, somehow, in just the nick of time, our favorite sailor man would get his hands on a can of spinach. It was not always clear where the spinach came from, or how the can was actually opened, but all of that was academic. Somehow, once Popeye had popped open that can of spinach and inhaled its contents, everything changed.

Popeye, newly endowed with superhuman strength, would mete out his own particular brand of justice upon Olive's tormentors. Typically the fight would end with an uppercut that could best be described as having the mechanics of a windmill moving at the speed of a outboard propeller. Olive would be saved, Popeye would live to fight another day, and Bluto would skulk off to some dark corner of the world to devise his next attack. So, although he was sometimes slow to provoke into action, you didn't want to be on the wrong side of Popeye of things once his passion was stirred.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to Popeye. I know what it's like to live most of my life with a too-long fuse, as though there's really nothing worth fighting for. I know what it's like to be have a soft and spineless soul, caring more about keeping the peace than about helping those in need. And I know what it's like to underestimate the strength of my enemies and the intensity of the battles they bring, believing instead that I can get by on my own strength and resources.

However, there are some things in life that rouse my spirit. Every now and then, when I see the church of Christ look away from people's hurt and pain, I think that maybe there is something worth fighting for. Occasionally, when I hear the cries of those whose voices will soon be lost if God's children do not act, I start to feel my spirit grow strong and I begin to understand that keeping the peace in my own life is no substitute for fighting the good fight. I hear a voice, deep inside my soul, crying out to be heard: "that's alls I can stands, and I can't stands no more!" And yet I know that I need strength for the battle, or else I will be blinded by my passion, overestimating my abilities and underestimating my opponent.

But every once in a while, I have actually known what it's like to reach out in desperation to a power beyond myself and to find myself being fed Spiritual Spinach - food for the soul providing just the strength I need, just when I need it.

The purpose of this blog will be twofold. First, I want to reflect on some things in this world that, when we reflect on them, ought to bring out a Popeye Moment in our souls. What is it that just makes you want to scream, "I can't stands no more?" And second, I want to focus on Spiritual Spinach - the surprising ways in which God gives us strength for the fight and food for the soul. How can you learn to reach out when all seems hopeless, finding the strength you need to prevail? Better yet, how can we train ourselves to expect this strange provision of God, so that any battle in life causes us to fight on with expectancy, not despair, as we wait to see God's provision for the moment?

This blog is copyrighted 2005 by Chris Leonard. The concept of Spiritual Spinach is based on a talk given by Bill Hybels at Leadership Summit 2005.