Hey Brother,
I’m writing today’s blog as a warning. There is a creature on the loose. We don’t know how it escaped, but it did! It threatens to cause fights in your marriage, bring strife to your workplace, and even steal the joy from your morning cup of coffee. All in all, this creature just wants to ruin your day.
“What is this monster?” you may ask. Why, it’s the great and terrible Cattywampus!
Now, you may say to yourself, “Self, I’m pretty sure this blogger has lost his mind. He’s just making up monsters left and right!”
I can assure you that is not the case. The Cattywampus is real, and it may be sneaking up on you this very day. It may already be gnawing on your heel, slowing your stride, and stealing your joy bite by bite. AND, I’m sad to say, men are most susceptible to the dastardly schemes of this terrible foe.
You see, most womenfolk, when confronted with a Cattywampus, seek help from their comrades, their feminine cohorts, their maidens of virtue. They realize that a Cattywampus can often be defeated by being honest with their feelings and just, believe it or not, by having a good cry.
But men, well, we are men and that means we are strong. Well… at least that’s what we tell ourselves as we march along, with a Cattywampus gnawing and chewing away, stealing our joy and growing bigger by the day.
(And if you’re not careful, you may even start to rhyme!)
We get stuck in a rhythm, trying to prove our own strength, taking bite after bite from this most terrible foe while pressing on, fighting harder, and building up walls. Unfortunately for bystanders, that fight and those walls get directed towards anyone who happens to be near. It may be your boss, best friend, or your wife. They’ll feel the brunt of your fight. They’ll feel lost behind your walls. All the while the great Cattywampus feeds and feeds, and we men don’t even acknowledge that it’s there.
Now that I’ve warned you of the danger and proven it’s true, you should be asking yourself, “Self, what do I do? If fighting and walls don’t stop the feared beast, what can a man do to stop its horrible feast?”
(Uh-oh! We’re rhyming again).
Well, Brother, the first step is to acknowledge the monster is there. Acknowledge the beast that’s stealing your joy. Then realize it’s not some mythical monster. You see, the Cattywampus goes by many, many names: self-loathing, defeatism, cynicism, hopelessness, or most often… a bad attitude.
If you don’t stop it at once, you turn into the very monster you hate. You become the Cattywampus when your heart is all out of sorts. You’re angled and twisted, and not centered at all. It’s those days when your joy is based entirely on how your heart feels, and feelings, while wonderful, can also lead us astray. The world may say to trust and follow your heart, but as Christians, we know a very important truth:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9
So, when your attitude is all out of sorts, causing wives to become witches, and children to become chores, and bosses are nothing but great roaring boars – take a step back and confess the sins of your heart. Admit there is a monster gnawing at your heel, seek help from the team God’s placed in your life, and most importantly, center yourself around Jesus, the greatest helper of all.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Kristopher Galuska
Family Radio Staff