Got Life or Dead as a Doornail?

I amuse myself with the old songs, cliches and quotes that are stored up in my mind. “Dead as a doornail” came on my brain’s radar yesterday — especially after a passionate and livelier-than-life weekend at my grandson’s baseball tournament. With all the baseball fans of the big leagues, the little leagues and the in-between leagues, there can be a lot of passion displayed.

Emotions can run high with enthusiasm when one team is winning and a lot of “dead as a doornail” agonies when the other team is losing. Just look at the faces of the fans — the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Oh, yes — it’s real, even in Little League games.

Our 18U team was undefeated going into the tournament playoffs. Parents and fans were expressive – especially about the ref’s calls. We were at a beautiful 4-field complex. At a game playing behind us, a parent became so annoyingly loud and angry about his disapproval of the ref’s calls that he got kicked out of the stands. Then in the final clutches of our teams’ championship play-off game, emotions ran high when the score was tied, and the ref gave the rules for the tie breaker. He loaded the bases with players and gave them two-outs opportunities. My grandson’s pitching held the opposing team to a one-run lead. Then in the final clutches, our guys scored two runs and the championship was ours. Did I hear myself whooping and hollering with passion? Oh yes, I did! And, on another proud-nana moment, my grandson was the game’s MVP!! I’ve learned from years of cheering for my kids’ and grandkids’ sports that our passion must be pointed toward what matters most, being sure it is in a positive, making-a-difference way and not pointed to those we disagree with.

Today I’m wondering where you and I would be on a scale with “1” being “dead as a doornail” and “10” being passionate and livelier-than-life. I think I was about an 8 while most parents at the games were plus 10! There’s a lot of adrenaline flowing at those baseball games – and it’s not just the players, but the fans.

Dead as a doornail is a phrase which means unequivocally deceased. It was used in the 1500s by William Shakespeare, and in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1843. The phrase comes from the manner of securing doornails that were hammered into a door by clenching them. When a nail has been clenched, it has been dead nailed, and is not easily resurrected to use again.

Yesterday was my sweet mama’s birthday and in the natural sense, one could say she is “dead as a doornail”, but not so, my friends. She is more alive today than she ever was before. She is in the presence of our resurrected Lord who is alive and well. And, she is alive and well in me. I am the product of her enthusiasm and joy of life. The point I’m making today is for us to start living with “the abundant life” (John 10:10) that Christ came to give us. Living with passion. Not be “dead men walking” with apathy, disinterest and indifference to life but living with passion, enthusiasm and living life to the fullest.

I’ve spoken of him before, but this is a good place to tell you about him again. Larry Williams, a dear friend, and paraplegic who could only move his fingers, which allowed him to drive his motorized wheelchair. With only what he could, he would raise those fingers to God in praise and worship, while many others with all their abilities would be stoic and “dead” of the abundant life of Christ that is available to us if we would receive it and act on it.

You know the saying “the lights are on, but nobody’s home” can be said for those who are merely existing while others, who wake up with spring in their steps and joy in their hearts – not because all is well, but because of He Who lives big in them. When we understand THE Resurrected One lives big in us, how could we not be full of passion and hope and great expectation?