It's a Groove Thing

In sports, when an athlete is going through a very successful period, such as a baseball player getting several hits in a row, we say that he or she is in a groove. When that same player strikes out eight times in a row, we say that he or she is in a rut.

So, what is the difference between a groove and a rut? When I see a long mark left behind in a dirt road by a bicycle, is that a groove or a rut? Grooves and ruts seem to be the same thing. We call this same thing different names depending on whether ot not we perceive them as positive or negative.

We always have to classify things and people in the same way. How often do we hear completely different things about the same person from different people. Prior to meeting someone for the first time, someone who has already met them may inform us that we will not like the person because they are too stuck-up. Then when we meet the person, they seem to be very down-to-earth. It is all a matter of perspective.

It seems that the most influential people in history are difficult to classify. Sure, one can argue that Hitler was a crazy madman. He was certainly influential, but only for a short period of time. It will be interesting to see how people view his historical influence 100 years from now. What about someone like Jesus? Was he a knee-jerk liberal? Was he a conservative? Was he crazy? As a Christian, I find it very difficult to classify Jesus in the same way we classify other people. I think it is difficult for non-Christians to do the same in regards to Jesus. The normal rules we use to classify people don't seem to work when it comes to classifying Jesus.