Okey dokey. Today we’re talking about breaking rules.  Specifically these crazy invisble rules that everyone follows even though they aren’t posted anywhere- social norms.  There are some that are humorous to think about breaking like eating with silverware, or the proper ettiquette for standing in an elevator, or how to meet someone properly and shake their hand in the correct way. I had to do a sociology project on it and I sat next to people on benches in the mall even though the rest of the bench was empty. I got some mighty strange looks and some people actually got up and left. Most of the time, they would peak at me out of the corner of their eye. It was fun. Sadly, however lots of the rules are geared toward making the person following the rule feel more important than the object. For example, it is def a rule to not sit with people who are wearing “uncool” clothes and are by themselves. Even in college. It’s not cool to pay to go help others, like mission trips. It’s a rule to do things that are self motivated out of your own self interest. It’s bizarre to do things that are selfless.

I was reading out of Luke 6 today and the first two stories are about Jesus doing things on the Sabbath. Picking wheat and healing a man’s hand.  Note the need. To feed and heal.  Following the law of Moses was a social norm in Bible days. The Pharisees didn’t do it to honor God, they did it because it is what they had always done.  So Jesus is breaking their rules. He’s rubbing them the wrong way but for what? To meet human needs. He doesn’t just do it to do it. He does it because there’s a purpose for it.

We need to break some rules but not just to break rules. When we see needs, we need to meet them regardless of what the rules written in our social consciousness dictate.  Just a note: breaking social norms is not easy but it can be done. It will make waves for whoever is around you but isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Make waves with a purpose.