Dear Thoughtful Painters,

Memorial services are opportunities for the bereaved to receive comfort that their departed loved one has entered into God’s eternal care. It’s also an occasion to recognize the impact they made during their all too brief journey through this life.

As a veteran of over 650 funeral and memorial services, I’ve heard my share of remembrances. Usually, the memories shared are of specific events, often humorous, usually enduring. But from time to time something shared sticks with me long after the prayers of committal. Such was the case with a memory shared at George Staat’s memorial, held this past January after his passing on Christmas Eve, 2021. The eulogizer was his son, who recalled painting apartments with his father many years ago. George was an engineer at Electromotive but also maintained several rental properties in the La Grange area and did most of the maintenance with the help of family.

George’s son Larry recalled that as they painted units to prepare for rental, his father would observe (and this is my memory of the quote, so may not be verbatim), “As we painted, my dad would say, ‘People of limited substance spend their time talking about other people; folks of moderate substance speak of places and things; but those who have deep substance talk about ideas. What idea shall we discuss today?’”

George’s thought has stuck with me these many months. About what do we occupy our conversations? As I’ve curated my own conversations, I’ve observed how stress affects my subject matter. The more distressed I am, the more likely I am to blame other individuals, besmirching or elevating my presumed detractors or champions. With moderate stress comes focus on tools, places, items of accumulation or desire. But when things are comfortable, I’m well rested and focused, great joy arises from sharing ideas, concepts and philosophies.

I have also noticed how the reverse has been true. When I’m stressed, if I force my thoughts to rise above petty gossip and consider the materiality of the world around me, elevating my energy to contemplate thoughtful motivation and empathic interpretation of the intent of others, the underlying stress dissipates. What’s more, the tedium of the tasks at hand also lessens.

This musing has led me to recognize those occasions when Jesus rebuked his disciples. When they were arguing over who was the greatest (Matthew 18.1-4; Mark 9.33-36; Luke 9.46-47), Jesus reminded them of the importance of being like a child, filled with wonder and awe about how things work and why things are. When Peter was looking after his self-interest to avoid accompanying Jesus to Jerusalem (Matthew 16.22), Jesus rebuked Peter’s self-obsession as satanic, leaning on human priorities rather than God’s intentions.

I also recognized the other day that our loss of civility and the corresponding anxiety directly correlate to a growing obsession with the character assassination of others rather than engaging their ideas. Painting walls is boring; what idea shall we discuss today?

Grateful for the memory of those who have elevated their conversation, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor