Transpose

"We've always called you 'O.M.C.' for short," said my brother, in a telephone call as we prepared to visit him and his wife in his new home.

"The 'O.M.C.'? What's that?" I asked, less concerned about who my brother meant by "we" than by what the initials O.M.C. stood for.

My brother said that he always used "O.M.C." affectionately, and that it stood for "Old Man Chris." That's funny--there is an O.M.C. in my past--but not all of it matches how my brother might've characterized it.

All of my life, I've been the bookish, studious, non-athletic son. I'm shorter than my brother, and since I have a lazy eye, my hand-eye coordination has always been lacking. I used to fall down a lot as a child. Actually, this is related to my eyesight also. What passes for "balance" in my body is actually my continual awareness of pressure on my feet as well as the balance of my inner ear. I walk on the balls of my feet, something abnormal that is caused by the fact that I am adapting to poor eyesight. As a result, I can lose my balance easily, but I have become quite agile in getting balance back without falling.

Being non-athletic, I was shy as a result, and since Mom and Dad divorced, I became introverted and withdrawn. I became afraid of speaking to crowds, let alone individual people. I also became easily-angered and became aggressive, profane, and destructive when I was angry.

I (sometimes jealously) watched my brother bloom socially, but felt emotionally stunted and unable to participate at the level of others. I was never very outgoing, but I was always empathic--if somebody else was in trouble, or sad, or feeling down, I picked up on that emotion even if I didn't tell the other person about my feelings.

I am still that way.

For years, I wondered if I had a purpose, or whether God made me from his collection of "spare parts." I've heard the saying: "God doesn't make junk" but I sometimes felt like I had broken something, or like I hadn't understood the instruction manual for how I was supposed to work. That person, my version of the "Old Man Chris" has been changed.

My ability to "pick up on an emotion" is what made me want to do something to help after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. That same empathy is what made me want to do something to help in the Gulf, including the fact that I am still considering a third trip to volunteer.

The O.M.C. is the unadventurous character that got me into this in the first place. He never took risks, never was outgoing, and rarely ever acted on the spur of the moment. He was shy and introverted. But the O.M.C. is the one who decided to go to Louisiana!

Since the O.M.C. wasn't very athletic, but enjoyed walking, he never put on that much weight--muscle or fat. The O.M.C. was able to carry on in the summer heat because he was thin. He was also able to help because when he picked up a load, he wasn't working harder just to carry himself as well. Being cautious about his balance, he was agile over uneven and unstable terrain and debris.

Another volunteer once said of him: "he always has something to say, something that makes me think." The O.M.C.'s ability to empathize meant that he was able to encourage other people. The O.M.C. chose to stand in front of a crowd in spite of his nervousness, and deliver a message to try to encourage others.

When the O.M.C. came home from his first trip to Louisiana, he was less prone to anger and was pleasantly surprised to notice it! He didn't use profanity when he did get angry, and his anger burned out much faster than before. This was the first inkling of the existence of the New Man Chris.

The inverted life calls for all of us to use our abilities in ways that help others. Even if you have a seemingly illogical or strange grouping of abilities, God has a use and a purpose for you. The inverted life is all about finding that purpose, finding fulfillment, experience, and enjoyment in carrying out that purpose, and in encouraging others to do the same.

The "old man-" or "old woman-" version of you may feel stale, stagnant or outdated. If it does, I invite you to consider this: "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:25)