God is in the House...and everywhere else, too

I have a confession to make. I rarely watch television. I mean, I don’t even watch the news. It’s been years since there was a series I just had to watch on tv. Somehow, my son got me hooked on House. And that was great…until it just stopped. In October.  Then, said child gleefully announced it would be back. In February. I was just…disgusted is a good word.

But, alas, the wait was shortened and House returned tonight…January 16. I could hardly wait…and that in and of itself was rather pitiful. A few minutes before 7pm, I turned on the television and tuned in, ready for Hugh Laurie to solve the strange medical case as only he could do, vicodon and all. I was not disappointed.

Part of watching a television series means you also get to watch the commercials. (I know, I can wait 8 days and watch it on hulu, almost commercial free; or dvr it, if I had a dvr, and fast forward through them). Tonight, a large chunk of the commercials were for other shows on that particular network. It got me to wondering…

Are we really that pitiful? I mean…we actually enjoy watching shows that pit people against each other (American Idol, Money Drop)? And there are certainly others that weren’t advertised on said network….the Bachelor, the Biggest Loser, Survivor, etc. What does that really say about us, who tune in week after week just to see who gets booted off the island or otherwise kicked in the teeth?

And then there’s House.  No one, and I mean no one, else can solve the mysterious medical case except House. He has a team of brilliant doctors who, week after week (except when they take breaks for months at a time) who run tests and guess but never…not even once…get it right. He’s like a god or something.

Ever think of God like that? Always dangling a carrot in front of us, sending us on wild goose chases as we frantically search for THE answer?  I can say yes to that, sometimes. I have to admit there have been times when I felt like I was running around in divine circles…or maybe they were circles I chose.

What I really like about House is both the arrogance of Hugh Laurie’s character and the fact that no matter how smart he is, he never comes up with the right solution without the help of someone else. Even if they don’t know they are helping him. Unlikely people and off-hand comments typically trigger an “aha” moment that solves everything. At least for that week.

Sometimes, I do think God allows us to chase our tails and follow our logical, reasonable ideas. And when we get so far down the rabbit hole, God sends someone to speak a word of truth…to bring us back to the situation at hand and deal with it.

So what does that say about us? I think it says we need to speak up…we never know when we might trigger the “aha” for someone else. I think it says we need to listen…we never know what might open the way for an “aha” within us. I also think it says we need to recognize and embrace that we are not alone….God is with us, even through the most unlikely people.