We called it the telephone game but Chinese whispers sounds way cooler. My first recollection of playing was in about fourth grade when my teacher was Mrs. Gilbreath. We went to the same church so I got to call her Mrs. Rita when we weren't at school. I felt oh so special that I knew her outside of class. I adored Mrs. Rita and when she asked me if I would like to come over to their farm after school to help hoe cotton I jumped right in. I wasn't very good at it, I'm afraid. I think I destroyed more cotton plants than weeds because I wasn't invited again. I still thought she was wonderful. Mrs. Rita... I mean Mrs. Gilbreath, would whisper something to a kid in the front and we would have to pass it along up and down the rows, across the desks until it got to the last person who had to say it out loud. There was always some wise guy who would mix it up on purpose so we never got it right all the way around the room. The game was always accompanied by a lot of giggling. If memory serves me right we did this when it was raining and we couldn't go outside for recess. And it came with a lesson - when we pass along gossip it quickly gets distorted. Pretty deep stuff for a fourth grader. I mainly learned that you have to listen real careful so you always get the gossip right before you pass it on. Yeah. Probably not the goal there.
And what about all the song lyrics that get messed up. "You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel - four hundred children and the crap in the field." "Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tangerine, oh yeah." "Give me the Beach Boys that freed my soul, I wanna get lost in the rock and roll and drift away." "Lucy in disguise with diamonds." "Hold me closer, Tony Danza." There are hymns too, "He whispered, sweet peas to me." "Lead on, O Kinky Turtle." "While shepherds washed their socks by night." "It is swell with my soul."
Which brings me to my absolute favorite mix up of all time. A little Chinese whisper from scripture. My dear friend was having surgery and I asked the people we worked with to write her a little note of encouragement on an index card. There was this one guy who very sincerely wished that she would be safe from the whales of the devil. It's right there in Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (KJV) Maybe it's just me but I crack up every time I recall that line. And if you think about it, the fellow makes a good point. I'm not real sure what wiles are... some translations say schemes... but sometimes it seems like the devil is flat out throwing whales at me. Think sharknado only with whales. Big, fat, slippery lies aimed straight at my head. Good thing we've got some armor... cause it takes a lot of protection to stand up to that kinda mess.
It may not be deep, but my best hope for us all is sincere: May it be swell with our souls and may we always stand firm against those whales. Selah.
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