Alright, Rogers, You Got The Floor
Don’t Waste Energy Striving For Perishable Food
by Eric Elkin
Fred Rogers looked like a lamb headed to slaughter as he nervously adjusted the microphone in front of him. Across the room sat a ravenous dog ready to pounce on its victim. This did not look like it was going to be a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Senator John Pastore (D-RI) was a tough, abrupt and impatient man charged with moving this Senate hearing along. A hardworking, street fighter, Pastore expected men to be tough like him. “Alright, Rogers, you got the floor,” he barked at the nervous educator.
Rogers responded with a smile and politely asked permission to use the microphone. In his hands, he held a prepared statement. But he opened by saying, “Senator Pastore, this is a philosophical statement that would take about ten minutes to read, so I will not do that. One of the first things a child learns in a healthy family is trust. And I trust that you will read this statement.”
I have spent more time with Mr. Rogers this past year than I have my entire life. Every time I listen to his 1969 testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, I am blown away by the power of his words. One only needs to study his opening statement to understand what I mean.
Fred Rogers addressed the man who called him, “Rogers,” by his official title without a hint of sarcasm. He then calmly paid respect to the senator’s desire to expedite the proceedings. The passive host of a children’s show was cooling the temperature of the room with his words.
As he continued to speak, Mr. Rogers brought clarity to their identities. They were not two men fighting over money, but children in the same healthy family. “Healthy” was the keyword. He was putting their relationship in the best possible light. Then Fred Rogers commits himself to trust and invites the senator to do the same.
Senator John Pastore did not realize it, but by the end of this one statement, Fred Rogers had taken total control of the hearing. In less than seven minutes, Mister Rogers made it completely unnecessary for the senator to read his philosophical statement. His words became a food that nourished the souls of millions of children throughout the years.
I never realized the reason Fred Rogers needed to testify in the first place. President Nixon, despite pressures to fund the Vietnam War, wanted to support the creation of a new Public Broasting Station. He was supporting an initiative of his predecessor, President Lyndon Johnson. A fact which makes his words even more endearing.
Anger is a food we devour but leaves us perpetually hungry. We can become addicted to feasting on it without realizing how much we are eating. Like a child allowed to eat an endless supply of candy, anger will threaten to destroy the soul. Thankfully, as Mister Rogers showed, an angry soul is easily calmed with words of life.
Today, many families across the nation will sit down to an abundant feast. The food they will dine on will take hours to prepare but will perish if not consumed. The words spoken by the guests at the table, though, will not. These words have the power to endure long after the meal has ended. Choose the words which give life and not take it away. Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food.
Click to read John 6: 24-38
Reflection Questions:
How do you handle tense situations?
What do you consider words of life?
How often do you notice all the blessings of a Thanksgiving Dinner?
Can you commit yourself to not wasting energy on perishable food?