We're Going To Hell In A Handbasket!
Hope Is A Stronger Reality Than Hell
by Eric Elkin
"We're going to hell in a handbasket!" A woman in the office used to say this whenever there was a crisis at work. The phrase came with a whole routine. She would pull the cigarette out of her mouth and throw her hands in the air. As her hands were going up, she would spin and walk away. She would walk away, but never leave. Usually, she just went to her chair and sat down. Removed from the conversation, but close enough to add commentary.
A couple of us would try to process through appropriate responses to the crisis. Every time we found a problem in our response, the woman would repeat her statement. This time sitting from her desk, she would point at us with her cigarette between her fingers and her handshaking. "Listen," she would say, "We are going to hell in a handbasket, I tell you." Then she would roll her eyes and spin around in her chair. The spin had the same effect as walking away. She left without leaving.
Dramatic phrases all come with dramatic exits. Try it sometime. You cannot say something over the top and remain standing still. Your body subconsciously reacts to the words, and you find yourself walking away. It is like your mind is genetically programmed to be dramatic.
The first time she responded this way, I took it seriously. The tension in the room went through the roof. I found myself worried that we were in the midst of a life or death situation. The more she said it, though, the more it became an annoyance and barrier to a solution. Every "crisis" we needed to spend time explaining this situation was not the end of the world.
Eventually, it became comical. Every crisis we were going to hell in a handbasket. Each crisis became more and more mundane. It could be as small as being out of stamps for mailing in the electric bill. As a matter of fact, Peggy and I still use the phrase. We will say it and laugh. No one around us understands the humor of it. They just look at us like we are strange.
The older I get, the more I realize I am the abnormal one. When a problem arises, I want to jump past the drama and get to the solutions. The more common response is to pull the cigarette out of your mouth and say, "We're going to hell in a handbasket." Then leave without leaving.
In 2008, when the economy collapsed, we were going to hell in a handbasket. In 2009, when the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted on human sexuality, we were going to hell in a handbasket. Now in 2020, we're going to hell in a handbasket over the pandemic and financial crisis. This year it is the United Methodist Church going to hell in a handbasket over human sexuality. It's like we are living in the movie Groundhog Day. The same thing happens over and over.
Listen to me, we are NOT going to hell in a handbasket. Not in this crisis or the next. We will find a way through the dark times. This is not blind optimism, but a reality-based view of the past 2,000 years. Each crisis ushers in transformation. Every end gives way to a new beginning. So please relax.
If you are not a person of faith, you can stop reading this reflection and open a history book. If you are a person of faith, I have nothing more to say than what Paul already wrote in Ephesians —
"I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God's call, what is the richness of God's glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God's power that is working among us believers."
As you read it, remember, it was written to a small group of Christians. This community was losing hope. They thought they were going to hell in a handbasket. The letter helped move them from hopelessness into hope. I pray the eyes of your heart can do the same today.
Click to read Ephesians 1:15-23
Reflection Questions:
When have you felt like you were “going to hell in a hand basket”?
What was the outcome of that situation? What would you do the same? What would you change in your response to it?
How do you find the best solutions to a problem? What process do you use?
How can you open the eyes of your heart today?