“Elizabeth” said my college freshman voice teacher, “just pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Let’s get that breath control working!“
She was very well intentioned. But my breath flow bootstraps were not to be usable for years to come no matter how much I pushed and pulled. It took a team of teachers and a community that believed in my “diamond in the rough” dramatic soprano throat to become a reality. I didn’t earn my privileges. They were given.
I share this 37 year old story as a result of a thoughtful sermon today by Pastor Steele. I am grateful for his relatable, poignant, and thought provoking ministerial style. He unpacked the non biblical phrase “God helps those who help themself”. We took a deeper gander into this colloquial bootstrap business; the phrase that seems to shame people into achieving the impossible on their own.
The phrase originated shortly before the turn of the 20th century. It’s attributed to a late-1800s physics schoolbook that contained the example question “Why can not a man lift himself by pulling up on his bootstraps?” It was meant to be sarcastic, or to suggest that it was an impossible accomplishment.
Biblically, the phrase should read “God helps the helpless.” We aren’t deserving of good or bad experiences. Advantages come in all shapes and sizes; from the tangible to the intangible. My advantages in life are not a result of being deserving. Someone who has suffered far more than me didn’t get what they deserved.
As Pastor Steele shared “Lending a hand is the work that matters. People lended an unconditional hand to help me grow as an artist. Ultimately no solo heroine bootstraps were needed.
akintsucrooner 