Jumping through Hoops
Michael made a comment at the Rock leaders’ meeting about not liking to make people jump through hoops just for the sake of hoop jumping. This is really kind of unrelated to the specific topic Michael was talking about, but after he said that I thought to myself, “I do like making people jump through hoops.” After a few more seconds of thought, I mentally corrected myself: It’s really not that I like making people jump through hoops…It’s that I like making the hoops, metaphorically speaking. Even after making them, sometimes I don’t care as much for jumping through them myself or even making/asking other people to do it.
It’s kind of a strange thought, I know…but I really like making structures, forms, charts, paperwork, systems, checklists and other things along those lines. For me, the joy is often just in making them. I can’t even say how many times I have made a great chart or system for keeping our house cleaner, keeping track of our finances or doing a more systematic Bible study, only to not use it when push came to shove. Or, instead of going through with the hard work of actually doing whatever I created the chart or system for, I spend my time creating a better system. Luckily, when I am making “hoops” for the Rock, I am usually not the one to use them so I don’t have to worry about this phenomenon. 
At worst, it could be considered a form of hypocrisy. At best, it is a strange personality quirk. Sometimes I make “hoops” I don’t use because I am a fairly naturally organized person and decently good at remembering things. There are some things I think I have organized so many times that I don’t really need a special checklist or a form to do it. Sometimes the personal touch just seems to work better. For example, I made a form that the Rock Lifegroup leaders are supposed to fill out on a regular basis…and the awful thing is that I wasn’t super strict about making the Lifegroup leaders I coach fill it out. I occaisonally asked them to do it and some of them did some of the time…But I also found it was pretty effective for me to just ask the questions from the form (and/or similar questions) to each leader as I met with them and then discuss their thoughts about it on the spot.
Yet, through all this I still love creating the hoops. I get a thrill out of making a form or a checklist. Maybe my true calling was to be a government bureaucrat. And, sometimes I do joyfully use hoops I create for personal or ministry use. I’m not sure what all this means or what the best way is for me to get my “hoop making” fix…but if you ever need a hoop created, you know where to find me!