Sin causes distortion, both in perspective and logic. This has been the case since the very beginning. From the 'you shall not surely die' to the present, the ways of distortion are the same, but the manifestations are every morphing.
In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve did not drop dead at that exact moment, it began the distortion of timing and urgency. If one of them or both of them had died at that moment, it would have been the most clear message to them to obey, but it would have also been the end of their history. This is why these events were followed with some specific details as to what would happen for them in the rest of their lives as part of the consequences of their disobedience. But even those consequences did not change the outcome that was spoken to them, they would die.... not suddenly at that moment, but slowly aging and deteriorating.
There has always been and will always be a price to be paid for sin. The pride of life makes each of us think that time is on our side, that we have plenty of time to worry later about living according to God's principles. But this distorted view also means that if we are not willing to live according to the plan of God for our lives, we forfeit the over arching truth of God's plan for our lives. Not just in the context of life or death, but everything in life before one dies. This can mean years and decades of living beneath what was God's plan to bless your life. The distortion of sin is to believe that you can get for yourself better than what God wants to give you.
This makes some feel like the gamble is worth the risk to get what you can now and worry about the rest later. In this way, sin has accomplished its purpose to distract and distort not only our perception of God, but of self. Sin causes one to justify living in disregard to God's Biblical Principles. The distortion is manifested in the lack of urgency to do what it right, to work and strive toward doing what it right. Righteousness at its core is built around an internal desire to be as close to right as one possibly can in word and deed and intentions of heart. The state of the heart is reflected in one's actions.
Therefore, the distortion of sin is actually a distortion of the state of one's own heart. To see one's ways without wanting to weigh it against God's truth is the internal struggle to justify what is in one's own heart. The only way that the distortion can be removed so that one can truly see the truth of one's own heart is through God via the Holy Spirit to remove the distortion and giving the individual the opportunity to truly see one's self through the truth of God. What we see when we see our self through the truth of God can be hard to face, but necessary. We have to ask God to show us the ourselves as God sees us. What will we really see when we become courageous enough to see what God sees?
We all try to convince ourselves that our actions are justified and that our behavior is not that bad. But what is God really seeing? What is really in our heart? It takes the truth being clearly shown to the individual before the individual will realize there is a need for change toward doing what it right according to Biblical Principles. This is why the act of surrender is so important in the context of salvation. The ability to surrender to God and accept that Jesus Christ died for your sins, can have the most liberating effect.
Humbling is the reality that there are some things that one can not do for self. To realize that you can not change the condition of your own soul is humbling. It not only frees one from the bondage related to sinful habits and lifestyle choices, but it also frees one to be completely honest with God about areas of one's life that need to change for the better. It is in this, that the heaviness of one's heart is no long a weight to carry, but is left at the foot of the Cross.
Surrendering to God means letting go of the facade that everything is alright and the spiritual heaviness of all of the distortion caused by sin. To need God, to seek after God means that you don't have to live outwardly appearing to be OK, but internally knowing you are a mess. God is the mender of broken hearts.
Showing posts with label Concern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concern. Show all posts
May 1, 2018
January 16, 2018
Eating Crow
To figure out that you are wrong about something may or may not be a big deal. When this realization is a private one, it is only your own processing of the information that has to be taken into account. But when you have to admit to others that you are wrong, the error in judgment, the details, and miscalculations take on a whole different level of internal response. Not only does one have to deal with the outcomes and need for adjustments because of the error, but there is also the added communication that others want to have about something that one would rather not talk about.
All of the thoughts of dread that go with the conversation about the error are not only unwanted, but can be overwhelming because of the multiple times that one repeatedly answers the same or similar questions about the matter. It becomes hard to navigate who is genuinely concerned and who is simply seeking out a juicy bit of information.
To talk about what has happened is part of the healing process. Each individual heals at their own pace, and therefore each individual is ready to talk about their miscalculation with no specific appropriate time frame to be determined as right or wrong by anyone else. Add to this the distinct differences in how men and women process information, respond to information, and need to talk to process information, and you have a variety of ways in which human beings deal with the mistakes that they make in life.
There are times when a person realizes their mistake but refuses to make the necessary adjustments because of pride. In some ways this can seem to others as form of stubbornness. More often than not, the person who is processing their mistake and what making the needed changes entails wants to do so on their own terms and not the terms of others. This can be very stressful when others want to rush or force the transitions necessary to handle a mistake in one's own life. This will cause the individual to avoid making the necessary decisions because there is a sense that others are pressuring or attempting to orchestrate one's life for them. This pressure adds to the resistance by the individual to do what is necessary because that is a mechanism built into being stubborn in the process.
Theologically, when a person is walking in disobedience to God, not only is there the issue of stubbornness, but there is usually some sort of attempt to negotiate with God. Negotiation, in many cases is caused by the unwillingness to trust God or to surrender to God's Will. The mistakes that happen in one's life because of disobedience can be disheartening because the limitations of being human dont allow us to see into the future. And many times, attempting to negotiate with God can lead us into situations that we could not have possibly seen coming.
On our best day, each of us wants to believe that we are up for any challenge and because of this we can sometimes believe that we can handle situations without realizing that God sees all sides of a situation and we are only able to see what is present before us at any given time. Our speculations are not guarantees, but we yet have to make life decisions based on the information that we have, and this does not always work out the way that we planned.
There are other times, when there are warning signs, and even divinely inspired clues that let us know that we should do things differently or make a different decisions but we dont always heed the warning signs. Often times, these warnings and clues come from those closest to us, friends and family. And this can also become part of the challenge to figure out who is giving genuine insight or divinely inspired insight versus those who are giving advice based on how it will work best for themselves. Each of us usually knows who the self serving individuals are around us, be we can not always be 100% certain in every situation, because trust can sometimes be very fluid.
So when a situation does not go the way that one has planned, and this realization means that it is time to come to terms with the mistake and admit that it didnt work out as planned, this can sometimes be hard to admit. And this is where the concept of 'Eating Crow' comes into being part of the reality that one must face. The term comes from the fact that crow is not palatable or good tasting bird. It is said to have a bad smell and taste, and be very hard to digest. Being reduced to eating crow, means putting one's pride to the side.
As I said earlier, it is one thing to admit a mistake to yourself privately, but to admit a mistake to others takes on a whole other level of character building because mistakes rarely happen when or the way that we expect them to, simply because we rarely start anything hoping for a negative outcome, and most times we dont have a completed back up plan, we just make it up and adjust as we go. So when others start asking questions that one does not want to answer, there is the additional stress of people asking questions that one has not had time to fully process or plan for alternative ways of dealing with the situation. All of this can be overwhelming.
But this is what redemption is all about. God is always there to receive us and to help us get back on track. Once we are willing to put our pride aside and acknowledge that we want and need God's guidance, God is faithful. Even when there is residue from our mistakes on our lives, God is still there welcoming those who come back home.
A young man bought a new boat. He was excited about the boat because he had plans of being a great fisherman. He was going to take his new boat and the cute little kitten that he had found out to sea for the fishing season.
Several people around him told him that they thought his boat was fine for staying close to the shore, but would not endure the long season in the deep waters miles away from the shore. They also told him that the kitten was not a good idea because he would not want to be stuck out at sea with the kitten.
The young man looked into the kitten's eyes and thought it most adorable and could not image how this kitten could become a problem out at sea. He thought that he would be able to feed the kitten from his catch of fish and he had visions of both he and the kitten being happy keeping each other company during the fishing season.
When the day came to begin his time out at sea, the young man happily told his friends that he would be fine, all the while they were still wondering how he was going to make it through the rough waters of the sea in his new boat with the kitten. As the boat floated a couple of miles away from the shore, the young man notices a small puddle of water on one end of the boat. He thought maybe the splashing of a wave had brought some water onto the boat and he thought nothing more about it. But the next day, there was more water on the boat. He look around wondering if he had slept through a rain the night before, but took the only thing that he could find, a small cup and scooped out the water, throwing it back into the ocean.
After a few days, the young man began to notice that the kitten was changing, looking a little different, but still just as adorable. He was occupied most days with catching enough fish to feed the kitten who was seeming to take on a huge appetite with each passing day. This had left him little time to be attentive to navigating the boat because he spent most of his time constantly removing the water that was seeming to collect in the boat much faster than in the beginning. And the rest of the time he was only catching enough fish to feed the kitten, and some times was not always able to catch enough to feed himself. This whole process was making him weak and weary.
One day, he looked at the kitten and realized that it had matured into a bobcat. He now understood the warnings that he had been given by his friends and family about taking the kitten along on the journey. Even though it was clearly a bobcat, when he looked at it what he saw was the memories of what he thought was a cute and harmless kitten. But the nature of the cat had now changed and his interactions with it also had to change. And at the same time, the boat had taken on so much water that it was going to be near to impossible to get all of the water out of the boat.
Faced with saving himself and the bobcat, the man contemplated what to do, knowing that he would have to decide soon because his life depended on it. When he looked around to try to decide what his options were, he realized that with all of the time he had been out in the water that he had not navigated but had drifted a few miles from the shore. Land and safety was still an option.
Having to decide about swimming in the waters and without having eaten much, knowing that his body was weak, he looked caringly at the bobcat and wondered how would he save both himself and his kitten. The bobcat was hungry. The boat was taking on water. He was going to have to decide something. He was already living with his mistakes, and now he really wanted to get it right.
As he looked toward the shore, dread come over him. The dread was of coming back on shore, back to land and safety, but having to admit that he had made a mistake. The thought of admitting his mistake became more important than saving his own life. His pride was about to consume him.
All those who had warned him were watching from the shore. They had all wanted the best for him, but now they just wanted him to choose to save himself. Even though he was to far away to hear them, they were all cheering for him, hoping that he would make it back to safety. But as he look to the shore, the only thing he could think about was having to explain what had happened to him and why he was wrong. It didnt occur to him that everyone who had warned him was doing so because they had the insight to warn him for a reason and that they cared enough to say something. Their words were not built from negativity, but from care and concern. All of the warnings had been an attempt to show support and warn him for his own safety. And this also meant, that they were not as surprised as he thought they would be about how things had turned out for him.
He hesitated. They watched. No one could make the choice for him.
Would the ship sink first or would the bobcat eat him before the ship sank, or would he choose to risk the swim toward shore, back to land, safety, and a welcomed return filled with too many questions?
All of the thoughts of dread that go with the conversation about the error are not only unwanted, but can be overwhelming because of the multiple times that one repeatedly answers the same or similar questions about the matter. It becomes hard to navigate who is genuinely concerned and who is simply seeking out a juicy bit of information.
To talk about what has happened is part of the healing process. Each individual heals at their own pace, and therefore each individual is ready to talk about their miscalculation with no specific appropriate time frame to be determined as right or wrong by anyone else. Add to this the distinct differences in how men and women process information, respond to information, and need to talk to process information, and you have a variety of ways in which human beings deal with the mistakes that they make in life.
There are times when a person realizes their mistake but refuses to make the necessary adjustments because of pride. In some ways this can seem to others as form of stubbornness. More often than not, the person who is processing their mistake and what making the needed changes entails wants to do so on their own terms and not the terms of others. This can be very stressful when others want to rush or force the transitions necessary to handle a mistake in one's own life. This will cause the individual to avoid making the necessary decisions because there is a sense that others are pressuring or attempting to orchestrate one's life for them. This pressure adds to the resistance by the individual to do what is necessary because that is a mechanism built into being stubborn in the process.
Theologically, when a person is walking in disobedience to God, not only is there the issue of stubbornness, but there is usually some sort of attempt to negotiate with God. Negotiation, in many cases is caused by the unwillingness to trust God or to surrender to God's Will. The mistakes that happen in one's life because of disobedience can be disheartening because the limitations of being human dont allow us to see into the future. And many times, attempting to negotiate with God can lead us into situations that we could not have possibly seen coming.
On our best day, each of us wants to believe that we are up for any challenge and because of this we can sometimes believe that we can handle situations without realizing that God sees all sides of a situation and we are only able to see what is present before us at any given time. Our speculations are not guarantees, but we yet have to make life decisions based on the information that we have, and this does not always work out the way that we planned.
There are other times, when there are warning signs, and even divinely inspired clues that let us know that we should do things differently or make a different decisions but we dont always heed the warning signs. Often times, these warnings and clues come from those closest to us, friends and family. And this can also become part of the challenge to figure out who is giving genuine insight or divinely inspired insight versus those who are giving advice based on how it will work best for themselves. Each of us usually knows who the self serving individuals are around us, be we can not always be 100% certain in every situation, because trust can sometimes be very fluid.
So when a situation does not go the way that one has planned, and this realization means that it is time to come to terms with the mistake and admit that it didnt work out as planned, this can sometimes be hard to admit. And this is where the concept of 'Eating Crow' comes into being part of the reality that one must face. The term comes from the fact that crow is not palatable or good tasting bird. It is said to have a bad smell and taste, and be very hard to digest. Being reduced to eating crow, means putting one's pride to the side.
As I said earlier, it is one thing to admit a mistake to yourself privately, but to admit a mistake to others takes on a whole other level of character building because mistakes rarely happen when or the way that we expect them to, simply because we rarely start anything hoping for a negative outcome, and most times we dont have a completed back up plan, we just make it up and adjust as we go. So when others start asking questions that one does not want to answer, there is the additional stress of people asking questions that one has not had time to fully process or plan for alternative ways of dealing with the situation. All of this can be overwhelming.
But this is what redemption is all about. God is always there to receive us and to help us get back on track. Once we are willing to put our pride aside and acknowledge that we want and need God's guidance, God is faithful. Even when there is residue from our mistakes on our lives, God is still there welcoming those who come back home.
THE STORY:
A young man bought a new boat. He was excited about the boat because he had plans of being a great fisherman. He was going to take his new boat and the cute little kitten that he had found out to sea for the fishing season.
Several people around him told him that they thought his boat was fine for staying close to the shore, but would not endure the long season in the deep waters miles away from the shore. They also told him that the kitten was not a good idea because he would not want to be stuck out at sea with the kitten.
The young man looked into the kitten's eyes and thought it most adorable and could not image how this kitten could become a problem out at sea. He thought that he would be able to feed the kitten from his catch of fish and he had visions of both he and the kitten being happy keeping each other company during the fishing season.
When the day came to begin his time out at sea, the young man happily told his friends that he would be fine, all the while they were still wondering how he was going to make it through the rough waters of the sea in his new boat with the kitten. As the boat floated a couple of miles away from the shore, the young man notices a small puddle of water on one end of the boat. He thought maybe the splashing of a wave had brought some water onto the boat and he thought nothing more about it. But the next day, there was more water on the boat. He look around wondering if he had slept through a rain the night before, but took the only thing that he could find, a small cup and scooped out the water, throwing it back into the ocean.
After a few days, the young man began to notice that the kitten was changing, looking a little different, but still just as adorable. He was occupied most days with catching enough fish to feed the kitten who was seeming to take on a huge appetite with each passing day. This had left him little time to be attentive to navigating the boat because he spent most of his time constantly removing the water that was seeming to collect in the boat much faster than in the beginning. And the rest of the time he was only catching enough fish to feed the kitten, and some times was not always able to catch enough to feed himself. This whole process was making him weak and weary.
One day, he looked at the kitten and realized that it had matured into a bobcat. He now understood the warnings that he had been given by his friends and family about taking the kitten along on the journey. Even though it was clearly a bobcat, when he looked at it what he saw was the memories of what he thought was a cute and harmless kitten. But the nature of the cat had now changed and his interactions with it also had to change. And at the same time, the boat had taken on so much water that it was going to be near to impossible to get all of the water out of the boat.
Faced with saving himself and the bobcat, the man contemplated what to do, knowing that he would have to decide soon because his life depended on it. When he looked around to try to decide what his options were, he realized that with all of the time he had been out in the water that he had not navigated but had drifted a few miles from the shore. Land and safety was still an option.
Having to decide about swimming in the waters and without having eaten much, knowing that his body was weak, he looked caringly at the bobcat and wondered how would he save both himself and his kitten. The bobcat was hungry. The boat was taking on water. He was going to have to decide something. He was already living with his mistakes, and now he really wanted to get it right.
As he looked toward the shore, dread come over him. The dread was of coming back on shore, back to land and safety, but having to admit that he had made a mistake. The thought of admitting his mistake became more important than saving his own life. His pride was about to consume him.
All those who had warned him were watching from the shore. They had all wanted the best for him, but now they just wanted him to choose to save himself. Even though he was to far away to hear them, they were all cheering for him, hoping that he would make it back to safety. But as he look to the shore, the only thing he could think about was having to explain what had happened to him and why he was wrong. It didnt occur to him that everyone who had warned him was doing so because they had the insight to warn him for a reason and that they cared enough to say something. Their words were not built from negativity, but from care and concern. All of the warnings had been an attempt to show support and warn him for his own safety. And this also meant, that they were not as surprised as he thought they would be about how things had turned out for him.
He hesitated. They watched. No one could make the choice for him.
Would the ship sink first or would the bobcat eat him before the ship sank, or would he choose to risk the swim toward shore, back to land, safety, and a welcomed return filled with too many questions?
December 20, 2017
HARD TO WATCH THE STUBBORN WILL
There are times when the most loving thing you can do is to take a hands off approach. It is hard because the loving thing to do seems to be to support and guide and cheer. But when a person has a stubborn and disobedient will, you cant do anything but allow them to learn the hard way.
Being that our culture is no longer as accountable as during biblical times, many people now do not understand nor respect the concept of having a sense of accountability to your community, especially the community of faith. For example during biblical times when something was considered a sin as unto death, this meant that you could actually be literally stoned to death. The offense was not only about the sin of the individual, but a reflection on the community as a whole, and therefore the community was within its right to respond. Currently our culture has gone the complete other end of the spectrum, which means that we turn a blind eye to the wrong of others. Although I do think stoning is extremely harsh, I do believe that there is a place and purpose for a community, especially a community of faith, holding its members accountable for certain principles and behaviors. ( Here I must insert a note: I dont believe that 'putting people out of the church' is the correct response. As a matter of fact, I think that is just as harsh as stoning.)
Taking a hands off approach can look a lot of different ways, depending on the situation. This is very hard to do when you know that the person knows better and should be doing better. But the 'master of deception' does a good job at convincing the mind of the individual that there are other solutions other than doing things God's way, according to Biblical Principles. That is exactly the success story of deception from the very beginning, to convince one that there are ways to get better outcomes than to be obedient to God's Principles.
The question might be asked, why would you want to negotiate with God? Why would you want anything thing other than God's Will for you? And what do you really gain when you 'seemingly' win the negotiation with God? Does getting your way instead of God's Will really turn out to be a win-win in the long run.... now or eternally?
The ripple effect of disobedience only leads to more and more disobedience, as one attempts to find ways to navigate making the disobedience seem like it is going to turn out alright. And before long there is a snowball affect of multiple acts of disobedience. And the disobedience leads to a house of mirrors of deception, eventually make the truth sound harsh and unreal. As long as the individual is trying to sort out ways to make the wrong turn into a success, you cant reason with them about their thoughts or actions.
Here is where loving is hard. Letting go. Backing off. This is also when you stop praying for God to cushion the blows that sin and disobedience are causing the person. This is when you realize that God is allowing the individual to truly see what getting their way means. God is not going to be manipulated. But God will let one have their way, and all that comes with it. Being determined to be out of the Will of God, means being determined to deal with not having God's Covering or Guidance, as if saying to God that one wants God to take a Hands Off approach to one's life.
Think about it, if someone wants God to take a 'hands off' approach, then why would the same individual want someone to have a 'hands on' approach other than to support the deception? Being a support to others, often times means that you have to back away and God can allow the person to see where their way is taking their life. After all you cant become party to the wrong, or you too will find yourself slipping into darkness, and deception.
Because here is the deal, deception loves darkness, hidden agenda, under the table negotiations and secrets. One of the greatest clues that something is not according to God's Will is if it has to be kept secret or hidden. I dont mean privacy, privacy is the right to keep things to yourself or away from the public. But shame and guilt are built around those things that would not be justified as having a right motive from the start.
So why back off, other than self preservation? I will give you an example of when my son was a toddler. I kept saying to him hold on, dont fall down the steps. I was doing what I thought was the loving thing to do by coddling his every move. But one day a friend said to me, that he is a boy and he learns by understanding, and he wont understand until he sees for himself. This was the most profound thing that was said to me about raising a son.
One day, I got up the courage to let him figure it out for himself. I was cautious to make sure that his fall was a little one and not a major one, but I had to let him navigate a few lower steps on his own, his way, without holding on. And as truth would be revealed to him, he flopped down a couple of steps and then looked at me as if to say what happened. The hundreds of times that I had attempted to get this message across to him, now he figured it out because he realized that he didnt like his own outcome.
This examples may seem simplistic, but from that day on, I never had to negotiate or even mention to my son that he needed to hold on while walking down the steps. Grabbing the railing became unspoken second nature. And so it can be with someone who wants to try their hand at being blatantly and boldly disobedient to God's Principles. The only thing you can do after attempting to coach and encourage is allow the individual to learn the hard way. Some times the fall, the hitting bottom is what it will take to help the person know that they dont want to do it that way again.
This is when repentance is true. True repentance is when one is no longer trying to make the disobedience work, but is willing to drop all wrong and turn with intention to do what is right with a no looking back mindset. It is the determination to be redeemed. This is when the individual can stand before God with a sincere heart and say 'Lord, please take me back'.
Now the mindset has completely changed from negotiation with God to complete surrender to God. Until the individual is willing to surrender, there will be a constant attempt to negotiate for good outcomes from disobedient actions and motives. But once the individual surrenders and truly acknowledges their need for the Savior, then God can guide and send others to guide and support the individual getting back in step with the Will of God both spiritually and naturally.
Being that our culture is no longer as accountable as during biblical times, many people now do not understand nor respect the concept of having a sense of accountability to your community, especially the community of faith. For example during biblical times when something was considered a sin as unto death, this meant that you could actually be literally stoned to death. The offense was not only about the sin of the individual, but a reflection on the community as a whole, and therefore the community was within its right to respond. Currently our culture has gone the complete other end of the spectrum, which means that we turn a blind eye to the wrong of others. Although I do think stoning is extremely harsh, I do believe that there is a place and purpose for a community, especially a community of faith, holding its members accountable for certain principles and behaviors. ( Here I must insert a note: I dont believe that 'putting people out of the church' is the correct response. As a matter of fact, I think that is just as harsh as stoning.)
Taking a hands off approach can look a lot of different ways, depending on the situation. This is very hard to do when you know that the person knows better and should be doing better. But the 'master of deception' does a good job at convincing the mind of the individual that there are other solutions other than doing things God's way, according to Biblical Principles. That is exactly the success story of deception from the very beginning, to convince one that there are ways to get better outcomes than to be obedient to God's Principles.
The question might be asked, why would you want to negotiate with God? Why would you want anything thing other than God's Will for you? And what do you really gain when you 'seemingly' win the negotiation with God? Does getting your way instead of God's Will really turn out to be a win-win in the long run.... now or eternally?
The ripple effect of disobedience only leads to more and more disobedience, as one attempts to find ways to navigate making the disobedience seem like it is going to turn out alright. And before long there is a snowball affect of multiple acts of disobedience. And the disobedience leads to a house of mirrors of deception, eventually make the truth sound harsh and unreal. As long as the individual is trying to sort out ways to make the wrong turn into a success, you cant reason with them about their thoughts or actions.
Here is where loving is hard. Letting go. Backing off. This is also when you stop praying for God to cushion the blows that sin and disobedience are causing the person. This is when you realize that God is allowing the individual to truly see what getting their way means. God is not going to be manipulated. But God will let one have their way, and all that comes with it. Being determined to be out of the Will of God, means being determined to deal with not having God's Covering or Guidance, as if saying to God that one wants God to take a Hands Off approach to one's life.
Think about it, if someone wants God to take a 'hands off' approach, then why would the same individual want someone to have a 'hands on' approach other than to support the deception? Being a support to others, often times means that you have to back away and God can allow the person to see where their way is taking their life. After all you cant become party to the wrong, or you too will find yourself slipping into darkness, and deception.
Because here is the deal, deception loves darkness, hidden agenda, under the table negotiations and secrets. One of the greatest clues that something is not according to God's Will is if it has to be kept secret or hidden. I dont mean privacy, privacy is the right to keep things to yourself or away from the public. But shame and guilt are built around those things that would not be justified as having a right motive from the start.
So why back off, other than self preservation? I will give you an example of when my son was a toddler. I kept saying to him hold on, dont fall down the steps. I was doing what I thought was the loving thing to do by coddling his every move. But one day a friend said to me, that he is a boy and he learns by understanding, and he wont understand until he sees for himself. This was the most profound thing that was said to me about raising a son.
One day, I got up the courage to let him figure it out for himself. I was cautious to make sure that his fall was a little one and not a major one, but I had to let him navigate a few lower steps on his own, his way, without holding on. And as truth would be revealed to him, he flopped down a couple of steps and then looked at me as if to say what happened. The hundreds of times that I had attempted to get this message across to him, now he figured it out because he realized that he didnt like his own outcome.
This examples may seem simplistic, but from that day on, I never had to negotiate or even mention to my son that he needed to hold on while walking down the steps. Grabbing the railing became unspoken second nature. And so it can be with someone who wants to try their hand at being blatantly and boldly disobedient to God's Principles. The only thing you can do after attempting to coach and encourage is allow the individual to learn the hard way. Some times the fall, the hitting bottom is what it will take to help the person know that they dont want to do it that way again.
This is when repentance is true. True repentance is when one is no longer trying to make the disobedience work, but is willing to drop all wrong and turn with intention to do what is right with a no looking back mindset. It is the determination to be redeemed. This is when the individual can stand before God with a sincere heart and say 'Lord, please take me back'.
Now the mindset has completely changed from negotiation with God to complete surrender to God. Until the individual is willing to surrender, there will be a constant attempt to negotiate for good outcomes from disobedient actions and motives. But once the individual surrenders and truly acknowledges their need for the Savior, then God can guide and send others to guide and support the individual getting back in step with the Will of God both spiritually and naturally.
September 1, 2017
Unplanned PLAN
There are clearly some things that were not in my plans for my life, but they were ultimately part of God's Plan for my life. Today I have really been giving some thought to my journey. Recently, it would seem that things are going exactly the way that I was trying to prevent having to deal with. I want the final outcome, but not the challenges that would be the risk of losing something to gain something. Not in the same way that I invest in products for my business to be able to provide a service to my clients. But more like a mother who wants to have a new baby, but does not want to feel the pains of labor.
In recent years, there have been medical advances that have taken away the necessity of enduring the pain of labor. And overall, our world is filled with comforts that take the work out of many of the every day processes of life. Washing machines, electric saws, power tools, and on and on. I think back to learning how to make cake icing, and the process required this combination of mixing and whisking to blend the ingredients, and even after they were blended, you had to whisk the mixture at least 100 strokes to make the icing have the correct fluffy texture. And even now that I have many of the electric kitchen tools, there are some things that to me just dont come out the same without the work of doing it by hand, and icing is one of those things.
So we have become so accustomed to the world of convenience that we often forget that some things have no shortcut process that will produce the same results as going through the process. Just like icing or grilling meat low and slow over charcoal, there are some things in life that have to happen a certain way for the most rewarding outcome. And as I was thinking about the events of my life in recent days, I began to reminisce on the book by Zora Neale Hurston, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" which is about a main character who is living her life, but surrounded by spectators who all have an opinion about her life, as if they understand her journey more so than she. The character navigates her life, its ups and downs working through the challenges as they come to her reality, as she is finding her way.
In this same way, each of us has our journey through life to navigate and it is very much an individual process that happens while simultaneously being surround by community. When someone has a call to ministry on their life, it can be assumed that God has a plan for that person's life. No matter how much anyone has an opinion about what that looks like, it is God who is taking care of the details. To grow to the point of being able to flourish in one's gifts and live out one's calling, there are some parts of the journey that are growing one's skills for ministry. This means that it will not always flow with the ease of water going down hill. There will be times when one will have to face some things head on and take the challenge to grow, if one is really surrendered to the point of allowing God to be in control of what is ultimately God's Will for one's life in ministry.
From point A to point B, is not always clear, there will be times when one will have to whole-heartedly trust God for the details to work out as planned by God, not by our idea of how things should go. I have been asking God to show me how to get to point B without the discomfort of the middle part of the process. The discomfort is part of the journey, it is what make the reward worth the effort. Just like a track runner who wants to be the fasted, it cant happen sitting in the stands, but it happens by learning everything necessary to sharpen one's natural ability and from running until time gets better.
The challenges we face in life are not always ideal, nor comfortable to go through, but when you want the outcome badly enough, you decide to face the challenge head on and take the bad with the good, because it will be worth it all in the end. Today, I decided that I am up for challenge of facing the discomfort that will only have to be endure for a short time to get what I ultimately want to see manifested in my life. The discomfort cant be avoided, it is part of the path that leads me right to where God is taking me.
Psalms 23:4 - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
It is not actual death, it is just a shadow and shadows only produce fear when you dont know what it is a shadow of or from what source. Since I know that it has been my own fear, I can ignore the shadow. I will continue on toward what God has for me. I want God's best for my life because it will be worth the challenges along to way and shadows let me know that God's Light is what is real.
August 24, 2017
Insomnia
It is 1:30am and I cant sleep.
I have so many thought in my mind right now. I spend so much of my prayer life interceding for the needs of others that I often forget to really spend time praying about the things that I need in my own life.
And this is why being awake right now is so frustrating to me. Usually when I wake up in the middle of the night, I pray for the people and the situations that have been on my mind during the day or that come to my mind when I wake up. But when I woke up this time, my mind was flooded with thoughts of things that I need in my own life.
In the clinical world of providing services to others, there is an emphasis on self care. It is the understanding that you cant give to others if you not keeping yourself in a good place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The most basic example of this would be to think about the speech that they give you on the airplane about what to do in case of emergency. The instructions are to give yourself oxogen first, then share the oxogen with those around you. In this way, you are more capable when you have what you need.
And this would be the sum total of why I am awake in the middle of the night. I am being forced to face the truth of my own life. I have spent the last few years frustrated with myself because I know that I am not reaching my fullest potential, nor am I achieving at the rate that I should have been. And like a perfect storm of reality checks, it is clear to me that I am not getting what I need to flourish. I have just been existing and trying to function as if it has been sufficient and it has not been and the state of my life is proof of that fact.
So now, I am awake creating an order of importance for the things that I need to do for my self, for my own life. There are some voids in my own life that I need to give some attention to so that I can be nourished and therefore function at a higher level of efficiency. It is not being selfish in a way that doesnt care for others, but it is being selfish in a way that will help me to care for others better.
I have so many thought in my mind right now. I spend so much of my prayer life interceding for the needs of others that I often forget to really spend time praying about the things that I need in my own life.
And this is why being awake right now is so frustrating to me. Usually when I wake up in the middle of the night, I pray for the people and the situations that have been on my mind during the day or that come to my mind when I wake up. But when I woke up this time, my mind was flooded with thoughts of things that I need in my own life.
In the clinical world of providing services to others, there is an emphasis on self care. It is the understanding that you cant give to others if you not keeping yourself in a good place mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The most basic example of this would be to think about the speech that they give you on the airplane about what to do in case of emergency. The instructions are to give yourself oxogen first, then share the oxogen with those around you. In this way, you are more capable when you have what you need.
And this would be the sum total of why I am awake in the middle of the night. I am being forced to face the truth of my own life. I have spent the last few years frustrated with myself because I know that I am not reaching my fullest potential, nor am I achieving at the rate that I should have been. And like a perfect storm of reality checks, it is clear to me that I am not getting what I need to flourish. I have just been existing and trying to function as if it has been sufficient and it has not been and the state of my life is proof of that fact.
So now, I am awake creating an order of importance for the things that I need to do for my self, for my own life. There are some voids in my own life that I need to give some attention to so that I can be nourished and therefore function at a higher level of efficiency. It is not being selfish in a way that doesnt care for others, but it is being selfish in a way that will help me to care for others better.
October 6, 2010
Tried in the Fire
As I was watching the nightly news on this week, I was frustrated to see a story about a small community in Tennessee. It was hours away from there area where I was born and raised, but yet it was in my home state. So I became a bit invested in the story before I even understood the extent to which the contents of the news story would frustrate me.
Home Burns, Firefighters Refuse to Respond
What immediately came to my mind was the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). It saddens me to see what has become of our treatment of each other in this country. Everything boils down to the almighty dollar. Being a capitalist country has almost completely alleviated the heart of so many Americans.
This may sound like a harsh observation, but ask yourself this, 'how in the world could those trained and equipped to fight fires be so callus as to stand by knowing that a family's home is burning down and not do anything about it over $75 worth of fire protection? I do understand the dynamics of the county budget and such, but this seems almost mafia in spirit. With any law there is the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. And I would dare guess that this fee was set in place as a way to finance the service, but it has now become the same service that was denied to someone in need.
In this small town, I cant image what makes others in the community able to watch a friend and a neighbor's home burn to the ground based on some principle that is not grounded in Christian love. What happened to the days when we helped our neighbors build and maintain? There is this image in my mind of the neighbors coming with buckets and passing them to each other to reach the flames in a joint effort to put out the fire. There was a time when this seemed like just the right thing to do. There is no mention of the people in the neighborhood standing up to the challenge to help put out the fire, even though the local firefighters wouldnt fight the fire. So in my mind, the neighbors are just as much of a concern as the issue with the firefighters. Even if the firefighters refused to work to put out the fire over the $75 fee, why weren't the neighbors willing to pitch in form a plan of action and work to save the home? Who wants neighbors that will stand by and let your home burn down without at least making some neighborly effort?
As a Christian nation, are we not disturbed to know that we treat each other this way? This family not only lost their home, but they lost family heirlooms and family history. When do we begin to re-evaluate what it is that we say that we believe? When do we stand up for what is right?
Home Burns, Firefighters Refuse to Respond
What immediately came to my mind was the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). It saddens me to see what has become of our treatment of each other in this country. Everything boils down to the almighty dollar. Being a capitalist country has almost completely alleviated the heart of so many Americans.
This may sound like a harsh observation, but ask yourself this, 'how in the world could those trained and equipped to fight fires be so callus as to stand by knowing that a family's home is burning down and not do anything about it over $75 worth of fire protection? I do understand the dynamics of the county budget and such, but this seems almost mafia in spirit. With any law there is the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. And I would dare guess that this fee was set in place as a way to finance the service, but it has now become the same service that was denied to someone in need.
In this small town, I cant image what makes others in the community able to watch a friend and a neighbor's home burn to the ground based on some principle that is not grounded in Christian love. What happened to the days when we helped our neighbors build and maintain? There is this image in my mind of the neighbors coming with buckets and passing them to each other to reach the flames in a joint effort to put out the fire. There was a time when this seemed like just the right thing to do. There is no mention of the people in the neighborhood standing up to the challenge to help put out the fire, even though the local firefighters wouldnt fight the fire. So in my mind, the neighbors are just as much of a concern as the issue with the firefighters. Even if the firefighters refused to work to put out the fire over the $75 fee, why weren't the neighbors willing to pitch in form a plan of action and work to save the home? Who wants neighbors that will stand by and let your home burn down without at least making some neighborly effort?
As a Christian nation, are we not disturbed to know that we treat each other this way? This family not only lost their home, but they lost family heirlooms and family history. When do we begin to re-evaluate what it is that we say that we believe? When do we stand up for what is right?
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