The fall of the American Empire

I came across this quote this morning.  "Of all people, are national leaders should be just and fair.  When they are unjust and unfair, people suffer.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, politicians wrest power from the people, national morality deteriorates and God is ignored."  Wow, and some people think the Bible is obsolete?  These were the study notes that applied to Psalm 58:11 "Surely the righteous are still rewarded, surely there is a God who judges the earth."

Anyone who can't see today written all over this passage, is either blinded by their own ambitious light or just plain too lazy to see.  What gets me, is that the minority seems to be making a mockery out of the majority and that I just can't figure out!  Who have we become?

In our laziness we expect to be provided for and that is implied for our physical world as well as the spiritual world.  We expect someone else to step to the plate for us and hit the game winning homerun!   We don't even want to have to run the bases!  God triumphs in the end, but that does not mean we are supposed to be sitting back watching the game, God expects us to take our turn at bat.  Are you?

I don't especially want to get bogged down in the politics of this, but let me add this in regard to the politicians mentioned above.  Anytime someone gets to decide the rules for someone else and they don't have to abide by those same rules we need to ask questions and demand answers.  Our politicians are NOT playing by the rules they are making up as they go along.  Are we really that naive?  They say pass these bills and not only don't we know what's in them, neither do they?  In fact one noted politician said "We will find out once they are passed."  Really?!    Do you realize that these bills they want passed aren't even written yet?  So in passing them, they can write anything in them, including big pay raises for themselves or any other self-serving thing like taking away elections (as our esteemed Governor casually mentioned) so that they can get their agendas completed.  And if you subscribe to this - will you do me a favor and write me a blank check?!!!!

Because I mention God, don't think me a righteous condemner, or religious fanatic.  I am as fallible as anyone, the difference between me and some others is that I'll admit to being fallible.   Yes, I have faith and a relationship with Christ and that gives me hope.  That is my choice and we each get to make that choice on our own.  Forcing religion isn't any better than forcing any other values.  That is why America is called the land of the free, but this country was founded on principles I'm sure our forefathers wouldn't recognize today.  And just to be clear because I mentioned the founding of our country, I would NOT have been a proponent of slavery or of women not being able to have a voice.  We might have come a long way, baby, but I think we may have gone too far!  I was not into history when I was back in high school, even though I had some pretty good teachers, I just didn't see how the past had anything to do with today.  Well, I get it now!  America is on the same path of destruction that the Roman Empire was on.  Greed, decadance, power, corruption all are playing the same roles as they did back then and we are sitting back and watching it happen.  Our morality is in the toilet, most but not all of our elected officials seem to have the bad habit of lying. Politicians don't pay into social security, don't have to be part of the healthcare bill they are trying to cram down our throats and for the most part have their finances scattered in loopholes so they aren't deemed "rich."  If the elected paid their fair share of taxes (when they were supposed to), maybe this whole battle of the rich vs. the poor would be non-existant.  What a game, wouldn't it be nice if we all got to play making up rules as we go along that we don't have to follow but we can impose on the peons!

Final thoughts - don't elect people to office because they are just on your team, or they are good-looking or you like the movie stars they like.  Research (and their histories should be readily shared) those whose characters stand the test of time, who are willing to abide to the laws they want put into action.  They represent you.  God expects us to do our part and nothing and I do mean nothing is free.  If you want something, we all have to work for it and even though faith is something that is believed and not earned, God doesn't expect us to sit and do nothing when evil seems to be prevailing and that is exactly where society is right now. 

"Of all people, our national leaders should be just and fair.  The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, politicians wrest power from the people, national morality deteriorates and God is ignored."  What part of any of that statement is untrue?

Looking up!~
Barb

Do I have to grow up?

Do you remember the story of Peter Pan?  Does that name automatically make the song “I won’t grow up” magically appear with the thought, oh I wish after it?  A friend and I have been trying to decipher what was meant when Jesus said in Matthew 18:3….”Unless you change and become like little children, you’ll never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Fifteen years ago a friend gave me a book for birthday #40 and  I wasn’t “ready” to read it back then, and now I’m embarassed to admit that, oh well!  I just put it on my bookshelf and thought maybe one day I’d be grown up enough to want to read it!  One day started last night.  Sigh…..what have I been missing for 15 years?!  The title of the book is “Taking the Child’s Way Home” and it is by Rob Wilkins.

I’m only in the introduction and I’ve gained insight beyond measure!  When I read something that resonates with me, it would be very easy to just stop and recommend the book to others.  However, I know enough about our society today that many people don’t necessarily listen, even when they are unhuhing and therefore, what is being said goes in one ear and out the other, like on a slip and slide (ok, my attempt at being childlike)!  Listen to this passage.  “In the slow and often unnoticeable movement from child to adult, it is possible to lose as much as we gain.  As we learn to control and manipulate our worlds instead of being spun by the magnitude of each moment, we move toward independence, skill and purpose.  But the danger in our effots to work, create and secure a living – to become fully mature adults – is that, without knowing it, we begin to believe that what we do is more important than who we are or what we have been given.  Control, because it is ultimately an illusion, requires more and more of us.  If I could secure this promotion, my child’s future would be solidified…..The illusion of control always demands at least one more thing to do.”

Anyone besides me saying ouch?

“Technology, the ultimate tool in building illusions, give us the ability to shorten the time required to do everything…..Efficiency is the answer.  The problem is, we have become so occupied with doing more – processing information, enrolling in enrichment classes, making meals for the sick – that we have worked ourselves into a frenzy, and no longer have the time or energy to remember what we started out to accomplish in the first place.  We become numb, which is often mistaken for a blessing. …By giving ourselves over to the cultural god of efficiency we run the risk of losing those child-like qualities that should frame the core of who we are – our capacities for surprise, dependence, simple trust.”

Ok, just one more and then we might find out how to stop the bleeding!

Rob continues and I just don’t know how to say this any better than he does, so again I quote: “In between childhood and adulthood, in the splintering movement from dependence to control, the world often gets warped.  Work gets confused with value, results with strategies, numbers with purpose, busyness, with importance.  Soon we become anxious adults, not laughing children: doing, not being; talking, not singing; acting, not responding; existing, not experiencing.”

Do we recognize ourselves or am I the only one seeing something I really don’t want to admit to?

Even back in Jesus’ time this mantra of success abounded.  “Do as I (we) say the Pharisees (the know-it-alls of the day) said.  They imposed their learned religious rules on others to such an extent that there is no wonder that the mere mention of religion today has some people shuddering and offering polite “no thank yous” and maybe even not some not so polite ones!  The Pharisees certainly didn’t get the message of Jesus.  But then, neither did the apostles, because even having had the relationship they did with Jesus, they looked at children in much the same way many still do today.  Which camp are you in – children should be seen and not heard (the apostles were of this mindset) or give them what they want and get them to shut up (seems to be what we have segued into as a society today)?

Becoming child-like does not (to me) mean having to become less mature.  It does mean (at least to me) that we stop taking ourselves so seriously and allow ourselves the opportunities to enjoy God’s blessings.  But how do we do this?  The answer is simple, the application is not!  We have to determine what it is we want!  The stress of a high paying job gives us financial freedom, but at a cost and that cost is our time, our families and our health.   This is demonstrated when we wind up having no time (even to breathe – hey we are on the clock to someone!), but hey, our families do get the benefits of our work – new cars, big houses, name brand clothes; they just don’t get the one thing they want – US!  And finally our health – ok, you are aware that the incidences of stress are totally wreaking havoc on our health, right?!  Heart disease, cancer, ulcers and the list goes on.  So, we wind up dead or in the hospital and then all of the cards in deck come crashing down on us anyway.  Wow, that was a bleak moment in time.  Yikes!

Contrast that with the person whose job allows them opportunity to take time to go see their child or grandchild in the first grade Thanksgiving play or even the ability to come home and have dinner on a regular basis with the family and NOT having to eat it quickly to either go back to work or feel like they now have to bring the work home with them!  What about the ability to toss a ball with someone (and at the age of 55, I will mention that I did do this with a friend about a year ago and we had a great time! We might have looked strange, but we certainly did laugh!  Ok, the next day I will admit to being sore!)

I have had to come to grips with that I will never be financially secure, but I will venture a guess that relatively few people will be (ok, not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett!).  But given the choice do I want to be enslaved to a position that might take the very essence of who and whose I am (as a child of God) and have that be warped into someone no one I know will recognize or like?  And that means my liking me as well!  The alternative is that I will have worked myself right into the grave and then who benefits?

As stated earlier – I’ve only read the introduction to this book, so I don’t have the answers, but neither do I think anyone can give us the answers.  We have to look for them ourselves.  My reasoning behind sharing this was to help anyone who might be interested in getting started, off their derrieres.  Find a day and a friend and don’t worry that your house needs to be vacuumed – go for a walk, ride a bike, throw a ball.  Enjoy yourself and you may even find that the world doesn’t come to an end because you strayed from business as usual!  At the end of the day, take note of how you feel!  If you feel re-charged and there is some semblance of a smile on your face and a grateful heart, then you have just experienced that moment of joy.  That my friends is how one re-learns that child-like faith.  Life is about balance!

“Live, this ain’t no dress rehearsal!”

Looking up!~

Barb

The rationalization quality vs. quantity

Wow, this is a flip side of the coin.  So often we hear about the necessity of spending quality time with others or about spending more on quality products and I have or up until just recently totally bought into that idea.  And then I read something that made me pause mid-thought.  It was stated that "Quantity trumps quality every time." What made me start second guessing myself was that "Love is built on time spent, NOT on how good the time is."  They used this example about parents buying into the lie that kids need everything their hearts desire and therefore they justify their long hours at work (because they want the power or recognition) but pass it off as being able to buy their kids better stuff.  Hmmmmm.....does their kid want the better stuff or do they want the status of being able to have the better stuff?  The lie is that kids wind up getting stuff, but what they really want is time with their parents!  I loved that they use the idea of chocolate....see I have a thing for chocolate and it is going to be painful here for a minute for me, because I'm abstaining from chocolate in an effort to lose weight.  But I digress.  "But ask a ten-year-old if she'd rather have a high-quality square of chocolate imported from France or a big bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses.  What do you think will win?"  Even better was this idea (for those who might have picked the square)...."imagine trying to have a romantic relationship with someone who only dropped by a few times a year, when it fit into his schedule.  Sure the guy might spend lavishly during those 8 weekends a year with you, but (and this is still being quoted), no self-respecting woman would settle for an arrangement like that."

After reading that, I would have to say I can concur.  But the bottom line is how we rationalize our behaviour.  I am by no means saying that clearing the path is easy and actually when you have to pull up stakes in some regard, it can be downright painful.  Something has got to give.  We either resign ourselves to being slaves to the whims of corporate america or we simplify which can also mean doing with less of some of the things we want.  In talking to a friend today, I heard her say - nothing will do us any good by slaving away, if we die trying to achieve it.  Hmmmmm.

Not that I've enjoyed our financial struggles with this economy.  But I will say, it certainly has made me understand what is and what isn't important.  My joy comes from interacting with others and what I have found is that I have time and no one to interact with!  While working out at the Y is fun.....I can do walking lunges around any track, I have a wii (tm), our neighborhood has a pool, I have a bike but the most important thing I have is the ability to walk and that is free of charge!  Sure toys are fun, but toys on their own don't do it for me.  Give me a friend to enjoy a belly laugh with and I'll gladly give up my toys.

I will end with another quote.  Do you feel too busy to spend time with those you love?  Do you feel too busy to spend time serving someone in need?  Do you feel too busy to spend time praying to the God you worship?  What can you eliminate in order to slow down and have time to love?

Quotes from "Unstuff"

Looking up!~ Barb

Are you a light bulb or a lampshade?

When we do, whatever it is that we do, do we do it to the glory of God or to the disdain of mankind?  Too often many of us, myself included, look at each new day begrudgingly.  We look at the have tos and shoulds along with the ought tos and don't want tos totally missing the God opportunities presented each day.  In fact, I'm not even sure that most of us would recognize those opportunities.

I go on, ad nauseaum perhaps, about relationships.  Why?  Because it is in those relationships that we have the chance to interact and show others, through ourselves, God.  What I see and sometimes demonstrate is the biggest turn-off to anyone I've represented myself as a Christian to.  Moodiness, rigidity, anger, possessiveness, ill-will, unforgiveness and laziness do not speak of a benevolent God in my life or in anyone else's.

Each day, we have the opportunity to start fresh, our slate has been wiped clean but are we ready to be the light bulb for God with another?  About a year ago, I was checking out from a dollar store and the woman checking me out, definitely had something I wanted.  Her attitude!  As she thanked me for making my purchase, she then said for me to have a "blessed day."  The thing is I could tell that she meant it.  I walked away wondering what it was that she "had" that I didn't.  Certainly I could start adding that phrase to my repetoire, but the difference in her saying it and my saying it would be light years different.  It goes deeper than just words!

From that point on, I have struggled with an attitude that limits God.  You see, the size of our faith is equal to the size of God in our lives.  Our pasts have the tendency to limit our ability to see the enormity of God.  We in essence put God in a box of our own dimensions.  How?  Every time we come upon a situation that is bigger than we think we are capable of handling and instead of asking for God's help, we instead give up.  The thought process behind that is, that if God wanted us to be able to accomplish it, He would have just stepped in and helped us.  Right?  Wrong!  My question to you (and myself) is, "But, did you ask Him?"  Many times the reason we either don't ask or won't ask, is that we are afraid of the answer.  We only should ask a question that we want to be answered and we have to be willing to accept that sometimes the answer is not one we are going to want to hear!  But what if the answer was better?!  Well, we miss that opportunity as well!

What many people only see is that God is a God of rules and it has a name religion.  The more I learn though, is that man made up the rules and is the one enforcing them.  God wanted a relationship and that is why He sent His Son.  God became Man for the relationship to be established.  Which brings me straight back to our ability to interact with others.  We interact with inanimate objects constantly, I'm doing so now via computer.  Why?  Because the only way I can possibly have a chance to interact with someone is now by email, blog or facebook.  Otherwise, everyone is too busy.  They can read this (at least I hope so) and let it go, but conversing would take time and time is something everyone is running short of both from a daily perspective AND an eternal one.

Most of us can't comprehend what we can't see.  So the concept of life in heaven is something we allude to, something we say we believe but sometimes I wonder....the thing that I am learning is that we don't have to wait until we die, every day we have the opportunity, as promised by Christ to enjoy the benefits of His joy while still living here on earth, we just choose not to enjoy it.  Let me just say, if you say you are enjoying it and still waking up with stress, and dread, and those other qualities I've already listed, then you are fooling yourself!  That woman in the dollar store, she understands it.  I would venture to guess, that the size of her faith is enormous!  And when she encounters life's dilemmas, she is right in His Presence, not only asking, but receiving His answer!  That's what I want!!

Each day we have the chance to be His light!  We need to honor Him by the quality AND with the attitude we bring to each day, to whatever it is that we do!

Looking up!~
Barb

Speaking of Inadequacy

Have you ever felt inadequate?  Will you even admit to it? I will!   My blog is just a written account of the things that swirl through my brain and either beg me or dare me to write about them.  Sometimes the content makes me uncomfortable, but only when I let myself care that someone might think less of me because of what I have written.  Other times I feel that in reading what is written, someone else might have the insight into their own thoughts and realize that they aren’t so alone in them.  See I have the “cracked pot” mentality, meaning that God’s light has been placed inside of me and if my outer shell is “perfect” then none of His light can shine through.  However, if my imperfections or cracks in my veneer are readily available to see, then His light is able to be displayed.

Back to feeling inadequate…..why is it so important for us to appear to be more than what it is we feel inside?  The only difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t is that the one who is successful mastered their fear of being inadequate.  That is not to say that they still don’t have moments where they feel unsure of themselves, but instead that they taken the challenge of the situation and said “I’ll give it a try.”  The person who feels unsuccessful thinks of all of the reasons that they can’t and therefore never makes the attempt.

Anyone reading this might think that based on what is written above that I fall into the more confidant role and that would be a complete and utter misconception.  Unfortunately, I find myself sticking to the familiar, which is not working for me, rather than seeing the bridge and stepping foot on the path that can lead me to the unknown.  See, my trust is in me and I am sorely found lacking.

This begs the question of why and the only answer I can come up with is that somewhere along the line, I learned to fear confrontation, anger, abandonment or being left out.  I learned that by going with the flow, I could more or less be guaranteed a certain outcome and I could therefore deal with the pain I know rather than the pain I don’t know.  Who the heck taught me this?  No, I’m not blaming my parents, or family.  In fact, I think that this is just one of those societal encounters that wear away at us as we age, especially if we are the more sensitive types.

Yesterday, a friend was telling me about how stressed she is feeling in regard to the lack of time she has to be able to “live” her life.  She feels as if she is under constant pressure at work, then she comes home to do everything else in her life some of which includes housework, paying bills, exercising etc.  She feels choked by stress and the only way to “de-stress” is to unload something.  Well, the thing she decided to unload was some of the time she and I spend exercising together – which at 5-6 times a week may seem like a lot.  And it is, but if you are going to exercise anyway?  What she is unhappy with is not our doing it together, but about the regimen we chose to adhere to.  Well that seems simple enough to fix, but not really.  See we both set goals to lose weight in a set amount of time and unfortunately without the accountability factor in place, well, just suffice it to say, we tend to cheat.  I can totally understand her situation and do not hold any animosity but will miss the time spent together.

Do you remember back in the day when they’d show on TV a girl being asked out on a date, and it was not something she really wanted to do, but she didn’t want to hurt the guy, so she’d say, “oh, I’m sorry, I can’t …..I have to wash my hair?”  Well, now we’ve substituted that with “I have to clean my house.”  Really?! Can you think of excuses you have used? What we are really saying is that we need time alone; time to not be accountable to anyone, time maybe even to hear the still, small voice of God.  Why is it we just can’t come out and say that?  Week in and week out, we are on a treadmill, get up go to work, come home make dinner, watch TV, while reading face book or emails and then collapse into bed, to get up the next day and do it all over again.  Somehow I don’t see the correlation between this and being relational.  Is that living or existing?  I KNOW that this economy sucks; I am dealing first hand with the lack of income and try as I am, and I am not finding the job of my dreams or for that matter, even my nightmares.  I hate the fact that I am at polar opposites with those I’d like to be friends with meaning they have no time and I have too much of it.  I’m not even sure if they understand that this is a major source of my feelings of inadequacy.  Who cares?  Or maybe the question is why they should?

It is interesting to note, that in my past experience, when Nancy got sick, one of the things that made her feel sad was that others continued on in their lives with an abandonment that she was no longer able to feel.  It was the same when her son died.  Her world was rocked, never to be the same and yet, everyone else kept on living.  I can’t say this is wrong necessarily, but not everyone takes notice or if they do, it is for a time and then time marches on and then it is as if they forget.  I feel that what it really is is that they either feel inadequate in wanting or knowing how to deal with the situation OR as stated when my nephew said prior to dying…. “I’m still me, I’m not contagious,” we are afraid of “catching whatever it is they have.

I am not generally given to depression, but these past few years have taken a toll on my soul, making me very aware of the human psyche.  Beat it down enough, and it either learns to stay down or seeks a source of strength beyond that which is human.  I am hoping that all that I am going through (and writing about) will be directional to survival based on a trust in God, when trust in everyone and everything else has proven untrustworthy.  I do not look for sympathy, but I am truly developing an empathetic heart for others, especially those who are holding on for dear life in positions of fear, whether they are working or not.  I can’t remember a time when I didn’t “worry” and am now finding that this is the area God wants me working on.  It is funny, and not “funny” in the ha, ha sense, but in the abnormal sense, that what it is I fear, is fear.  There is no hiding from it anymore.  But I do have a choice, either it wins or I do.  When the bottom drops out in life, you either eat worms or start climbing, but first you have to recognize where you are ;even when you don’t want to!

None of us knows the outcome of our stories, but let me say this: If you aren’t in a relationship with God, when the bottom drops out in your life, you will feel a loss so deep you won’t know where to start looking.  I don’t say that lightly, I’ve been there, so I’m speaking from experience.  Secondly, sometimes you think you’ve learned the lesson only to find that the bottom drops out again.  This can make us resentful or start us on the blame trail. If you find yourself on the grudge trail, you might as well let it go, because the only one losing sleep over whatever it is that hurt you, is YOU!  We may want to lash out  even passive aggressively, meaning you adopt the “I won’t call them until they call me” mentality, well, my advice to this is – do this, but be prepared that, that may very well be the last time you hear from them.  There is only one way to navigate from the bottom and that is UP!  I will end with “Forgiveness is the willingness to live with the consequences of another’s sin.”  Jesus did this, can we?

Looking up!~

Barb

Crossing the bridges of humility

In the midst of pride, I made a grave mistake and lashed out.  With reluctance I had to finally recognize my mistake and then feel the pain of the consequences associated with it.  This morning I read in Psalm 130:1 – If You, God kept a record on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance?

Part of the consequences I had to deal with was swallowing the pride by becoming humble not only to God, but with the person I lashed out with.  Sometimes in the rectification process you find forgiveness and sometimes you don’t.  With God, as stated previously, confessing of the error wipes clean the slate, unfortunately with humans it isn’t always quite that easy.  Many times instead you encounter a wall that stilts communication unless the barrier can come down and just because I may be ready, doesn’t mean that the other person is necessarily willing.

I am thankful that God doesn’t keep records (hold grudges) in regard to my wrongdoings.  I am the record keeper though and as my wrongs line up, staring me in the face they convict me into making a choice.  The choice is to confess them to God who is ready, willing and able to help me work through them or to succumb to the pain which inevitably leads to continued destructive behavior.

I did try to reach out; and I wound up bearing the sting of gentle rebuke.  I will now release the situation to God and move on.  I pray that God continues to soften both our hearts and that reconciliation beyond that of polite conversation can ensue.  If not, then I will accept that it was not part of God’s will for the relationship to continue.

 I am in the unique position of watching people come to grips with end of life issues.  I see them grapple with time issues that are no longer under their control.  At some point each of us may find ourselves in this position, so I’m choosing not to wait to try and make my amends.  Closure is necessary and too often we hide our heads in the sand, rather than dealing with hurtful situations.  I once helped someone write a letter to express the feelings that had been keeping them stuck for years and in the writing of the letter, I watched her release the animosity that had enshrouded her.  The letter wound up being burned in the fireplace, but then a new letter was written and this time it was a love letter that was both written and sent.  God is a God of love, and I believe when each of our times come; I feel that the more “love” that surrounds us, the more acceptable we will be to Him.  Yes, the personal relationship with Jesus must be the first step, but having that relationship means that we want to exemplify His likeness and the only way to do so, is to develop this love.

I did what I could, I tried to reach out.  It wasn’t easy and in some ways I felt like I was groveling but that was probably a resurrection of the pride thing.  As I have been hurt, I know that I too have hurt others…..but in the end, I hope to be able to write love letters!

Looking up! ~

Barb

What have we done in the name of God?

What has been done in the “cause” of religion?  Today, as we mark the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 we remember the aftermath of what extremists did to our country.  In the cause of their religion they not only tried and convicted, they passed judgment by condemning America for our “sins.”  But who were they to pass judgment on us?!

Ten years later, I recall standing in horror as I watched that plane crash into the building and then the collapse of the two towers.  And while much of the focus lies there, I know about where Shanksville is and can relate to an area not far from where I grew up, so I continued to comprehend the horror of the planes crashing there and also into the Pentagon.  My mind raced trying to understand the evilness that planned that attack on innocent people by a group who didn’t know us, but decided they didn’t like us and that we needed to be taught a lesson.  I never grasped the depravity of evilness until that day!

So what, if anything, have we learned in ten years?  Have we grown closer to our God, or have we let the extremists have their way by making us abandon our ideals?  I believe this to be their goal.  See, I feel that many think that this was all just about our American lifestyle they purported to see – greed and decadence and while some of this is certainly true what was at stake was our freedom AND our belief in God.  Their evil wanted to displace our faith.  Did they win?

Yesterday at church the sermon Derwin Gray preached was all about addictions.  The sermon opened with “An addict never suffers alone.” Addictions have everything to do with idolatry, which is placing something, anything above God.  Most people think it is a drug or alcohol thing, ok, add pornography and everyone thinks it is all wrapped up in a neat little package pertaining to someone else.  Well Pastor Derwin went on to say, what about those addicted to prescription drugs, or shopping or work?  Might those addictions seem a bit closer to home to some of us?  He continued to comment that “Guilt makes us feel guilty, so we therefore go back to the source of the guilt to try to make the pain stop.”  Where does our pain come from?  And here is where he said something that stopped me in my tracks…..our pain comes from our lack of faith in a God to provide what it is that is necessary.  I don’t remember the exact quote to use, but what struck me about this was when he said something to the effect that the rigidity of the rules that some think religion is about is what has cast us as a society to turn from God and look to ourselves as the answer to the wrongs perceived out in the world.  The two operative words in this last sentence are rigidity and rules.  Weren’t they the two things that the extremists deemed themselves to be better than us in?

Since 9/11 have we grown closer to God?  I don’t think so, but I don’t corner the market on your thoughts, I only share mine.  Why don’t I think so?  Daily I hear in the name of political correctness that we are afraid to stand up for God.  We as a nation have gone soft in keeping God in our schools, in our courtrooms, and even to the point we are trying to change our currency to eliminate Him from the saying on the back of the dollar.  That our government officials would say to anyone that they are not invited to the ceremony of the 9/11 memorial because of concern of a particular religious group shows me how fearful we are of incurring the wrath of people rather than trusting that God can somehow turn the evil that occurred that day into something suitable for His glory.  Some might look at my last statement and shake their head at my naiveté, thinking how can I say that.  God didn’t make that evil happen any more than He makes any of us decide to go down the wrong path to addictions.  He doesn’t stop evil from happening, because He gave us free will.  He knows the outcome of our choices and waits for us to turn to Him to say “I’ve had enough, I need help.”  Then and only then, does the benevolence of God reach through our muck and we start to find beauty from our pain.  And if you think I’m a cracked pot, then let me assure you I am the clay jar willing to allow the light of God to seep through me showing my imperfections that allow me to be led to Him.

Another illustration by Pastor Derwin that struck me was when he mentioned how we as parents expect our kids to be perfect.  When those report cards come home and we are disappointed in our child’s grades – even when they got 4 As and 1 B.  We focus on the B…..why not the 4 As?  And should the grades be lower we stand back and parent from a distance, meaning that rather than being involved in their lives, we are working harder so that we can supply our addictions to stuff (bigger houses, luxury cars, designer labels, gourmet dining, umpteen shoes, oh and those other addictions I already mentioned)!  If we parent that way why is it any wonder that we deem God as a distant entity?  Why are we surprised when our children don’t turn to us, but instead to one another or to addictive behaviors?  It is because we aren’t there for them, we’re too busy!  We, as people, yearn for relationships.  God made us that way, but when He created us that way, the first relationship He hoped we’d have a desire for was with Him.  Not everyone finds this true, and in fact, I had to go through some hard times of my own to finally see that light!  But I was fortunate to have been born into a family where there was close interaction between parent and child; however I never understood the difference between the rules/rigidity of religion until I started having a relationship with Christ.  Unfortunately, the rules/rigidity of religion have turned so many people away from God and they have absolutely nothing to do with Him.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were perfect in their ability to make up rules for the people to follow…..as long as they didn’t have to necessarily pertain to them.  Wait, that sounds like a familiar theme to today!  In their pursuit of their fame, they didn’t even recognize that the promised Messiah had come and in fact they had condemned Him to a torturous death – all in the name of the rigidity and rules that they called religion.

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11 it would be my hope that we in the time we take to pause to remember and reflect that we allow our hearts to be changed like they were that day.  In the midst of that evil, I remember feeling that as a country our hearts had been softened and as we worked together to rebuild, we did so with God along side of us.  Has your heart hardened back up again?  Are you a follower of rigidity and rules?  Don’t be fooled into believing that they are for our safe keeping, they are not.  They are put in place for the sole (not soul) benefit of the kingdoms those in charge want to maintain.  Place your trust in Christ and instead of living for momentary pleasures, live a life of eternal hope that can only happen by following the path of Christ.

My heart goes out to each and every family affected by the events of 9/11.  I pray for a peace of mind and the assurance that those who lost their lives that day are now living a life in the presence of the One who only wants joy for us all!  God Bless the USA!

Looking up!~

Barb

Lesson 9,999+..... on trust!

“Wasn’t that something Lord?  There he was saying “help me,” but he wouldn’t show me the hurt.  A quote taken from the Women’s Friendship devotional.

Well, how often have I done just that?  Face it, none of us goes through life unscathed and yet, there are some who seem better equipped to handle it OR they bury it deeper than the world can see and gloss over it.  Unfortunately, I’m one whose reservoir for deception doesn’t run deep, meaning if something is wrong it will present itself somewhere.  What I am finding out though is those who seemingly “bury it” wind up dealing with their issues compounded with associated health issues on top.

God asks us to be transparent with Him.  Don’t you realize He already knows what is going on in your life?  He’s waiting with a reply, but won’t force it on us.  He gave us free will.  Free will is a “god-like” feature, because it is the gift of independence by a God who would prefer our dependence on Him.  He will not force it.  Just like love, it can’t be forced!

Our sorrows or regrets can lead us back to God or they can lead us to “death.”  Either way it is our choice.  Using Peter and Judas as examples, both betrayed Christ, both felt badly having done so, both repented in their own way.  Yes, Judas tried to undo what he did by going back to the Jewish leaders and giving back their money.  Peter by humbling himself before the risen Lord.  Peter’s regret led to his salvation.  Judas’ led to his suicide.  Why?  Because in their repentance one saw God as the forgiver, the other didn’t.  Why?  Because one’s heart was centered in Christ and allowed himself to be broken, the other heart was self-centered trusting in himself and the world and he knew that the world would keep letting him (and us) down.

Where is your hurt?  Recently my heart has hurt from lacking in trust and I kept looking for people to “tell me” things would be ok.  Well, they may be, for a while, until the next “issue” pops up.  That is when it dawned on me; I keep equating the trust issues I have with people and foisting them on God.  If I can’t trust people, then I must not be able to trust God.  Hello?!  Do I have something backwards here?!  Ya think?!

Try as we do, humans will always be found lacking in something and that something might just be the thing you would need from them.  Instead, take it to God, show Him your hurt and then trust Him that He will be the Healer of whatever ails you.  The important thing to remember in this is that He is the deliverer of a message and the message is not always the one we want to hear, but in the long run is the one that is best for us!  Remember, Peter had to humble himself, but wound up with more than he could ever have hoped for! 

Looking up!~ Barb

Too Cynical? Too Skeptical?

I have been embroiled in a heavy curtain of darkness for the last two weeks.  It is said that we do not fight battles of the flesh, but in the spiritual realm and while this battle seemed to be of the flesh, its beginning and end is in my spirit.  Just this morning as I read Psalm 119, which is the lengthiest psalm out there, the verse I chose as having the most meaning to me was verse 107 and it reads “Everything’s falling apart on me God.  Put me together again with your word.”  Today’s Psalm furthered that point – Psalm 120:1 “I call on the Lord and He answers me.”

Buckle your seatbelts, I am about to take you on a ride!  I truly believe that God ministers to our questions and needs daily, but we either can’t, don’t or won’t hear Him.

Yesterday I really needed to hear God, in fact, the day before I went to seek Him at the cemetery and didn’t “hear” anything.  Caught in this darkness, I prayed asking God for His Word to help me navigate the murky waters I was finding myself in, so the two morning readings grabbed my attention!  As I went about my day yesterday, I thought to myself, I’d like God to show Himself by playing the song “Promise of a Lifetime.”  It came out about 5 years ago.  I then let the thought go and drove to work – I heard nothing.  At work, I never turned the radio on, so again, nothing.  On the way home I was no longer aware that I had even had the thought or made the request.  As I zipped up 485, I heard the opening chords to the song and remembered and felt God’s love pour out on me.  The significance of the words “Will you help me, fall apart, pick me up, take me in Your arms and find my way back from the storm and show me how to grow through the change” were not lost on me!  I thought WOW and yes, I guess He heard me, but He didn’t stop there!  The next song was “Word of God Speak.”  Again, not a new release and its lyrics said about being at a loss for words (my not knowing what or how to pray about the situation at hand), but that it was okay because what I really needed was for God to speak and me to “Hear what You would say”: and “In the quiet hear Your Voice.”  But then He went for the trifeckta, because the next song was “Stronger” and its message was that 1) this situation was not going to last forever. 2) That I should holdfast and 3) that what I’m learning will help me grow stronger.”

Ok, at this point, some may be thinking I’ve lost my ever-loving mind or that, as a friend stated, the coincidence or timing was just ironic or anyone could grasp anything they’d like from any song.  I won’t argue with you – I might wonder about your cynicism or skeptical attitude.  By the way, the three songs played are not “new” releases so the serendipity of timing is interesting!

The point of all of this is why would anyone want to dispute the miracle that is able to be present in our lives every day?  Instead of being jaded, maybe we need to think in the realm of possibilities!  Can or does God talk to us?  I emphatically believe He does, every day in a myriad of ways.  Look at nature, hear the music, read His Word, smell a newborn (before a diaper change is needed!)

Many could say “Well, He’s never spoken to me!” and I might have to beg to disagree with you on that one!  He can do anything, but we are the ones limiting Him.  We set boundaries in our hearts and minds by mocking or being sarcastic about those who claim to have heard Him.  The disparaging mindset makes our spirits say why bother, they won’t believe it anyway.  Why then are you surprised to hear nothing, when you don’t expect to hear it in the first place?  Instead ask God to show off for you and then sit back and wait to be amazed!  Oh and by the way, it doesn’t happen necessarily at the moment you put in your request!

Last story (this disputes what I said above)  and it happened to me about 3 or so years ago.  Again, driving up 485, getting off at my exit, again having a “prove it” moment – which I’m not too proud of needing!  As I come to the stop light at the bottom of the ramp I said “God, I need to “see” you.”  I pull up to the car in front of me and the license reads “I AM.”  I sat there stunned.  And for those who don’t know – God is referred to as being the great “I AM!”

No, you don’t have to believe me.  I dare you to try it for yourself, but first you have to get your hearts/minds in the right spots! 

Looking up!~ Barb