Not Offended

 What if, just for today......

I read an article the other day. The title was "Why Are Americans So Divided?". The article was listed in Apple News, but a publication I was unfamiliar.   Division is a terrible problem for our culture, so I thought I would like perspective from another source, sure, I'll read it.

The article started innocuous stated facts and studies, but then it took a turn. The author landed on opinion from articles and suppositions from other authors from as early as 1912 to conclude the problem with America's divide is conservatives want to control liberals. Do you find this conclusion nauseating? We all have our faults. We all have our eccentricities.

When we get right down to brass tacks, our solutions have to climb above blaming. How does blaming fix the divide? Blaming furthers the divide with resentment and frustration.

Americans have it good! We can express opinion and be different. We're so far removed from the cost of that self expression that we take it for granted. We want everyone to just adopt our ideology without consideration of their autonomy or sentiance. We become annoyed at the thought of even listening to someone who doesn't think the way we do. And if we are confronted with the idea they present and we don't like it, we become offended.

"They" don't look like me, talk like me, work like me, speak like me, dress like me, eat like me, think like me, behave like me, smell like me, vote like me or [whatever] like me so I am offended. 

Christ Follower,  I would to share with you a quote.  "A person's wisdom yields patience, it is to one's glory to overlook an offense." This quote is from the bible. The reference is Proverbs 19:11.  What if, just for today we choose to not be offended. When the other person is offended, what if just for today, we choose not to be offended.  When we hear things that we don't want to hear, what if just for today, we choose not to be offended.  When we are confronted with lies, what if just for today, we choose not to be offended.  

We know the is no righteousness in us. None. Every bit of righteousness we can muster amounts to a pile of filthy rags. The original language of the text equates these rags to menstrual cloths. Every single bit of my good is menstrual rags. When I am offended by another's actions or thoughts or words, what am I  comparing the offense to? To Jesus? To You? To Me?

Christ redeems us. Not to be a better version of ourselves, but to be a new creature. We are regenerated, old things are passed away. Being offended by someone else's filthy rags is hypocritical.  No? 

When we read Proverbs 13:10 we see that pride breeds quarrels.  If I am living of life of contention and quarreling, pride is the source. Pride is deeply rooted in our dna. It is part of who we are. Pride is the reason we are looking at other peoples' pile of filthy rags and getting offended. 

What if just for today we choose to not be offended. Try it tomorrow, too.

Who am I?

I got a communication from a friend yesterday who is very busy.  If this person communicates with you it is VERY important.  Sure enough.  I posted a photograph celebrating my children that I unwittingly shouldn't have posted.

I swell with pride when I look at my kids and the people they are becoming.  It is a very difficult task to raise humble, well adjusted adults in today's culture of me, me, me.  It's even harder to "humbly boast" in appropriate ways of things that God is doing in their lives.

This past weekend my kids had their karate promotion for their levels.  My oldest earned his first degree black belt.

We've attended this school for three years.  We have made amazing friends and have some great traditions at this school.  One tradition is to take a nice, silly and jumping group photo  when it is all done.  A release valve of sorts.

There is one family who as a whole are "helpful". They get involved in everything and let it be known and they will step on you if you get in the way. You catch the tenor  of my thought pattern....

One of the kids made a gesture that compromised the photo.  A precious memory and time I can never recapture for my kids.  What's worse is that I'm so trained to overlook this family that I posted an obscene photo represented my family and my karate school.

I ran the gambit of emotions.  I was SHOCKED!  Then embarrassed. Then angry.  Now, after much soul searching, at peace.

I know what it is like to have a difficult to discipline child.  I hear all the time "well, if you'd spank him...."  Please, honey, this particular child has received more spankings than the other two combined and probably my husband and myself also.  Then I thought, "But for the grace of God there go I."  I hate that saying.  I truly do.  It is prideful and haughty.

The truth is:
Unless Christ is in control of my life that IS me.  Get it?  I am that awful (or whatever) person unless Jesus is controlling my mind, body and soul.

I realized this as I started to text the picture privately to others who sympathize.  I deleted the texts.....

Jesus, make my heart more like yours.  Let me leave the judgement for you because I alone am so fallible.

It's over! Or is it?

I must say.....this has been fun this morning.  But fun aside, we've got to do some soul searching both as an individual and as a society.  

We are some haughty, disrespectful humans.  We feel we need to be right and if we're not, well watch out.  It's like tending to a room of infants who know what they want and really could care less that the person next to them needs something also.  We bicker incessantly and if that's not embarrassing enough we bring the next door neighbor to the fight. 

 I'm not ashamed to say I have hidden some folks' posts from my Facebook feed not because they didn't agree with me, but because they were hateful towards others' ideology and even their being.  There is no honor in this.  Do not put people down.  This is an "Everything I Need To Know, I Learned in Kindergarten" moment, people.  

I've also blocked people who have made this election a religious thing.  It is not.  It is government.  Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and that sort of thing.  If the church and christian were really doing what they were supposed to be doing there might not be the moral reprehensible behavior so rampant today.  And by the way.....the command is to LOVE (not judge and condemn)....Love God with every fiber of your being and Love your neighbor as you do yourself - not the country - not the government - not the offices held there - which truly constitutes idolatry.   God rains on the just and the unjust and when we communicate that we prayed, we won, God is for us, where does that leave a person not regenerated by mercy and grace? 

 Please, soul search with me....

Boiling Over

Wow!  We surely are living in an exciting time.  No matter what you believe the air is charged with electricity and everyone is being zapped with little pops.  As hard as I try to stay away from the fray it is impossible to avoid the static entirely.

I turn off social media, but miss the antics of my great nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters.  So I turn it on again, hide the most obnoxious posters from my feed and then my snail mail box has a ton of political ads.  Blah.  At least (and I'm knocking on wood) my email has yet to be inundated with unsolicited political advertisement.

Since this national political season has me completely dumbfounded I try to keep my remarks honorable and sparse, but enjoy noticing the folly/humor of the whole scenario.  Once I got over the shell shock of our choices for president (let's just face it - our choices reflect our society) and settled in to ride the wave of off colored waters, I was able to reflect on what God has for me through all these happenstances.   As a result, I'm bubbling over.   I'd just like to release a bit of pressure in a way that hopefully won't be hurtful to anyone.

My first bubble:  Straighten up.

So I was at a party this past weekend and was standing next to an adult who said to a tweenager, "Come back to [this class].  No, wait, you don't behave well enough.  Start behaving and you can come back."   How does that sit with you?  Are you bubbling?  You should be.  

Friends, we have a responsibility to our future to be appropriate with our future.  This was a near family relative speaking to a young adult-ish person (who may change their diaper one day).  Please, when speaking to a child always remember they will be the ones in charge of your diaper one day.  Be kind, be patient, be sweet, be soft, be humorous.  

How I perceived that statement:  You're not good enough for my group - straighten up then you'll be good enough.  I've seen this in so many different aspects of life.  This particular sentence was spoken about a secular activity, but I've also heard it applied to our spiritual life entirely too many times.   "Jesus loves good little girls/boys."  WRONG!  Jesus loves me when I'm bad, though it makes him very sad.

Cliques are hurtful and exclusive.   We are communal beings and even the most removed individual will go mad without community and seek to form a community including other beings.  Why, exactly, do you thinks that our dogs and cats are now our "children" or "closer than family"?  (Realize, please, that this statement is only a personal observation as I have lived with animals my entire life and am very fond of them as individuals.)    

This adult communicated (in a sincere fashion), you have to meet certain criteria before you are welcome.  Instead of being welcoming to people, there was an obstacle - immediately before the person even put a hand on the door.  What was on the other side of the door will never be discovered because of the road block before this person.  AND do you remember?   Do you?  What was it like to be a tweenager? Remember how uncertain and uncomfortable you were in your own skin?   I shudder and despise those years.  Do we need criticism?  Yes.  But let's give it in the form of instruction.  Building one another up.  I would have rather this adult try to remember their own behavior at that age, which let me tell you, there were mistakes made.  Not everything needs to be pointed out and it certainly doesn't need to be done publicly to embarrass someone into compliance with our standard of morality.  

Oh.....Now I'm feeling ranty.......  So let me leave this person for a few moments and go to church.

I want so much to look more like Jesus everyday.  How does this apply to our church?  To people?  Friends, it is impossible for us to ever straighten up enough to come to God.   "All have gone astray." "All have fallen short."  God knew this and yet still provided a way for us.  "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Have you forgotten what it's like to be astray?  Have you forgotten what it's like to be an unrepentant sinner?  

When I was a child I remember one of my teachers asking one day in children's church, "If someone nasty, filthy, smelly walked into our church, what would you do?"  I thoughtfully piped in with, "I'd go say hello.".   My teacher smiled and said, "that's what we should do, but it'd be pretty hard."  That lesson never left me in 30+ years.  I never remember the event happening at that church or any other church until 3 years ago.  My husband pastors a humble church in a rural town.  One day, a man (who actually went to school with my husband) walked in (late), stumbled to the coffee table, served himself sloppily and found a seat by sitting down but falling to the floor after missing the chair.  This man was a scrag.  Nothing desirable in him, stunk, couldn't stand up straight and, by gum, he certainly couldn't tithe.  What do you think happened?  Our leadership discretely got up, while our pastor continued speaking helped the man up and got him situated with another cup of coffee and made him feel loved.  That is the hands and feet and head and heart of Jesus - in life - in action.

Watch the obstacles you place in others' paths.  Are they missing out on the fullness of blessing and peace and joy because you were trying to fix something about them yourperceive as a problem?  What we see of another human being is surface level - even if we think we know everything - we don't; God weighs the matter of the heart and see the inmost being.  Let the Holy Spirit do the work in someone's life through you.  

Ask God right along with me:, "Lord, give me eyes to see people (young and old) the way you see them.  Use me to be help in bringing them to you.  Help me see the obstacles I've built for people and allow me to remove them to bring you glory.  For the glory of your son, Jesus.  Amen.

Peace, God bless.

Happy New Year!

As I write this post, it is actually before Christmas.  I was just scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw a “memory” post from 3 years ago by one of Jim’s cousins.  I was struck by the fact in the original post, my cousin’s mother liked the photo.  This year this beloved Aunt has died.  She died just 5 months after her husband of 60 years.  It was shocking and grief racking through the holiday season.  

I was struck by the thought shared by her husbands brother.  He was at this Aunts house putting up Christmas decorations and came across a devotional note left by their mother.  It was poignant as the passage was not only a message for her, but for the family in that moment.  It was from I Corinthians “….for in my weakness His strength is perfected…..”.   

This to me is an example of God’s love perfected through us when we allow him to direct our paths, our minds and our loves.   When this happens, we impact not only in living, but in death.  Anything sown for God’s glory will not be a waste.

As you seek God this coming  year through worship, praise, prayer, reading and living ask.  Ask God “how does this scripture apply to my life in honoring you?” , “how does this passage change my heart to grow your kingdom here on earth?”, “am I moldable and open to the work of the holy spirit in my life to be more like your Son, Jesus?” ; “Open the eyes of my heart to want to be more like you.”.

I honestly believe this is where revival and renewal begins: in our own heart, our own lives and our own living.  People would rather read you than read the bible.  Live the whole word loudly.  Ask God to make 2016 a year where you grow so close to Him through His Word that no one will question your dependence on Him.

Peace and Blessings

May God be with you through this new year.

This picture is precious to me:  It was taken at a family camp in North Country NY.  It brings back so much of what is good in my life.  Godly, generous, forward thinking grandparents who gave of themselves not just for their kingdom but more for God's kingdom.  It gifts the image of family gatherings, games and laughs.  I reminds me of parents who appreciate integrity and goodness.  There's shadows moving about the picture of people preparing to board the boat and tour the river or go fishing, gathering to enjoy the splendor of the view God had gifted this spot or fellowship around a yard game or people living out their faith in word and deed always making sure that their deed matched their words.  That is my gift God has given me through heritage.  You don't have to do great things in God's name, just focus on living His word and He will do great things through you.  

This passage is precious to me:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the couple of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the mocker but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates both day and night.  He is be like a tree planted by streams of the water.  Which yield fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Psalms 1:1-3 NIV84

I love this Psalm.  It is one of the first I remember memorizing.  I pray this Psalm over my husband  my children and myself.  Keep our hearts focused on you, Lord.  Keep us in Your word.  Reap the fruit of Your works in our lives.

A prayer from Psalms 1:1-3

Lord, Work in this area of my (or loved one’s) life.  Make me (them) this tree planted by water streams: strong, steadfast and bearing.  Nurture me (them) with the everlasting water of your Word.  Keep me (my loved one) in meditation on your word day and night and reap the fruit for your kingdom.  AMEN

Blessings......

For the last year, I've posted a blessing for each day on my Facebook feed.  It was response to God's leading through a friend.  The year previous, she posted a blessing each day of the year.  It was life changing to her and in the process to me.

I was changed by acknowledging gifts in my life, whether great or small, into realizing that God had me every day, every step and every way.  I saw that even in the "bad" there was goodness.  

I hope this year to leave the format of Facebook and post the blessing here. to move forward with the seeds of joy, peace and love in my soul and heart to share.  And quite honestly, I need a Facebook break. 

Journey with me, while I start up my blog again. Sharing the blessing of God's work in my life's journey.

A Prodigal

Luke 15 beginning in verse 11 tells the story of the prodigal son. Most of you have heard it, but you can read it to refresh your memory.

Most of my life I have always believed that the prodigal was a bad place to be. The more I grow in my relationship with God, the more I realize how vital the prodigal position is to true repentance, true Christ-likeness.

The prodigal has two things going for him:
1. He realizes he has great need.
2. He understands that God has great wealth of mercy.

It hasn't been until recently that I can say that I am a forgiven prodigal rather than the son that stayed with no reason to be forgiven --- or at least none that he can see.

Break my heart for what breaks yours, Jesus.