Don’t get it twisted….

“Each new year gives us a chance to become more than we ever imagined."~ Flavia

We tend to get just enough understanding of things to be dangerous and ineffective. Not realizing, it is not just dangerous to us but to all who are connected to us. Whether is it wives submitting to your husband or submitting to leadership or leadership or diversity. The key is having a keen understanding two important concepts TPM (time, place and manner) and context. When we get these two concepts right make a world a difference between creating enemies, and creating a profitable connection that blesses our life. Doing a gut check before reacting to a circumstance, and before we spew out some great explanation or idea that is good and sustentative but it is only applicable in certain situations., and all wrong for the situation at hand. All because we missed the meaning all together, thus, we use it inappropriately. We have not grasped that having just enough is dangerous for application and implementation while being destructive to self and others. Because we don’t check things out for ourselves when we believe something is askew before we repeat it. 

When I was my young there was a scripture repeated a lot 2 Tim. 2:15 - Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (21^st KJV).  I will have to say, I hated hearing this verse being repeated in my youth. Mainly because no one would really explain it to me, or rather expound upon what it meant to in terms, I could understand. Yes, even as a little kid I was a little bothersome, or shall I inquisitive..lol…I digress…This happening over and over and over, we get it twisted, and confused. We become frustrated and reside in a chaotic state not realizing it because this is what is familiar, thus comfortable.  Then what is norm is what should be abnormal to us all because we got it twisted…wink…

I just don’t understand?

Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (21^st KJV)

We why do we perish, metaphorically or literally? Is it because of the lack of knowledge?  Is it the lack of teachers, mentors, coaches or ministers to help us to understand? Is it because we do not want to know because it might require us to reexamine our own storied-past with an expanded and all encompassing perspective?  Because it is more than just reading and having a tempered understanding of what is present. Dr. King in the Letter from the Birmingham Jail state this - “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”  As Christian, we are purveyors of just that in our dispensing of biblical rhetoric based mainly on traditions and oral history, than authentic understanding of the theology taught, preached, and quoted... let me pause her with a commercial break, I am not negating the importance of traditions and oral history, saying we need to start doing making the same efforts with our spiritual pursuits as we are doing with our secular pursuits…Our desire to impose our imperialistic perspective, and push this ecumenical bent, than to be an all inclusive of God’s divine diversity.  These are two things do not work well together, thus confusion ensues. The latter is about fostering friendly relations amongst different religions, while the former is about imposing its ways on another that are different, mainly.  But no one has stop to consider what is happening to realize it.

Only when we are willing, and begin to face our fears can we learn to like ourselves and trust that others will accept us, as us broken, imperfect, but seeking, and overcoming. Reaching the place where we see our beliefs have become our blindness, and hinders us from moving beyond our comfort zone limits. When this happen, we will no longer revel in the thought – I just don’t understand. Rather we will see it as the thing that limits us from seeing how great our God love toward us is, and basking in the mercies granted to us daily. Then we will take this verse to heart and have it permeated in our soul - Proverbs 4: 7 - Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding (21^st KJV). And we will not be lost, or have lack but live in an abundance which is beyond material or tangible manifestation of wealth in our life but does not exclude it (according to the measure we can handle, in our life). We begin to live in a world of informed consent, and unparallel sharing, not a the slow death of the frog in the water brought to a slow boil…it is all our choice... I have chosen...wink

Submitting to church leadership

Ezra 7:10 -For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. (21^st KJV)

Submitting to leadership is something that has been on my heart but then I realize it was submitting to church leadership, not just leadership. Maybe it is because of a choice I made this summer, I do not know. However, I do know it is something most struggle with; from the pulpit to the benchwarmer; and all in between. We struggle, I believe, because we do not understand and do not see the bigger picture of submitting, and fail to realize we combat daily the original sin. Some may say, well we follow leadership everywhere else but we really don’t. We tend to just do enough to keep us employed or get by; no more. The perspective of ‘do what you feel attitude’, what you have the right to do, and not what is right, consumes us more than it should. This attitude has us all doing a couple things- believing every man for himself and God for us all, and taking an incident or occurrence that is temporal and extend it beyond the moment.  The temporary, we drag it out further than it needs to be in our life. In the bible it states God grants us new mercies each morning, and weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning. Not so much for us as Christians, we grant no mercies except for ourselves, and the weeping seems to never end. Why? We never understood what it means to follow in the church. We like to think it is about our feeling, a focus on self, but it is not. It is about obedience, focus on the bigger picture, purpose- for Christians, it is God. Not your feelings, those are fleeting and fickle at best, but faith. Not because the leader at the church 'ain't right' or s/he has proclivities less than church like. But if we are honest with ourselves, we ain't right either, and we have our own penchants or tendencies we need to work on as well. Maybe it is because you expect the leader to be a man after God’s own heart like David; we seem to forget what David did in his lifetime. Or maybe you do not submit to the leader in your church because you expect him/her to be above reproach in all ways; imperfection cannot give you perfections 100! I asked, what would you do, if the people you lead, supervise, because we all do in some capacity, would not follow you because of the same reason? We would not like it so much.

The thing is this, no one is making any of us stay in the church we are in; from the pulpit to the benchwarmer; and everyone in between. We are there for a reason, and if not, we have freewill, leave. However, if you believe God call you to be there, in the church you are in at this time, then do what is right, and let Him, God, handle the rest. Remember Jesus was lead to the wilderness, he submitted; we forget that. He submitted to the unjust courts; we lose sight of this. Jesus was asked to leave the temple as a child, he left; he has the right and the power not to… He knew, thou none went with him, he submitted to leadership at every step. Some would say, he wavered; he had his moment but he never wavered in his focus or obedience. Neither should we in our focus and obedience…Choose…wink

I have learned a couple things and they have helped me to refocus, submit; it ain’t easy!!! But these things has helped me, and I am sharing…

1. Getting things right on your end does not mean everyone will; you still do right….

2. Obedience is greater than sacrifice, and it is not about a feeling but faith…

3. If you trust God, then obey God because submission does not diminish us, it actually increases us…

4. Let God do the chastisement; he is a lot more effective than you could ever be…

5. Let go of the moment; it was never meant to be stretch beyond temporary into infinity. Let it pass, and be at peace, holding only creates chaos!!

6. Stop getting caught in the distractions in life, tangible or not, this is what resulted in Adam and Eve being disobedient and kicked out of the garden…

7. Do not risk tomorrow on today's emotional hang-ups; this too shall pass, it all does

8. Be the change you wish to see in others; it only takes one, to change a million…

9. If you desire a better leader, become a better follower and see your perspective expand and encompass mercy….

10. A leader is the head but we all play a part in the progression or the chaos…

11. Living what you believe is not for the faint of heart or arrogant of mind but a surrendered spirit to a higher power!!!

The blame game

Genesis 3:11-13 - And he (GOD) said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”  The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”  Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The blame game what is it all about? The blame game where we try to make another responsible for our actions, the reason for what we did and an explanation for we have said. When asked why or how come, we name a person as if it explains it; whatever it is. However providing a name does not explain anything, because it is our attraction to the distraction that moves us to act or not act. We are more committed to the immediate fun, and the future consequences we ignore. We act as if we did not know better, or were we are not informed of the possible negative consequences of our actions or in actions. Yet, we wonder why our dreams are deferred, and deferred and deferred. Or why we fail to come close to the goal, the vision promised. Although, the scriptures state people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). It is not the lack of knowledge in the 21^st Century instant everything with the onset of the internet, the social networks, twittering, etc. Rather it is the understanding, grasping, the expansiveness of a thing gets us every time. 

We gather the knowledge like we gather new gadgets, never fully discerning the fullest of it. We gather just enough understanding to be dangerous, but not useful to us. Thereby, relinquishing responsibility, and allowing us to put the blame on someone. When the real problem lies in our attraction to distraction because without the attraction to something, no one could convince us to do or not do anything. Yet, the blame game has never solved any problem, or resolved any dispute in our life; but we continue to use it.  What it does is create more problems; something no one needs or wants.  See the blame game is born out of ‘it is about me attitude’, this cost. Where we deceive, we separate, destroy, and provide a place for paranoia. The blame game, risking everything for a momentarily gratification without regards to tomorrow problems we are creating.  So, if you desire to reduce your self destruction, then try to own up to what you have done, or what you did not do. Then begin moving progressively forward to a better you, and growth to all connected to you. Because no matter what we think we can do to provide a shortcut or hook-up, it ain’t going to happen – There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going to in this life. So, stop the blame game and begin to own up to your mess. It will save us all from unwanted headaches, and stress.   

We make the choice, but we never decide upon the consequences we get.... "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor can you be perfected without trials."   - Chinese Proverb