The civil rights movement of your life

Isaiah 43:18-19 - “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (NIV)

The civil rights movement of your life

With many people struggling because of the recession which prompts other issues to appear. However, there are many people just struggling because of life from spiritual to personal to relational to career to just coming to peace with who we are. What I am talking about? The civil rights movement itself was about fundamental issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality. While the civil rights movement of your life is characterize with similar things – freedom to live your truth, fundamental respect we all desire (from self and others), and to own we have worth. Many are fighting to sustain. As we battle the old not working any longer for you, and to progressively move forward but not sure. One season has past, and much of what is connected to it is past its usefulness; yet we do not see it. Do not get me wrong there is an order for discarding - things, people, habits, and mindsets. However, I want you to know it is okay to say, I moved on and although I am appreciative of all I gained here, I am done here. It is okay, and I am okay for being done. We do not perceive the way because our fear of what societal and tradition norms dictate. But God tells us over and over again and we fail to believe – Phil. 1:6 -being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (NIV). So, never be uncomfortable being thankful but saying goodbye. Because some experiences that look like failure and disappointments are actually lessons learned for your future progression. This is just a glimpse of what is yet to come. And no, it has nothing to do lack but growth as the art of forgiveness is learned and science of faith embraced.

For too many times, we do not let go because it is difficult. We are not willing to let go what God has already said was over, or for it or them to be gone. We won't let go, so we struggle. We fail to see we have done this very thing our entire life sometimes unintentional, other intentional, while still other times it is part of our seamless unconscious habit. It seems to part of the natural progression we had no control over, thus it was accepted; but it is not. But what is required is a competence of God that allows us to move forward by trusting and obeying, even when it is one of the most difficult things we must do. Why!? He sees life in its totality, the beginning, the middle, the end, and knows our faults and weakness. He creates an individualize chronological timeline for each of our life.  We choose, the relationships with God, or relation- slips with man. The latter has a slippery slope void of absolute true promise guarantees, while the former is the direct opposite.  Going through, submitting, only way of going thru to get to with the least amount of mistakes.

So, if you don't have the best answer, then the right question to find your way always yields direction. But remember, you do not get to be offensive, be intrusive to others as you grow through this. Your civil rights movement for your life requires you to do so without violence, unforgiveness, or retaliation, and act in the defensive but the focus should be love because it draws…Choose this day, who you will serve….

The call of conscience--is the voice of God within us.

The call of conscience – the voice of God within each of us. It is the innate bearing within us all that tells us we have a spiritual destiny beyond the material world. It not just religious, but also spiritual destiny which encompasses the vastness of reality, no one really wants to entertain. We dapple, we play around the fringes of it, we test the waters from time to time, but drinking the kool-aid entirely is not for us. The question is why not? The answers lies in the same old thing why we don’t do – fear. We are fearful of what God states is actually true, it is haunts our day and lingers in our dreams. All because he makes what is paradoxical or contradiction into a paradigm shift of  congruency. He takes what is seen as no value or worthless, and grants grace beyond imagination. He takes what seems to be illogical and out of order as a dissonance cord to make the most melodies heart wrenching, soul awaking sound  that stays with us long after it is gone. He creates the reality we only dream about, like when the three Hebrews boys were put in the firey furnace but was not burn, not even a singe or the smell of smoke upon them all because they put faith above, not that it was absent, it wasn’t.  Or when Ruth decided to follow Naomi inspite of what they didn’t have, it was the urging of the religion she seen but not quite grasped, but was curious, and the spiritual tug inside her, made her decide to go with Naomi. This is the pursuit of a true peace, beauty and joy that only comes with examination and authenticity of self. A constant thing never relented on but the weight of it is neither overwhelming nor confusing. When the advice given to others, is also the advice taken by self, we find balance, peace and harmony within ourselves. One is able to be in that ‘zone’ where everything works no matter what happens. Things works, everyone present walks away energized, darkness removed, and axioms to live by from this point are solidified as part of our very foundation. The social influences and emotional drivers or catalysts no longer guides, directs or dictates to you. They are understood, the importance of them grasped but like King, Thoreau, C.S. Lewis, Lincoln, the voice of God within, provokes what is right to do, rather than what each has a right to do, for a bigger cause. Not that they, and others like them got it all right, all the time, they didn’t. Their pursuit and the answering of the call of conscience were only momentarily lapse in their character of the imperfect human they were while the pursuit was flawless. They all agreed with the decree of Christ, and went for it, releasing them from the competition for attention because it is not about me…wink…This may seem philosophical and unrealistic, but the question you we must all ask ourselves is this – Why is it?, no one is requiring perfection, only authentic faith to believe so that change can manifest in us….is that what we are suppose to be doing as a Christian anyway...smiling..

The reason, the season, a lifetime

The most effective way to do it, is to do it…Amelia Earhart

Ecc. 3:1 -There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… (NIV)

Things like people come into our life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. This is something that comes to bear in my life every year around Spring time. See, I work in an institution of higher learning, and graduation is looming upon us. Students are about to leave a place where they have spent the last 4, 5, 6 years, or longer. Life is about change for them, and although, they worked for this thing called graduation and diploma. It also means walking away from loved ones and places where an investment of time, heart, and soul has been committed to during this time. This is hard, even though, they have prepared for it, saw it coming, and knew it was the inevitable. The reality of it hurts, and the struggles appear. Relationships change, perspective expands, and dreams fulfilled. Tears are shedded over this goal being achieved; some for the leaving and others for the fear of what is out there.  I have found myself having a conversation with students each year at this time that I call the ‘disorientation conversation.’ 

In these conversations, we discuss this struggle of letting go, and the transition from college adult to true adulthood. I explain how things and all people are not all meant to be with them forever; they are there for a season, reason, or a lifetime. This is a hard discussion to have as I see in their eyes the gravity of this weighing heavy on them. We speak about struggling to hold on, even though the more you work, it slips, and you see it slipping away. Although they see themselves changed, they are fight to keep everything and everyone as is. All because changes are upon them, and it is not wanted. We speak about moving forward with life, and how life has a natural rhythm that will not be ignore; no matter how we try.  If we just let the natural rhythm direct us, we would have fewer problems, hurts, and disappointments because it is, what it is…smiling…Yet, as I speak to them, teach them, I am taught because I too am seeking. I see how we as adults do the same thing in our life. We hold to some mindset, traditions and antiquated beliefs. We hold to these and lose our self, others, and opportunities because it does not fit in our dualist living. We want to be current, and still keep the traditions benefiting self, and rid ourselves of those that do not. The inconsistency is destructive not only to self but all that we touch. All because, we will not accept all was not meant to be with us for a lifetime. Some were only to get us through, others were there to help us address a moment, and while the rest is there for a lifetime. The reason, the season, a lifetime realizing what is which makes a world a difference and frees us to embrace current 21^st century perspective and beyond, while still understanding the importance of the past and keeping what can should be kept, and releasing the rest so growth can occur… Ecc. 8:6 -For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him. (NIV)

How to move beyond what is ‘cultural’ for us…

How to move beyond what is ‘cultural’ for us….

Tolstoy puts it this way - Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. See you cannot really bring about change in others that is sustaining, distinctive, or legacy building without the awareness change begins with you, or you too will be changed by this experience. We have to do more than check the box of doing what is right, or making sure we have included all the right elements so no one feels unwanted. See, the cultural thing is the way of life for us. It is part of our unconscious, and we act upon it with a seamless effort in completing the task(s) at hand. It is like tying our shoes, or looking both ways before crossing the street, once you arrived at a certain comprehension. It is only when we are to be stretched, challenged do we find a problem. We have assumed all was well because things seem to be at peace but MLK states this - True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. Many times we do not have justice as part of the cultural norms, rather we have this uncomfortableness that is our norm where no one is battling; we are grateful. So, anything disrupting this delicate balance we have worked hard to create frightens us. We shy away from it, and now what should be uncomfortable to us, is comfortable for us. We begin to make choices with the focus of showing others where they are wrong, or how much we know. This is done under the guise helping, but we are not. We begin to move things around hoping no one has caught on to the fact; we have not moved anything out. We just rearranged things but everything stayed and nothing new was added. Much like the child who doesn’t want to eat what is on his/her plate and moves the food around until it looks like something was eaten but nothing was. We have not quite grasped seeking a way to get around the issue, does not stop the issue of being an issue; it only creates adds to, and further divides us.  

What we need to move beyond our cultural safe haven, and move to a more expanded worldview. We must understand mull over Dr. King says here - On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right – We must have a conscience awakening, an epiphany moment where we realize, we are not to sacrifice today for tomorrow, but there must be a sacrifice if we desire to have a better tomorrow. Where we see, understand the consequences of our choices do not discriminate and are color blind in impact. For we are all connected, and until we realize it is not about us, it is about GOD. For we can only move beyond our cultural boundaries by letting our truth speak, our humility enlighten, our faith guide us, and submit to our God, otherwise we shall be kept bounded culture that limits us.