What if....

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots’. Luke 23:34 NIV
 

As I read this verse this morning, this thought hit me like a ton of bricks – what if most of our conflicts and issues with people/issues stems from ‘we did not know’. So, I invite you to walk with me with my musing on this subject.

The verse carries a powerful punch when you realize what is culminated in this one moment in history, and the willingness to show grace, mercy and true power through restraint of the Savior. Christ understood unequivocally this was not just for momentary legend but for enduring legacy. He got it, everything He did mattered, and wanted to provide an example for us to follow. He understood the issue was not about what they were seeing and questioning about, it was always about His presence challenging their core values, ideologies, fundamental truths, and beliefs.  But because of the unconscious competitive psychology of wanted to be right, to win, to one-up someone, to show I am just as good, he was tested and crucified. The battles ensued through his lifetime and beyond. They would not release the tight hold on their religious stance, or become open to a truth outside of their own; as they were, we are today. So, if they could not dominate, then they set out to destroy; as they did, we still do. Thus, we are now in a position follow this example set, not ignore it...it is funny how things change, they remain the same…

Not following the example set in this moment in time by many profess to follow,  we miss a very powerful lesson provided in this statement – Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. With this one statement, our redeemer looks at the consequential outcome of his actions, and the truth they didn’t know.  It was not about you, me, or them, it was about us as a collective to have the same opportunity to come to the throne of grace. It was not about trumping anyone by pointing out their wrong but loving them, working to bring others to the Father and letting him reconcile them to himself. Somewhere this has gotten lost in the translation of living on this journey, and we have decided, we should clean them, or we had to be clean or just right before coming. We seem have not realized this defeats the purpose of this day of sacrificial offering by one for us all…we got to do better

What if we would begin to look at all our difference, conflict, disagreement with ‘…for they do not know what they are doing Living out our truth..’ knowing all the time, the they here represents you, me, us..It is our choice; choosing well is imperative…

The New Year, now what....

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 NIV

Walking in God’s will requires surrendering to God’s way; always going from the inside out because out of the heart the tongue speaks, and the body behaves. The holidays are over and the New Year has arrived. Some didn’t make it, while others did but don’t know it, but for the rest of us, we are still here in our reality box. Those are the people I shall focus on in this blog.

Most have made some promises, resolutions, or goals for this year having to do with change in some shape or form. The question we really must ask ourselves is, ‘Am I willing do what it takes to change to be the person I spoke about in the pre-new year dialogue exchanges?’ Or have the sobering thoughts of the work required, and reality showed us its face; and now we are scared off. Thus, we have chosen to just let it go quietly into that good night with all the others from past years.  Because the truth of the matter is to get different, we have to have become different; change.

We must examine the inward person, the person on the inside because foundational change has to come from there, or it is a short-lived change. It means walking outside the box of our reality intentionally and strategically. Processing the public, private, and secrets truths about ourselves, we have locked away from public view and our view with the tools of love, grace, and honesty. The choice is ours, it is within our power, we just have to make the choice to choose it. It is the New Year, we have made it, no more philosophical conversation, theoretical analogies, or spiritual hypothesis of what if, we are now here. The question is ‘Now What’… The answer lies in each of us, and the spark of change begins with our hearts…Choose well