Revolutionary .vs. Relevant

Psalm 119:173 -Let Thine hand help me, for I have chosen Thy precepts.(21^st NKJV)

Revolutionary or Relevant? A meaning for revolutionary is new and different, to cause a major change. While relevant means to have some bearing of importance on today that is sensible and logical connection. However, to move forward in this life and get the things we never had, we have to do what we never done to get it; revolutionary. This requires a different type of communication than we are use to, in our ordinary life. Different from the church traditions, we talk about as if they are doctrine and they are only traditions that make no difference in bringing others to God; matter fact many hinder it. We must work to hear what is being said, not get caught up in hearing what we want. Why? We are shaped by our experiences. We do not hear what being said, if you do not believe me. Ever explain something, and then get this a crazy response from the person you were talking to that is unrelated to the conversations. Or better yet, you are arguing, discussing, debating and the person response is so left field, you go what are you talking about? We are shape by what we have experience, and seen work for those around us.  Yet, it is the responsibility of hearer to hear it right, and the speaker to say, it right. This is communication at its best when those involved focus on those things.

Release into your future revolutionary perspective and forgive, because everyone gets hurt but the best in us use it to become better not bitter. Release in your future the revolutionary that does not have you bound by the traditions, that were meant to bring us together, and now only serves to keep us separate.

I heard this minister tell this story, in a different context but I think it fits here. It demonstrated in the story what happens when we remain relevant to fit in, and not seek change  – There was a pregnant dog.  She was hit by a passing vehicle, and her left hind leg was hurt really badly. So she limped to a safe place and gave birth to perfectly healthy puppies. The leg healed but it never was quite the same, she had to drag it. And although there was nothing wrong with the puppies’ legs, they dragged that same leg because that was modeled. – Moral of the story, we do what we see modeled before us. However, as human we have the capacity to seek a better way, if we desire, and it requires the willingness to see with a different lens….the lens changes, then the landscape, otherwise, you will find, although different places, the same things…Revolutionary or relevant? You choose, because it is always your choice

The battle is not yours, but God…

Eph. 6:10-11 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (NASB)

The battle is not yours, but God. Therefore, your efforts should not be focused on whose right, whose wrong, who will win, or who will lose. Rather you should focus on what is the message or what am I to learn from this experience. It is not your victory, you are a beautiful instrument that notes are played through, but we are not the musician, God is. Thus, the responsibility of getting it right is not up to us, but God. We struggle too many times trying to get everything so right, so perfect and so ‘my way’, we do not see how we are in our own way and causing our own madness, confusion.  We call God up with prayer, but we are too distracted by our selfishness purpose, we do not hear Him speaking to us, then we are upset He did not answer us, but we did not listen. We create confusion, and guess who is the author of that? We have invited Satan to author our journey by our own design. God forbid!

We cannot hear God, and follow His instruction, if we are only focusing on what we want, how we want it, and when we want it. We cannot see His hand moving in our life, when we are wondering why this person(s) is more right than wrong, wins more than I do, the real questions are - God what is it I should get from having this person in my life, and What are You trying to show me, I  could not have gotten any other way? We are so caught up in the win and lost column of life, we do not even see, the battle is not ours, it is God. When we begin to do so, the outcome changes, and our life is different. In every situation, at every juncture, and for all times, when we allow ourselves to submit to God, not man. It is not about win/lose, or man’s right/wrong, because if we study the book, the Bible, until the end, the deck was stack against us and one would think we lost all because Jesus follow God commands and not succumb to man’s demands; but in the end He wins. …The battle is not your, mind, or ours, but God’s!!!

Touched by an Angel

One of my students had this poem posted above her work area. For the first time today, I saw it, read it, and it touched me. I decided to share it with all of you. As we find ourselves faced with so much that is overwhelming, just remember we are touched by an angel with all the smiles, hugs, every 'you didn't have to do it', or reassuring words given to us...smile

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

By

Maya Angelou

Are you willing to be broken?

Gen. 32:25-29 - When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.  Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”  Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 

Are you willing to be broken? Most of us have heard and might, even said a few times – I have to break you, to make you. When it applies to us doing the breaking, we are all in, but if it is us being broke, not so much.  Even though, as Christians we know Christ came and was broken for us to be made whole. The obstacle is we refuse to submit to the thing that is sent to bless us, and we hold very tightly to what allows us to ‘be’ because it did come wrapped as we liked.

We wrestle, yes, like Jacob but we do not seek the blessing like Jacob, thus, we do not get to be blessed like Jacob.  Wrestle against and try to defeat what is sent to bless us, because we don’t want the pain of making ‘me’ over but it is good pain like working out. The more we fight, the more confounding everything becomes. Not submitting and seeking who or what it is, but cursing it.  Leaves us with a negative disposition, and not receiving the blessing or knowing what was sent to you for your good: we end up in a dark place of continued frustration. And many times  it appears, manifest in our lives in ways we didn’t envisioned or hoped, or God forbid, it didn’t happen for me, I was to be the platform for someone else. See, we think we know, and understand, but wisdom is when you know when, how, and where to use the information gained in life. So, are you willing to be broken so you can be blessed beyond your belief…We make the choice, but we do not make the consequences of our choices, and consequences do not discriminate they come to all…Think about it…

Lesson from driving…

Lessons from driving came to me after having a discussion with a friend, who is very analytical, and it had to do with change or how we evolve as people. We agreed to disagree but not be disagreeable…LOL…Well then I realized something, most of us drive, and in order to do so, we must be watchful of our surroundings and be prepared to change what we are doing, without foreknowledge at any juncture. We cannot sit idle or in neutral, or fail to respond to what is in front us accordingly, if we desire to get to our destination with addition stress. Although, some might agree with that statement, they might not agree with this one – it does not matter if you have gone the same route for fifteen years, cannot predict on a consistent basis when you will have to stop, hit the brakes, take an alternate route, or swerve from hitting creating an accident. Why? Life happens, road closures, the cars appear, people cut in front of you, people are not paying attention, etc. And guess what, we might become frustrated with the inconvenience it causes for us, but we do not stop or fail to switch gears, take an alternate route, or sit until we can move, we do what it takes to stay on the path to get to our destination. We strap on the delay but not denied mentality, and accept the change; grudgingly maybe, but we do. We do what we have to do, so that we can continue to drive with the least amount of stress, and learn something new, if we are lucky about ourselves…wink


Yet, when it comes to living we turn our perspective noses and not move, postulates reasons why we shouldn’t, fall out over and over again to keep it the same, or sabotage, implicitly or explicitly, the progress for ourselves and others with our behavior. Then say, it is someone else’s fault for our outcome, or the results we are seeing; we take no ownership of what we do, we only want others to take ownership and change what they do to fit us; just because you do not acknowledge it, does not mean it is not the truth. But like driving, we have to make the adjust with self. However, when asked if we are progressive, or open to change for the betterment of the team, family, relationships, church, or personal, we say, ‘yes’. It is ironic to me, we have yet to grasp it is not what we say, the actual words, but it is how we say it, and what we do that  leaves the lingering message with people, to tempt the fate for battle to ensues. All because we will not take the lesson from driving and keep it moving toward our enlighten path; we would rather remain in the self-imposed darkness to marinate, stew, and be infused with fear, confusion to share with others. God forbid!!!

Are we truly the light?

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV)

Are we truly the light? As Christians, we are called to be the light in this world. However, you would not illuminate to hide the light, or once lighted decided what it falls upon (you can’t). The goal is to illuminate all under its glow, and it is not selective on what is illuminated by its light. We who are children of the light seem to choose to hide our light by exchanging it for the world light, the dim light. This decision is made for the immediacy, the easy, and the comfortable way. However, that is not what Jesus called us to do in this world. See we choose every day, hour, minute, second of the day with our words, actions, interactions, our choices to whether or not to illuminate, or be selective with our light. We have forgotten light does not discriminate when it falls upon anything. It just lights upon it. Yet, we use the light of Christ’s love in our life for what it was never meant to be, to decide who gets it.

We have forgotten it is not about us, it is about Thee, not me. We say, we get it, but we don't.  We choose to not interact with each other because of color of skin, social status, wealth, etc at home but abroad it is a different story. Why the light change, I don't know. If you are light, you light no matter where you are, who you are with, or what you are doing. The light of Christ Love does the following - removes darkness, illuminated what is hidden, and shows us our path. So asked yourself, am I truly light, or do I participate in parallel play where it looks like, I am light but not?..Shakespeare - This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

Because we asked…

Because we asked, God gave. Because we asked, God stopped in the heavenlies and sent a grace connection. Because we asked, life was turned into an uncomfortable place, to provide opportunity for us to see. Because we asked, we received what we needed, not what we wanted, and we were disappointed, and almost missed out on our blessing. Because we asked, we were granted our heart need, instead our perception and we were blessed beyond measure. Because we asked, we were taught, we much become a follower in God to become a leader in God’s, as it is above, it is beneath. Because we asked, we were taught a new arithmetic, we have to give to receive; in all things. Because we asked, we were taught humanity precepts are not in aligned with divinity percepts, and we have need to change our constructs. Because we asked, we were put in the unfamiliar to foster a different and expanded lens for the same landscape, so we could see the beauty around us and live freer.

Because we asked, we were had to travel some tumultuous valleys, and suffering some devastating losses, to see God’s grace is sufficient for us in our weakness, and we are never alone. Because we asked, God provided understanding for the absolute axiom; there is No crown, if there is No cross. Jesus set the example, the model, and his disciples provide the humanity touch for our understanding and the people who we teach about breathe life into the truths from the Living Word! Reread these verses again, clear a minute for God, and choose wisely…

2 Cor. 12:8-11 - Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.(NIV)