Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This quote is attributed to A. Einstein. Einstein was a scientist and understood the importance of doing the same thing over and over, and not expecting different results. If he repeated something, an experiment, or test, he expected and hoped he would get the same thing. It further demonstrated what he was proving was correct.  However, us none scientific folk, in the everyday world, we do not comprehend this. We continue to engage in behaviors, relationships, or conversations over and over again, hoping some magical fairy will spray pixie dust upon it, and they it will change; not so much.  However, we wonder why things do not change for us, but we never look within or at the person in the mirror to begin the process to correct the problem. Some of us are momentarily speechless when asked to respond to this scenario where the issue at hand is our behavior that represents insanity. It strikes us as bizarre; we would be bothered with such nonsensical stuff. Yet, nothing changed because we do not see; we are doing the same over and over again, and expecting different results.

It is as if we believe because it is ‘me’ it should be different. But if we really looked at it with an honest ‘eye’ the deficiency would eventually comes to light when the knowledge is needed. The problem is not we are insane; it is we believe no one else sees our deficiency because I can spin a yarn, I can provide explanation for ‘my behavior’, I am a good orator, my position is such that I am not to be challenged, or I know, I hide it well. Thus, insanity will not be removed from our world regardless of what it is, career, relationships, conversation, spiritually, or whatever it is, until we are honest, authentic, or  truthful with our self, about our self without the delusion of grandeur, or not being awe about the truth confront with about self. Irony is this, in the good book, it states - Rom. 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV). If Christ can love us, in our filth and while we are unfit, then why can’t we be earnest so the insanity will come to an end; it what we all desire. See the path to our destiny is not a clear path that makes sense to us, but one that directs us to where God fashioned us to rest…Our choice, choose well…It’s important

Getting unstuck in this life

Getting unstuck in life is living beyond our sight, rituals, traditions, and/or what works for me but taking risk on faith as a result of god-nudges. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potters book phenom, is right - It is our choices…that shows what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Yet, we are stuck in our rut unmoving. Unwilling to move expand, beyond the moment, the position, or placement. We find ourselves locked to what is, we are unwilling to ask for help, when we don’t know how to change, yet we wonder ‘why?’. More importantly, we find it unacceptable to change for progression, and thinking it just change for ‘process.’ Looking to expanding our intellectual database on life, that does not fit in our ‘known’ world; is difficult. The adaptation of a multiple perspective in a diversified world allows for us to forego ego, pride, and/or fear affiliations. We must stop this madness, or become victims of its demise. Yet, we  have the audacity to repeat this verse -1 Cor. 2:9 - However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him. However, this is difficult to do when you will not let go on the mindset of this is the way it always been and it works, why fix it. However, if it does not help those it was meant to help, or reach those you are trying to reach, then it does not work it is no longer relevant or revelational. The verse says, you have not conceive it in your mind, thus it is an unknown, but faith, god-nudges, and God’s word allows you to go into the unknown trusting God will reveal all in His time, not yours, and it will be bananas, phenomenal, showers of blessings, etc. For God uses all things to speak to His people, and it does not always come in the fashion, package we desire, but what gets our attention.

Getting unstuck is difficult but wholly necessary for progress, success, accomplishments, and fulfilling our destiny…So, the next time you are stuck, read these verses -  

Ps. 119:133- Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.-  not my way, but God’s way.

Deuteronomy 31:6- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Daniel 2:21-22 - “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Releasing emotional attachments, and seeking what is right

Rom. 1:14-15 - I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome (NIV)…

We can't continue to only agree with who we like, who agrees with our position or emotional triggers, or reach out to those who align with us but we must reach across the aisle for the best outcome for the whole body.  We should agree with the right position, not connection or what we have the right to do, or on our side. It is self-destructive and self-defeating. No one has ever grown, developed, transformed, or achieved by not willing to seek right and move outside of their comfort zone. They may receive celebrity status but yet crippled psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually.  They are stunted and remain in the place where they stopped growing; look and see its all around you; until the work is gone back to repair, deal with it, it is the monkey on the back that breaks us.  The reason God said, come as you are, not wait until you are closer to getting it right; He knows you, me or us can't do it by our self. 

See, God entertains questions, for He knows the questions are not just about the questions but also the questioner. If you fail to address the questioner, you fail to address the question.  The reason He answered with parables and/or another question.  He understood it was more than the question in words being asked. The question had to come from somewhere, it was not idle chatter, inane questions, just because who, or where it comes from; out the mouth of the babes truth speaks, so truth, revelation can come from those we think of as clowns; they could be the clowns of God to teach us, not hinder us.  So, seek to release the emotional attachments that connect you and box you in, impeding your sustaining growth.   Seek after what is right, what provides legacy and move you beyond legendary in this life because legends are greater but legacy leaves something to build upon. However, legacy comes from a unselfish place where the things done affect others, and the person is not infected by the chaos around them. ..It is tight, it difficult, at times lonely, but it is right…  It is your choice, choose wisely…Its important...

Is it control or submission?

Eph. 5:22-24 - Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives and Husbands Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  (NIV)

Control or submission is the issue and question here. Why? This verse has been the bane of many women existence. However, the problem as occurred because we don’t get this truth of this verse Acts. 20:35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - keying in on its more blessed to give than to receive. The more likely than not, the struggle with submitting to the husband or anyone else, is this - we intrinsically know, innate sense about a person, they are asking for what they have not given. Therefore, when you have submitted, you get it. You begin ‘to see’ it is not about control, and realized it is about humility, not arrogant pride that cripples us. Then, we can let God fight our battles, prepare the table before us in the presence of our enemies, and be still and know He is God.

We cannot do this in our relationships, when we do not.  It does not matter what kind of relationship it s, we are creating mêlée when we do not ‘get it’ because we desire control. When you truly understand what control, being in power means, we are overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of it. For it takes us to task with every decision, because it is not emotional driven, not a flash in the pan grab an issue and go, but rather it is discovered it is the about staying the course. Staying the course and doing what is right, not what we have the right to do for it is predicated by our emotional laden egos. The tears roll down knowing one must do, what is seen as a sacrifice for the future greater good, but there is a presence hurt one cannot explain because it is out of the cultural norm to do.

See when we learn, we do not get, what we are unwilling to give; then we shall see changes morph in our lives and those around us. Yes Virginia, we must be open to the experience of not being in control and trusting in God’s will and way. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not speaking about the religious zealot, or being spiritual bigot, rather I am speaking of this example in the bible illustrated in this verse by Peter Acts 11:8-10 - “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. Know this not just about Peter eating food, it about willingness to submit to be the true leader God called him out to be; live his destiny. He had to let go of those prefabricated perceptions that boxed him in, to see the true meaning of leading, having power….smiling..By doing so, his action showed us how to accurately embrace this verse, we far many times quote, but not willing to implement into our lives in the godly sense - 1 Cor. 2:9-10 - However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him “but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. None of this happens without submitting, not holding fast to this thing called ‘control’ because it base on our fear, not faith.  

This is applicable to the non-secular world as well the secular world. See godly principles, percepts are universal, not limited to non-secular, or some things but all things…Learn to submit and see. No one is saying be a pushover Christ submitted and yet had the power to lead, but he had to submit first. Choose this day, and choose wisely…It’s important.  

Superman or Clark Kent: Who is the truth

Who is the truth here Superman or Clark Kent? His truth Superman, his façade is Clark Kent; but both represent him. But the world at-large was not ready, willing, or open to his truth except the ones who loved him. Even they didn’t understand him, but they knew he was special, and I will call it god-whispers told them to trust. So, Superman could not live his truth out loud always because he understood man’s logic would not let them accept him. He knew, he was an anomaly which came with trepidation as well.  However, instead of fear stopping him, he decided to use it for good and make a difference in a good way.  He decided to fit in the box mankind had in a way he could still be himself Superman/Clark Kent.

If you seeking to see God, then stop trying to get Him to fit in your box, perspective but rather you seek to fit in His box; it's much bigger than yours.  Superman had to be Clark Kent because he didn't fit in our box but he lived in our world and to figure out how to live his truth and fit. ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou cans't not be false to any man’ Hamlet Act , Scene 3…As with this statement, Superman figured out, he needed to live his truth no matter what. As a result, God blessed him with an inner circle that loved and accept him all because he was first willing to do what he had to, to do what he want, and live his truth.

So, understand this, you can only live ClarkKent/Superman alone for minute, at some point you are going to have to trust and share. Following the truth of Christ and applying the life he lived, helps.  Because if you stop to think of it Jesus the Christ was the first Superman/Clark Kent…smiling…Believing and applying these verses help  - Ecc. 3:1;11 -There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (NIV)… You choose, choose well; It is wise…It is smart…It is important…

God gifts whom, He pleases

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Tim. 4:12 (NIV)

The verse above tells the young to not let others look down on them the youth. Sometimes God honors the young with unexpected gifts that others older, or have been in the game longer desired or coveted. Age has nothing to do with Godly wisdom. Remember, if God places a person in a position of authority it will be accompanied by His wisdom to guide the person to success and growth.  It does not matter if you are literally young because of age, or figuratively green in the particular field or profession. One should not be despised or look upon with contempt as a result of what they do not control, and because they accepted God giftedness. Rather we should embrace it, and encourage it. See, we do all the work to provide a platform for the young , those that come behind us, so they do not have to go through what we went through in our life. Then, we begrudge them, set traps for them, or make up excuses to not be there for them to show them just how much they do not know.  Yet, we praise, preach about the wisdom, authority, courage, spiritual discernment of these individual Samuel, David, Solomon, Daniel, Mary the mother of Jesus, and others. Something is amiss, I say because there is an inconsistency in our logic. The question is- why?

Yes, why are we unkind to the young, literally and figuratively, specifically when it comes to them being in a position that supersedes us? I suggest to all this - God is not a respecter of person but principles. He is not delay in His provision or negligent in His selection of individuals, but an on-time God and lays hands upon whom He pleases, to do His will, according to His way. Yet, the issue has never been about the youth anyway, what we see is just the symptom of a bigger issue. The denied gratification of our own self promotion that gets no love, or placement; in this life self-promotion has a negative effect because of the myopic perspective- about us, for us, and only us. The, I am the latest and the greatest attitude we embrace is detrimental to giftedness God has endowed within us. What we have never really understood in all these years in our aged wisdom is this -our life shall speak for you us and leave the legacy for us.  We must come to terms with self-promotion is short lived in its affect, and leaves to destructiveness in the long run. And lastly, the scriptures are true 1Peter5:6  -Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. NIV and  Matt.  23:12-For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (NIV)…

But what do I know, I am not necessarily old in the game of life or Christianity in the bigger scheme of things…

The Crossing

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. (Acts 9:3-9 NIV)

The crossing, when we realize what we know is not all there is. We see what we have believed is not enough, limited, or wrong. We begin to walk the path toward changing, transforming, and experiencing life with new eyes. At the crossing the bible verse Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid? NIV…It becomes our mantra when struggles and chaos comes; it is real for us. We now fully grasp Paul's life-faith that he embodied, and we read about in the bible. The crossing manifested. The tough call has been made to walk the life of faith, and improvement and blessing showers are seen. What is needed provided in unexpected ways, by unexpected people; we see this because we now understand God does move in mysterious ways. His logic is not ours, yet His choices are bulls-eye hit with what is needed, and we get more than the desired results.

The crossing is the moment we get new eyes, not new landscapes. We finally do what we are capable of because we trust the word of God. The crossing is when a momentum change occurs…When Obama ran for president, a crossing; MLK decided to act, a crossing; When David decided to fight Goliath, a crossing; Abigail gave supplies to David, a crossing; when the widow feed the prophet Elijah, the crossing, Deborah lead the battle, a crossing, Abraham sacrifice of his son, a crossing, and the crossing that granted us grace, when Jesus cross through the line that separates eternal to limitedness, and went from being the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth, to our living sacrifice, and we were granted grace and mercy.  Now don’t get it twist, as we saw with Jesus, so shall it be for us, but God knows we are not Christ and cannot bear the same..wink..The crossing the moment that changes everything, and Psalm 23 is lived, and we know, that we know Jehovah-Shammah -The Lord is Present. our choice….wink.