In short order

Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard. (James 1:22-25)

I share often about 'hearing', but 'doing' nothing with what we 'hear'. Why? The importance of being a 'doer of the Word' cannot be outlived, outsourced, or outdone! We need to incorporate the Word of God into our daily lives - making the teachings therein the source of our instructions on how to live with one another. Ever look at yourself in the mirror and be so dissatisfied with what you are seeing that you just turned away and tried to forget what you saw? You likely wanted a 'different picture' reflected back, but we don't get a 'different picture' until Christ makes a difference in our hearts.

When we look into the Word of God, the 'picture' we see reflected back to us can either be quite concerning, or perhaps it is quite satisfying. The difference is determined in how much the Word of God has become more than just 'good words' to us. When the Word of God is allowed to ruminate deep within our spirit, we find there will be a change of heart that affects our minds and eventually begins to affect our 'appearance'. I am not sure how God does all that work within us to make us 'new', but I am confident he has begun it in each of us. We may not see the reflection today that we expected to see, or even hoped was possible, but we can trust that when we are taking in the Word and allowing it to work within us, the reflection is changing.

Many believe the Word of God is outdated, but truth is never outdated or outdone. Truth remains when all else fades away. We might have been believing something that is 'close to truth' in our lives, but it actually is not truth at all. If we allow all manner of 'untruth' to come into our lives, we might just find ourselves getting a little confused as to what is really true. If we want answers, we look to the Word of God, not some show on TV or self-help guru. We find truth in Christ and him alone. Our 'reality' is sometimes clouded by what we have 'added to' truth within our lives. Ask God to ferret out any untruth we have believed, and he will go about this work in rather short order. Just sayin!

Get beneath the surface

"Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” (John 7:24) These words struck me this morning as I was reading the account of Jesus going up to the Feast of Tabernacles and the people hearing his message, amazed at his depth of teaching though he was not a 'scholar' of the Law of Moses. They are in awe of his wisdom and well-grounded instruction, but miss the point that he is the living, breathing Messiah. Jesus assures them his message is not his own but comes from is Father - "Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies." (vs. 17-18) Though speaking the truth, they could only see the things they knew about Jesus - that he was a son of Joseph, a carpenter, born into a village without nobility or honor. They could not see beneath the surface, so they were not making a 'valid' judgment about who Jesus really was.

This is the problem for us at times, isn't it? We see only the surface and never really get beneath the surface - beyond the things we think we know to the things that we could come to know. If we want to really understand the things of God, we have to be willing to 'dig beneath the surface' in order to really get to know him. That might look a little like us having to 'dig beneath the surface' of the front we put out there for everyone to see, as well! What? We get to know more about Jesus by getting beneath the surface of the 'superficial image' WE portray to the world? We get to know more about Jesus when he gets to touch us at more than 'surface level'. Ever wonder why some very solid biblical teaching never really does much to change our character or behavior? It is because we only 'interpret' it on the surface level - we don't allow it to really penetrate into our hearts and minds.

We all go through life making judgments of one sort or another. Some will be rather superficial, like which cut of meat to buy at the supermarket, or which roads we will travel on a journey. Others require just a bit more introspection, such as who we will choose as a soulmate, best friend, or spouse. While some of the judgments we make are okay to be made with very superficial knowledge, such as choosing the gas station on the same side of the road as we are driving on when both sides of the road offer the same price, we cannot always go through life only being 'surface deep' with our actions. At some point, we will need to 'look beneath the surface so we can judge correctly'. Notice, correct judgment is not always 'intuitive' - sometimes it requires a little more effort.

We may go through life seeing things as 'good' that 'tickle our fancy' and other things as 'bad' because they kind of repel us, but are we interpreting things correctly? The adage to not judge a book by its cover comes to mind here. What do you see when you look at yourself? What do others see? It is likely they see what you want them to see, but not always what is truthfully going on inside of your heart, mind, emotions, and struggles of the will. When we allow ourselves to begin to see with Christ's eyes, we begin to make better judgments in life. When we allow ourselves to be seen as Christ sees us, we become examples he can use to draw others to him. Just sayin!

How do you see me?

Abraham Lincoln once said that 'tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.' If you are anything like me, the 'brutality' of that honesty can sometimes sting! I don't always see myself through the eyes of Jesus, although I should. There are times when I see myself through the eyes of others - giving into their harsh judgments about the way I am behaving. In school, that got me into a whole lot of trouble! I would do things contrary to what I knew to be right just because I wanted to be 'accepted' by the 'in crowd'. I did things I wasn't comfortable doing. I followed - they led. There is but one leader worth following - Christ. There is but one estimation of our worth and goodness that really matters - Christ's. None of us 'better' or 'worse' than the next person, but we sometimes think we are. It might just be time to see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus just a bit more - seeing ourselves through the eyes of others just a bit less.

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original. (Galatians 5:22-26)

What gets in the way of you seeing yourself the way Jesus sees you? Do the taunting memories of your past keep creeping into your present view of yourself? If so, it is likely that others see those 'memories' being rehashed in our lives, as well. If someone were to tell you that is not the way Jesus sees you, would you believe them? They aren't comparing you - they are wanting you to be free of those past hurts, hang-ups, and halting memories. God's plan is for us to live free - no longer bound by those things that described our 'past life'. Maybe Lincoln was a little off-base because when you describe how Jesus sees me, I am more inclined to walk in that truth!

Gifts are given - fruit is born - attitudes change. This is the pattern God establishes in our lives. As you may very well be aware, our attitude toward ourselves can be a little less than kind at times. The more we listen to what God says about us, the more we will see our attitude about our past change. We don't give it as much 'credence' as we once did. We see it as 'over and done with' - no longer holding us captive. Scripture has a way of opening our minds to the possibilities of a different 'view' of ourselves - but it must be embraced. Each of us is an original, so why do we always want to 'conform' to some pattern set out for us by others? Perhaps we are placing too much emphasis on how others see us and not quite enough on how Christ sees us. Just sayin!

Learn from the best

Don’t be lured away from him by the latest speculations about him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don’t seem to do much for those who buy them. (Hebrews 13:9)

I like the imagery of this passage - "Products named after Christ don't seem to do much for those who buy them." It might speak to each of us about some of the "products named after Christ" we might have bought into over the years. For example, have any of us have been duped into believing something from scripture just because someone else told us it was in scripture? Perhaps we think the adage "God helps those who help themselves" is from scripture - a direct quote of sorts. Have you ever been told this by a well-meaning brother or sister in the Lord? Well, the adage is attributable to Ben Franklin, or even apparent in Aesop's Fables - but not God! Does that one shock you? We find ourselves buying into many "products named after Christ" without really testing them to see if they are indeed the "real deal". The Bereans were given kudos for taking what they were taught, then going home, studying these things over and over again against scripture to see if the teachings were in alignment with scripture. This is something which might just help us not buy into products "about" Christ and draw us nearer to learning directly "from" him!

There is a vast difference between learning "about" someone and learning directly "from" that person. When we learn "about" someone, we are learning things that are closely associated with that individual, but we are not necessarily learning what makes that person "tick" - how they think or move. When we get to learn "from" them, we get to know the original and nothing is quite the same -anything less doesn't quite reach the same level of experience. As it comes to our relationship with Christ, there is a danger of never drawing close enough to recognize the real thing when we see it. As long as we are just learning about Christ from someone else, we get familiar with some of the nuances of his character as they know them, but we don't sense the action of that character within us. When we are learning from Christ, it is most often because we have leaned into him ourselves, heard the beat of his heart, and drawn strength from that nearness. To know about him doesn't help us spot the imitation when it comes, but when we know him ourselves, we can differentiate more accurately between what is "genuine" and what is the cleverly designed "imitation".

Knowing about him opens us up to being lured away by the latest speculations and 'half-truths'. We have to live "in" grace - not just appreciate that grace exists. We have to live "in" Christ - not just appreciate him as a good man, a great teacher, or as a means for us to get into heaven. We need a close, intimate relationship with him in order to learn from him - otherwise we are just learning about him. I have good friends and then I have my best friend. What she knows about me that some of the others don't might not seem significant at first, but the closeness we have developed allows her to tune into my moods, know when I need to talk, and then know when we just need to be quiet together while we enjoy just hanging out. We have learned from each other - not just about each other. We have developed a level of relational intimacy which allows us to understand more than the superficial stuff about each other.

If we can begin to see the value of daily drawing close to Jesus, allowing his Word to penetrate our lives, even if we don't get every little thing we read each time we read it, we will begin to develop the protections we need that keep us from buying into "products named after Christ". In time, the more we expose ourselves to truth, the more truth begins to penetrate the recesses of our minds and thoughts. When we hear or see something that might seem to appeal to our senses, we will be met with the inward warning of that thing just not being truly correct. All falsehood bears some semblance of truth, or we'd never be drawn into believing the falsehood. We learn fully of God's grace in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. We learn of the actions of grace in his life actions - those things he modeled on our behalf. We learn the generosity of grace when we begin to see the sacrifice grace made on our behalf in the person of Christ. We learn "from" Christ - not just about him - building safety into our lives. To keep from being lured into stuff that merely proclaims to be a product which carries the name of Christianity, we have to learn from the one who Christianity is all about! Jesus! Just sayin!

But it seems that...

How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems. (Daniel Webster)

I pray that he will use his glorious riches to make you strong. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. (Ephesians 3:16-17)

If you looked upon my life on any given day, you might not always see the evidence of Christ coming through is some of my actions or words. Why is that? While I have a 'strong foundation' (Christ in me) and believe the 'right stuff' (the Word of God and the Holy Spirit's urging), I don't always make right choices. I speak before I think, step out before I seek direction, and sometimes just lazily approach life as though time didn't matter. If you just looked at the outward, you might form a wrong impression. If you knew the struggle going on inside me between my will and God's on occasion, you might ask why I am still struggling with some of the stuff that seems so simple to you. We are all at differing levels of growth or maturity. We may 'see' something, but not know what it is that is really occurring 'below the surface' inside one's mind, emotions, and soul. When it comes to forming any 'opinion' about another, we need to rely upon God to show us what is truly beneath the surface - not just form our hasty judgments by what 'seems' to be the case.

One of my most favorite quotes from Mr. Webster is the reminder that "the most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my individual responsibility to God." That is a bit of a deep one, but I like it because he reminds us of our responsibilities in this walk - it isn't to impress others - it is to please God. We can have all manner of outward appearances that seem to please what others think, while we are doing God a great injustice in our inner man. Webster also said that a strong conviction that something must be done is really the parent of many bad actions! It takes more than strong convictions to live obedient, growing, emotionally and spiritually healthy lives. It takes falling in love with Jesus over and over again. It can require us to leave certain things behind, take up other things, and refocus our lives more often than we might consider to be within our comfort level. This walk with Jesus is not for the wimpy - it requires some 'mustered strength' at times.

You and I may not know how much 'mustered strength' someone is actually working within on any given day, but if we are hasty to judge by the measure of strength we observe outwardly, we may just make irrational judgments. Christ is indeed at work inwardly, but it can take a while for the inward work to get to the outside sometimes! Evidence of that strength may not come through until the work is a little more 'final'. Remembering that roots grow in a periodic and slow manner may actually help us to not be too quick to judge another by what 'seems' to be the evidence of growth in one's life. Just sayin!

Oh, you aren't all that big after all!

When the sun is just right, even the smallest subject can cast a huge shadow. The object seems to be 'larger that life', even though it is actually quite small. I stop for periods of time and consider things - sometimes stuff others might just not stop long enough, or consider important enough, to think on.  I began to "ponder" shadows as I am currently in a climate where the sun hasn't been out in days, so no shadows have been cast by the sun. The lights in the condo where I am staying are what affords the shadows right now and it is amazing what you can create from simple objects such as your hands and fingers when the lamplight is reflected upon the wall. As you look at the various shadows, you can ponder what you may be seeing and tell yourself many a story that way!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Psalm 23 is one of the most "popular" psalms in the Bible because it is so frequently recited at the graveside - from times way back until common day.  As a means of some comfort, the loved ones are reminded God walks with both their loved ones and them, even in the valley of the SHADOW of death.  Now, I don't know if you have ever experienced any death in your life, but as a nurse, I have seen more than my share.  I don't ever recall a literal "shadow", but I certainly see the "results" of a shadow in these times! Shadows require some light, but they also require something to intersect with the light so that the shadow is cast. 

Shadows have a way of appearing out of almost nowhere, not in the absence of light, but because of the light!  No light - no shadow.  The dawning and brilliance of light brings the evidence of the shadows.  Interestingly, taken to the spiritual side of this equation, you will begin to see no shadow exists in your life apart from the light of Christ exposing it because your life 'intersects' with his. Shadows have a way of reflecting something which is really out of perspective.  Consider your shadow at noon.  Because the light of the sun is right overhead, your shadow is very small - kind of like a really squatty version of you!  At 4 p.m., your shadow may be very long, skinny and taller than reality!  Either way, the "perspective" is a skewed image of the real.  You really are not squatty and small - nor are you an elongated version capable of making headlines in the world record book!  In other words, shadows do not always reflect reality.

Since we understand shadows are based on the perspective we might have related to the "light" in our lives, God is reminding us to focus on the one who gives the light, not on the shadow cast because it does not reflect the reality of the circumstance.  Shadows reflect something real, but just out of right perspective.  A mirror does a much better job of reflecting an image, but it is still not three-dimensional and does not reflect reality.  A shadow only shows us one dimension - limited perspective of reality, just as the mirror. To only focus on the image we see in the mirror, or the one cast in the shadow, will lead us to interpret things from the limited perspective we have.  

We see the "hugeness" of the shadow and assume the "thing" we are viewing is greater than we can overcome.  Our psalmist reminds us, we walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow - it doesn't consume us, it doesn't hold us captive - we get through it when we focus on the light which illuminates and exposes the shadow, not the other way around.  We need the "three-dimensional" viewpoint - only God holds this vantage!  As we begin to see what "casts" the shadow, instead of the shadow, we gain perspective.  Look in the opposite direction of the shadow and you will see the light!

A shadow is merely a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.  Get it?  When we actually see something intercepted by light we are seeing the light "stopped" by something in its way.  The shadow is the result of the light coming into contact with the obstacle.  If all we see is the shadow, we will never really understand the object being reflected by the light.  We see some "image", but it may appear larger than life!  I wonder just how many things we "view" from the perspective of "larger than life" simply because we are considering the "shadow" and not the object itself?  Just sayin!

Considering Veneers?

There are “friends” who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

There is an optical illusion about every person we meet. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) What is the 'illusion' you are displaying right this very minute? Regardless of how 'genuine' you believe yourself to be, there are just times when you 'put on display' something quite different from what is really going on inside. It is kind of hard to be 'genuine' all the time - especially around those you may not know very well, or trust very deeply. When you do find that individual you feel totally comfortable around, I would challenge you to ask yourself the question about what you still portray as an 'optical illusion', even in that very close relationship. At first, you might just say there is nothing you keep from that individual, but let me ask you if you have ever tried to keep something from God. If the answer is 'yes' to that one, then let me just say it is highly unlikely you have no 'optical illusions' in your earthly relationships either!

An illusion is something 'put forward' in such a way so as to obstruct the true interpretation of the true nature of something. The road ahead appears to narrow, especially if you can see miles ahead on a straight path. Does it really? No, it is an illusion because of the perspective you have of that road from the vantage point you maintain. While up in an airplane, every plot of farmland may appear to be very perfectly 'portioned', straight lines dividing one portion from the other. On the ground, the same fields may appear to all run into each other seamlessly. Perspective often determines the degree of 'illusion revelation' one might have! Have you ever seen someone with veneers covering their teeth. On the way home the other day, I noticed someone's 'snap-on' veneers for their front teeth cast aside on the ground. What had once been a likely 'lovely set' of front teeth when they came into work were now nothing more than trash by the wayside! The illusion was broken!

I have a friendship that allows me to 'come close' to being my true self, but even at my most revealing, I imagine I hold a little back. Most of us do. We don't intend to, but we guard ourselves just a little. It is either because we aren't quite comfortable with who we are ourselves, or we aren't quite sure the other party is ready for us to totally be 'real' around them! Our heavenly Father doesn't want us to 'come close' to being our true self with him, though. In fact, he relishes time times we come just as we are - warts and all - and just settle into the comfort of knowing he doesn't judge us, nor does he see us as hopeless. He embraces us and loves us just as we are. My closest friendship is like that - we settle into the comfort of knowing we don't judge each other and we can be 'comfortable' with each other, warts and all. There is no good way to cover your warts, my friends. It is all an illusion that will one day be cast aside as nothing more than a veneer! Just sayin!

Seed packets

A seed only does what it was intended to do when it is planted! In the package, it is just a nice thing (kind of like all the religious rules). Once in the ground, tended appropriately, the seed yields something beyond its original form. That is true of each of us as we become related to Christ. We take a new form - exponentially yielding fruit in season. That is what it is to be in relationship with Jesus - we become the evidence of what is "in" the package! That was what Lazarus was that day so long ago - an evidence of what had filled his heart! 

Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.
(John 12:9-11)

Lazarus became a living testimony of the power and deliverance of God when his life was raised. He became a "threat" to religion that day! The Jewish high priests were actually resisting his testimony because it was causing people to leave the "comfort" of religious pursuit of God to experience the dynamic of relationship with God. The fact of the matter is that God uses people to do the work of bearing testimony to his deliverance! We are never a threat to "religion" when we are just living in the status quo. As soon as we "cross the line" into a real and vital relationship with Jesus, guess what....we become a "threat". For the sake of clarity, let me just say that when I refer to "religion", I am referring to the rote, mundane, going to church kind of ritual that never really allows a man's heart to change or his life to be a testimony of God's power. When I speak of relationship, I am speaking of that life that exudes the power of God for others to behold.

The Jewish high priests were threatened because their "followers" are "converting"! They wanted reality in their lives - they wanted to experience some of the "vitality" they saw in Lazarus that day. All the Jewish leaders could offer the crowds was a set of religious rules - a set of standards they wer to live by - but the connection of the "rule" with the "ruler" was never really made! By definition, relationship is a "connection". What Lazarus showed the people was the intimacy of "connection" with Jesus. Connection implies involvement. When we move away from the ritual keeping of rules, we move into a place where God becomes involved in our lives and we become involved in his work. There is a relationship between connection and power. Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus - spoke the words to come forth - embraced him as he did - and Lazarus maintained that connection by being with Jesus as a living testimony of his power and grace. That is how it is with Jesus - he wants us to be connected to him.

Why is relationship a threat to religion? It is simple really...relationship makes the "connection" that rules never will. As a matter of fact, when all we are focused on is the "rules" we have to keep or never break, we often lack any incentive to pursue the relationship! Think about it. When you are so intent on not breaking the rules - like when you see those signs posted that remind you that there are workers on the roadway and that the fines for speeding are doubled in that area - don't you slow down just a little bit as you see the patrol car on the side of the road? You become "intentional" about the rules and all the other stuff that you were focusing on takes backseat! That is why the Jewish leaders had such a hard time with Jesus - they saw people moving away from the ritual, mundane way of "worship" and this was a threat to their existence! I don't know about you, but I want to be a threat to religion! I want to be a living testimony of relationship, not a dead-weight of religion. Belief is never a matter of having "seen" something - all the miraculous signs were evident to both the religious leaders and the ones following Jesus. The "signs" never convince the mind - they affect the heart! Belief often requires a testimony - like when you buy a package of seeds at the home store. That package of seeds has a photo (a sign) of a fully grown plant, bearing much fruit. Until that package is opened, the seeds planted, and care taken to tend that seed, the evidence of what is in the package is never fully understood. Just sayin!

A + B = C

There is a lot of emphasis today on getting education. We start children in educational opportunities as early as pre-preschool and encourage advancing our education by adding advanced degrees to fill the period after the end of our college days, as well. Trade schools have risen all over the place, offering degrees to those who want to simply better themselves in one particular field of study without going the long route of learning all that other stuff the 'regular' colleges and universities require for a degree. Education is at a premium in our society. Why is it then that we scoff at the wisdom God offers - at the education he provides in his Word?

Give advice to a wise person, and he will become even wiser. Teach a righteous person, and he will learn more.  (Proverbs 9:9)  Show me how you work, God; school me in your ways.  (Psalm 25:4)

King David was adamant that the one thing he wanted in his life was to know how God works - to be schooled in God's ways - not just for his personal benefit, but also for the benefit of those he was leading. King Solomon, David's son, penned the words we find in Proverbs, with an equal focus on being taught and learning what was important in life. He also knew that learning the truths God reveals is a life-long process - something not to be ignored and definitely a guide to one's direction in life. Many of us finally get something when we are "shown" how that something works, how it comes together - what purpose it fulfills. We "get it" because we can visualize it - it moves from being just a taught concept in our minds to be something we can interpret with our senses. I never really "got" algebra - the concepts yes, but the working use of it, no. I knew how to do the equations so that I solved for "x", but I never really knew the reason behind needing to figure out what "x" represented. Algebra was a "concept", but not something I knew would "serve me" in my daily life.

The "schooling" God affords is more than just "classroom time". Yes, we have opportunities to attend Bible College, sit in Bible Study classes together, listen to good sermons and teaching. Yet, the greatest "learning" comes in the "doing" of what he teaches us in his Word. Learning becomes reality when we are engaged in putting into practice what we have embraced as a "concept". When we attempt to love another as God first loved us - unconditionally, even before the other person realizes the need for love in their life - we realize the extreme difficulty in fully "learning" all about love just because we have studied the actions of love. The "schooling" God affords is accomplished in the "living" what we have learned. Everything God teaches is based on "living it out" in our daily life. Having no other God before him is lived out in the choices we make each day. Learning how to be still and truly "know" that he is God is learned in the midst of chaos and discord. Trusting that he will never leave us, nor forsake us, is developed in the times when we least "feel" or "see" God's presence in our midst. His truths are made "real" in the midst of "living".

With "learning" comes accountability - we are expected to take what we have learned and "use it" in our daily living. That is why algebra did not move from "concept" with me into "practical use" - I never realized how to use it in my daily life. Then, one day while working as a cook in a daycare center, I needed to figure out how to make a recipe from my cookbook that could feed four people into a recipe that would feed 150. All of a sudden, I was "learning" how to solve for "x"! The concept became "practical" knowledge at that point. As God exposes truth in our lives, we are expected to use those truths - taking them from "concept" and making them the guiding influence in our lives. God gives us much wisdom - exposing us to much truth. Yet, truth is of no real benefit unless it influences the way we make our choices. God's methods of "teaching" always vary depending on how we will "best learn" in the situation, but they are consistent. His desire is to always take us from "concept" to "living". What is God asking you to "live out" today? Just askin!

You want me to get real?

While reality television is all the rage right now, it can be a little bit over the top most of the time. No matter the day of the week, you can capture some version of this "watch me make a fool of myself" programming complete with scenes from what we can expect the following week. People have been drawn into to the latest wave of "reality" programming because it gives them a chance to see the "true nature" of how people respond under pressure, how far they will really go when challenged to do what any sane individual would avoid, and just how much 'moxie' one possesses to treat others in ways they never should be treated in a million years. It has the game show appeal of some prize at the end, but it also puts people in the situation where all kinds of pressure emerges and then let's us see exactly how they respond to competition, disappointment, desire, and a whole plethora of pretty serious emotions. The idea is to go through not only physical torture, but emotional highs and lows, all the while allowing the world to gaze upon just how big of a fool you could actually turn out to be!

If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others. (Proverbs 28:26)

Why do we feel the allure to watch this type of programming? It is kind of simple really - we want to see the "raw truth" of how human nature responds - the word 'reality' is part of their name because it exposes the 'reality' of just how low we can go. We are curious, in a kind of sick way, to see if someone will "crack under pressure". We might even compare ourselves with the person featured on the show, finding that we either admire them for their response under pressure, or we find all manner of fault with their behavior. We sit before the TV, removed from the events, yet we "think" we know what they are going through - acting as judge and jury, we 'pass sentence' on their manifest behaviors. There is another "show" we taken in everyday - the "show" we call real life - the everyday stuff we encounter in keeping a home, working a job, and getting to and from wherever it is we need to be going. We observe others, even ourselves, and make all kinds of judgments about each and every response our eyes observe. Heed the warning - if we think we are in the position of knowing it all, we need to be very careful! That is actually a place of extreme personal bondage - it is easy for a know-it-all to be tripped up, duped into many an action that may have a pretty awful consequence, and engage in many a debate it would have been much wiser to have avoided. "Real survivors" learn wisdom from others - not because they have experienced it all themselves.

Sometimes our response to life's challenges leave others wondering if they would act similarly in the same circumstances, but there is more to what they see than that outward response we let them see, isn't there? It can take years to get to that response of forgiving when wronged, choosing to hold our tongue rather than responding in hostility, or to choose the path that affords the greatest resistance even when easier ones are right there in front of us! It takes years of observing those around us - of seeing how others respond in like circumstances. It also takes years of us seeing how our responses truthfully affect others! If we want to be "real survivors" we will open ourselves to the learning of wisdom from those placed within our lives - believers and non-believers alike. Each affords us an opportunity to learn the lessons of life that God so earnestly desires we will "get" some day. We need to become observers of the reality right there around us - in the relationships we form, the ones we avoid, and the challenges of each of these. In those learning moments, we gain wisdom - if we are open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. If we are closed minded (a fool), we will just make the same compromises/mistakes over and over again. The "reality" will continue to happen until we own up to our need for God's wisdom worked out in our daily walk.

Today, if we find ourselves in the position of "reality show" repeats in our daily walk, perhaps it is time to "change the channel" and embrace what God would want to teach. Our new-found wisdom could change the course of our life and give another the opportunity to see some 'truthful' form of reality! Just sayin!

Being real - staying real

"I believe that children are, by nature, very forgiving. I don't think children expect their parents to be perfect. I think they demand that their parents be real."  (Beth Moore)  There is much wisdom in these words - for the heart of a parent is to see nothing but good things for their child, wanting to protect them from the stuff we've had to endure ourselves. We want to see them avoid our mistakes, but so often we forget to be real with them about those mistakes. How can they learn if they never see the real struggles in our heart? Sure they may not need all the sordid details of our mistakes, but they need the vantage point of seeing us being totally real with them about how we faced those mistakes and came out different because of them - because it is that reality that brings the depth of connection that will help them be real with God!

My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right. (Proverbs 23:15-16 NLT)

I will be the first to admit that I sometimes wonder if I was (and am) a good mother. I dealt with a whole lot of stuff as a single parent that I didn't want to walk through 'alone'. I recall losing my temper, getting way too wigged out about some of the things the kids did and didn't do (like cleaning their rooms). I also recall the times when I dealt with my fears all alone - simply because a parent wants to always protect their kids from those things. I also remember one day when I was asked to speak as part of a panel at the local youth group. The kids were free to ask us anything - and I mean anything! 

That night, some tough questions were asked and answered. I had prayed God would give me wisdom for any that were addressed to me - and in his faithfulness, he did! It was one of the toughest evenings for me because some of the questions asked were about dating, sex, and the like. As I began to share, I felt God's peace take over and the responses must have been good - because I got real, shared from my own life, and told them how easily you could feel "violated" and "not valued" when you "give yourself away", even with heavy petting, let alone pre-marital sex. For weeks the pastor told me stories about how the kids kept coming to him one by one, sharing how much those words helped them realize their error in having had pre-marital sex, of feeling pressured by peers to "just do it", and that they wanted God's healing in their lives. These weren't girls and boys who you'd have thought were "doing it", but kids from good Christian homes, conflicted by their emotions and hormones - who wanted to know God still loved them, that they could be "valued" again, and that their hearts mattered to God.

We don't have to have a sordid story to tell, just that we are willing to share more than our opinions on a matter. You see, I shared how much I felt my heart change as I was married - how easily I felt myself giving of my love and self to the one I married. I also shared how violated I felt when that love wasn't returned - when it wasn't honored in the same way as I believed it should have been - when our lives drifted apart and things ended in divorce. I shared about the distance created when one gives of their heart and that love isn't returned. They may have heard, "Don't have pre-marital sex", but I was really sharing more about how much our "value" is impacted when our love isn't returned and we are not treated with respect. It doesn't matter what words I used, it was that God helped me to share from the hurt and rejection in my heart after my divorce and it touched lives.

We never know when our "real self" will be the means by which God opens the door of someone else's emotions to heal and restore, but when we are faithful to always commit to being real, God can use us! Just sayin!

Okay, so I can't fly!

People boast a lot of things, don't they?  As we watch TV commercials galore, we can see products "boasting" the best eggs ever, the simplest TV hook-up in the world, and the best line-up of this or that.  Looking in the newspaper ads will riddle your minds with images of new products "boasting" something improved over anything you have ever used before, guaranteed to remove the stains from your clothes, whiten your teeth to a gleaming luster, and tantalize your taste buds with richness of flavor.  Man does a pretty good job of boasting about his accomplishments, the daring things he has done, and those "tales" no one can really validate because they took place in a day gone by or in a place unknown to you.  You might be intrigued to know the first definition of "boast" is to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, especially about oneself!  This leads us to conclude the basis of boasting is pride - an excessive and exaggerated estimation of oneself, the object of your attention, or the accomplishment at hand.

What people say about themselves means nothing. What counts is whether the Lord says they have done well. (2 Corinthians 10:18 ERV)

There are lots of ways we engage in this boasting tendency, but none so dangerous as that which goes "unchecked" by either our own conscience, the niggling of the Holy Spirit's prompts, or just plain common sense.  As a small child, I boasted of flying - not in an airplane - but by the use of my "wings" (better known as my arms) and the lift I realized when "sailing" off the top of an overturned trash can!  No one could have told me differently because I was so caught up in the imaginative, yet concocted story I had told myself that I believed it was true!  Now, lest you lock me up in some padded room somewhere, I didn't stick with that story for very long, but the couple of weeks I actually believed I had flown was time enough for me to have told every kid in the neighborhood and then had them trying it from the tops of their own overturned trash cans!  When they couldn't reach those "heights" I had "realized" in my imagination, I suspected they were just too heavy, or didn't have the "wings" to fly!  Nothing inside of me actually believed my "story" was all wrong.  It took being challenged to prove it to make me realize my acquired claim to fame wasn't actually "spot on"!

Some of us need to have our "boasting" challenged once in a while - to keep us honest, bring us down to earth, or just plain help us see where pride has taken hold in us.  Some would ask why my acclaimed "flying ability" had to be challenged, since imagination in a child isn't all that uncommon and eventually the child moves on to some other imaginative thought.  Well, I had boasted so loudly, confidently, and kind of meanly to the kids in my neighborhood about my "abilities", I probably needed to be brought down to earth (no pun intended).  If no one challenged me then, and many times about other things since then, no telling what the estimation of my abilities would be today in my own mind.  Our mind often has to be "brought down to earth" - made to meet reality.  As long as it is allowed to concoct all manner of untruth, trumped up stories of grandeur, it will.  When encountered with the reality of where the rubber meets the road, the character of a man or woman is often revealed for what is really there.

This is why it is best to have a friend or two who helps you see when you are thinking a little too much about yourself and forgetting the needs of others.  It is also important to recognize how much that relationship keeps you real in those moments when you imagine yourself capable of doing things way outside of your realm of safety and protection.  Grand thoughts lead to some pretty damaging actions - so this kind of accountability relationship actually helps to reflect back to us "truth" or "reality" instead of the exaggerated estimation we have of ourselves, our own abilities, or the situation at hand.  There are times we need another to help us recognize when our estimation of the circumstances or our ability far exceed what God sees - because it brings us down to earth again and gets us to focus on what might actually bring us closer to what God wants for us.  God's opinion of both the matter at hand and our involvement in that matter are what is important - not how well we think we can handle it, what it will do for our reputation if we pursue it, or the things which we "gain" because we pursue it.  There are indeed times when the best thing for us is to be "knocked down a few pegs" in order to see ourselves again in the "less exaggerated" reality of the moment.  What matters is how God sees us - not how the circumstance will help us be seen in the eyes of another.  Just sayin!

Fling them words - go ahead!

I don't think anything destroys a relationship quicker than our words!  Yep, as simple as that may sound, I believe it to be true simply because scripture tells us our words are like little sparks that have the capacity to set an entire forest on fire!  Living in the arid deserts of Arizona, I see the devastation one tiny spark can bring - changing the landscape for years and years to come in just that tiny ember.  Words change the landscape of our relationships - they either sculpt them into things of majesty and beauty, or they whittle away at the life within the relationship until it is found to be diseased and damaged by all the constant whittling!  One of the most common things spoken of in the Book of Solomon is the choice of our words - what we do with our words matters. Sure, there are a lot of other "popular" topics covered in the book, but a great many of the principles taught deal with relationships - those we cultivate with God and those which we deal with day by day on this earth.  I don't know if Solomon was the best resource on relationship "ins and outs", but he certainly had a lot of opportunity in his position of king of a nation to evaluate what he records for us in these passages!  His rise to the throne was in his youth - something which could have been either his undoing, or short-lived.  Yet, he went to God in those first moments when he realized his rise to power and asked specifically for a double-portion of wisdom.  As I have pointed out before, I think he knew he'd need this in order to rule well and to become a leader, not just king.  I doubt he knew his words would become the truths people would turn to time after time again in order to find wisdom about choices, relationships, or even money.  He simply needed guidance to become a great leader and he relied upon God to show him the way.  In relationships of all types, we need to rely upon God to show us the way - to keep us from stumbling over our own inadequacies - especially when it comes to how it is we use our words!

Deceit causes trouble, and foolish talk will bring you to ruin. The words of good people are a source of life, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked. Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.  If you have good sense, it will show when you speak.  But if you are stupid, you will be beaten with a stick.  If you have good sense, you will learn all you can, but foolish talk will soon destroy you.  (Proverbs 10:10-14 CEV)

Deceit causes trouble - foolish talk brings to ruin.  To conceal the truth is to deceive.  The one who sets out to deceive is actually distorting the truth so as to mislead the one receiving the information - there is a purposeful manipulation of the truth in order to either conceal some fact, or to make something look better than it really is.  I think of it kind of like this when we tell someone everything is okay with us, but deep down inside we felt slighted by their behavior toward us. We don't want to admit to the truth for whatever reason, but instead, we choose to cover up or mask our true feelings.  We are deceiving both the other person and sometimes even ourselves!  What this does is set us up for further deception within the relationship and we soon find the well of deception gets pretty deep and very turbid!

Some of us have a tendency to hide behind our words - we use them as secret weapons we launch out there and then "hide behind" so no one gets wind of what is really going on inside of us.  I think this is what Solomon might have had in mind when he says evil hides behind the words of the wicked.  It isn't exactly deception here - it is just not being kind with our words.  Evil or words of malice or ill-intent are often "masking words" people use to really keep others away from getting too close to them.  Why?  When others get close enough to discover the depth of their despair, or perhaps the "grossness" of their wounds from the past, there is a sense of discomfort and unease created which causes them to want to pull in or run away.  So, they use words to repel people before they have a chance to get too close.  If they are successful, they believe no one will ever discover what is hidden within.

Neither type of communication is good.  No one benefits from either of these types of "sharing", do they?  Either one or the other of the parties will be hurt by the words which get put out there - if not both.  What I think Solomon had in mind when he reminds us of these two truths is the idea of keeping it real.  He didn't want us to develop these tendencies to manipulate others, or to cover up the depth of our "ugliness".  Although it may be uncomfortable to constantly live life on the "plane" of "reality", it has so many benefits which outweigh those complications which arise by living behind the masks of our words.  Yeah, as a nurse I think of words as being those things which bring "complicating factors" into play within the relationship.  What is a complication?  It is anything which introduces (often quickly and unexpectedly) some difficulty, problem, or change we weren't expecting.  Words have a tendency to do this within relationship, don't they?  We often don't appreciate the difficulty they might bring once spoken.  Whether they be words of manipulation and deceit, or harsh words behind which we think we are hiding, they create complications galore in relationship.

This can occur in our relationship with God, as well.  Whenever we set out to deceive God - like telling him what he wants to hear - we are really only deceiving ourselves.  God knows when our heart is ready to make the change he desires - whenever we tell him we are ready and we really are not, we are only putting words of deceit out there to be heard, but not believed!  God doesn't want us to complicate our relationship with him by using either deceit, or masking words - he wants us to keep it real.  If we cannot be real with him, we will never be real with others.  He doesn't send lightning bolts to strike us dead because we honestly admit we kind of like our sinful ways!  What he does is help us to understand how those sinful patterns within our lives really are taking us down paths which will eventually wear away at the core of our peace and will never bring true satisfaction into our hearts.  He isn't going to be deceived by our words - but he isn't going to allow complications to arise within our relationship with him which go "unchecked" either!  He wants us to get close to him and to do so requires this sense of "keeping it real".  I guess this is why I shy away from the "canned prayers" of my youth and have gravitated toward just laying it out before him.  I tell him of my struggles to even "want" to do right - because there are honestly times when I enjoy my sin more than I want to walk away from it!  Truth be told, we all have those moments.  When I admit to it, he is able to begin the work in my heart which actually brings me to a place of no longer desiring those sinful habits or desires.  The same can be true for you, as well.  

We may not hide behind our words, but I wonder if we are truly honest in the ones we share.  We may not fling them out there as though they were weapons to ward off intrusion into the depths of our hearts, but we sometimes use them to at least "hold at arm's length" those who want to get close to us.  Either way, we need to develop better communication "style"!  Just sayin!

You get the part?

I spent a few years in the theater in high school and then into the military as part of my career there.  I was not a "performer" in the theater, although I did have a small part in a production once, but it was really not my forte.  I was a "behind the scenes" kind of person - building sets, finding just the right props, etc.  I liked the challenge of taking a totally flat surface of canvas stretched taught over a frame and turning it into the backdrop resembling old structures, hillsides, or the inside of a 1930's parlor.  It intrigued me to see the sets come together and then stand back to see the "effect" they created.  Two dimensional flats gave the appearance of three dimension and took you into worlds you might not have traveled otherwise.  What made theater so interesting for others was the ability to "perform" the parts of the characters in the production.  They enjoyed the challenge of getting the role down, including the accent, appearing like an aged woman or man, and the like. They would study their parts, memorizing lines, rehearsing ad nauseum and spend endless hours cultivating their role.  As much effort as I put into the sets to get them to look "real", the performers were putting into their development of their part in the play.  I think there are times in our lives when we spend a great deal of time creating an "image" and cultivating our "performance" in the "religious" realm only to come to the place of recognizing our "performance" is a bit of a "flop"!

Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.  (Proverbs 21:3 MSG)

Anytime we focus more on our "performance" and on our "appearance", we are wasting valuable time we could have spent allowing God to actually change us into the appearance only he can give and the performance which comes because we are learning to live as he desires us to live.  Religious performance is not relationship-based.  It is the glory of Christ revealed in us which comes only to the degree we are willing to spend time getting close to him which gives us the appearance which is envied by all.  It is the grace of Christ cultivated in our lives which gives us the performance which touches the lives of others and helps them to desire to be filled with the grace as much as we are.  It is one thing to have "religious performance", but something quite different to engage in deep, intimate fellowship with Jesus.  One produces a "performance" of sorts, something quite rehearsed and not natural or real; the other produces a change of character entirely, moving us from one way of living into another.  The latter is real and is what God desires more than anything else.

Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors.  Sound familiar?  It should - since through all of history God has been emphasizing these same two things.  Have one God, pay attention to this relationship like it matters the most, and allow him to pay attention to you because YOU do matter the most to him.  In turn, you will love each other as he loves you.  Same truth, just a different way of saying it.  How it is accomplished is by being willing to shift from "playing a part" to allowing the character change to actually occur. It is more than "bit acting" - it is life transformation God is after - allowing all of our lives to become models of his.  He makes a beautiful "set" out of our lives - not just one which gives the appearance of being one way - but a multi-dimensional work of beauty which is a genuine reflection of the original (Christ).  

Now, don't you think it is about time we stop "playing the part" of "Christian" and actually draw close enough to him to recognize when we are simply "play-acting" and when we are being "transformed" into his image?  Just sayin!

Window gazing

If you have ever made a conscious decision to look beyond the surface in someone's life, you know just how conscientious you have to be to not just stop at the "surface stuff" you observe with the eye, but to look deeper.  It is easy to think you might get to know the "real" someone just because you see them act a certain way or say certain things.  Truth is, we aren't really getting to know the "inner struggles" of a man or woman until we get beneath the surface.  For some, the holidays were a tremendous time of reconnecting with family and making new memories.  The homes were filled with laughter and lots of stories which added to the good times.  For others, the holidays were kind of melancholy and lonely.  The memories of yester-year were just not enough to bolster their enthusiasm for the holiday.  Relationships had been lost, hearts were left open and hurting, and things just didn't ring with the same cheer as in years gone by.  Still others seemed to enjoy it, but deep inside, something was missing, leaving a hole not really filled, needs not really met, and moments not fully realized.  Surface-reads only tell us so much, don't they?  Sometimes we just need to stop long enough to really recognize the heartache, reach out to the emptiness, and re-energize the weak.  To do this, we have to look beyond the surface.

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.  (2 Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG)

Looking inside gives us a different perspective, doesn't it?  Look out from any window in your home and what might you see?  Other homes, some landscaping, a fence or two, some cars, a bird, a neighbor's cat - infinite possibilities because even what seems "normal and customary" changes on the "outside" doesn't it?  Now, go outside your home and look inside through the same window.  What do you observe from this side?  If you stand back a ways, you might just see a reflection of some of those things you saw when looking out, right?  Get closer and you begin to see rooms, hallways, furnishings, and even maybe a few people.  Why are those people there? Isn't it because someone let them in?  Why are those furnishings arranged as they are?  Isn't it because it meets some need of those who have to make use of them?  Truth is, we don't really know what is on the inside until we begin to get close enough to see more than a reflection of what is on the outside!

Try as I might, I cannot "convince" someone to change the way they are feeling, to fill the emptiness of their lives with something which really makes a difference, etc.  I can set an example, but I cannot do the "convincing".  You don't convince someone TO enter or change, but you do convince them that what awaits them presents a pretty convincing argument that they SHOULD enter or embrace change.  

Too many times we look "inside" past the reflections we see on the outside and what we observe indicates to us someone needs something specific in their lives.  We might even point it out. Like if we were to observe through the window of the house that the couch facing a direction which did not give a view of the TV without craning one's neck in an awkward position.  We might try to convince them to move the couch, or to get rid of the couch and opt for two armchairs instead.  Either way, it is not our part to convince them TO change, but we can show them the possibilities of what change might look like by presenting an example for them to see in the way we "arrange" and "live out" our own lives!

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I got this wrong in my own life.  I'd be looking INTO someone's life and then go about trying to rearrange their "furnishings" and fill their "space".  Only God really has the right to do this in another's life.  Admit it, we don't like it when someone actually does this to us, so why do we go about doing it in anyone else's life?  Am I the only one who has ever interjected myself INTO someone else's "space" without specifically being "invited in"?   

The purpose of anyone looking "inside" is to really begin to see another for who they are, as life has made them through the series of events and choices they have made over time.  When we look "inside", we might just begin to see Christ at work within - rearranging what needs movement and has become stagnant or stale in their lives.  Me might see him cleaning away years and years of "built up" dirt, giving a sense of freshness and purity.  Maybe we observe him at work making places for others to enter in and to find a place of special purpose where other relationships left gaps or holes never refilled again.  It is his work - we are only observers of his "life change".

I don't have many who I have really "let in" to see me as I am, but those who have done more than really only see a reflection of what is really on the outside have come to recognize it is Christ in me setting things right - convincing me of the need for life change.  Others have been content to see the reflection of what is on the outside, never getting close enough to really look inside.  I am okay with that, as long as they don't judge me by what they see on the surface, because sometimes I can present a pretty picture "out there", but I am pretty much a mess on the inside!  To really get to know each other, we need both vantage points, but most importantly to see each other for what God is doing on the inside!  Just sayin!

Among or In?

I am sometimes guilty of judging a book by its cover - like when I pass a quick judgment on someone or something because I see something on the "surface" which kind of gets my dander up, but really don't understand the reality just beneath the surface.  We never really know what another will bring into our lives until we get beneath the surface - look beneath the "cover". Lest you think you are beyond concealing things beneath a "cover" in your lives, ask yourself this question:  When was the last time I was truthful about the toughest struggle in my life today?  That question can be very telling - for we often don't have anyone with whom we can share these struggles; or we don't really want to be honest about the struggle because it is kind of humbling to admit we struggle in that area of our lives.  In reality, we have no struggles which are not "common" among all men and women - things like fear, anxiety, mistrust, pride, addictions, lust, etc.  We ALL are "earthen vessels" - plain folk with down-to-earth problems and desires.  

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!  (2 Corinthians 4:7-12 MSG)

It should not catch you by surprise that God uses "earthen vessels" to display his greatness.  Plain folks with plain old real life problems putting him on display before a hurting and hungry world.  God doesn't go for the most glamorous, or the most charismatic - he uses us!  As with all truth, we have to believe it to make it worthwhile in our lives.  I can "know about" gravity, but until I fall a few times, I don't really believe it exerts a forceful pull in my life!  You come to appreciate the truth once you realize it has validity - having "validated" it by exposing yourself to its reality.

I had knee surgery when I was 19 and they did a little nerve damage in the process.  For days, I tried to tell the therapists I couldn't make my leg do what they wanted me to do with it.  For days, they ignored me thinking I was just trying to not face the pain.  So, day after day, they'd lift my leg, in the bulky dressing and partial cast, dropping it to the table and having to catch it just before my leg smacked the table with full force.  After about a week of this, they began to unwrap the leg and do some "deeper" investigation.  Do you know what they realized?  I really wasn't kidding!  I couldn't feel portions of my leg!  

What made the difference in their realization of my true problem was not my "confession" of the issue, but the "unwrapping" of the leg.  As soon as they got beyond what they could "see" with their eyes, they could begin to understand what I was trying to tell them.  The same holds true if we are to finally get beneath the "cover" in our lives and the lives of those we have relationship with in this world.  We ALL are "earthen vessels", holding onto some things we would do well to get out in the open, and containing light which needs to be shared with those around us.  

Look just at the "earthen vessel" and you can make pretty inaccurate judgments, huh?  Pour out the contents and you will often see a different side of a person.  Most of us are concerned others won't "like" us if they see the "real" us, so we only allow "surface" looks.  It isn't until we begin to be "poured out" that we can actually see what it is that God has been doing "inside" us all that time.  He contains himself in "ordinary lives" - using "ordinary lives" to touch "ordinary lives".  Here we find the "connection" we so desperately need - one "ordinary" life pouring out into the "ordinary life" of another.

As with my knee, there may be "severed" parts of our lives which really need the skill of one more knowledgeable of the issue, and the time to allow the healing to occur.  This is the value of connecting with another, allowing them beneath the surface, and into the "severed" parts of your life.  There is this opportunity to allow another to share the path to healing.  Most of the progress I made with therapy and the return of this lost function was not because the doctor told me to give it "time" to heal.  It was because I went twice a day right alongside others with different types of injuries and we worked together to get each other back on the mend!

God knows exactly what we need in order to break free of our struggles - and it is often best accomplished when we aren't trying to walk alone!  It took me a while to get off the crutches, but when I graduated to the cane and then to halting independent steps, my companions in therapy cheered me on.  The same was true in their progress - one step forward, two back, but eventually, we made it.  Each supporting the other - each not afraid to encounter the other when one of us was being a sissy!  Some of us need that - someone telling us we are being a little bit of a sissy when it comes to our issues.  We need a "goading" once in a while.  God places "ordinary lives" together to do just that!  

The good news - what Jesus did AMONG us, he does IN us - he lives!  We cannot settle for just having life "among" us, we need it "IN" us.  We don't get life IN until we are willing to go beneath the surface stuff.  A book has to be cracked to be read.  A light needs to be switched on before it illuminates what is hidden.  A buried treasure cannot be found until someone starts to do a little digging.  Just sayin!

"Identical With"

I have been in stores and observed tags which read, "As Is".  Whenever I see these, I chuckle a little under my breath because people are willing to buy things with "flaws", simply because they are a bargain.  The "deal" associated with the "As Is" condition of the object really doesn't matter too much - you can hide the small "ding", or use a "blemish stick" to cover over the scratch. When it comes to other human beings, we often see the "flaws" as too much to deal with!  The "dings" and "scratches" and the announced "As Is" condition really make it hard to accept them.  One of the most difficult things in life is to be who we really are - no pretense, no made-up fronts - just plain and simply "us".  Why?  It is probably a combination of things, but one of the most obvious is our sense of others not being willing to accept us "as we are". I'd like to challenge us a little here, because I think we ALL come with the "As Is" sticker, but some of us focus on it as a "turn off" while others see it as a "challenge" to "change" what is there into something different!  Either way, we don't really allow the other person to be "as they are" because we won't accept their "As Is" condition and allow the one who actually knows how to "fix" them to do the "fixing".  It is quite a liberating place to be when you finally come face-to-face with self and just settle back to allow Christ the liberty to do what he wants to do within.  To stop trying to appear righteous before men and to be yourself is a risky place to be for some, but it also carries some of the greatest rewards.

Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan. What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.  Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. (Galations 2:17-21 MSG)

Few actually understand the freedom Christ's presence adds to a life, but they are drawn to it because of the hope it sparks within.  While others may be impressed with the appearance one places on display, God is not.  He is most impressed with the appearance of his Son, no matter how much of Jesus he sees coming through in each of us.  For us humans, impressions are a big deal, right?  We are affected by what "appears" to be reality - if we weren't, show business would not be such "big business" - for all of show business if really "play acting".  Appearance is "surface stuff" - the external "show" doesn't always align with the internal "know".  We "know" certain things about ourselves which we'd never allow to be put on "show" in our lives, right?  At least, not if we could help it!  Pretending to be anything or anyone we are not to one another is one thing, but pretending to be anything or anyone we are not to God himself - well, that is plain silliness since he knows us inside and out.

Convictions are the set of values we adhere to in life.  They are made up of the things we have come to accept as "worthy" of affecting our actions. Needless to say, we can have convictions which are pretty well-accepted, and at times, have convictions which are "deviant" from what society calls "normal" or "acceptable".  In the course of the past 50 years or so, some things have surfaced in society which are viewed as "deviant" convictions. Once upon a time, not so long ago, being anything less than pure until the day you were married was considered "deviant" - today, because of a change in the norms of society, being a "virgin" on your wedding night is almost considered being "deviant".  Being a member of a gang 50 years ago usually meant you were working on the side of a road, shackled together.  Today, being in a gang is almost viewed as a sense of "family".  What once was deviant has become normal.  Bullying was never all right, but today it is a thing which actually causes people to take their lives.  Hmmm....convictions do play a large part in how we view ourselves and others!

God desires and values a steady and straight course in life.  We have many things which can pull us off course - the the last thing God wants is for his own kids to be the thing which pulls anyone off course!  Whenever we behave in a manner which causes another to feel they cannot be themselves around us, we are doing just that.  Too many times, we consider the "rules" we make in society to be the "norms" we all need to adhere to - forgetting the bigger set of "rules" outlined by the one who doesn't really want us living by "rules" anyway!  God may have outlined a lot of rules for his kids throughout the generation, but the biggest one he focused on over and over again was this one of loving him first, keeping him center, then loving others as we love ourselves.  Nothing matters to him more than that!  Love involves allowing others to be real - no judgments attached - just being able to accept the other person in their "As Is" condition and then trusting God to work out the rough edges if they need a little "working out".

We are not set right with God by the rule-keeping.  Personal faith in Jesus is what sets us right.  No method of self-improvement will ever bring us into relationship with God or build us up in quite the same manner as being who we are without the "put forward" appearances.  There are times when we focus so much on the "degree" by which the other person "gets things right" in their lives and not the fact that they are living, breathing creatures who stand as much in need of a Savior as we do.  Truth be told, us Christians, struggle toward perfection - toward the correction of character which makes us more Christ-like.  I think I can honestly say with an assurance - I am one of those who struggle toward perfection - it is not a smooth course!  It is made up of bumps and turns, ups and downs, right choices and the not so right.  In the end, I trust I will get there, but for now, plaster that "As Is" sticker clearly across my forehead!

If we are all about "trying to be good" and then "appearing" that way, we are building in such a way that produces nothing but disappointment.  God gives us the power to live transformed lives - one step at a time.  We often forget this - one foot going in front of the other until we reach our destination.  As a teenager, I remember crossing a suspension bridge from one side of a huge ravine to the other.  It was made all the scarier for me because of my traveling companions (other teenagers), and the fact it was a forbidden area by both the posted "no trespassing" signs and my parents having no clue I was actually going there!  One foot in front of the other, I crossed to the other side.  I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, the frigid cold of the icy, snow covered landscape almost didn't bother me.  What I had to focus on was getting that "one foot in front of the other" thing worked out. It was one thing to get to the other side, but another to get back!  For we often find the toughest journeys are the ones "back" - finding there is no way out but the way we got in!

Here is something for us to remember - transformed lives don't come from any power within us.  They come from a power far outside of us, but which can become resident within us.  Christ's power comes the more we identify with the one who resides within.  To identify means we are moving toward becoming "identical with".  Spirit, outlook, and principles change as a result of this identification with him.  As we identify with Christ, it is no longer important for us to "appear" any particular way - for his movement in our lives is what makes it possible for our "ego" to take a back seat.  When we move into a place of being less concerned with impressing others - we are becoming more comfortable in our own skin!  If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ's death would not have been necessary.  The truth is - the only way to life is through Christ - nothing else will ever be able to take us from the "As Is" condition of our lives to the "restored" and "new". 

It is futile to live with "images" of what we want to put forward.  We all get on those suspension bridges, putting one foot in front of the other until we reach the other side.  The reality of being "somewhere" we weren't supposed to go may not be so thrilling once we step across the threshold, but for certain, Christ stands ready to bring us back across to his safety when we finally are willing to be real about where we are!  Just sayin!

No "perfect package" here!

All together - a term used to indicate someone has a "complete package" as it comes to talents, treasures, looks, ability, etc.  For most of us, we give a good impression of having it "all together", but in reality, it takes a whole lot of duct tape and bailing wire to keep it that way!  I think it takes a whole lot of work and emotional effort to live that way.  In fact, I had decided a long time ago the "all together" / "complete package" just didn't "fit" who I wanted to be in this life.  It took a while to get to the point of not being afraid to let others know where my edges were a little frayed and my hems not all even! Yet, in the willingness to "get real" with others, there has been a liberty like no other.  Truth be told, the ability to be real with others only came when I realized others aren't "spurred on" in this race toward Christ by the "perfect package" they see.  In fact, the perfect package kind of intimidated them!  It overwhelmed them - almost making them cower away in fear because the "perfect package" piece seemed just too hard to lay hold of.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.  (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG)

More than enough time has gone into "appearing" one way and "acting" another.  It no longer matters that I be the "complete package" because I realize we are all in this together - no one really stands out as the "subject-matter-expert" here.  We all require someone to reach out and to draw us along at times.  None of us is above tiring.  None is above quitting.  When we feel this way, we need the hand of another to pull us on and to be the voice of encouragement we need to so desperately hear.

What brought me to this point in life?  Simply put, I recognized I needed what others offered, but they wouldn't offer because I was so unapproachable.  As long as I remained as a "perfect package", no one even wanted to approach me, much less really be an encouragement in my life! What I had to realize is the similarities we all have in this walk - we all need a little hand-holding now and again!  So, Christ reaches out to us through another, spurring us on. Some might struggle with this whole "hand-holding" idea, but in reality, we need it more than we often realize.

In the next passage within this same chapter, Paul tells us we need to keep focused.  Focus is not only a personal thing, but it is also a community thing. We often don't see what is right in front of us.  My pastor puts it this way: "The eye cannot see the eye".  In other words, we need others to see the splinter in our eye!  Focus is impacted by the splinter we cannot see around! When we want refined focus - wee need others to help us refine it.  God gave us these individuals so we might get perspective through a different set of eyes.  

If you don't realize the benefit of a different set of eyes on a circumstance, consider the last time you needed assistance to get the most out of your tax return, or to find the one loose wire under the hood of your car that kept it from running right.  I could have read all kinds of self-help books until I finally figured it out on my own, but the tax accountant knows more of the law around the tax code than I could ever hope to learn through one of the self-directed manuals.  The mechanic actually knows what wires make my car do the crazy things cars do.  I need them to give me perspective at times.  You are no different.  The different vantage point of another is often the one vantage point we don't consider ourselves when faced with the challenges in our character, choices, or circumstances.

All God ever asks of us is to get running.  He takes care of the rest.  He beckons us onward.  He prepares the path.  We need the encouragement of a few "coaches" along the way, don't we?  Even the best prepared athlete did not get their on their own.  They needed the benefit of others showing them how it is done.  Don't be afraid to "get real" with another.  Being a little too "perfect" in your "package" is not going to endear you to anyone.  Being willing to be "real" is what connects you to another.  Just sayin!