Get past the past in order to be present in the moment

Back in 1988, Bobby McFerrin released a song that rose to the number one spot in quite a short period of time. The song's lyrics: "Don't worry, be happy!" Did you realize that saying had been around since the 60's and was attributed a 'spiritual master' from India? The idea of the saying had many meanings in the 60's that depended upon when and where it was used. I'd like us to think of it this way - stop fretting so much about the stuff you cannot control and learn to control what you have been given control over - your emotions! I don't know about you, but one of the hardest things in life has been to keep my emotions under control. I get down, bounce back up, fret about stuff, and rest in peace. It is a roller-coaster of sorts, huh? Just how many times do we have to go up and down this roller-coaster of emotions before we learn to get some control over them?

I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! (Jude 1:1-2)

Jude's condition - he is a slave. This may not have been the case in the natural sense, in his daily employment - but in the spiritual, he is very certain of this - he is in a place of service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has a family line - the brother to James. He is connecting the dots for the readers - not only is he the brother to one of the leaders of the New Testament churches, but he is of a new family line, as well - that of Christ. He has an audience he desires to communicate with - those loved by God, called and kept safe by Jesus. In other words, this is a letter to believers - those who have given their hearts to Christ - deciding to no longer live according to their own plans, but according to the plans Christ dictates for their lives. Relax, Rest, and Open Your Hearts! I want to focus on these three messages today.

- RELAX - everything's going to be all right. This is the opposite of emotional tension. When we are tense, we are focused so intently on some circumstance and the tension created just magnifies the circumstance, sometimes to proportions we just cannot handle ourselves. In presenting the idea of learning to RELAX in Christ, we are being reminded to focus less on the circumstance and more on the one who controls it! Trust me - it is NOT us! We are called and KEPT safe by Jesus Christ. No amount of worry (tension) on our part will bring the results of us having allowed Christ to do the very thing he delights to do in our lives! We can RELAX because we know we are KEPT. When we realize we are being "kept", we begin to see it is not the "work" we do, but the work of Christ being done on our behalf.

- REST - everything's coming together. The first step to "rest" is in learning to "relax". When we hold on to some things so tightly, increasing the tension we interpret in the circumstance, we find it hard to rest. Why do we feel tension and the need to hold so tightly? It is because we think we have the responsibility to work out the details! There are tons of moments when all I could feel was tension mounting, interfering with whatever I needed to do.  It was not until I "relaxed" my grip on those things, placing them squarely in the hands of Jesus, that I began to be able to "rest". I had done all I knew to do myself - now, the results were up to God.

- OPEN YOUR HEARTS - love is on the way. The ability to relax and rest are tied to the ability to open our hearts! If you have ever tried to be open to love - receiving from another - when you are all tensed up, emotions in a bundle of knots, it is almost impossible, isn't it? If you have been engaged from sun up to sun down, finding it difficult to shut-off even when you need to sleep, you probably know what it is like to miss the opportunities to open up to love because you are so consumed by your inability to let go. Love IS on the way. In order to not miss it, we have to be open to it. When our hearts are crowded with cares and worries, we have little room for love - in fact, we often see it as just something "extra" we have to make room for! A long time ago, a friend gave me my first journal. Know what the cover said? "Open Heart, Open Home" - and the pages were completely blank - not even lined. You know what she was telling me? I don't need all the "lines" in life to be there! If I will just learn to relax and rest in Christ, I will be able to see the beauty he wants to create in this "home" of my heart!

Not sure where you are today in this moment, but I imagine some are struggling with tension far beyond what is good for you. In fact, you probably find yourself "winding up" so tight you cannot possibly "wind down"! Just remember - tension is only good for a little while - too much stretches us beyond our capacity to recover! Others are finding it difficult to rest - minds racing with all kinds of worries and cares. Trying to hit the "off-button" on these cares is like trying to stay ahead of the dandelions in the yard when you have a toddler who loves to blow those little white puffs of seeds into the air and watch with glee as they sail away! I learned a secret - using a "pre-emergent" keeps those pesky things from blooming in the first place! Maybe some "preemptive" action on your part will allow you to rest a little easier! Being open to love is both a condition of the mind (will) and heart (emotions). We only are OPEN when we "will" ourselves to be! Hearts hurt in the past often "tense up" in the present. Tense emotions don't often welcome new opportunities to experience love. Just sayin!

A tapestry of love

A tapestry is a type of weaving whereby a warp is used to construct a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads are woven. The process is done by hand and will eventually produce a particular design - most of the time a picture of sorts.  Anyone who engages in this art of tapestry weaving will tell you about the significant amount detail worked into the finished product.  Many of these tapestry pieces will be multi-dimensional.  In other words, they don't just hang flat on the wall, but have texture which is part of the imagery of what is being portrayed.  For example, if the tapestry depicts mountains, the craftsman may use some bulkier yarns which are not as well processed as others, leaving larger loops of this yarn or not pulling them as tight on the loom.  The process gives the work a "dimensional" image.  The warp is made up of the same size threads or yarns strung across the loom over and over again in consecutive rows.  This becomes the foundation upon which the craftsman will weave in the various colored materials until a work of art if brought forth.  These are strong fibers and will eventually be covered totally by the weaving which will transpire.  They serve a purpose, but they are not seen once they are covered with the beauty of the fibers which will be woven into their "base".  The materials woven into the warp are referred to as the weft.  The weft may be of various colors, materials, and strengths.  These lend to the beauty of the finished product, but aren't what gives its enduring qualities - it is the warp which provides that strength and endurance.  I wonder if this is why God emphasizes so much what becomes the basis of our lives?  Maybe he is so concerned about the "warp" of our lives that we feel like he isn't being quick enough to add the "weft".  We want the display of beauty, but we forget about the foundation of true beauty.

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.”  (Colossians 2:2-4 MSG)

A tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God.  Imagine the imagery portrayed when the final piece of material is woven into this one! The beauty would be magnificent, wouldn't it?  Yet, we cannot forget the warp of the image portrayed - for this really provides the strength upon which the beauty is displayed.  The foundation laid in our lives is created by the one with the vision for the finished piece.  He knows the spacing of events which will act as the fibers he will build upon, the tension which should be applied so the warp of these fibers remains consistent, and then he maintains that tension and spacing until the finished product is displayed.  We cannot expect him to begin the work of weaving all the color and texture into our lives until he has carefully and laboriously finished the work of creating the "warp".

Someone familiar with the creation of such tapestries will share the importance of choosing the correct spacing for the work you want to display in the end.  Some tapestry creations will have warp fibers strung across the loom quite close together simply because the intention for the finished product may be something very densely woven, yet intricately created - like a fine piece of linen with intricate design.  Move those warp fibers just a little further apart, but equally as tight across the loom and you have space to add something which resembles an uneven surface, but which presents the imagery of the various dimensions of the scene portrayed.  The consistent thing with the warp is the tension which is exerted upon which these weft fibers will be placed.  It should come as no surprise to us that the thing which brings the strength and endurance to the tapestry is often determined by the tension exerted on the warp - the more tension exerted, the more stable the piece.

The weft may not go entirely across the tapestry - something referred to as going from selvage edge to selvage edge.  The craftsman may want to depict a sunrise in the middle of the piece, so he doesn't weave the yellows, tans, and grays of sunrise from selvage edge to selvage edge, but breaks in upon one color midway into another to create the impression of the rays of sunburst across the sky at dawn.  This speaks to me of the various experiences of life which begin to be woven into our lives as we experience the dawning of his grace and the magnitude of his skillful eye in creating the detail of our lives. The image may not make sense at first, for the one creating has only a "minds-eye" image of the finished piece, but in time, the pieces placed into the warp begin to take shape.  The weft fibers are often considered the most important by the weaver - because they display what the craftsman can only see until it begins to become apparent in the beauty of his creation.  

The weft fibers aren't like the fibers we use when knitting a sweater.  Those fibers need to be rather similar in texture and created to blend.  When the craftsman creates the tapestry, he can choose fibers of various texture, color, strength, and length.  It is the uniqueness of these fibers which lends to the majesty of the finished piece.  We sometimes discount the things we think don't lend much to the "finished piece" of our lives, but even the most unlikely "fiber" can lend great beauty when in the hands of the skilled craftsman.  We don't see the warp when he is all done, but in the end, we know we can count on the lasting-quality of the tapestry because of the foundation of these warp fibers.  Today may be your time of having the fibers of your warp spaced and stretched to the right consistency.  Don't rush the process.  God knows the timing and the specific tension which must be created to give you and I the best foundation upon which he may display his evidence of grace and love.  As he begins to use the fibers of our experience, talent, and treasure, weaving them onto the warp so skillfully, we will begin to see the beauty of his skilled touch.  Be patient with his work - for he has great beauty to bring forth.  No fiber is too insignificant, too short, or too "rough" to be used.  Just sayin!

Complaint Department Open

 ^6-7 Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, "This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he's listened to your complaints against him. You haven't been complaining against us, you know, but against God."

(Exodus 16:6-7 The Message)

We were "unpacking" Exodus 16-17 at our small group last night, and in the course of the reading, God began to "unpack" a few life lessons for me that began to speak to my heart.  If you have not guessed by now, the life lessons I get are those that speak to where I am "at" in my life at the moment.  So, you are going to get a little insight into my life right now!  As you can well imagine, Moses and Aaron had a difficult job trying to lead a huge group of people out of Egypt and then "herd" them into the Promised Land.  This group of unruly folks are found complaining because they have run out of provisions - their food supplies have dwindled and they are hungry.  So, they do what comes "natural" to them...they COMPLAIN!

In keeping with my mind's incessant need to know what the meaning of words is, I came home and looked up the word "complain".  Here's what I found:

- To express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, resentment, or grief

- To find fault

- To make a formal accusation

- To protest against or lament a wrong

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Guess what some of the synonyms are:  Grumble, Growl, Whine.  Ummmm....know what the antonym of "complain" is?  Rejoice!

Here they are...miraculously brought out of bondage to some of the most severe task-masters of the region, freed from having to be in servitude to anyone.  Then, without warning, they begin to grumble and complain.  Let me say, I have been right there with them!  I see God bring me miraculously through some form of crisis, then almost without warning, I find something to take issue with and begin to express dissatisfaction, express my protest against the situation, or point out the "fault" I find in it!  Sheesh...what's up with that?

In order to really understand why it is that we engage in this type of behavior, we must really dig deeper than the surface of what "appears" to be the aggravating factor in the moment.  For example, if we are dissatisfied with a co-worker, we must look deep enough to find the "root" of the issue.  The truth may not lay in the discovery of what your co-worker has done wrong, but in the "motives" that are underneath your dissatisfaction - such as feeling wronged by them, envying them, or even being disappointed in how the relationship is going.  There are all kinds of reasons we "complain" against them - but the immediate response to complain is usually not totally apparent until we examine the "root" of what is making us complain.

That said, I think God is asking us if there is a positive "end" to our complaint - regardless of the complaint, this is a good question to ask ourselves periodically.  If we take the last complaint "root" for example (there is some disappointment in how the relationship is going), what could be the positive outcome of the complaint we are making?  Too many times, we only focus on the negative that comes with complaining, but I think God allowed these examples of "complaining" to be recorded in scripture to instruct us to look beyond the moment to see what he could do in our lives if we would just bring him our complaints.  

So, that brings me to the point that complaining need not always be a bad thing.  I think God wants us to be honest about our emotions - straight-forward in our review of what is "bugging" us at the moment.  Even if it involves us complaining against something we believe he is doing in our lives! That is how we come to understanding of the "root" of our complaints!  If we begin to look at our complaints from what could positively come out of them, maybe we could begin to turn our complaints into rejoicing in the end!  

In the example above, when I have laid out before God the disappointment I  experience in a relationship, then God is able to point out my part in the disappointment and give insight into how I might correct "my part" of the relationship tensions.  He may even give insight into the "why" behind the way the other person is acting - but we should not always expect this!  The thing I have learned is that when I ask God to point out my "roots" first, the "roots" of another's faults really pale in comparison!

So, just some lessons I have learned in life about my "complaints".  We'd do well to learn to turn our complaints to God for him to sort through and then bring us to the other side where we might see them turned into rejoicing!