Living in Love or Bondage

Do we need to focus on rules and put ourselves through role-playing in order to see what we will do? Should we be intent on our every action in a frenzy of physical restraint, walking as though we were treading between two electric fences set shoulder-width apart on a path of rocks and glass, in fear dreading the inevitable shock as we brush the power line of punishment? That is not the life Christ called us to, definitely not the “life more abundant[1]” or “my yoke is easy[2]” life. We or others sometimes want to make this a walk of bondage, another version of pharisaical instruction.

¹⁶ So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. ¹⁷ For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. ¹⁸ Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels,^[a] saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, ¹⁹ and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

²⁰ You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, ²¹ “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? ²² Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. ²³ These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.  Colossians 2:16-23 NLT

The focus on the “rules” of what you can and cannot do has been destroyed by the work of Christ on the cross; why go back to the law? Why get caught up in debating the rules of what you can and cannot do and stay within “boundaries” of salvation? At that point, you are going the wrong way down the wrong road. It is like the person who marries the love of their life and then after a while becomes focused on what the rules of behavior are for being married: can I go to lunch with someone of the opposite sex, can I sit next to someone attractive on the bus, can I talk to my closest friend of the opposite sex about problems in my marriage, is it ok to hug them. You can begin to meter out rules of behavior but that does not change the attitude of the heart. It is not about the rules of behavior and engagement – it is about turning back and engaging with the one you love. If you are loving the one you married and are focused on them, it won’t matter who you sit by on the bus or go to lunch with. Any of those activities can be good or bad but are irrelevant to what is important that you love and are married to someone. The rest is just geography. If I am your love, I want to know you love me, not that you didn’t sit by the pretty girl on the bus because you knew that would make me angry.

That is not to say that there are not wise decisions about actions that can generally be made to guide behavior but that is not to be the focus, Jesus is. As Paul said, this is not an excuse to sin, this freedom allows us to focus on our Savior not the law anymore, not as an excuse to “get away with something” but as a freedom for our love for Christ to grow.

¹ Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. Romans 6:1-5 NLT

Although we are not to be ignorant and go in to situations purposely, knowing that we will be tempted or to pursue activities, etc. that we know can lead us in to sin, we also need to not become so bound up in the rules that we have lost sight of the Ruler, the rule fulfiller, the one who set us free from the law through which no one can be saved.

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[1] John 10:10

[2] Matthew 11:30

Samedom: Welcome to the Kingdom of Samedom; I suggest a Mutiny!

When and who decided that a flat line was the best, the epitome of excellence and health? This seems to be true and strived for across so many areas from the fruit we purchase at the grocery store where we want every apple to be the same size, coloration and quality to our hamburgers (thus the rise of the McKingdom of fast food operations) to cars (what a great deal of “Samedom” also read as boring)   our emotions, always level – not high or low, especially not anger or sorrow. Many times people even try to rear their children by the rules of “Samedom” even though each child is different with different needs, desires and expectations. Would you feed the same food (quantity, temperature, nutrition, spiciness) to a 1-year-old as to a 19-year-old? I have one son who loves very dark chocolate and the other loves white chocolate, so in the interest of Samedom and equal treatment, I guess I should get them each milk chocolate so they can both hate what they received. You see it is ridiculous.

Samedom is sometimes equated to fairness or justice. But we don’t really believe that is true. That is why we have different names for, rules about and treatment for people who kill other people. We have soldiers whom we revere, policemen whom we appreciate, those we release for self-defense, and those who we punish more lightly for accidents such as involuntary manslaughter and more heavily for first degree murder which includes planning to kill someone. We obviously do not want the same punishment for the policemen protecting our life as for the serial killer planning our demise.

Now don’t get me wrong, it is not lost on me the advantages of automation and industrialization in getting quality products at a fair price. If I purchase a medicine, I want to know that it is going to be the “same” every time and in every tablet. If I go to Outback for prime rib, I don’t want to receive a bologna sandwich, so even in reviewing Samedom, I am not promoting across the board for or against Samedom. There is a place for Samedom, it just shouldn’t rule the world, or we will need to begin to paint everything a standardized shade of grey. Perhaps prison grey?

When we begin to try to expand the land of Samedom beyond its functionality of a safe product for a reasonable expected price in numerous places at numerous times, we have begun to operate under Fear and are trying to protect ourselves with it. If we can just make everything the same everywhere, all the time, we will be safe and we won’t get hurt (of course under that idea we can’t enjoy either). We also eliminate all the difficulty of decision, trial and error, learning and that really big scary – change. So Samedom is for safety, removal of fear and making life easier.

Samedom is easier than thinking, than adjusting, than being creative, than living a real life with the ups and downs, the goods and bads, the passions and the tears. The differences are like salt in food, it gives flavor and interest, it helps our body to function as it should, it preserves food, it delights our taste buds, it cleans counters. And sometimes too much makes us wince, especially if you get it in an open wound. Oh, wait, we have focused on the evils of salt …  and back to the Samedom for we go!

I would like to say that I have not been a contributor to the Samedom kingdom establishment but I have. Especially, in raising my children; I feared for them and tried to protect them by bringing in the boundaries and flattening out the experiences. Even now, for them and for myself, I am drawn to the pseudo protection, the haunting lullaby of security that comes from giving up freedom and differences to just participate in the quest for Samedom. Just remove all of the scary and the bad, life will be wonderful, always pleasant…. the melody chants. But I found in the bland nothingness of Samedom, a wistful desire for the exciting, the wondermus, the unexpected, the spectacular. But they were all dangerous. And beyond the property line of Sameness, a city in Samedom. I could hear the murmurings of those who wished for the crisp cold nights and the hot sunny days, the excitement of first kisses and the thrill of the roller coaster. While not a fan of roller coasters or extreme cold or hot, I knew deep, deep down that Sameness, in the land of Samedom, had imprisoned my flights of fancy, my wild hair and with it my joy. Even I, the Greysheep, sought differentness in my grey. That was in fact, what drew me to the grey was the differentness. How do I escape? I don’t want to run headlong in to foolishness and rampant rage but how about a stroll out into the excitement of Taking-a-Chance or the mystery and beauty in the city of Try-Something-New. Sometimes I just wander out in to the suburb of Eat-Dessert-First and laugh as those around me stand aghast, unable to conceive of this blatant fury of change. Here, I’ll pass you a fork. The cheesecake is fine!

Greysheep

Grown Up Two year old

The longer you live the more you see that life is not linear. Maybe circular, but not linear. You think you are all grown up and handling your life in an adult manner; then you find yourself encouraging someone, that they need not be ashamed of or take responsibility for things in their life which are outside their control. (And what is under our control – really? That is a whole ‘nother blog!)

But anyway, I was about to send a note to a friend who has a tendency to feel guilty for the things they can’t do for others due to an illness they are dealing with which tends to leave them highly fatigued. Now I know that those who love and care for this person would not think a thing about their diminished activities and would prefer that they only do what they can, taking care to get well. Just as I was about to jot down a note highlighting this and reminding this person that God is well aware of their limitations, will be glorified in this person’s weaknesses and other appropriate and true words. ……

Then it hits me, I have circled back again. I have been worrying and upset about the things I cannot do for others since I am in a financial valley right now due a great deal to things I have not chosen for my life but many that I have. It is that part of us that feels we should have done better, been better, made better decisions. And maybe we should have. Or maybe we couldn’t have at the time with who we were and what we had. Sometimes we are taking the fall-out (known as consequences – aaack) for things we have done. Sometimes we are enduring situations common in a broken and sinful world. But ALWAYS, God is glorified in His power and our weakness. The perpetual two-year old in me continues to scream “Me do! Me do!” and is shocked and disappointed at the results.

When I can’t do it myself I may turn to God or I may just focus on myself in self-pity or disgust but trying still to make it about me. If I can do it myself, I turn to God and say “didn’t I do great?” even though like the two-year old doing dishes, the results are usually messy and need a re-do. Once again, I need to realize that I am where I am, I am who I am and God is not surprised. If I seek him, the rest may not be what I want but it will be what it should be. Sometimes that will be what I like and other times what I despise but it will always be merciful and for the project of making me more like Jesus.

I understand that in this moment but I am sure I will be back here again. And probably so will you. Bring cookies. Two-year olds love cookies. And cookies are circular. I promise to share  -  unless I am feeling especially grumpy that day!

Greysheep

And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Psalm 32:1-5 (New Living Translation)

A psalm^[a] of David.

¹ Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
² Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,^[b]
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
³ When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

 

Sometimes you are reading a verse and it just says it all to you. Like this one did for me today. The reassurance that even when we screw up, even when we stubbornly choose to do things “my way” we can still know that it is not too late. We have not been tossed aside. God is actually wanting us to admit our guilt, our sin, our rebellious attitude so that he can remove it and return our joy; because He never left us in the first place, we just put ourselves in bondage and with it the focus on ourselves and our situation. We can be freed TODAY! Thank you Lord for continuing to love me even when I am not very lovable!

Breathing a deep sigh,

Greysheep

Flipping the Blueberries

Today I was sorting (scrounging) through the fridge looking for something to snack on. And I found the “other” package of blueberries I had bought last (?) week when it was such a bargain to buy 2 instead of one. (And that theory of purchasing is a whole other story) But anyway, “hurray” I thought! That should be yummy and it is even good for me. It was in one of those pretty clear boxes that make us feel like we are buying a jewelry box for our fruit (priced similarly – again, I digress). Anyway, as I got ready to wash them so I could dig in and start munching I noticed that one of the berries had some of that fuzz on it. And I don’t mean cotton candy fuzz. I’ll just pull out that one and wash the rest. But when I went to grab the one – the “fuzz” was attached to the ones around it too but the rest still looked good. So then the plan was to just start pulling out the good ones and leave the icky ones in the box to throw away. And the more I picked up, man they looked good. Oh wait that one has some fuzz on the back. Okay, just be more careful sorting. So now I am sorting them individually, one berry at a time. Yeah, a whole package! And I start looking a little closer because I am determined to keep only the really good ones and get rid of any trace of rotten ones. But wait, this one looks great until you turn it over and look really close. Just at the tiny spot where the stem broke away it is white. Well, that’s probably just the “blush” of gray that is normally on blueberries. Nope, that is FUZZ! Also known as rot, fungus, and destruction! The more I looked, the more I saw. Finally, I threw the whole fuzzy mess away, because I knew that beyond the fuzz I could see was the fuzz that was started growing but not visible yet because it had been touching another area of fuzz. Yuck!!

It occurred to me that this is how we are. We dress up the outside in this beautiful container, or as best we can. And if you don’t look too carefully, the fruit looks great. Okay, maybe there are a few problems but mostly it is great. We can fix that. Okay, maybe the problems are a little deeper and more common than we thought – we can wash that off. Wait, those problems are going right to the core, we just thought by showing our best side – those problems would go away. But guess what, they just keep growing! Growing to our destruction and there is nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, there is one who CAN do something about it. And thankfully He does not just throw us away like I did with the blueberries. His eye, His power can separate the good from the bad. And thank you, Jesus, that you show us our “fuzz” (failures, sin, rebellion, pride, you-name-it) so that we can see that we need to allow you to remove it from our life before we are destroyed.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13 NLV

So does that make me a Fuzzy Berry? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. (Okay, I could have but I did not want to).

Greysheep

 

 

Cynical versus Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is an art and skill that is in great need today. There is so much new information (as opposed to truth) and we are called to sift through so much, make so many decisions, believe so many headlines, that it can be overwhelming and tiresome for even the best of us. And lets face it, there is a reason that in the Bible God so often compared us to sheep, animals who rarely think for themselves but blindly follow others, are reactionary and blindly follow others. We often just want someone to “tell us” the answer. We don’t necessarily want to be told what to do but we do often want someone to spoon feed an answer to us.

There is also the draw and multiplication of the cynical and critical attitude or spirit. This is not about researching truth, making wise choices, weighing the options or praying for direction; this is about negativity. This is about complaining: muttering and grumbling. Hmmmmm…. As I recall, in the old testament, that did not work out so well. And it breeds ugliness and discontent. I feel like I should be standing in a meeting of Cynics – Not so Anonymous – admitting to this grouchy, pseudo intellectual complaining. Truthfully, there are a lot of things out there that are not right, but just being in a mode of complaining rhetoric of what is not right or good is not good for our soul. It is no coincidence that Philippians 4 speaks of what this type of negative thought pattern does to us – it creates a pattern of not trusting God. It does not mean that we do not see reality and its negativity, but to constantly focus on the negative brings negative in to your life and negates the power of God to work within and without your circumstances. You will become what you focus on; whether that is Christ or the bad things going on. I pray that the Lord will help us to focus on Him, Call them as we see them (i.e. speak the truth in love) and keep a hefty helping of Love, Mercy and Honesty available.

And yes, I think coffee might just be another way God shows He loves us! 

Greysheep

Extreme God

It is amazing to me how many people (and me at one time – before I really knew God) think that God is this pasty, tasteless, spineless, namby-pamby, boring, lower-case g god. That He is a snooze who craves a Sunday afternoon nap in the recliner and prefers that you do not disturb Him. In fact, it is thought that you are better off Not showing up on His radar. When in fact, God is the Extreme – He loves you so Extremely that He was willing to suffer unimaginable physical, psychological and emotional pain. We have all had bad days – but come on – your best buddies – leave you standing to be tortured and they say they don’ t know you plus the one that actually turned you in to the secret service agents – for chump change! And on top of all that – He pleads for forgiveness for you and takes the punishment from pulling the beard out of his face and having beatings that rip the skin off his back to death. That ain’t no namby-pamby God! That is extreme devotion!

And He knows we got NOTHING to pay him back! He did it  for love! For get those “you had me at hello” movie type loves – this is “I had your back when you were slandering my name and spitting in my face” love. He loved us while we were still sinning – still hating Him – still doing exactly what He told us not to do – because He knew it would destroy us – and yet He loved us and died for us anyway! Not a snooze! And still He takes us back – when we have screwed up – Again! That is Extreme!

Beyond all that, His heart must nearly burst with pain when he sees what we do to each other – in the name of freedom, or anger, or politics or religion or any number of reasons – and then we blame him for it! As much as we care about someone else – He cares more. As much as we hurt when someone we love is hurting – He hurts more. Because He knows what it could have been like and what it is like. Don’t believe me – read about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – “Jesus Wept” He cared about the dead and dying 0 he cared about the healthy. He knew what was going to happen with the body, but he also knew the pain they were feeling.

And He still loves you extremely, Faults, sins and all! Thank you Jesus! The inventor of extreme!!!  Let’s be behind them and Let’s be extreme God lover’s!