Flank Moves

As I was waking today an image came to me of a very great fortified front door to a house. The people inside had the door barred, locked, re-enforced with steel, bolted into the wall, and all the area out front of the door was looped with barbed wire rolls. Same was true of the back door. No one was getting in either door and those inside had guns at the ready to pick off anyone who would try to bulldoze through. Anyone who was going to come straight up in attack was considered an enemy and fair game to kill off. It symbolizes people and their attitudes today with their beliefs. And, it literally demonstrates why someone who tries to shout down another person’s views will never penetrate with an argument direct against the view. The houses are lined up and the defenses of the doors are all fortified, locked tight and secure – people are sitting inside with fear and anger lookin out their windows, some yelling out of them trying to pick a fight with murder in their heart. Some actually hope someone will try to come at them so they can spit in their eye with hate and self-righteousness.

I have been thinking about Jesus and how He handled people’s beliefs so differently. He was not interested in battling people in really direct ways, though he did directly address the Pharisees and religious leadership of Israel who were supposed to stand as God’s representatives on more than one occasion. He knew what people were bound by. Of course, He, being the most brilliant man who has ever lived – he has such a way of getting to the heart of things via means that never even needs doors. He is the door. He’d figuratively climb a 4th story and enter a bathroom window in his ways of walking with people and telling stories that always disarmed them, got behind their defenses and entrenched fortified beliefs to their heart. And, it was never from a motive to be right and highlight other's wrongness. He’d literally show people their heart – in love, because He really cared about them. Some saw and recognized their need and knew they wanted to follow Him and give Him their lives. Others, they saw what Jesus meant, but, they trusted their beliefs more than they trusted Him. It’s the same today.

I’m always interested in how the church handles this today. I see a lot of faith families say they are operating in grace and that they will not beat the sheep up in stressing the 10 commandments. Some of those same faith families then turn around and give lists to their congregations to check off in order to exhibit they are a good follower of Christ. There’s nothing wrong with being mindful of Jesus’ heart and what He did. But, they’re not so interested in helping people, as Jesus did, to walk with them, connect and love them in showing them their own heart – to fight for them. The lists always strike me as the way the Pharisees did things. They had copious lists of do’s and don’ts. They took great pride in touting their ability to keep all the standards outwardly of those lists and beat people mercilessly when they could not comply. Jesus called them “white-washed tombs” and then He went to the cross and died for them, asking His Father to forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing. Jesus came along and He turned the whole system upside down. He said things like,“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:21-22). Jesus took what was behind the law (the living spirit of it) that had been given and held a mirror up to the heart. His actual fulfillment of the law was the transformation and empowerment of those who gave themselves to Him (trusting His shed life) to live out life naturally in accord with the law – the desires of their hearts made new. He never even went at any fortified door – he made a flank move to the heart of things. He knew how to go around things to help people see their own true condition from a different side.

I’m certainly a person who has tried to hit that fortified front door with people. I’ve done the silly arguing directly with people thinking that because I’m so right that somehow my sincere and passionate argument will persuade them to see things my way. And, then I’ve also gone further in dismissing those who disagree and basically de-humanized them in my mind so that I don’t have to feel the pain of rejection from an actual real person in opposition to me (seems to feel so much safer that way). I have been as silly as the rest. But, I am believing that Jesus will continue to grow in my heart the ability to walk and think as He does. He promised if I give Him my life that He would and He always keeps His promises. He’s transformed and continues transforming me to really see people and their worth and value, especially when they don’t agree with me and to remain compassionate and loving toward them, wanting good for them even if we never see eye to eye, even if they hate me. To really look at issues and people for the heart of things – He’s always so good at teaching me that.

I think about the war on terror and the war how we treat one another. These are wars that can never be won with arms and killing or hate speech and de-humanizing or dismissing others. These are wars for hearts and minds. Every person has their own free will and not all will see truth and embrace it. But, it’s amazing how when people really know deep in their heart that someone is for them that just sometimes a real window is open. Manipulating to simply have an outcome – that is a false victory and it will never really last. Connecting in the midst and valuing, belonging, embracing people in the midst – fighting for someone instead of against them, I am learning that and I want to learn that better. I don’t want a list of do’s and don’ts to check off as a follower of Jesus to feel I’m good. I don’t want to help orphans in Ethiopia or feed the poor and feel content that I’ve made it and hit the standard. I don't want to be guilted or shamed into behaving better. I want to want what is good. I want to recognize where I’m living from my old dead nasty heart of flesh and turn and live instead from my new normal inclination to love from my real heart, the one Jesus gave me. I can’t do it with lists. I pray and step out to continue to grow up in the new nature Jesus died to give me - He's so good at walking it with me, such an encouragement. To love in real ways by being real and by Jesus’ life in me, overcoming. He keeps showing me my heart, with love and I'm leaning in to transformation. I’m excited and the days are coming when the fullness of Jeremiah 31:33-34 written on hearts will come to pass -

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

Women Marching or Dancing?

I was reading remarks about the Women’s march on Washington today.  I understand all about the divide in women and the offense taken by both sides around many issues, but especially abortion.

Something that struck me is that I see the same old pattern in conversations, remarks and attitudes.  Both sides are trying to shame, blame and are hate filled toward one another – thinking that belittling and beating the other up with their “brand” of right should automatically fix the situation or somehow persuade the other side that they are wrong and to fall in line with them.  As it was in 2014, when I wrote my blog post “Invitation to Dance With Love” about men and women in this type of battle, the same thing is true here and in so many other of our society’s issues – we need a re-framing of this whole conversation. 

First, let’s take a look at a big part of what’s happening.  FEAR!  It’s the biggest part of the entire situation on both sides.  Fears on one side that women are devalued, unheard, victims, abused, without rights, pawns, marginalized, locked down, unfairly compensated, held back and legally prevented from making their own personal decisions – their personhood removed.  Fears on the other side of millions of voiceless and helpless Human lives being ended as women embrace removing personhood from humans in the womb and legalizing their disposal as a way to keep from losing their personhood. Only one thing takes care of fear and that is love.

These fears are not baseless and you can see that it is an epic struggle.  The fears on both sides are valid.  Women have undergone real discrimination and been abused in the world since ancient days  - they have been de-humanized all over the world and we’ve seen the horrible results as they are used as animals, killed as property and victims of war, hurt, scorned, abused, dismissed and I, as a woman, can tell you that we still endure it and it is real and it is wrong .  To say that women, even in the US, are free of it – that is a lie.  Pointing to it being less than in other parts of the world, does not mean it is absent.  It should not happen and by no account is it right that it does.   The estimates of Human life ended by induced abortion number into the millions. Wikipedia sites the CDC as noting ~51 million reported induced abortions in the U.S. from the years 1970 thru 2013. Real lives lost by someone else’s choice.  The insidiousness of these lives being taken by de-humanizing is chilling.  It is wrong – by no account could it be right. 

So, what I say to women and men too is this – we are better than this – on both sides, we are.  Take a deep breath and exhale a long time.   To refute, dismiss or take the Personhood of any human is wrong.  There have been many actions that were wrong actions taken in the name of a good cause on both sides of the women’s issues.  Two wrongs do not make right.  No one has clean hands.  None of us are perfect or blameless.  And, we need each other.  Let me say it again – WE NEED EACH OTHER!  No one is dismissible or disposable or a non-person in this.  Isn’t it ironic that when we treat someone on the other side of an argument from us as though they do not matter it ultimately results in us taking sides with the very thing that we are fighting against?  We don’t want to be marginalized and if we marginalize others we buy in to the very thing we hate and fight.  We can learn to walk much better in this together – we CAN!  We do not have to buy in to shaming, blaming, devaluing or de-humanizing each other or anyone else.  It takes guts, it takes courage, and it takes badass vulnerability. It takes love.  It takes wanting to remain connected over being right.  Do we have it? I believe that we do!  Is it overnight? Maybe not, but maybe it could move even faster than we think!  

And, so, while I am not condoning the wrong choices of any person on any side of this, I’m taking action right now:

I give thanks for all those in the world (both women and men) who cared deeply enough about women being valued and respected and wanting the de-humanizing of them to stop in the world that they stood up and took life giving action to do something about it.  I want to thank them for making a difference for me and my generation and generations to come. I want to connect in good ways to embrace the spirit of anyone who has that true heart desire to bring value and respect to women everywhere and I honor those who take action in ways that lift up, give life and honor all those around them in the process – you are my hero.

I give thanks for all those in the world (both women and men) who cared deeply enough about voiceless helpless people in the womb being valued and respected and wanting the de-humanizing of them to stop in the world that they stood up and took life giving action to do something about it.  I want to thank them for making a difference for me and my generation and generations to come.  I want to connect in good ways to embrace the spirit of anyone who has that true heart desire to bring value and respect to humans in the womb and I honor those who take action in ways that lift up, give life and honor all those around them in the process – you are my hero.

Is it heartbreaking that women and humans in the womb are still devalued and disrespected?  It is heartbreaking and wrong. I hate that both happen. I will not hate people on either side of the argument.  I will continue to stand for both having dignity and honor, and, I'm choosing to do it in love. You can march with hate or dance with love.  Me, I'm dancing and still inviting others to Dance with Love.  Love does exponentially so much more in ways that are unexpectedly wonderful.

He Smiled at Me

The Little Drummer Boy has always been one of my very favorite songs to both sing and listen to at Christmas.  The wonderful imagery of a small poor boy offering what he feels is not fit (performing on his drum) yet was all he had to honor the Baby King Jesus – it so touches a deep place in us.  It is so beautiful how these few simple words evoke all the resonance in us with the little drummer boy.  Knowing his poverty and feeling the inadequacy in the face of the great high worth of The King.  Yet in seeing Jesus as a little vulnerable baby born to poor parents like himself he gives with all of his heart, his very best, sincerely.   And then Jesus smiles at him.  That is the topper – and doesn’t our heart so long for that, for Jesus to smile at us accepting our whole-hearted gift – to accept us?  To take joy in us! 

I was thinking about this carol and something sort of jumped out to me.  God has been trying to help me see this more clearly over all of my life – but highlighted it even more significantly this year. I realize that while it is outlined and hinted at, the way things are highlighted and emphasized in this song are a bit out of alignment with the true Christmas story.  God did not wait until we humbly offered our best to smile at us.  God smiled first!  God with great and awesome joy in His heart - sent his very best, his most beloved and deeply treasured son.  We see the hint in the song that the people understood the majesty and great significance of the King, “our finest gifts we bring…to lay before the king”.  The majesty of God’s gift to the whole world is so beyond what we can begin to comprehend - it sobers and awes us.   But, the part that is sort of missing is that through this majestic awesome gift of his heart how He smiled the most accepting whole-heartedly delighted, fully embracing and “powerful-to-save” smile on us first - generously, lovingly and joyfully!  Jesus is God’s brilliantly powerful smile over us! All of mankind corporately and each of us as a person, individually longs for the belonging His smile brings!  That is deeply personal and intimate and our soul thirsts greatly for this!   Personal acceptance of us (in our pitiful “I have no gift to bring…that’s fit to give the king”) by the one who can only be described as perfection – how can we grapple with the magnitude of it?  Our performance does not cause Jesus’ smile.  Our whole-hearted acceptance of His all-embracing smile right at us which brings us such great delight in Him, a whole-hearted response of adoration – that’s the place we connect deeply and truly with God’s greatest gift.

In this season, plagued with doing, doing, doing from a place of anxious expectations, take time to sit awhile under the King’s Mighty Smile of pure Acceptance and Love of YOU!  You’ll adore the perfect gift that keeps on giving.  Can’t earn Him, just receive Him and you will sigh with satisfaction and even find you’re smiling too!

Diving Deep!

I remember a time (I was about 9 or 10) I loved the ocean and was out swimming in it. A giant wave came up and knocked me over violently and sucked me under.  I hadn’t taken a proper breath and it kept dragging me down in the water, throwing me hard to the sand.  It tumbled me over and over like a rag doll in a washing machine, as I thrashed to get to the surface for air.  Once I surfaced, sucking in air, another wave hit me and got into my mouth and lungs as I was again pulled under.  In those frantic moments, my family and friends nearby -  just a few hundred yards away on the beach but not able to see that I needed help and no one in the water with me or any way for me to even call out - I literally thought, “This is it, I am going to die”.  I knew how to swim pretty well, but, I had not ever had a violent encounter of this type before.  I don’t know what happened or how, but, at one point I managed to catch a break in the waves and swam in weak, scared, coughing and exhausted, but alive.   It was a long long time before I swam in the ocean again.

After that, though the ocean was scary to me, I still loved and was fascinated with it.  Like my Dad, who loved to swim and enjoyed the ocean, I wanted to be in the water playing in and on the waves and seeing the living creatures up close for myself.  So, though I feared it greatly, over time I practiced and got better at swimming, even eventually took SCUBA lessons for my PADI license my senior year in High School.  Our class trained in our pool first and built up our strength and swimming skills, taking 4 weeks of nothing but lap work and learning and practicing life-saving water techniques even before we were introduced to the equipment. Then we began working with tanks, regulators (the breathing mouth pieces), masks and fins in the pool to get used to them.  During this time, we were given tasks to do in the gear in small groups and regularly, during these times, our instructors prepared us that they would come through and rip our masks off and pull out our regulators unexpectedly.  They did this purposely when we least expected them to in order to develop a reflexive trained response in us.  It may have seemed a little cruel and initially we panicked a bit, but, over time we learned to calmly retrieve our regulators (while continuing to blow out a small stream of bubbles until our regulators were cleared and in our mouth - holding your breath is a no-no!) clear our masks and to buddy breath with other partners while keeping track of our time down.  To get acclimated to the ocean, we put on wet suits, fins, masks and snorkeled off the coast in the Newport Beach area.   

At last, the day came when we put all of our training together for our final.  We donned our suits, weight belts and all of our gear and jumped off the boat to SCUBA!  Our dive test was off of Catalina Island at a 25 foot depth.  My partner that day started his decent and at about 15 feet he could not clear his ears.  He had to surface and missed out on certification that day.  By default the instructor became my dive partner. I went through with him as he tested all of our class members and was the last to go through demonstrating my proficiencies.

The first thing I noticed about diving that deep was the massively increased pressure on my face mask and ears (air has weight, but so does water and the further you go underwater the more weight is exerted against your body, it’s referred to as “atmospheres” -1 additional atmosphere for every 33 ft. of water).  At the increased pressure nitrogen gets forced in to your tissues and bloodstream – which is not of itself harmful.  However, divers must limit the amount of time they are under to keep from too much getting into the blood and causing Nitrogen Narcosis also known as “Rapture of the Deep” which is a disorienting condition that can cause divers to do crazy things like pull out their regulators and throw off air tanks.  Carelessness is a recipe for death - smart divers never dive alone.  Divers must plan their dives and know how to calculate how long they can remain at each depth or number of atmospheres and how much air that will require.  Also, the increased pressure and nitrogen in your tissues requires care as you surface. “The Bends” or Decompression Sickness can occur if you ascend too quickly.  You cannot just shoot to the surface as your organs can explode with the expanding gas at sudden decreasing pressures during ascent.  Some stops along ascent may be required on very deep and long dives in order to allow the body to equalize more gradually, this takes planning to be sure you have enough air in your tanks for not only your dive, but the time needed for ascent as well.  For me, it was extremely uncomfortable initially, but once I cleared my ears, though I still felt the great pressure, I was better.  The second thing I noticed was how beautiful it was at that depth of water.  The kelp bed with the different fish varieties swimming in and out and all the little crabs and critters around us and the feel of the water and ability to propel through it – I was hooked!  As I became absorbed in this new world the pressure of the additional atmosphere became less and less noticeable.  And, as I went through my auto trained responses and checks - the experience became more exciting and a pleasure.  I decided the initial discomfort and big adjustment was so worth it to see and experience this world in person and up close!

Its funny how remembering all of this is like a template over my life in recent years.  I’ve been personally undergoing a major transformative time of great pressure and challenge.   It has been some years for me – starting with my father’s death and the closure of a couple of my husband’s work places and his on and off employment.  This year, when my husband (hit while he was walking by a co-worker driving a truck) was rushed to emergency to undergo major surgery and many months of hospital and home recovery at the exact same time my employer began the operational roll-out of the merger consolidation at my work – talk about a violent WAVE!  Initially, I was in shock.  My only goal was to keep from being dragged under and to get air – thrashing to travel, seeing my husband in hospital in Orange County and maintaining my home and going through the new systems and trouble fraught roll out tasks at my job.  The powerful undertow only got stronger as my husband came home and the full weight of his every day care then fell on me at the same time my work’s ever increasing difficulties due to poor and non-existent planning and un-resolved operational problems ramped up to the havoc level.  The stress of being the sole earner and insurance carrier for the two of us paired with the physical, mental and emotional responsibilities – WOW!  I was back at the ocean in that terrible washing machine action wave scenario all over again and it felt so similar, tossed around helplessly and thrashing just to get up to air – family and friends were near, but, were not able to give the help I needed.  I was in shock and so drowning I could not even call out. 

God, thankfully, was way out ahead of me and so securely and lovingly held and buoyed me throughout all of this (in fact I had a vision long before that he would - see my post entitled "The Wave").  And while I certainly floundered about and still have lots to learn, I am dedicated to leaning in to this.  Just like the decision to take SCUBA lessons to operate safely and learn good reflexive trained responses to enjoy exploring the ocean, I am taking God’s Kingdom life lessons and becoming calm and proficient when my air supply is unexpectedly ripped away (an emergency or crazy situation, person or circumstance flares up out of the blue) I pray, read and memorize God’s word and connect with Papa who is my supply and I can breathe easy.   When my mask is ripped off (I can’t see people and situations or how to go) I rely fully on Jesus and pray for His vision and hear His heart in His word - calmly guidance and clarity come.  When I want to shoot up fast to the surface – The Holy Spirit taps me and keeps me mindful to properly navigate, wait and shows me how to equalize with Him internally, transforming my mind with God’s truth and realigning me.  God is showing me the delights and joys of His world at depths that are initially very uncomfortable, but, He’s training me to safely operate here.  HE is always the most loving incredibly powerful and reliable diving buddy.   I love the special things I’m discovering and seeing with Him at this new atmospheric weight and depth.  It’s a depth of relationship with Him of trust and intimacy I’ve never known.  There is no way to really know God without serious discomfort and major re-alignment.  We are literally oblivious in so many ways to how out of alignment we are, but He can and is fully committed to our SCUBA lessons (Spiritual Competency Unification Building Atmosphere).  And, we can get our PADI (Prefer All Daddy Is) license to dive deep with HIM!  Though it is difficult, dis-orienting and many times deeply painful - He definitely makes any of the discomfort, pressure and all I’m undergoing worth it!  The joys are tenderly mixed with a depth of knowing Him that are not simple to describe - you must dive in to know for yourself!

Kings and Queens and Fairytales

Are you disillusioned with the US Presidential Election this year?  For a while I watched this thinking, “It can’t possibly get worse”.   It is surreal. 

Honestly speaking, I hold a mix of views that has never been covered by just one political party.  I’ve been registered as a Democrat at times and Republican at times in my life.  I’ve really only ever registered in order to vote and typically have registered with the party that most closely embraces more of the things I find important at any given time.  I have never been a strait party line voter.  I never miss an opportunity to vote and take it very seriously.  Too many people died to give us the opportunity to participate in self-governance.  Sadly, many have lost sight of how precious that is. 

With this Presidential Election everyone can clearly see how broken our system is.  I am not in favor of either Hillary or Donald.  They basically have the same character, if you dare to take off your political colored glasses.  Neither of them is worse than the other, in my estimation.   Different wrapping paper does not hide that core truth.  And, I’m not blaming them!  I am praying for them and our country.  The fact that they are the candidates is a direct product of choices we’ve made.  That these are what our system has produced as the best 2 main candidates to lead the country says something very ugly about us.  It reflects an unwillingness to take our responsibilities seriously.  We and previous generations apparently stink at making hard choices.  These candidates are  just one more "wake up" slap in the face for it!  We have not only shaken hands with those who would see “every-day people” ousted from governance, we’ve gone to sleep leaving them at the switch! We’re getting just what we have allowed and chosen.  Hillary and Donald – Wakey! Wakey!

I have seriously prayed about this election, the candidates and our nation. I believe that whoever is elected, God is able to ultimately do what He wants done.  And, while He will work in and through those who love and follow Him to bring about all He intends, He will also work through those who don't!  God has had tougher human leadership to deal with throughout history. It's no challenge to Him to work through those who have no interest in Him or allegiance to Him and His Kingdom values.  And, He is bringing His glorious Kingdom, birthing it, through some very heavy and painful labor.

So, what am I going to do?  Actually, if it were funny I would find it laughable. Sadly, it’s not.  I’m voting for Donald Trump.  Yeah, crazy!  I can hardly believe it’s what I am saying. I finally came to the decision after not wanting  to decide at all.  Many will find this ridiculous – I find it so myself.  So many egregious issues with Donald Trump, it makes me ill.  There is no defending his choices in any way and I wouldn’t even want to try. Both candidates have made bad choices.  And, I make bad choices too, so I can relate to that.  Ultimately, there is only one reason I am voting for him.  It is because he is not the establishment candidate.  Even his own party hates him.  I don’t know why, but I find something about that reassuring.  There is a prompting for me in it. That the system does not like Donald Trump, out of everything going on - that encourages me.  It is very telling that not one good candidate on any side could seriously get in this year.  No one of great character, with a heart for the people and leadership quality was able to make it to the final selection stage.  Our system actually won’t allow for that anymore!   So, since only way messed up people can make it in this way messed up system I’m going with the candidate that way most offends the entire system’s sensibilities.  It is evident that we need a “re-set”.  A re-set will be very painful, messy and extreme – more than people know.  The future with the system we have now (that continues to lull people to sleep in accepting the horrific) I believe it will be even worse.  Better to wake up and go at this head on with eyes open - though many will want to remain sleeping.  Whatever happens with the election, our horizon is full of very great challenges.  And, I don’t hate people who choose to vote for Hillary, though it pains me deeply to think about her being held up as the first woman in the office of President.  It pains me just as much to think of Donald in that office.  I love a lot of people who I know are voting for Hillary.   I’m not going to stop loving them, whatever happens.  Hating people feeds in to the distraction from the real issue and just wastes lots of energy and resources.   And, believe me when I say I’m not fooling myself into thinking that any choice, at this point, will lead to an easier future.  We’ve spent far too much time taking the easy way.  It will be a painful road, but, God is with us on this road and is out ahead.  I am looking to Him and believing He is bringing something amazing and we get to bring it with Him! He is willing and able to bring His good through his people.  He is doing it, even now!  Many times He does things in ways I can’t understand, but, Jesus always proves He is King over the impossible!  He is raising up Kings and Queens in this time – His children that stand and shine with His heart and power - His victorious Kingdom!  I thank you, God, that you can make and bring your goodness to people and will even through difficult and painful times and leadership!  I praise you for who YOU ARE - unlimited and ever faithful in love, power and purity!

The Amazing Father and The Poverty Brothers

Ever notice how Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:11-32 is referred to as “The Lost Son” or “The Prodigal Son”?  I think it’s truly misnamed.  Jesus never named it that.  People all too often focus primarily on the son who asked for his inheritance and went away spending it all in “wild” living and began to starve with the pigs, deciding it would be better to return to his dad and offer to work as a servant than to die. 

Recently, I was in that “in-between” state of not fully asleep and not fully awake and had a sort of waking dream come to me about this parable.  I had not been reading it recently, but Papa many times slips in dreams in my waking hours that are startling to me and shed light on things I have not seen previously. 

In my dream – the familiar story line of the younger son and his request of his father came to me, but it was highlighted a little differently.  The son knew he was due an inheritance and foolishly did not value it - bent on taking his entire inheritance (a pretty large sum) leaving for a distant land where no one knew him and spending it in a wild run of self-indulgence.  He did not know his true identity in His father's heart. No care or thought for tomorrow or the consequences of his actions, until he runs smack into them.  This is such a picture of many of us in our culture today.  People do not understand who they are and whose they are.  As a result they never learn how to control themselves.  There is little to no cultivation in people from very young in learning to govern their urges and live self-controlled lives.  Learning how to endure pain and walk through suffering, delayed gratification or working long and hard for a prized reward are not valued character traits in our society any more.  Instead, people are told they deserve everything – NOW.  They should treat themselves – why not?  They deserve it.  This mentality and lifestyle has led to where we are now – a society of self-indulgent entitled people whining that they want everything now and that they deserve for someone to give it to them.

On the flip side – the older brother was a very interesting revelation.  He, having always lived and worked along-side his father, had always viewed himself as a slave.  He had never connected with his father – you can see they had no relationship, though the father’s heart  of love was always available to him.  He never received his father’s love and the identity that came with it.  If he had, he would never have resented his brother’s celebration and felt a lack of his own.  He could not even be happy for his brother.  He only saw meagerness toward himself from his father in celebrating his brother’s return.  There never was meagerness toward him in any way from his father’s heart. 

It’s interesting that one son separated himself physically from his father and ended up in a self-inflicted physical and identity poverty and need, while the other remained physically with his father and had access to his love and all that he owned and yet suffered a self-inflicted poverty of identity.  I find this mentality prevalent in many in the church.  We are dedicated to serving the Lord, but, have never accessed his love and the identity and inheritance that come with it through Jesus’ sacrifice to make bringing many sons into being!  Many stand far off from the Father’s heart – some resentful and some even prideful that they have worked so hard, but, never entering into their Father’s love, rest and provision.  Both of these self-inflicted poverty states steal the future away from individuals and the Kingdom that God intends.

This was a timely word when Jesus told the parable and it is even more timely now.  We have an opportunity to receive The Father’s great love, identity, provision and joy to us – be we younger, older or a mix of both sons.  He runs to us when we return – His heart is always full and available to us as we serve beside him.  I pray we don’t miss Him and that the enemy does not fool us out of our inheritance – I pray we connect with your great goodness through all that Jesus did to make it possible, Father.  Thank you, God, for walking us through and committing to make us one with you!

Value

I have been pondering this for a very long time.  The most recent killings of black men and police officers here in the U.S. are just highlights to me of the same theme I have been focused on for many years – value.  There has been a firestorm over both people’s perception of and their life experience of being valued.  As a woman, I understand very well what it feels like to be treated as “less than” to be “de-valued” by various populaces and individuals.  I believe all people have experienced and understand this at some basic heart level in our fallen world – many much more deeply than others, depending on the society they live in.

When I first heard the words “Black lives matter” I’m sad to say, I reacted the same way that many I saw around me did.   I felt, as though someone else was trying to put themselves above everyone else.  But, what I came to realize, as I looked at this much more deeply is that Blacks do not feel valued.  They do not feel truly seen for who they really are and embraced.  Black people are precious and unique.  No person in their true heart was made to be ignored, just tolerated and worse yet, hated, denigrated and disrespected. No person should automatically be judged in a surface  way and automatically dismissed due to sex, race, religion or anything.  People, in the way God made them, were actually made to be celebrated.  It’s true of Latinos, Asians, Women and Men – all people. I believe this is also a key reason terrorists and radical control and manipulation has come into existence in our world.  In places where men and women in cultures feel disrespected, un-valued, unseen, un-known – rebellion, unrest, fear, hate and unfulfilled actualization of who God meant for people to be in our world stir up violence and destruction.  Where the true gifts God has put into people have been trashed by themselves or other cultures and individuals, it becomes the true loss of an irreplaceable one of a kind masterpiece and all of mankind, and particularly those who cannot see it, are poverty stricken as a result.

I also see the police community’s very same dilemma.  They too have felt “de-valued”. Their daily mission puts them distinctly in a situation where they experience more danger and negativity than people can even begin to imagine.  Let’s face it – when a police officer is involved in a situation, it is because there is something wrong. They daily run to “harm’s way”.  They are put into very fast moving events where they must sometimes instantly evaluate who is good and who is a threat.  When your whole job every day is a series of situations with many people who are not at their best, where the worst of human tendencies, character and behavior are being exhibited and you are not only there to protect others from that, but are charged with managing those individuals and situations to safe resolution – that is a difficult and demanding job, both personally and professionally.

There are bad people in every walk of life - those who have given themselves to a false image.  That does not mean that every person is bad.  Our fear of bad must never be an excuse to fail to embrace the good.  It is not right to de-value all because of some.  It is sad and wrong to fail to look for, embrace and value the good and beautiful that God has put into people different than us - His image resides in every person, but can only be fulfilled by permission and agreement with Him.  For people, those who follow Jesus – we know this battle is not really against individuals or people groups.  It is actually against powers and principalities set in place by the enemy of our souls.  It is a spiritual battle and can only be fought in the spirit.  So, where we sometimes fear the differences of others, we have the opportunity to sow in the opposite spirit and take time to really see them – see them as God does and help them see and celebrate themselves in His eyes!  He values each one!  We may feel safer with or gravitate to those who look like us or think like us, but, God has put a banquet before us and we get to taste and see that He is good in all the diversity He has made.  It is both a joy and vital duty to stretch ourselves outside of our comfort to see deeper and embrace and honor those things God has put uniquely into each people group and person for His glory.  Sometimes those things may be covered or hidden – but, they are always worth digging to find! That is God’s heart and there are amazing things to be found in each that our world desperately needs.  Funny thing, at heart – we are all much more alike than we are different.   It is wonderful and important to celebrate our differences and our alikeness both.

The truth is that until Black lives really feel as though, perceive that they are and feel embraced as ones who matter – the statement “All lives matter” can never be true.  This is also a call upon blacks and every people group to “from within themselves” see and value their own lives enough to take seriously what they do with them, how they take part, how they live out the giftings and unique value God has put into them. The same is true for Police Officers – until they are perceived as mattering “All lives” do not matter.  Women, Latinos, Asians, and all other people groups – the hard fact is that until ALL lives matter, are valued and embraced to live out their true calling – then the statement “All Lives Matter” is just a fine chain of words that sound really great and actually mean nothing.  Lip service will never be heart service.  All of us must ask where we are failing to see the good, the value and unique gift that others are to us.  I believe this is actually an opportunity for a greater revelation of the value of ALL that Papa has put into us all. The enemy is vested in distraction, strife and hate.  God is vested in honor, value and embracing His best.  This is not just optional, this is necessary for the future of all generations and our world.