Awakening to the Journey: The Unraveling of Love

Awakening to the Journey: The Unraveling of Love: "When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man(woman), I did away with c...

The Unraveling of Love

"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man(woman), I did away with childish things."   
1 Corinthians 13:11



How is love viewed as a child?  When I reflect upon my own childhood, as well as observe my little ones, it becomes apparent to me that love is seen differently through their small eyes and sweet hearts.  In fact, it is experienced, seen, and given uniquely.  As children we see the concept of love as a place (I'm in love), or an expression of affection (I love my puppy!).  It is a thing of fairy tales.   An entity of affection and care.  An aura.  A mystical endeavor.   As a child, love is a noun.

 But as we mature, love starts to unravel.   It becomes more complicated, more cumbersome.  Love starts evolving.  Slowly, and sometime painfully, we learn that love is a minute by minute choice.  Love is action.

It is the deciding to be present, when we want to be absent
It is the accepting, when we would rather shut out
It is in the giving, when we would rather keep
It's contentment, when we want to expect
It is in the grace, when we want to condemn

Love is in...

Moments of mercy

Buried axes

Mended bridges

Tested wills






It is in the you, instead of the me.



Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  1 John 3:18 

Awakening to the Journey: Responding to the Offensive

Awakening to the Journey: Responding to the Offensive: I came across this post this morning, as I was scrolling through my Facebook, and my immediate response was... OUCH. And I realized why...

Responding to the Offensive

I came across this post this morning, as I was scrolling through my Facebook, and my immediate response was...

OUCH.   Super offensive.


Where do they get off?  



Response from the masses:

And then I watched as 4 hours passed, over 3,000 people hit 'like', and hundreds were writing comments.  They seemed almost eager to bash, vent, and give their 2 cents.  There were valid points being made, and foolish ones being shouted.


Too many people make surface judgments on religion without ever risking a thorough examination, or subjecting themselves to spiritual experiences.  They criticize from the outside, in.  To those individuals, I plead for you to take another/better look.  Discover all the good that does get done in the name of religion.  I challenge you to read the Holy Books, holy writings, study the heritages of our ancestors, read about the lives of all the prophets, put all the puzzle pieces together before you determine what's nonsense.  We only have this one life, seize it.  Wrestle with it.  Start asking the big questions.  

but carrying on to the disconnection issue...

WHY IT'S NOT TRUE:

It's not true within religion. I can vouch for this myself.  Being a christian for 13 years, and a pastor for 5, I was immersed in the 'body of Christ.'  It might be a sweeping generalization, but people within religion are strongly connected,  having bonds and brotherhood/sisterhood unique to them.  It is something beautiful, and divine.  I have shared tears and prayers with friends, where I knew God was in our midst.  I have felt connection in worship where I felt like our very presence was glowing.  There is unity within true believers of God, that I am convinced.

But the image hit a nerve for another reason.  

Where it can be true:

Sadly, religion has also caused disconnectedness.  Regardless where the fault lay, many individuals are growing animosity towards the religious.  And, if we look in all directions, can we blame them?  Wars fought, and lives have been ruined in it's name.  Condemnation, and persecution, not only done, but defended  over the years!  Great sins have been committed. That is a given.   Religion is a very powerful vessel for God, but when working within the human race it is naturally flawed.   Because we are flawed.  (Not God)

One source of disconnectedness comes unintentionally.   I apologize for the sweeping generalization, but the religious can tend to alienate themselves by creating their own cultures.  And for lots of different reason, hardly malicious.  It's human to bond to those who we share common beliefs and passions with.  (I crave like-minded people all the time!)   Yet, it does come with the cost of creating walls; walls that need not be formed.


The other struggle comes with religion's relationship with dogma/doctrine and it trumping all else. Christianity, in particular, has a reputation of scaring people away with 'hell fire and brimstone' theology.  People hear 'only one way' claims followed by scare tactics, and it doesn't sit well within them.   Should it?  Is that the intro speech God would make as the compelling reason to choose him?  And do we even know enough about such things, as the exact ramifications of judgement, to make such damning claims?   My personal opinion?  The interpretation of God's word should never reign supreme over His word itself.  Interpretation, when formed into doctrine, eliminates the chances of other explanations to scripture, while also limiting the possibility of  God showing himself in new ways.  The ten commandments were written on stone, not church doctrine.  Remember, we are fallible beings working with limited information here.  

Do we really want to solidify the details so rock solid?
 Do we really want to, ultimately, characterize God in a light that seems unfitting to so many?

God is inclusive.  He is Holy, He is Just, and His Love reigns supreme.    He is beckoning for our presence, longing for us to get our hearts right.  Our God is inclusive.  You bet your bananas on it.  But if we go to religion, knowing in our hearts who God is, and are presented doctrine/opinion that goes against our guts about His ways, where do we go?     Do we say, 'Next' and move on to the next church or religion?  Do we KEEP on making more denominations, more churches, more sets of beliefs?  Or, do we decide to change the framework?    Strip away the interpretation, the inserting of opinion alongside the word of God, and respect the the way the Spirit moves through it AND us.  If we differ on interpretation, so be it.  Can't we trust God to work it out?  If we approach it all with fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control), can't we trust that the Spirit of God can do the rest?  

 Perhaps a spiritual movement is on the way.  And maybe, we need not to get so frazzled over it.  Maybe we could just let God work in His mysterious ways, through faiths of all kind.  To keep all things sacred, like my love of Jesus, and yet not be nailed  to any doctrine that contradicts the character of God;  to respect the Spirit of God, in us and scripture, knowing that both could be fallible and yet both could be sacred truth.    

Or, maybe I'm just a dreamer.
 But, I know I'm not the only one.

Namasté

Awakening to the Journey: Out of the Mouth of Babes

Awakening to the Journey: Out of the Mouth of Babes: This Christmas, I had a special moment with my son, and it's left me thinking since.     We decided to cuddle and watch a movie togethe...

Out of the Mouth of Babes

This Christmas, I had a special moment with my son, and it's left me thinking since.    

We decided to cuddle and watch a movie together in my mom's bedroom, since festivities were still going on in the living room, and it was getting late. As Lucas came into the cuddle circle, looked at his sister and I, he said with crazy joy 'mommy, we all together! WE a puzzle, and we all together!'

Such a simple observation, and yet so profound. Could it be, as a 3 year old child, he is more in tune to our connectedness? That he sees us as parts that connect to make a bigger picture? Maybe. Or, maybe he just really likes puzzles.

Whether you call it energy, or spirituality, the basic building blocks of our matter is connected in a very real way, even defying laws of nature (check out some atomic science). Many of us claim to feel a strong connection to loved ones during sickness, struggle, death, and even times of great joy.  Look at the mysterious connections between twins, or the phenomenon that occurs with some men who have 'sympathy pregnancies' when wives are pregnant, even being known to cause male lactation!   Women have been known to 'sync' their menstrual timing with other women whom they spend large quantities of time with.  Maybe it can be credited to hormones, or the power of pheromones, but regardless, I sense there is a link that goes beyond the limitations of brain psychology, or intellectual understanding. 

With this in mind, perhaps we really are all brothers and sisters.  Maybe, together, we complete a bigger picture.     And, perhaps, this 'oneness' with each other, has far more implications than what we can wrap our brains around.  

Do we have a responsibility towards each other?   To our neighbors, our children, our facebook friends, or to the hungry babies in Africa?  I think so.  I think it matters how my life, my choices, and my behavior impacts others.