Sensory Perception

Today I was re-reading The Shack in preparation for a discussion group on Tuesday. This book is indescribable in its depth. I realized again today as I was reading certain sections a second time that this is one of those magical books that I can read again and again, and always find something new that makes me think or dig deeper into my own psyche. Sometimes these journeys can be dangerous...

Today I settled on page 149 where Mack is having conversation with Jesus. I will share the portion here that sent me to a very interesting introspection:

"You mean," Mack interjected a little sarcastically, "that I can't just ask, 'What Would Jesus Do'?"
Jesus chuckled. "Good intentions, bad idea. Let me know how it works for you, if that's the way you choose to go." He paused and grew sober. "Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus,' it means for your independence to be killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come and live our life inside of you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touch with our hands, and think like we do. But, we will never force that union on you. If you want to do your thing, have at it. Time is on our side."

Now that whole concept gave me great pause. I had to take time and reflect - and even took time to lay flat out and submit some time to God on this one. To think of Jesus looking out through my eyes, hearing through my ears, touching with my hands, tasting through my taste buds all of HIS great creation it just made me sit still for a few moments. It never occurred to me before that I would be a "perceptor" or nerve ending for God.

So all day today, the world has taken on a new meaning. I am eyes and ears for God to view His creation through. That makes me want to see more clearly, listen more carefully and savor taste more accurately. Thinking that I am helping God to see the world makes everything I look at more wondrous and every emotion more poignant.

Not being one who can ever take an idea and just let it settle for a while - I had to go even further to wonder about how God is setting controls for me his little nerve ending. I find it interesting that my long distance vision continues to get worse and yet at my age (somewhere past 50) I still don't need reading glasses. Why is it difficult for me to hear when there is any background noise and why do my emotions lie so close to the surface? How is He using these quirks in my senses? So is God in His little control room pushing buttons and turning knobs that adjust these senses so that I send him just the information he wants? Perhaps my reading vision is still good because I still need to do a lot more scripture reading :o) Maybe my hearing issues are supposed to force me to listen more carefully and speak a lot less...

Whatever it does mean, I do know this - my approach to each day will be different when I remember that I am but an instrument for Jesus to have contact with the world.

Press On

Sometimes in my faith walk, I feel like I am moving a huge boulder. I struggle with the daily challenges and feel the weight of all my past sins pressing down on my consciousness. And you know, sometimes I just get tired of pushing...and I forget that I am not pushing on my own strength. I become weary and the path ahead seems just too much to bear. I want to stop, rest, and even look back to where I have been because at least that road is more familiar and easier to walk now that I have created a pathway.

It is a dangerous time to stop and reflect on the past. We can either become entranced by our "accomplishments" allowing pride to seep in, dangerously creating a detour from our divine purpose and instead focused on our personal recognition and earthly rewards, OR we might become weighted down by our past sins, allowing shame and guilt to weaken us, removing our strength as part of the greater common good and once again thwarting kingdom growth.

I think this is why the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:12-14:

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This Sunday we studied this particular scripture, and one quote from Mike really spoke to me - "Staying in the process is MORE important than the product at any given moment". I loved that thought. That is what Paul is saying and that is our best instruction on our journey. PRESS ON - we will never arrive until that final day. PRESS ON - a better day awaits. PRESS ON - there is more growth ahead. PRESS ON - you can rise above this sin. PRESS ON - don't rest in your laurels or become drowned in your self loathing. There is a promise ahead - keep your eyes on the prize and continue moving forward.

To move forward, we must always be aware that it is not our own power that pushes the boulder, it is the Spirit within us, strengthening us, and directing us when we are pushing in the wrong direction. This is where the disciplines come in. I can't connect to the energy source within if I don't know where to plug the cord! Through regular discipline of prayer, reading The Word, and devoting my time in service to others, I can become connected to the Spirit within. These are my "outlets" to plug in to! And of course Paul has words on that too in this same letter. Philippians 2:1-3

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Being like-minded: Reading The Word

Being one in spirit and purpose: Prayer

Consider others better than yourselves: Servant heart

That boulder will continue to PRESS ON if I continue to PLUG IN...

God and Guns!

This morning I was rudely awakened to those words proclaimed loudly by none other than Hank Williams Jr. from a snippet that was broadcast on the radio from a recent Republican rally/concert held in Fayetteville.

Hard to believe that those words would be used together as a proclamation...what has this country come to? I was disturbed all day by this announcement, even more so by the cheers of the crowd that followed it. Is this the teaching of our God and our Saviour? How can this statement be reconciled with Biblical teaching?

Have we really become a nation that equates gun ownership as a "God" ordained right? Have we removed ourselves that far from the core of God's instructions? How can someone claim to be a Christian and also proclaim a love for guns? I really struggle with this.

Here is an interesting quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, from a speech before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 16, 1953 (and remembering that this man was a decorated WWII General as well as our 34th President):

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed...This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is a humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

I believe President Eisenhower would roll over in his grave if he knew that statements praising "God and Guns" were the rallying cry of a Republican gathering.

Each election season, the rhetoric becomes more and more divisive, the distinctions between the two parties more and more oppositional, the choices less obvious and the poor and the downtrodden lost in the struggle for power. I sometimes feel that as a country we have completely lost direction and instead keep spinning around the same circles, the same issues, the same frustrations. Because we are so focused on our side "winning", nothing gets accomplished except more polarization. We are now hanging dummies in effigy, physically damaging ourselves to make a story, plotting giant assassinations, sending viral emails full of half truths or lies without any consideration of the damage we are doing not only to those we oppose, but also to ourselves. Each time we reduce ourselves to the spreading of lies, gossip or half truths, we are hurting our own consciousness. How can we stop the madness???

Throughout the Bible, the chosen people of God have been set apart, not part of the culture they resided in. From the early Hebrews, the sons of Abraham to the first Christians in the Acts 2 church, we followers of God have been separate from societies ways, often subjected to hardship, slavery, persecution or execution. Perhaps the culture that surrounded them was no different than we are facing in this country. So how do I set myself apart from the madness? How do I continue my pilgrims journey of faith, follow my hearts desire and God's directive to help the poor, the orphan and the widow?

How's Your Vision?

It has always amazed me that my husband and I will be driving down the road and he will suddenly point to the side of the road and say "Did you see that deer", or he will recognize a friend driving in a car going the other way, or he will comment on something the passengers are doing in a car up the road as we start to pass it by. I have never been able to see these things. When I am riding or driving in a car I am consciously focused on the driving, but subconsciously I am always "pinging" my sensory radar for feelings or emotions, how the music on the radio makes me feel, mentally checking off my "to do" list, thinking about my destination and what my plans are when I get there. My husband and I have two completely different ways of taking a journey. If we were to use a Myers Briggs evaluation, he is definitely and "S" and I am a "N" in the perception department. While he derives his environmental awareness from sight and the reality around him, I am much more aware of the feelings of the people we are with or the tone or emotions that fill a room.

When we go on vacation it is the same thing. Dan is intently focused on seeing all we can of the sights of the city we are visting. Each day will have significant time set aside to visit and explore all the different landmarks. I on the other hand want to talk to the people we meet and get to know more about their culture, what their days are like, what their interests are. When we return from our travels and share our memories with others, sometimes it seems like we were on separate vacations!!

I guess these different ways to be attentive in life also will affect our ability to "see" God in our presence here on earth. A Sensory person will "see" God in all his majesty in the beautiful sunsets, magnificent vistas, beautiful blosseming flowers, or a rainbow after a storm. An Intuitive person on the other hand will "see" God in emotions and behaviors, in reactions and moods, in patterns and coincidences. Neither type of sight is better or more relevant than the other, they are just different. The most important point is that whichever way we are wired, we are called to take time to develop our vision. We need to check our sight regularly to make sure it is operating properly.

I seem to move through attentiveness phases myself. There are times that I can daily grasp Gods presence almost as though I could touch him. As I sit in my morning devotion time I become amazed at how randomly selected scripture will just speak to a specific life issue I am dealing with (I just LOVE when that happens!). Then at other times, it is almost as though I am wearing blinders and can't seem to discern God's presence anywhere. Usually this happens when I am extremely caught up in activities, I begin to neglect my morning time because my schedule won't allow and I drift a little from my relationship. It is funny how that hole in my life will sometimes take a while to make itself known.

During the past year, I have been increasingly aware that I need to work on quiet, meditative times to increase my personal attentiveness. And for some reason, the urgency I am feeling towards this is increasing. This is a very frightening concept for me. Taking many hours to be completely alone with God. I am not sure what to do with myself during this silent retreat...I am a people person - putting me alone for extended periods of time with no distractions, no phone, no TV, no computer - well, that's just not something I am comfortable with. But I have been hearing this call in my heart (good thing I am not a Sensory person - or God would have to send me an official invitation, or write it in the sky, or maybe send a burning bush just to get my attention), and I am looking into the options for a day of meditation...just me and the Lord.

Another Puzzle Piece in Place!

I believe I have found another piece in my puzzle of the Middle Class Paradox...

While concluding the study of Psalms of Ascent the next to last Psalm (133) sings of unity. How wonderful it is when brothers are united and live together in harmony.

So - I have been reflecting on our current events and how the past several years have sort of squeezed the middle class, pushing more folks down instead of up in their social mobility. Likewise, the very recent financial events are forcing us to really take stock in our personal priorities as we must shed our abundance (lighten our load) for survival. I have to believe that there is a grand design in all of this - so I am carefully pondering on the greater possible picture.
We have some clear choices here as individuals while we go through these personal inventories. If we are in the middle class, do we continue to separate ourselves, defining the distinctions that classify us as "middle" rather than "low" income level? Or perhaps, we can unite with those who are suffering even more, and learn from each other. Obviously, the middle income group has weakness in a Godly relationship (or at least on external dependence on a greater being than ourselves), and the low income group has weakness in aquiring the basic needs for survival.

I can't help but wonder if the current world events are God's way of forcing us to blend together in harmony. But, can we answer His request? Can we live in harmony understanding the benefits that can be mutually derived from shared life perspectives that ultimately increase our relationship and understanding of God's great design? Or, will we continue to try to isolate ourselves in fear and selfishness, afraid to release control and determined to project our place in the social continuum? It is a shame if we let this opportunity to grow relationally and purposefully together to pass us by.

Today - God sent these scriptures to me and I believe He was helping me with puzzle pieces:

Micah 6:8
But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.

Matthew 25:35-40
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I would say that God is pretty obvious in shining a light for our way...if we want to follow HIS way!