SelahV Today

ONE VOICE CRYING...

is all that's necessary at times. And sometimes one voice is unnecessary amongst the throng of other voices.  While some voices are meant to dialogue, converse, debate and discuss...others are bound and determined to contend.  For the latter, I tend to avert and sit on the sidelines.  Every now and then, I've stepped into the waters of controversy and (as I've stated many times), found the water above my head.  Such is my lot today.

I happened upon a post today that sparked an urge in me to stand against the current of opposition.  One portion stated: 

"As the song says, “it only takes a spark to get a fire going.” It only takes one man (or woman) to take a stand against authoritarianism to make a difference. When the right person begins to speak up and to put feet to their words, it’s amazing how quickly the floodgates open." Howell Scott

Lately, some folk shared concerns and questions regarding my thoughts on various posts.  Some have been "seeing things" change in me.  They are curious as to what is going on in my mind and my world.  Alas, there are some questions that cannot be answered...some arguments that cannot be countered.  No matter how close we've become to one another, some things must be left unsaid.  Or left to other voices to share.  I find I no longer have a desire to tread turbulent waters where floodgates seek release.

One voice crying amongst the throng is but a whisper in the wind when accusations fly and preconceived notions determine the volume of the voice.  Judgment has been rendered.  Case closed.  For me, anyway.

Suffice it to say, I am still me.  I am still standing where I've always stood.  I have not changed.  My eyes are opened a bit wider since 2006.  Some folks I've met along the way have been invaluable in helping me see and understand the changing times.  Others folks I've met do not know me.  They may think they do, but they do not.  They never have.  And, there is nothing wrong with that, nor is there anything offensive in that.  It is life.  It is the way life is.  C' est la vie.

It's definitely not worth losing sleep over, or even typing another word of dissent.  Nope.  Not worth it.  It doesn't affect me personally, anyway.  I am secure.  Sealed. Bought and paid for.  Sanctified and justified.  Holy and acceptable in Christ, my Lord.  I do not need man's approval, nor do I seek it.

Opinions are funny things.  Ones we agree with are acceptable.  Ones we do not, are unacceptable.  Yet even that is debatable to some.  Viewpoints are ostracizing or accommodating.  Attitudes are kind or unkind.  Intention and motives are only pure in the eyes of the beholder, I suppose.  Nevertheless...silence is what one wants, then silence is what one gets.  I am an accommodating kinda gal.  Squeeze me long and hard enough and I will fold like a deck of cards.  Not because I have no voice to cry out...nay, but because I have no desire to play the games some folks play and bend to every wind of doctrine.  I'll find another stream in which to dangle my line.  There are far more fish in the sea than in the streams around stocked moats, anyway.  If anyone asks, just tell them I've "gone fishing" in saltier waters, okay? saint selahV

[A Blogger's Comfort Zone/link]

Taming the Dragon Lady

It could be said that I have a long way to go in this endeavor, I suppose.  I told you yesterday that a friend of mine rationalized about fellow-bloggers at the site where he blogs and said it's a "simple fact that every one of us who logs on...drags along this beast we call the sinful flesh with us."  I simply can't let go of that provocative assertion.  It's like cling-wrap that clings more to me than the bowl of leftovers I want to cover.  It certainly kept me from logging on and commenting.  I was so afraid I'd unleash my "beast" I not only stopped typing a comment, I stopped reading the comments.  I could not quell the hold his words had on my pscyhe, so I wrote a few posts and tried to purge the "beast" from my thoughts.  Then I got to thinking a bit more and decided "beast" is a bit too masculine a descriptor for a lady.  Perhaps "dragon" is better suited for me.

You know what a dragon lady is don't you?  She's a lady who drags on and on and on about an issue till she arouses the "beast" within a man.  I don't care how calm and meek and mild a man's personality is, if the dragon-lady appears and hovers for hours, eventually, the beast will show its teeth.  

My friend's post, most certainly, was intended to bring readers to a better understanding of taming the shrew, tongue, beast and dragons encountered in the life of blogging.  Most especially?  Us--our own shrew.  His challenging words literally reached out and grabbed this old Dragon Lady by the tail and carried me away from my decorating and devotional posts.  Can you tell?  Thus the need to tame it.  I do this by writing ad nauseum.  Normally, you wouldn't see what I write.  I write in my drafts.  I don't publish those thoughts as I release the dragon.  Oh, but sometimes.  Sometimes I tell my husband about the beasts who rouse my ire or pinch my nose.  I read the posts to him and give "highlights" of hidden agendas and back-stories on things going on in the blogworld.  Often, my husband is the greatest part of me.  He gives such sound calming advice.  He never lights a torch, very rarely gets emotional and always has some funny little quip that makes everything seem so silly in the scheme of things.  However, when the clingwrap won't let go of my fingertips, I turn to the only Person I know for peace-punch.

I feel the Holy Spirit tug my leash.  Does He tug yours?  Sometimes He urges me to keep silent.  Other times He urges me to speak.  Most often He settles me down till I pray about things, and walks me through the green pastures beside the still waters of His presence.  He's taught me several things since I started blogging in 2006.  I give a lot of thought to where I comment nowadays.  I use to follow several blogs and comment quite often.  Everything seemed soooo important.  Now, I mostly read blogs.  I get them in my feed-reader.  I don't get caught up very often in the streams of conversation.  They can get along quite nicely, or not, without me.  When I do read the comments, I find most conversations lack substance and tend to become a tit-for-tat kinda gibberish unbecoming a Christian growing in grace.  While some folks make very salient points and offer edifying ideas, the vast majority of conversations are little more than ego-padding, pride-punching competitions.  They can be quite humorous if you aren't too thin-skinned.

I've read several secular and political blog posts and find their streams absolutely outrageous.  They're filled with animosity, bitterness, rancor, cursing, and downright meanness.  Snarling, growling beasts of monstrous proportion abound.  It's plum scary.  Occasionally the "beast (or dragon)" in me wants to growl back or breathe out threatenings of fire and brimstone.  But I don't.  Why add more fire to coals already burned beyond recognition?  No one would heed my flames anymore than they do God's Word and warnings.  Doesn't seem like much moderating goes on in those blogs either.  Talk about beasts!  Whew!

So...can a beast be tamed and trained to exert its presence without indulging in fire fights with other beasts?  Of course. I've witnessed it in others.

I believe the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to tame the beast within us.  He gives us gentleness, self-control, kindness, humility, meekness and mercy.  He bestows wisdom, knowledge, faith and hope.  Jesus gives us new life and creates a new creature within us.  Therein lies the key to taming the beast (or dragon)--dwelling on the blessings and sufficiency of God rather than the curses and insufficiency of man.

When we encounters folks in life who want nothing more than to feed the beast within us--to goad, prod and taunt-- then it's time to ignore those folks.  Don't eat the tainted sinew or chew on bones offered from their hands.  If the Holy Spirit so leads us to speak to an issue broached, or respond to a comment placed into the sphere of conversation, then we must walk bravely into the ring of fire.  But only in His power and in His Spirit.  Otherwise, we end up becoming the beast we so desperately want to tame.  selahV

The POST that stoked the dragon lady: [TAMING THE BEAST by Hariette Petersen, SBC ENCOUNTERS/link]

Walking By The Spirit

I don't know about you, but sometimes I stumble when I walk.  It's like I forget to watch where I am going and before I know it, something pops up in my pathway--a root, a loose stone--and I'm caught off balance.  I don't always fall, but sometimes I turn my ankle, or twist a knee.  The worst is when I try too hard to catch myself from falling, and pull a muscle in my back. 

Rarely do I fall anymore (I shouldn't type that too boldly, I suppose.)  However...

today I must confess, I stumbled.  I got distracted.  My attention rested on what I considered a higher road.  Instead of tripping over an actual stone, on a physical pathway, I tripped over a root along my spiritual walkway.  Just like an actual root, I allowed a past experience to knock me off balance and send my mind and heart sprawling for a supporting hand.  It took me awhile to realize the annoyance I felt was not the root's fault, but mine, for not keeping my eyes on the Spirit of God within me.  A foolish blunder.  I took my eyes off Jesus just long enough to fall prey to my own self-sufficiency and pride.  Insecurity, perhaps.  More than likely, a reaction to a long forgotten playground bully...a judgmental acquaintance...the step-mother and her constant critical spirit so easily discerned in others in my Christian walk. 

Ah...the walk.  That spiritual walk in which we often let the flesh impede the progress our spirit is making along our journey with the Lord.  Sometimes I backtrack to analyze where and when I blinked and took a misstep.  To return to my original pace, I simply have to close my eyes and pray for better understanding, a more merciful heart, and yes...a higher form of vigilance.  It's then the LORD enlightens the path before me-- exposing the root I ignored so often while walking a familiar trail.  The unexpected.  The surprise.  The forgotten.  The flesh.

Once I see the error of careless self-absorbtion, and my unnecessary tendency to  set a record straight, to take a stand I do not need to take, I find my faithful, merciful Father standing... His right hand extended with palm-filled grace.  And my walk begins afresh.  selahV

Still Not Myself

It's been over 7 months since a car barrelled through a stop sign and slammed into my Chevy Malibu and caused my air bag to deploy and smack me in the neck and shoulder.  I wish I could say I am topnotch and all better.  I really do.  But I can't.

It is an aggravating thing to look back on the little things I took for granted, crafting and puzzles with my grandchildren...painting lessons...and normal everyday activities--and know I must be very careful and measure every movement or end up in excruciating pain again.  Really aggravating.

I had the Allstate folks contact me last week to settle the accident.  They offered me a settlement which barely covers the bills, gas, and interest for the money I laid out to pay the hospital bills and have not been reimbursed yet.  It's funny.  They tell me that my time, my health, my well-being, my pain is not worth anymore than they are offering.  "Offering".  That's a silly word.  They offer, I reject or accept.  But the offer is theirs alone.  It is based on other folks in my area with a similar injury, etc.  Stats. I wonder how many other people did what I did, and feel like I do since their accident.  I wonder how many people are going along in life, doing some ministry they feel will bring joy to another and have their life change in a nano-second at a stop-sign.  I noticed just this week that whenever I look up at the megatrons in worship that I get headaches.  A simple thing.  But, to me, an important thing.

Perhaps not to others. I just know what I could do, what I can't and don't do today because of how I feel.  I sometimes wonder if I ever will be again. But that probably isn't covered in the insurance world's list of compensations, is it?

I'm grateful I don't work outside the home.  I am grateful I am not like others who must do the things I no longer do.  I suppose that should be enough, huh?  Especially in light of a dear husband who takes up the slack for my uselessness because I am still not myself.  It's annoying though.  It really is.  I just hold onto "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." selahV for Today 

BE SLOW TO SPEAK...

It never fails when we are quick to speak, we often stumble and fall into a puddle of pride. We have opinions but are they godly?  Do they bubble up inside our hearts and mind with humility and meekness, or arrogance and strife?  We have experiences we can point to as evidence of our opinions, but do they put undo light upon us and what we know or what we've done?  or do they point others to what God says and what He's done?

"Be ruthless with yourself if you are given to talking about the experiences you have had.  Faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is."  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 12:21

Is what we have to say important enough to add to a given conversation?  Does what we have to say matter in the eternal scheme of things?  Can opinions get out of control and add fodder to a fire better left to die a natural death?  What am I about anyway?

"Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife." Proverbs 26:20-21

How stubborn must we be before we become so bull-headed we will not budge?  How stiff-necked must we be before the Lord swats us on the back of our proverbial heads?  I wonder.  When we hold our piece, will it keep the peace?  selahV

DISAGREEMENTS

Every day I hear them, witness them, am even a part of them.  Disagreements exist because people have opposing viewpoints, perspectives, ideologies, and agendas.  People find all kinds of things in life to rebuke and rebuff.  I've found that just because one person disagrees and says "I believe", that does not automatically negate or devalue the point of another.  It simply means one person disagrees.  In some cases, a majority of people will agree with the person who disagrees with another.  A majority does not necessarily make things anymore credible because it collects more folks to agree with their position.  Look at the mob who cried, "Crucify him!  Crucify him!"

Evolutionists disagree with the Biblical creation account.  Millions of people agree with Darwin's theory of evolution.  Does that make the Bible untrue?  No.  It makes a group of people believe what they want to believe based on the information they have and their desire to believe it.  Professors disagree.  Scientists and doctors disagree.  Judges disagree.  Parents disagree.  Politicians and constituents disagree.  Preachers, theologians, and Christians disagree.

We each have to come to a point in our lives wherein we make a decision and choose what and who we believe in all life choices.  Ultimately, we live with our own individual choices.

Me?  I choose to believe the Bible, and I filter all information through it.  I use its principles, commands, and directions as my guide, along with the Holy Spirit who lives within me.  For things I do not understand, situations or dilemnas, I go as far ahead as I can see and leave the rest to faith.   

The Bible tells us that to come to Jesus, one first has to believe God--that God is, was, and will always be.  Those who will not believe, but trust in their own goodness, will not join a minority group of people who believe in Jesus.  God knew that from the beginning.  He knew the majority of people would cling to their own selfish ways and desires and choose to live in an ungodly way forever.  He knew that once man ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that the majority would choose evil over good--self-satisfaction over godliness. God knew the vast majority of people would never come to Him, would reject Him, and would ignore His Word.

Nevertheless...

"...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believes in Him will have everlasting life." John 3:16  Humanity has hope.  That hope is in Christ.  The majority can disagree all it wants, it cannot change God, no matter how many words they use, or how many people collect to voice those words.  selahV

BEFORE YOU CONFRONT SOMEONE...

In 1 Kings 18, before Elijah confronts the worshippers of Baal to prove God was God, the only God, he got his marching orders from God.  Then he put his wood in order.  He prepared the altar of the Lord which had been torn down.  He placed 12 stones for the twelve tribes.  He had them dig a 13-inch deep trench around the altar; put the wood upon the stones, cut up the bull, then drenched it all with water until it filled that trench.  He did all that before He called on God to ignite that wood and consume it.  When the trench of water surrounded the drenched wood, all was in order.  Elijah called on God to burn up the water-saturated wood.  Four-hundred and fifty Baal prophets (with all their chest pounding, body slashing, and self-masochism) could not get their god, the god of fire and lightning, to produce a single spark to consume their own dry sacrifice.  Yet when Elijah called on God, His fire consumed the entire sacrifice and left the water-soaked ground dry as a desert sand.

I've used this as a guide on many occasions when I consider confronting another. I should first wait upon the Lord and be certain God is leading me to confront them--and that it is within God's timing that I do so.  Often we jump too soon; we're impulsive to right whatever wrong, to "help" God out.  Instead, we should put our wood in order; Elijah based his argument on the 12 tribes of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  On what do we base our argument to confront?  That we've been offended?  That we don't like the way someone does a certain thing?  That they aren't saying things we want them to say?  How solid is the foundation of our argument?  What is the purpose for our confrontation?  To do good, or simply to point out another's failings and create greater diviseness?

As we consider confronting anyone we'd probably do well to ask: am I able to discern another's situation with a clean heart--washed free from any prejudice or preconceived ideas?  Is the "log" out of my own eye?  Have I asked God to forgive any anymosity hidden in my heart regarding the situation and people involved?  If I can answer these things affirmatively, then it's safe to proceed in considering a confrontation.  If not, I should get myself right with God, and let go of any irritation I have with the party I am about to confront.  I find that most times, when I get this part straightened out, I have no need to confront anyone.

Have I thought objectively about the issue and prayed about it?  Can I truthfully say that God is leading me to confront them?  If the answers are affirmative, then it is safe to move forward.  However, if I have no peace with my answers, and am convicted I could be seeing this through flesh-filled eyes, then it is best to delay a confrontation until I am able to see the situation through God's eyes--with everyone's best interest at heart.

Will the confrontation be one with healing in mind? with reconciliation? with restoration?  If so, then am I willing to heal, reconcile, and restore another?  Or should they disagree with my assessments, will it spark anger, dredge up previously unresolved grievances, and lead to my sinning against God?  If it is the latter, I must sit back and rethink my purpose for confronting another.  I need to so bathe my situation with prayer that there is absolutely no questioning Who is at work to help right the situation.

Can you forgive the transgression before you meet with them?  Are you confronting with love?  Can you speak with gentleness, concern, kindness and without condemnation?  Can you do this with a humble heart, a controlled Spirit, yet a boldness resting upon truth and consideration for all concerned?  Then drench your meeting in prayer and pray for the Holy Spirit to move ahead and prepare the heart of all concerned.

A word of caution in confrontation: If you see a lull in the conversation, be vigilant to deny satan access with an impulsive answer, question, or corrective advice.  Don't let him wiggle his way into the conversation because you don't wait upon the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. This is a good time to pray for God to work within the situation and heal and give you more words to bring this about.  selahV

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

Ever felt the urge to confront someone?  Perhaps you've been wronged.  Perhaps you see another being wronged.  Ever follow through and confront someone, only to discover you totally mis-judged a situation, and or, the party involved?  If you're anything like me, you feel like dirt. It's kinda like jumping into a mudpuddle and splashing everyone around you.  All you can do is say I'm sorry.  But often, fall-out follows you.  The person you confront tells someone else, and pretty soon the "how-dare-they" emotions erupt within a second, or third or more parties.  Within a few hours, you not only feel like dirt--you are dirt among the conversations of man.

By nature I like to give folks the benefit of the doubt.  Yet, sometimes, I allow myself the luxury of taking someone at their word and been sorely disappointed.  When that occurs, it breeds a kind of skepticism; if I indulge that skepticism, it soon evolves into complete distrust of any party.  I hate to hear folks share a bunch of negatives about others, especially when you are not acquainted with others.  But anytime one is fed negative stuff about another, it tends to take on a life of its own.  It can sit in the back corner of one's mind till another does something similar--then it pounces upon the scene and destroys any chance of building a relationship--or reconciling one.

I'm beginning to believe that jumping to conclusions without all the facts, is a lot like jumping off a cliff without knowing the depth of the water below.  Sooner or later, you are bound to get hurt.  The only way to avoid becoming one big grease-splat in the scheme of life, is to avoid jumping in the first place.  You might disagree and say, the best thing to do is not to listen to someone dump negatives in the first place.  I like that, but it is not the norm.  Many times you cannot stop a person from unloading their garbage on your front lawn.  It just happens.  So my advice is not to go picking through another's trash.  And if you happen to get slapped with some unwanted garbage, go wash yourself off before trying to make it to the curb. 

^7"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 ⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

 ⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:7-10

[NEXT post:  BEFORE YOU CONFRONT SOMEONE....] selahV

CRITICISM AND CONDEMNATION, Let It Roll

When we hear it, witness it, or feel it....sometimes, we need to simply ignore it.  We shouldn't let the devil get a foothold into our minds.  Negativity is not worth the time we give to analyze it, question it, or try to understand it. 

Like raindrops, we need to let some stuff roll off our backs, wipe away from our faces, and place in the hands of God.

We all have some of those folks in our lives who treat us with disdain.  Some see our names, hear our names, or read our names, and hairs stand up on the back of their necks.  They are not going to give us one benefit of the doubt.  They are not going to listen to a word we say.  They have already made up their minds that whatever we do or say is disingenuous, duplicitous, or suspect.  They are eager to rain on our parade.

In other words--it doesn't matter if the skies open up and a host of angels begin to laud you--some folks are going to plug their ears and close their eyes.  You are not going to be liked by some people.  No one can ever accomplish that feat.  Remember...even Jesus had his critics.  Some people followed him around trying to nit-pick every word He said.  His adversaries waited on the fringe of every crowd (sometimes mingling within), to entrap a disciple--to denounce him, or call his actions into question.

In my husband's ministry of nearly 23 years, I can readily call to mind the handful of those kind of people who tried to destroy the work we were doing.  While some managed to cause a great deal of aggravation at times, they did not succeed in destroying us--nor the work we did. God was in the details.  It took me a few years to discover that naysayers, and irritating forces are few in number.  There really is no "they".  We allow the few to become an imaginary host by focusing all our energy and attention on the squeaky wheel.  Sometimes no matter how much grease you use, the wheel will keep on squeaking.  Some wheels are just made that way.  It's life. You have to focus on those folks who are receptive--who want your love, who want your help, who appreciate the Light you bring and the sunshine you offer.   

Sometimes you just have to forget the offenses, forgive them, and go on.  Don't miss the rainbows.  Sing louder.  Smile wider.  Praise more.  Laugh often.  Dance in the rain, even if others want to hide and hover beneath their umbrellas and miss the blessings the Lord has beyond the storm.  Just be happy, anyway.  selahV