#DailyProverbs 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: “Surely
you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the
prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training
submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will
not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run
straight for the finishing line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not
waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete
control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to
the contest.”
Suppression. Control. Alleviate. Assistance. There’s a pill for
everything now. Wouldn’t it be GREAT if we had that for our spiritual life??
What words would you use to describe our society?
Materialistic…
Sensual…
Impatient…
Indulgent…
Undisciplined…
--these are just a few. We're also a "have it now"
culture. We want microwavable. We want instant. But our tastes call for gourmet
and home-cooked. You will never beat homemade biscuits. You’ll never find
anything better than your Mamaw’s yeast rolls for a Sunday dinner on the
ground. But we don’t want to pay for it, in time. We don’t want the work that
comes with rolling out the dumplings from scratch. That’s how our society
operates now. Satan specializes in presenting us with opportunities for instant
gratification while promising us that indulging our appetites will bring us the
satisfaction we seek.
Our human appetites, in themselves, are not sinful. They are, in fact,
God-given. However, because of the fact that we cannot control our own weaknesses,
we need help. They need to be controlled. When our appetites rule us, we stay
in trouble. Ask any alcoholic how it started out… one glass of wine was fine.
Then unlimited glasses would never be enough. Control and moderation are the
key. You can’t eat your cheat day every day and stay healthy. And you can’t
sustain stringent discipline forever either. The body requires periods of
bulking up, leaning out and even fasting to operate optimally. Paul likened the
Christian life to that of athletes who are so focused on winning the race that
they exercise self-control in every area of their lives. That's exactly how
we're called to live, yet we lack the motivation, determination, and power to
do so in our own strength. For this reason, we need to rely on the Holy Ghost
within us. If we yield our lives to Him and step out in obedience to His
promptings, we'll have the strength to say no when fleshly desires feel
overpowering (Gal. 5:16).
Another key to success is keeping our focus on the eternal, instead
of the temporal. Many decisions that seem mundane are in fact spiritually
significant. They happen in a moment and then you are trapped. Gossip? Easy to
make the CHOICE in the moment to talk about someone. But that choice then makes
you an assassin to character. You are harming another. You are a spiritual
murderer. It creates a list of other things necessary like repentance,
restitution, saying you are sorry, and even addressing the harmed party to let
them know you did it, are sorry for it, and are ready for the consequences of
broken trust. It’s not a simple breath of “I’m sorry” to God. What about the
choice of lust? Or the choice to cheat on your partner or spouse? The choice of
financial inconsistency? It’s a choice to lie. But what about our exaggerations?
The choice we make when we use guile? What about the choice of skipping church
because you are tired, even if you have responsibilities and need to be there
to share the burden of work? What about the choice of saying you don’t “feel
well,” when you really just “don’t want to?” What about the CHOICE of ignoring
those that need help? What about the choice you make in judging a person
holding a sign asking for food, assuming they are just drunks or not worth helping?
What about the CHOICE of ignoring the poor? What about the choice of ignoring
the widowed? What about the choice to judge and ignore single moms? What about
the choice we make to alienate the divorced and those wives left and struggling
with both heartbreak and children and loss and stigma? What about the choice
you make to exclude them because it’s less comfortable to listen or sympathize?
What about the choice you make to tell gay people that God doesn’t love them
and they are reprobate? What about the choice you make to tell people of color,
in word or deed, that they are less than white people? What about the choice
you make to fight for minutia and political silliness when entire groups of
women, children, and girls are slaughtered due to greed? The choice to look the
other way is just that… a choice. What about the choice to still trade and
purchase goods those countries provide, but to boycott a soap product because
they aren’t Christian in their mission statement? What about the choice we make
to actively ignore the scriptures that tell us to exactly the opposite than we
think – to bless our enemies and to befriend and help those that have nothing?
Do you think God loves anyone that you don’t agree with any less
than you? Do you think that are you more lovable from the perspective of the
Cross?
Are you indulging an appetite of comfort that allows you to look the
other way? Is your ability to not be bothered so great that it’s more important
than reaching out to those that need it most? When the Enemy tempts us, he
always tries to keep our attention on our desire and the pleasure of indulgence
rather than on the eternal rewards and blessings we're forfeiting. Just remind
yourself how quickly immediate gratification wanes and how long eternity lasts.
If you do, then you are blessed. People rarely know where they come from, their heritage and have a good grasp on who they are to be. Ancestry.com makes a lot of money selling this dream to people that with a few clicks, you can "know" where you come from. You can "know" who your ancestors were and connect with other descendants in your family tree. But does that tell you what you want to know? Does that tell you the full story of you and your people? Many Christians are experiencing an identity crisis. They know they’re "saved," but they don’t really know what to think about themselves. I say this, and I already know that three of you have stopped reading here. You roll your eyes. You think that this won't pertain to you. Some of my Apostolic friends are already nervous that this will be about standards. Maybe it will be about standards to you. If the BIGGEST trial you ever face is getting your personal control over how you present your body to God, then GOOD FOR YOU. If you skirt length or the color of your hair is truly what stresses you, then you need to get out more. There are real struggles in the world.... like folks getting shot and murdered in foreign lands for admitting they follow Jesus. Or even gunned down just walking the street in their own hometown. 1 in 6 Americans... think on that... ONE IN SIX AMERICANS are underfed or go hungry. So, maybe this will resonate with you about your personal modesty. Maybe living for God is hard for you on something as simple as looking and talking like a Christian. I hope, though, it doesn't. Maybe it won't. Maybe this will reach deeper to you. There are folks that fight every day to live drug free, alcohol free and to live a life that doesn't lead to death, prison, or shame. Surely living a Christ-like life in American can't be your biggest obstacle? Not with all He's done for all of us. Maybe this will reach to the substance inside of you. Maybe the author of your salvation, and the measure of faith given to us all will rise up and read this for what it is intended... Or maybe some of my friends that subscribe to NO GOD will think this is stupid. Maybe this is about you. Or maybe my friends that think that just being a decent person will work and that we all end up at the same place with just different roads... maybe you think I'm talking to you. Maybe I am... Maybe, for all of you, thinking that it's about you IS the very action makes this ALL about you. Let’s take a little test. Do you consider yourself a sinner saved by grace or a saint who occasionally sins? Huh? Let me repeat this. Do you consider yourself:
A sinner, but you have been redeemed and saved by grace, or
A saint, but you know you are not perfect and still need God's grace
Both statements are true, but here is the message: the first one dwells on your past identity, where the second focuses on Jesus' perception of you.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9: "From Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus,and from our brother Sosthenes - To the church of God which is in Corinth, to all who are called to be God's holy people, who belong to him in union with Christ Jesus, together with all people everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace he has given you through Christ Jesus. For in union with Christ, you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge. The message about Christ has become so firmly established in you that you have not failed to receive a single blessing, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be faultless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord."
Now, I'll have to write this slowly, so I won't get caught up shouting and fail to finish today's #DailyProverb. But that passage is the opening greeting of his letter and it gets skipped over in MANY messages preached today. We get by on the major Apostolic teachings and forget that there are some DEEP promises in just a greeting. If you are a believer, God’s Word says that you are a saint (v. 2). If you are in union with Christ, then your speech and knowledge will be rich in the things of God. When you are so focused on Jesus, and you are FIRMLY established in Jesus, you will not fail to receive a single blessing or gift in the Spirit. You will be kept and maintained until the end, so that you can be found faultless. All of this, just from the "Hello" of a letter to a church that was founded at the crossroads of a multi-cultural, multi-national, and multi-religioned city.
Remember from history and using context, that Corinth was a hot bed of activity in commerce, in power, a cross roads of trade and language and even religion. The temples there to various Gods were competing with and condemning these baby Christians for their "brutal" and "bloody" religion. And to them, in the infancy of Christianity... the crucifixion and the symbolic "blood" purification we required for the remission of sins was ghastly to the city. So, the fact that Christianity had a church established there was amazing, and the fact that it was a powerful and firmly planted church was because of God's grace to them. Paul knew this and called it out.
What about us? Does that sound familiar?
Huh, Michael? What am I even talking about? THIS is what I'm talking about: the world is exponentially becoming ingrained in commerce and travel. The world is small to us. We are bored. We are ALL within a few clicks of being at a crossroads. We all have access to anything that is multi-cultural, multi-national, and multi-religioned at a moment's notice. To live for Christ, and BY Christ's teachings is rare. People use the term "Christian" and the guise of "Christianity" to sell money-making conservatism. Being a white, conservative, Republican in a Red State doesn't automatically make you a good, God-fearin' Christian. Following the teachings of Christ will make you a good Christian. Fakers will wage war on the poor, and not on poverty. They will tell you that family is first, but break up homes with outdated laws, outdated prejudices and fight people. They will tell you that the money making as conservatives is to continue to trust the way that it's been working, but it's not been working. Corporate greed and corrupt human politics are fighting to keep people poor and putting money after money after money into corporate coffers through the guise of progress and consumerism. BEWARE of this and realize what Paul wrote is true. Be FIRMLY established in Christ. You focus on Jesus, what Jesus did, what Jesus said, and HOW Jesus lived... you help your neighbor, you feed the hungry, help the sick, worry and show care for widows and the elderly. Be kind to those others would shun. You bring people to church that others would ignore. Don't focus on giving them a makeover or having them as a "project." Focus on showing God's love. You can NEVER go wrong being kind to people, loving people, and helping people.
Why is this concept so foreign? Because too many of us still see ourselves as the same old sinner, who’s been forgiven and patched up and yet is basically unchanged inside. We stay so "grateful" for being brought out of sin, that we forget to GROW in Christ. We forget that we are NEW creatures and that we are to walk in the callings that GOD gives us. We still think the same. We don't shift and fight and contend and WORK at being good Christians. We just expect God to miraculously change our personalities into these bound, Stepford-like "sheeple" that don't think, don't express personality, don't use their God-given gifts and talents... God made EACH of us to be unique and to do exactly what we were created to do. Not everyone is famous, not everyone is known publicly, and not everyone will be given their due recognition. But EVERYONE has a job to do, a soul to win, a work to accomplish and a measure of faith given to them. Don't sell yourself short. When God can trust you with a little, He starts trusting you with more. If you can be faithful with a just a little... you can grow that.
Are you new? Do you know who you are? Did you The Lord says anyone in Christ “is a new creature; the old things passed away” (2 Cor. 5:17). That’s what being born again is all about. We are new. If you are not new, if you can't get over yourself, and your past, and your regrets and your mistrusts, and your failure... how do you expect others to see you differently? How can you expect others to trust you and work with you, when you won't trust yourself or work with yourself? If you can't manage yourself, how can you manage others? Be new. Be changed. YOU are the ONLY key to that. Trust God to help you and have the FAITH that when God does a work in you, He is THOROUGH. We can never go back to the way we were.
The solution to this identity crisis is to change the way we think about ourselves. If we don’t, we’ll rely on how we feel, and Satan will bombard us with reminders of our failures and sins. But we walk by faith, not feelings. The devil wants to keep us focused on being a sinner, because he knows that the recognition of our sainthood will lead us to live like saints. We’ll be motivated and empowered to obey God, and the Devil will lose his foothold in our lives.
You missed that point, didn't you. The DEVIL will use LIES like, "I don't 'feel' saved. I don't feel like being kind. I am just 'made that way' and I can't help it when I 'lose my temper' or 'run my mouth.'" Then we just give in to whatever is near. We stop trying. We stop fighting for our own causes and actions and to be better. We stop being CONTENDERS. But, those are lies. Those are untrue things that YOU control. You are the ONLY person that can control you. If you don't want to smoke, then don't. If you don't want to drink, then don't. If you don't want to do drugs, THEN DON'T. You are personally accountable and culpable for your actions.
Jesus didn’t come just to save you from hell; If your only goal in loving Jesus is to avoid hell, you have it all wrong. You'll probably go there anyway if that's your mindset. (Yes, I just said that.) Jesus wants to live His life through you. He wants to use you to show love and kindness to others. Your testimony, your kindness, the newness of YOU will draw others to Christ, and then more, and then more. Your success in the Lord will RIPPLE throughout the body of Christ. The Kingdom will grow, thrive and future generations will feel YOUR life and what you decide today. In Christ, you have a new identity which has replaced your old one. So, live like it.
Be new. Be a new creature. Live like a new creature. Walk, talk, work, shop, drink, eat, and laugh like a new creature. Show up at work like a new creature. Show up at your family functions like a new creature. Show up with your old friends and live like a new creature. Don't throw away people or shun them if they are not just like you. Don't give up on others that you once partied with and sinned with if they can't follow you on your new journey in Christ. They still love you, so you need to still love them. One of the biggest reasons that we don't have people wanting Christianity is because WE, as Christians, don't live it out in front of the world. The reason we don't live it is because we don't believe it. (!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe I said that? Yes... you should. If you really believe something, your actions and your behavior will support that belief. If I 'believed' my house was on fire, my 'behavior' would be to get up and get out and get help. If I 'believed' my health was at risk, my 'behavior' would be to get to a doctor. WHY do we say we believe in Christ, but never follow the teachings he set forth?) But it's true! Why would ANYONE want to be a Christian when those that preach, teach and tout how great it is can't even live it or show it?
LIVE your life in front of your family, your friends, your colleagues. Show them. Be salt. Be light. If you will focus on who you are now, your actions will follow, and you’ll experience the enjoyment of a victorious Christian life.
We have only just finished a holiday that we spent touting the things for which we are thankful. That's a good thing. We spend the next day trying to get deals on material goods, which... in and of itself is not a bad thing. Saving money is a good thing (if you were going to spend x amount anyway, and you want to save an additional amount. I have other thoughts if you were shopping for yourself or your home and getting prodded into spending money you don't have or didn't want to spend, other than because of a corporate holiday.)
But the country, with Thanksgiving and it's associated smudge on our nation, remains in a state of tension and unrest. With the turmoil of Black Friday (and the, no less than, three videos of people harming one another over things like a stuff toy, or in one case...foundation garments. Yes, pannies...), we are still experience unrest in places like Ferguson, St. Louis and places where people are really hurting. People are genuinely wondering if it will ever get better.
Jeremiah 6:13-15: "Everyone, great and small tries to make money dishonestly, even prophets and priests cheat the people. They act as if my people's wounds were only scratches. 'All is well,' they say, when all is NOT well. Were they ashamed because they did these disgusting things? No, they were not at all ashamed; they don't even know how to blush. And so they will fall as others have fallen; when I punish them, that will be the end of them. I, the Lord, have spoken."
Um... That sounds like our world today. Doesn't it? No? You don't think so? Let's see:
--Corporate greed and money being the biggest issue: Check.
--Everyone wanted a deal, an angle, or a hook up: Check.
--Even churches and the preachers being concerned about money and politics: Check.
--People minimizing hunger, poverty, and civil exhaustion from inequality: Check.
--People in power minimizing the damage to the population from greed: Check.
--People saying... it's all okay, even when it's not: Check.
--Lack of shame for misdeeds and sin and harming others: Check.
The scary part is what comes next. God is getting tired of it all. And when God says it will fall, and punishment will come... then it WILL. When God says that something will come to an end, it will. But... is that it? Is there nothing we can do? Is this dismal view the end? No.
Colossians 1:15-20: "Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the firstborn Son, superior to all created beings. For through Him, God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through Him and for Him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with Him all things have their proper place. He is the head of his body, the church; He is the source of the body's life. He is the firstborn Son, who was raised from death, in order that He alone might have the first place in ALL things. For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in Himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the WHOLE universe back to Himself. God made peace through the Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to Himself ALL things, both on Earth and in Heaven."
Jesus IS God. And through Jesus, we are able to be reconciled to Him by His sacrifice for us. Otherwise, there were laws... SO MANY laws to be kept. Detailed, complex laws. Before we knew
Jesus, our lives were full of selfish, hedonistic, godless and wicked endeavors. I know, for me, that I had self-seeking ways. To quote "The Talented Mr. Ripley,"
"Well, whatever you do, however terrible, however hurtful, it all makes sense, doesn't it? In your head? You never meet anybody that thinks they're a bad person."
How true is that? We justify EVERY thing we do. We have stubborn, unrepentant hearts (Rom. 1:18; 2:5, 8). And yet, we long for peace. Pageants are filled with hopeful young women that answer: "World Peace" when asked for what they wish. And like
our strife-filled world, we clamored for peace and tried to find it, but our
efforts failed. Humanity has FAILED.
Yet.. when we come to Jesus, all of that changes. Can change. Will change. We have been rescued. We are out of the dominion of darkness. We are brought into the Kingdom of the Christ. (Col. 1:13). Every sin has been forgiven. Every sin in the past, the present, and the future has been/will be forgiven. Justice must be satisfied and divine justice and recompense was satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus. We have become new creatures in Christ, washed clean by His blood (2 Cor 5:17). With the power of sin broken, we can live lives acceptable to God. We can be IN the world, and not OF the world. Non-Jews can be grafted into God's plan of salvation and receive and enjoy the benefits of adoption into the family of God. We can experience God IN us... God sent the Holy Ghost as a comforter and partner (Acts 2:38) in helping us be both powerful enough to live IN the world and give us the strength to be separate FROM the world. The spirit of God IN us is our personal guide in our daily life, helping each of us experience
Christ’s peace (Rom. 8:6). We also can look forward to an eternity spent in
heaven, where righteousness, tranquility, and joy abound (Rom. 14:17).
Our unity IN and WITH Jesus came at a great price—the sacrifice of His life. Christ gave His life for us so that we could be reconciled to God (Col. 1:20). Christian lives are to testify that Jesus is the source of our peace. God has done all this
for us.
--Does your
life communicate this message? This message and testimony to the power of what God can do in you? --Don't give up on people yet; don't judge others or their pain just yet. --Be a minister of reconciliation. Be a peacemaker. Be a person that looks on civil unrest and disparate lives with mercy and compassion. --Your life was much like any other person before Christ. Don't forget where God brought you from and look on others that NEED God with mercy. --Don't look on others in judgement, because some of US were just like that, or worse. I love y'all. Be good to each other. Cheers, #JustBeingMichael ツ
#DailyProverbs 1 Chronicles 16:30-34: "...The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved. Be glad, earth and sky!
Tell the nations that the Lord is king.
Roar, sea, and every creature in you; be glad, fields, and everything in you!
The trees in the woods will shout for joy when the Lord comes to rule the earth.
Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good; his love is eternal."
One year ago, I was in the middle of turmoil. I was gravely ill. I was heartbroken over the loss #MamawSue. I was confused by the dreams the Lord was giving me. I was in limbo. I was not in church, and yet, I was no longer in old habits of the world. Thanksgiving was hard... But it was all working towards a purpose. God's faithfulness and planning are immaculate...
July 15th was the day a sweet couple reached out to me... They really don't realize how much I was affected.
August 20 was the diagnosis that scared me. I was ready to quit. I was ready for death...
October 20 was the turning point where I tried, but only for those around me. I still didn't get it...
November 2 was a loss that rocked our family, and a mantle of prayer was given to me that I wasn't sure I was ready for...
December 21st was the miracle that changed my life forever. Drs. Payoosh & Patel still keep in touch...
As specific anniversaries pass of comfort, fear, loss... I'm left to wonder; without each step, who knows if I'd have had the same outcomes. Without each puzzle piece, who knows where I would be. God's faithfulness and detail is immeasurable. I write a lot in exhortation of others. I minister to others. But this was to me, for me, and about me. God was faithful to me. As the anniversary looms of God's divine intervention in my life, and the miracle that paved the way for the biggest miracle of my existence... here's what I know:
This isn't a religious #DailyProverbs. It's got scripture. It's got references, but it's not about spiritual things, per se. It's civil. It's about civil issues.
Warning, Disclosure and Bias Trigger: This is long. This won't be popular. I'm writing this as a Christian and from my perspective. I'm writing this as a person of diversity and faith. While I'm not really talking to any one group; I suppose I'm talking mainly to people that already identify as Christian, and also to those that are detractors of community organization, intersectionality, and truly level-setting expectations in working collaboratively. Most of the people that already know all of this, are feeling some of the same frustrations I feel. I am certainly not #mansplaining it to the women that work for equality. But I hope that women and all races that assume mixed or pale men can't help will listen and work together.
Everyone is usually happy with others, until they don't get something they want from them. That's a huge generalization, meant to cover a wide variety of things from work, business, social circles, school, and ministry. People want or need something; you give them the service or the product. They are happy; thus, you are well-received and liked.
The issue comes into play when you say no. Or when you note that you can't. Or, even if you won't. Maybe you disagree. Or maybe your priorities conflict with their priorities. If you can't make a service because you are previously committed to another event, sometimes that causes hardship on the person that needed you. But what of the other commitment? You can't back out on that either. YOU have to manage your schedule and your priorities. You cannot blame anyone else. YOU control your life. You will ONLY do or NOT do exactly what you want. If it is a priority, you will make it happen. If it is NOT a priority, you will let it slip. The same is true for ministry schedules, for work schedules, for making meetings and being present, for working on projects - even with those you don't like or with whom working can be difficult. If the end result is what matters to you and that is your priority - you will overlook some of the personality conflict. If the process or your own participation is your priority, you generally can become a problem yourself in the way you interact and work on a team. These conflicts may start off easily solvable and seemingly trivial. But with time, bitterness, and left unresolved - they become bigger stories in our head. They result from a sense of entitlement that people feel for your time and effort. The people assume you are available and they are upset when you are not. Or they begin to treat you differently, make comments or remarks that become increasingly aggressive or even untrue. They begin to confront you about conflicting priorities. Or they make it personal and not based on solving the issue of covering both events, both projects, or both issues. They make the issue about you and them, not ensuring both priorities are met. People really do just want you to do what they want. But, that's not always a realistic answer. you just can't operate in life that way. You still have to manage your resources and your time. You will find that in the management of your time and priorities, conflict happens. These feelings we are discussing today are a result from that privilege.
Sometimes, you have to get over yourself in ministry or work and make the end result your goal. Your personal glory, your personal recognition, and your personal pride have to, sometimes, be put on hold while you make choices for the larger community and the greater good. People in a church, that claim to be Christians are some of the very first to hurt you. Real hurt. Deep hurt. It's usually from the mouth. (James 3:5) The reality of working with other humans in business or ministry is that you may have to forego one priority, or re-prioritize, or even table it until the immediate priority is met for the greatest and farthest reaching effect. You cannot always be completely rigid in either process or policy when the end goal is a common policy, product, or event that will benefit the most people, with the most impact. Human nature is to prioritize our pet issues first and then address others. Real leaders have to weigh and balance the entirety and larger scope of a project before the needs of the few or one, or (most painful) personal goals.
What happens when workers, volunteers, team members won't compromise? What happens when they won't work together on all issues for all people for the common greater good? What happens when one team member shuts down or quits and the others have to pick up the slack? What happens when one musician in ministry will only do things when it's for larger services but not for small groups that really need help? What happens when it can't be spread across multiple people that could do a lot of good? What if it's always the same faithful workers and team members that give and work and pick up slack? If it cannot be resolved, resolutions must be made. Ties must be broken. Conversations must be had. Hard choices are made. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
[The goal, however, is intersectionality.]
That's my personal goal in my relationships, work and ministry. And it's what I work towards in my life. The rest of this is written biased from the perspective that intersectionality is the best answer to many of the tensions we feel from conflicting priorities in activism, social change, and ministry.
I don't always make my legal, political and moral stances public because I was taught not to do that. I was raised that we didn't put signs in the yard for candidates. I was raised that we don't talk TOO in depth about politics. We may be bold and proud in our faith, but we don't proselytize and abuse our faith by flaunting it. I was raised not to talk about money. And to be honest, I was raised not to ask about money. My mother thought it was rude... and it was tacky to ask people how much things cost, or where they got something, or what they believed or thought about certain topics. You smiled in public and left your dirty laundry at home! It was both the best and worst upbringing because it was a classy and nice way to be; but society has changed so much that it's become moot and kind of useless in witnessing in ministry and cutting to the chase in social reform and policy. So, needless to say...
[It's safe to say I was raised with a fair amount of privilege.]
And?? So?? What does that even mean? It means that I get certain advantages because of my color, the amount of money I have, or am assumed to have, and my education. To a degree, it means I get advantages because of my grammar and speech patterns. White men like the way other white men talk. Since there have been centuries of white people in power, it means that the speech, patterns, and social graces set forth by those in power have permeated to other races in power. That's why people that are well-spoken and use grammatical context are said to "talk white." It means that the generally accepted standard of success that I naturally fit into makes my life easier and not harder. I don't have to do the work, and then defend the fact that I did it. I just get to do the work and let it stand for merit. It means that the opportunities I've been afforded come from intangible bouts of groups of people, over generations, pushing me towards success.
I'm going to let that paragraph stand for itself. Most people are going to BALK at it and become defensive. But it's true. Now, does that mean it's been easy, or fun, or even a journey that others could complete? No. Does it mean that we are all "plug and play" as people and that we are all interchangeable? No. The fact is, I am the ONLY one that could be me. I am the ONLY one that could do what I've done. I'm the ONLY one that messed up what I've messed up. I'm the ONLY one that was there when I was a broke drunk and spiraling out of control. I'm the ONLY one that salvaged and worked on the things I've worked on. I'm the one God healed. I'm the one that God delivered and I'm the one that God saved. I'm the one that God called to be Michael K. And I'm the one that could only access what God has for me. (Jeremiah 29:11) Maybe that's privilege; but it's also pathway. It's also PURPOSE. To be me, and to have my blessings, you must also bear my curses. If you want my healing and testimony; be sure you want the disease and pain that is on the way to that victory.
That's the key to remember... everyone has issues. Everyone has been hurt. My parents were hurt by their parents, and so forth, and back generation after generation all the way down to me. Everyone has something to overcome. Mine has been confusion, self esteem, anger, and the infamous "hay bales, sweet tea, and glitter!" Being where I am now, in ministry, I am acutely aware of how I treat others IN addiction, IN sexual problems, IN alcoholism, IN a life of pain and theft, and self-medication and abuse. That's why we are to be kind and thoughtful of others. Privilege in one area doesn't mean you've not been damaged in another area. Our world and our society today talks about privilege quite a bit. If you are a straight white male, you are considered to be at the top of the food chain. You are demonized and even in some cases criminalized. Perhaps, even historically rightly so. History has made quite a case for this to be true. Straight white males do seem to be the ones that have run the world for centuries and brought us to what our society is today. But that's not the only story. That's not even the whole story. I am viewed as Caucasian and privileged, but that's not MY whole story.
[Believe me, growing up in rural Mississippi, people never passed up chances to tell you how different you were than homogenized versions of white settlers of the past.]
--Or if you were effeminate. There are men that are not these burly, butch things that like to spit and kill. They are heterosexual, and they are good men, but in areas, they area ostracized for knowing grammar and how to use dinner utensils. Or for knowing the word utensils.
--Or if you identified as gay. That's the worst thing ever these days. Christians have open license to hate gays. They are un-savable, unsalvageable creatures upon which the conservative right wing of government has unleashed it's fury. They are viewed as sub-human and undeserving of Christ. They are viewed as those that God cannot love. The word "gay" will allow Christians to overlook scripture, to ignore commands from Christ, and are the de facto punching bag for the church. That's not scriptural or what Jesus said. He died for every human alive.... even gays. He died so all humans could be saved. Personal pet peeves and prejudices cannot and will not change what God would do.
--Or mixed-race. Because if you weren't lily white and pure in the South... well, that's just not acceptable. We are pedigreed and pompous people. We are proud of our heritage and we want others to understand why DAR and SOC are important traditions. I mean, we are good looking. And old white ladies will whisper about peoples' colors and talk about just how beautiful mixed babies are... but they just know "how hard it will be on them..." Bah. It's just like we are expected to attend the American Legion benefits and join the Eastern Star so our grandparents will be proud. But not if you are not all white. If you own that, admit it or celebrate it, you're not okay. It's different today, but in the 80's it was still quite taboo. In the 60's and prior, it was considered sin. There were even men that skewed the Bible to say that black people should be slaves because of Noah's son and a curse. That was taught... in churches... in the 80's. [Ponder that for a minute.]
--Or even just quiet. Or liked something different like art. These are not status quo and as such, they are not acceptable norms of behavior.
Any anomalies were considered bad. And any anomalies gave others license for open season in bullying, in taunting, in name-calling, in locker-stuffing, in shaming, in degrading, in humiliating, in attempted-shooting (even by stepfathers that thought you'd be better dead than gay), or in the fact that if you were TOO Jesus-centric and on the fringe because you believed the words of Christ, then you were still not "conservative" because you truly believed that feeding the poor and helping the needy was a priority. [Trust me... rural Mississippi will SET YOU STRAIGHT when it comes to who gets help and who should be shunned!]
We all make assumptions. It's life. We all have our beliefs. I have mine. We even learn and grow as we age. My "hardline" beliefs from the 70s and 80's changed in the 90's. My beliefs and ideals of the 2000's into the present have changed. You assume that I am a certain way because of one outfit I wear at a work conference or at a church service. You assume that I look a certain way and get certain rewards.
--Unless I speak and someone assumes I'm gay. "Hay bales, sweet tea and glitter." And no matter how hard I try to be butcher, it's easier to be myself and let the Lord handle it.
--Unless I wear short sleeves. I NEVER get pat downs at the airport in suits. I am usually rushed through security due to my clearances. Unless I wear casual clothes or short sleeves. Then I am asked 20 questions and asked to confirm my ID information and I'm almost always "randomly" selected for a pat down. I look like prison rough trade in short sleeves, and I get treated as such.
--Unless I am asked about my beliefs. I have friends... FRIENDS... that still try to pin me down on if my beliefs are this or that and do I agree with them on scripture translations. Do I really mean to go back to the UPC? Do I really believe in Acts? Do I really think God healed me? Do I really think God delivered me from a life of unhealthy habits? People freak if you start telling the truth instead of watering it down. And they judge you.
--Unless you know my history with substances. It's not pretty.
--Unless you know my family history with drugs. It sucks when your dad's in jail for drugs.
--Unless you know that I long to be "good enough" for God - but know that it's STUPID to think any human being could be good enough. God loved us enough to make a way for us, even though we are pitiful and helpless before Him.
To assume I'm this bastion of privilege and that I lucked up and got pushed to the position I'm in is ludicrous. It's been a battle since my birth. So, don't tell me I won't understand you. I may not be able to identify as you, but I can sympathize and help where I can. I want to help. When you assume all of the above about me, you are doing exactly what you decry and don't want done to you. You want to be viewed as competent on your merit. You don't want your genitals or your sexuality or your race to be in indicator of your skill or your ability. Why do you assume any of mine were? When I offer to learn, and I offer to help and I work towards intersectionality and moving all humans forward in this world, and you want to deny my past hurts and the microaggressions committed against me; that makes me want to stop. It makes me want to pack up what little privilege I have and use it for me and my pet causes and leave you to yours. That sounds awful, but compassion exhaustion is real.
[What's your point, Michael?]
MY POINT IS: I see many memes and many calls for justice because of the stereotype of the listless and criminal black man. I see many that decry the foul nature of saying all black women are angry. Or if you have natural hair, you must be an activist. If you have dreadlocks, you must do drugs. Or if you are Hispanic with the genetic lottery winnings of olive skin and dark hair/eyes, you are in America illegally. It's sad because people really think if that's the case, you probably swam over. But Hispanic or Latino people with lighter hair or eyes are more acceptable? Or if you are white, then you are well off. Or if you are a white girl, "you can't even"... or all white guys are "frat-tastic." Or all Asains are smart. Or all Asians are good at math, or play violin... Or if you don't speak English, you hate America. Or if you are poor, you are lazy. Or if you are disabled, you are a mooch. Or if you have ever received assistance, you just didn't try hard enough. Or if you are gay, you are promiscuous. Or if you are trans, you are confused. Or if you are a Muslim, you are a terrorist. Or if you are Jewish, you are greedy. Or if you are a Christian... you are a hater of anyone different.
The human race is a genetic melting pot. The human race is the only real race. Race based on skin color is a created construct that was used for division. It was used to separate and divide and yes, for those in power, to conquer. So, why do we divide and compartmentalize one another? Why don't we all work together for a better world? A better life? A better country? A better way to treat one another?
MY POINT IS: We have to work together. Not just as Christians/Jews/Muslims, but as human beings. Not as white/black/brown/red/yellow... but as HUMANS. Not as men/women in a binary, but as HUMANS. We have to live together and work together and survive together. Yes, you may know many, many, many of us that create the stereotype of white male privilege. With our paler skin, and our ability to get or keep jobs. Our access to power and funds and control. We can help. We are not all bad. We are not all going to be evil. So, don't stereotype all of us. Unless you would like the same treatment back, that is. The exhaustion is real. And the even sadder reality is that compassion exhaustion is a real thing. Some of us do actually try to make a positive difference. We want women to succeed and to thrive. I respect, love and in some cases have even idolized women. We want races to be equal and we want merit and character to be what we consider. I would MUCH rather know that merit is the entire case in work than any other consideration, but that's because my job market calls for daily proving of new ideals and levels of tech and industry. Politics aside, it's imperative that the work is done is immaculately. That's a merit-based industry. I don't believe in being "color blind." We don't want to be blind to culture, but we want to be aware that culture aside, there are extraordinary people of all races, nations, and cultures. So, why exclude any of us from helping? When men or especially pale men, try; why lump us in with everyone else? If we are really all trying to be taken seriously by our merit and the content of our characters, why do that? Yes, I understand already that you may be tired of educating people. [Every day. All the time. About things they should already get. Yes, it's tiring and yes, it gets old.] But, for those of us willing to learn; it's disheartening to hear how we are immediately thought to be unable to know or learn. I want to help disenfranchised people. I want people to feel safe and that their citizenship brings certain responsibilities and privileges. But I don't want to feel intrusive if I'm just another stereotype that you won't work with...
MY POINT IS: When you become so rigid, and you define your success as your separation from others, you fail. Christians especially. We are NOT to be OF the world, but we are to be IN the world and a light TO the world. We as a whole have failed. We are splintered. We are not unified. UNITY will unlock many things both in the spirit and in the flesh. We pray for revival, but we don't pray for unity and wholeness. And when help is offered, we reject those that would help us. When that happens to me, it makes them want to pack up what privilege I DO have and use it for my own causes. Most people area like that. Here is a hot-topic case-in-point: Gay marriage is a white gay male issue, primarily. I don't care what anyone thinks of it morally or from a faith-based issue. I have my thoughts and you have yours and we all have ours. Right or wrong, I'm talking a civil and legal issue. And, because of the push and power behind it, it's passing... It's passing because of money and power. Think about that. DINK money, if you will... What about universal access to clean drinking water? What about the corporation that said that shouldn't be a basic human right? hat about causes for black women in America? What about access to affordable housing, childcare and the ability to try to do better with dignity and not as a charity-case? What about school to prison pipelines? How are those going? Black men being demonized, arrested or even killed just for walking down the street at night? Even further away from success. How about genetic changes to food and how the poor are kept unhealthy by fake food being cheap and healthy food being a privilege for the well off? That's not going well. How about human rights for job security? How about "at will" states and pregnant women? How about the path to legal immigration and treating human beings decently? How about people that can speak three languages and know computers but clean your toilets because you think brown people with language barriers are inferior? What about the fact that you can be arrested for feeding the homeless? How are all of these other issues going? Not so great if you ask me.
We are all splintered. We are not working together. We are rejecting help from those that are different because we require rigid acceptance and approval. I don't have to like you, love you, or agree with you to WORK WITH YOU on a better world. Your rejection of me is also a rejection of my access to privilege, power, and funding.
We have all got to remember to work together. I don't hate anyone based on differences in thought, faith, or culture. What I know is that there will always be those that I don't click with and that I am not overly fond of, but that doesn't mean we can't work together on jobs, projects, in ministry, and for a better world at large if they are not of my faith. I can love in Christ when my nature is to retreat. I am a mixed-race, recovering, celibate Christian that loves Jesus and works too much. I have strong beliefs in what I think God wants from me to be holy and to be complete in Him. But I also don't push my personal convictions and requirements onto others. I also don't believe that I should be cruel, shun, or reject others based on my personal faith and my commitment to God. And I still try to love those that are not like me. I try to love everyone and show that love because my faith in Christ commands it. My faith teaches that the love of Christ will draw people to Him and that His perfect love can save them. My heart and my life are different because of Christ. My work ethic, my pastimes, my conversation, the things I hope for and work towards are different than they used to be.
Regardless of your skin color, your hair texture, your nationality, your country of origin or your faith in a higher power, spirit or religious ideal: Be kind to others. Work with others and teach them when possible. Don't get tired of teaching others to be their best, to do their best and to work together with others to consolidate EVERYONE'S best. Use intersectionality to promote common goals and reach across faiths, and races, and priorities.
Normally, I don’t like “open letters.” But, timeliness necessitates efficiency in this scenario. So, rather than message everyone privately, or rather than make it seem more dramatic than what it is... I'll just address it all at once, publicly, and let my "yay be yay" and my "nay be nay."
Several of my friends have either called, texted, or sent messages about my recent silence. Nothing is wrong, but I’ve been quiet lately on social media for several reasons:
--I’ve been inordinately busy with work. Really. I have a few jobs and I'm swamped.
--I’ve moved houses and I’ll be blunt: that is the most soul-sucking task of which I know. I wasn't ready.
--I am dealing with some spiritual/emotional issues and learning to just submit to God’s will – which is hard for me.
--I was just taking time to regroup and kind of get my own mind in order, and my own words in order. I don't like to make blanket announcements before I have crossed my "t's" and dotted my "i's." I don't like to be caught making an announcement before I've done my homework or signed my contracts. And I don’t like it when others make weird statuses about “I’m taking a break” or “I’m cutting my friends list” or even “There’s so much negativity.” Rather than be a hypocrite (because you have ALL seen me call those types out) I just took a break and handled my business(es).
But I am going to address this fully: I have gotten very, very positive feedback and lots of reinforcement about my life journey from last year to this year. And I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to my family and to my friends. Really. My mother and my sister have been invaluable. There are some sources of outreach and support I NEVER thought I'd get. And to be honest, there has been some reconciliation and outreach from old friends and even ministers that I NEVER thought I'd speak with again. My long term support system has been amazing to me. Friends really are the greatest treasures. I am MORE than blessed with people that love me. And I’m truly lucky enough to have new friends and support as well. Tampa Bay has become home. But...to be honest, there’s also been negative feedback. Some people think I am too “Jesus-y” and that I have just taken it TOO far. That’s okay, too. It’s okay for you to feel that way, and it’s okay for me to do it. You’d likely be just as vocal and write just as much about it if you’d been healed and if you’d been delivered and if you’d been given a new lease on life. However you need to feel and whatever you need to do is fine. Mute my feed. Feel free to unfriend me on this platform. Facebook to me is a tool to accomplish a means. It is by NO means my only source of reality or truth. And I don’t get offended by being unfriended or muted, or blocked. I’m kind of grown that way. It doesn’t mean we can’t sit down for a drink, or coffee, or I won’t hug your neck when I see you in person.
All of that being said, it’s the perfect segue for me to use this platform to publicly announce that I’ve surrendered to the call of the ministry, in whatever form that takes in my future. My close friends and even just those that read my writings know I’ve squandered quite a bit of time in my life. But this is a natural progression for me; and it is one I will not take lightly, or will I ever turn away from again. Luckily for me, God’s callings and gifts are without repentance. The anointing is still as strong and the way God works through me is better than ever. God and His love are infallible and unconditional.
Truly.
And, frankly, I’ve had candid conversations with mentors and with my pastor about my initial lack of enthusiasm for anything more than just “being back in church.” This is more than a “find something good to do with your hands…” or “hand to the plow” situation. I kind of begged God to get out of it (if I am being transparent in my own journey), but the resounding answer has been that God placed me where He wanted me, and I’m to work in the Harvest. It’s hard to decline such an invitation (er, command) after the year I’ve had with the digestive issues, cancer, and complete recovery for my health and spiritual issues. Complete recovery.
I’ve been privileged to find myself in a great church and am sitting under a wonderful pastor for this season in my life. I miss my family and I miss Jackson, but I’m also positioned well to secure my job, and my finances to the point to where I can be a minister, in whatever capacity I’m asked to serve. God wants us to bloom where we are planted and work where we are called. Currently, I am working in two ministries with music and teaching at my church and loving every, single minute. Whatever comes, and whatever has to happen in my life to accomplish these, I’ve been really, really blessed to be armed with the support team and resources in this time of my life and during these transitions.
Hope that clears some of it up. Nothing's wrong. I'm not being quiet on purpose. I won't quit giving all credit to God for the changes in my life. I won't quit talking about Jesus and I will continue even further in ministry and in working with whatever I'm asked to do. Can't get much better than that for a second chance. (or third, or fourth... or fifth... or maybe sixth or seventh...)
#DailyProverbs 10:9: "Honest people are safe and secure, but the dishonest will be caught." My grandmother always told us to tell the truth, even when it hurt us. We were to be honest, deal honestly, make an honest living, be honest to our parents, be honest in our daily existence. That's just who she was and she instilled it in my, that to be "right" you had to be honest.
[I, being typical me, would question about what happens when we are NOT honest.]
I like to tell stories and any southerner can tell you, some stories just require embellishment. I don't embellish much, but I don't just tell bland, and lifeless tales either. But, that aside, she would note that God will deal with the dishonest, the thieves, the liars, the double-dealers and those that take advantage of the weak. This was 35 years ago. Imagine what she'd think of the complicated nature of government, politics and business today???
[No one is a good guy.]
No one is automatically the white-hat. No one is the clear "good guy" anymore. If you save women and poor people, you tend to use drones to bomb other countries' women and poor. If you stand for being faithful to your religion, you tend to bash others' religion(s). There is no clear "good or honest" anymore. Well, I think my #MamawSue would tell me that's simply not true. We know inside ourselves when something doesn't feel like we are doing our best or when we are not being true to our faith, our ideals, our ethics, our morality... our standards.
I had $1357 dollars stolen from me this week in a thwarted attempt to steal my identity and to use my accounts. At first, I was just mad. I was so mad that someone would steal from me, and try it in a way that didn't just steal, but would harm me. I felt exposed, vulnerable and compromised. Plus, I travel EVERY DAY for work now and I needed that money. I need it to move about the country, eat, and work until my reimbursements are in. So, while I may have "a lot" of money, it's not liquid and it's already earmarked for use. This was just so annoying. I also know that money is the easiest place to attack someone when you want to cause real stress. Money is the number one cause of divorce. Money is the number once cause for families to break apart. Just watch the children of a rich person upon their death. The fight begins with the dividing of assets. It's easy to live right, and be holy and shout properly when your money is fine. It's harder when your money is funny.
Now, I know that it is easy enough to return the money to me. It's easy enough to fill out the affidavits, file the police report, and wait the long, and tiring business days before I can use that (needed) money. Overall, this was the "best case" for this "type" of crime that the police and bank had seen, according to the bank. (Thank God, because I didn't lose my Holy Ghost, and I didn't even say the F word. But it was CLOSE during one moment.) The bank was polite, the card company was polite, the people that need money from ME have been understanding, and even HELPFUL as to why all of my cards and my bank account is frozen and why my bank is calling in every single purchase to verify. And this is only in STOPPING the action. The next steps will be re-issuing charge plates, and re-connecting all of the auto-pay accounts and setting up the monthly payments that I take for granted in running my life smoothly. It is annoying and it could have made me be pretty curt and ugly with several vendors, the bank, the authorities, etc... All of the bureaucracy that goes with ensuring our "identity." I even claimed to one poor woman, "But I'M the victim here and the innocent one. I'm the one having to pore over my accounts and worry about my money." The cops are wanting me to wait it out and help them catch someone.
[I want justice, but here is where conviction and "honesty" and God's voice come into play...]
God started talking to me. I started getting SUPER annoyed with God. God, who already knows all of this... was asking me... Why did this person do this? Who is this person? What drove them to the point to where they wanted to take from someone? Was it for necessity? Was it for luxury? Was it laziness in work? I mean, to do the kind of things this person did isn't lazy. It takes skill. Why are they not hacking corporate systems and running IT departments? If they were just hungry, why not hold up a shop and get food? If it was for luxury, what in their mind got so twisted that they thought theft was the best way to enjoy the finer things? The bank was useless and the cops... well, I love and respect people, but the "PoPo" and I haven't always been close. I did reverse traces based on the info, tracked the location and tracked the people. THEN God told me not to press charges.
[WHA??? What, God? What did you just say to me?]
See, if I press charges, this person is gone. And what they did took talent and some skill. Now, I get my money back regardless. I get my restoration, regardless. I get to move on, regardless. But, this is a felony. This is grand larceny and a Class D Felony, and because it crosses state lines, it's even worse. I'm not saying this person doesn't deserve it. I'm saying that I think they crossed my path for a reason. Maybe they need some kind of chance, like God gave me second chances (I never did theft or compromised someone's ID, but still... I have been given second chances by God.) Maybe they need to know that they are not "throw away" and that someone could give something other than hate or cold justice. Maybe some mercy is in order. So, I told them I'd not press charges, and I'd like to be involved in rehabilitating the person, if that was an option. Or to find out what level of skill they had and see where they may fit in somewhere, if and when that were an option. Maybe they could do some real good somewhere. Isn't that what we're called to do as ministers of reconciliation?
Want some chill bumps? The MINUTE I finished deciding that, and communicating that, some of the "annoying" things that would require jumping through hoops for my week/weekened without cash called me. Not only did they understand, but they would just give me a free month for past service and help me reconnect all of the accounts when my new ones were set up after this. Um, okay. People that I called to say I couldn't pay, suddenly offering free stuff? Following God's voice in helping someone will never leave you stranded. God told me to do something that I thought I couldn't. I did it anyway, and suddenly, I, too, got blessed in the process. And throughout, I got to tell the bank, the police, and two stores why they were outplayed by someone, I found them, and I got to witness about mercy to a bank and the police in a situation where they normally see people at their worst and most vindictive. I still can't believe it myself.
#MamawSue would be proud, I'm sure. She'd be happy I was "honest" in my dealings and that hoping for the best in another human, even when they may not be at their best, or show their best, is being honest with God and with ourselves. What do you need to be honest with yourself about today? What do you need to be honest with God about? What do you need to be honest with other humans about? Maybe... you are the thief in this story. Maybe you need to make amends. Maybe you are like me in this story. Maybe you need to make room for forgiveness and mercy to someone.
This is the second blog in a series of finding your
contentment. In the first part, The Secret of Contentment – Part One, I was
(upon re-reading it) somewhat negative. And it can read like it was imploring
you to believe the worst in everything. And, after careful review, I was still
completely correct; if however, a bit blunt and straightforward. Also, notice I
said this is about “finding” your contentment. Contentment isn’t made, like
there is a recipe; it’s found. It’s already there; like it’s buried treasure. Obviously,
I get impassioned when I speak about topics, but I like passion.
[I like loving life again. Being close to the
grave will do that to you.]
I like being “involved” in my own life. That
makes me happy – makes my life an enjoyable and never-boring endeavor. It’s
better to be involved than to feel like your life is unmanageable and that you
are just drifting along a current, which you can’t do anything except hold on
and worry. But, I am beginning to understand that not everyone operates that
level of activity, care, and that level of interest. I even “get” why. It can
be quite exhausting to always be high-functioning. But, being that involved and
doing the things I do are part of my contentment. It reminds me that I am no
longer a passive viewer of my life. I don’t merely watch what others do to me,
and then wonder why I feel powerless. I don’t merely allow the course of my
life to be directed by external circumstance, and then wonder why I feel lost
and confused. William Carey was a great preacher that noted, “Expect great
things FROM God. Attempt great things FOR God.” I love that. When you are
active in your life, you become better informed about your life.
[Re-read that.]
Yes, when you take part in your life, you are
better informed. You make better decisions. You make better choices. You lay
the foundation to be content… even if you are not “there,” you can be content
in the journey towards your goals. However, aimless drifting? No. No plans or
cares about where you end up? No. No way to have system of “roots” in family
and friends to support you and remind you of who you really are? No. Like Carey
implied, God will give you great things. You will do great things. Believe
that. Live like that. Once you do, you’ll be amazed at the things that start
happening in your life and the sense of self, sense of purpose and sense of
contentment that flood you, and your situation.
I will further use this to elaborate my point: “But,
Michael, how can we be content in this day and age? If you are not
exceptionally thin, ultra-rich or uber-talented… you can hang it up. Right?”
Wrong. In the age where everything is a superlative, is anything really
special? Everyone takes a picture of every meal and every cup of coffee and
posts it. They claim it’s the BEST they have ever had. Most people live in such
un-noticed luxury that they don’t realize they get depressed when they live a
“normal” day. If you just get up, pray, eat breakfast, go to work, eat lunch,
go to work, go to happy hour, meet friends, go home, eat dinner, clean your
house and get ready to do it all over again… THAT is suddenly drudgery. That
USED to be the American Dream. Now, if you are not strikingly good looking,
eating, drinking and wearing the best and taking a private car to a friend’s Lear
and jetting off to some exotic locale, then your life isn’t great and you are
not “successful.” And I buy that to a degree. I balk when I fly coach. I balk
when I have to wait more than four minutes for a gourmet coffee that used to be
my whole week’s lunch money. We look at what media sells us as the top of
success. That’s a minimum of looking a certain way, making a certain amount of money;
living is a certain amount of square footage, and then UPPING that amount
annually. We raise the bar every year so that where we were a few years ago
(perfectly happy with our lives and friends) we would now not be content. Some
might say, “Michael, you have to strive for more, for better, right?”
If you read the first part of this, I leave us
with hope in Christ after I point out a pretty bleak landscape. But, let’s take
this down a notch… from national politics and personal responsibility for
national epidemics in murder, morality, and finance to your church experience,
to your personal experience.
We, as a people lash out at society because we
are unhappy personally. We crave attention, recognition, and we want to be
involved. But, involvement is something that isn’t always a “right.” Sometimes
you need to earn your recognition. And what if you don’t get what you feel you
“deserve.” What of your contentment then? What is your motivation? What is your
initial drive? How and why you begin something will lay the foundation for the peace
you experience during any project, and will also drive the contentment you feel
upon completion.
--Do you have to feel heard?
--Are your voice and your opinion the only
“right” one(s)?
--Do you need to have your vision accomplished
for the project to be a success?
I ask these for very pointed reasons. Whether in
business, in the organization of a church, or even in your social circles…
people take these things seriously. People, yes, need to feel heard. But that’s
from a managerial standpoint and ensuring that you value people. That’s HR and
business 101. But there is a converse… why volunteer if your main goal is
recognition? Why let pride and the need to be in control be the reason you feed
hungry people? Why let the need to feel valued and talented be the reason you
simply MUST be a praise singer, even if you miss one Sunday a month and there
are faithful, more talented singers that would truly worship vs. be on
platform? Why let your service be diluted? Re-ask yourself those same
questions:
--Do you “have” to feel heard? Or are you
content within yourself that you are on your best path? Do you need that
validation, or can you have the confidence in yourself that you have given your
best?
--Are your voice and your opinion the only
“right” one(s)? Do you accept collaboration? Are you open to others’ advice or
opinions? If you are not open, why? What is empty inside you that you must be
the savior of a project? What is driving the need for you to have the only
valid opinion?
--Do you need to have your vision accomplished
for the project to be a success? If things that are not your way, or your
vision for a project, a ministry, an outing, where to go eat, what movie to
watch, where to vacation, etc… if any of the things are not your vision, why is
that wrong? Not just finding consensus and realizing that we must all
compromise from time to time, but if it must always adhere to your way, why?
There is something missing if you need that constant control to be content.
I say something is missing because there are
people that cannot function if any kind of deviation is taken. You ask for a
day off, the boss says, we need you this day, but here is another. That’s never
good enough. Or, you offer to do x, y, and z at church, but they have plenty of
people that volunteered for that. So, can you help here? No, no… that’s not
what they want to do. I suppose I could say this: Not EVERY person is meant for
EVERY ministry. Contentment is not only doing your best, but knowing your
place. I will never be happy teaching children’s church. I’d rather go ahead on
and be crucified with the Lord than wipe noses, explain why sharing is
important or pretend that a handprint is a turkey. Literally, I’ll just go
ahead to Glory. Now, if God called me to do it, and God convicted my heart, and
God put that in my path… I’d do it. And if, in fact, there was a vacancy and I
was asked to help, then I would. But WHY would God make a hand or an eye be a
foot? Somebody that loves children, can answer 8072 questions about why, why,
why, and would be a perfect fit would be God’s best choice. Likewise, I have
talents to do lots of things, and when called upon or asked, I do them. That’s
what God expects. And then there are your callings. When God calls you do
something, you may not love it in your own strength, or your flesh, but you may
love that you feel like you are in God’s will. That may be motive enough. I say
all of that to say this… you’ll be content, if you know where you are supposed
to be, and you are working to be there. I don’t love to sing tenor, but I get
put there a lot. Why? I can hear tenor and sing it. I’d rather sing lead or
bass. I don’t love piano, but I play piano a lot. I am good at piano. I am
better at piano than keys, strings, or organ. However, I LOVE to play organ.
Organ music is my passion. I could listen to it on recordings, I could play it,
I can hear it live. It touches me. It’s something I just lean in towards. But
generally, I am usually singing or playing piano. I LOVE to be in small group
Bible study and talk for hours at coffee shops, but I’m usually in choir or on
the road… And God uses me daily on the road to reach people I’d normally never
reach. So, do I pout? Do I complain? No. It’s not about me, or my preference,
or even my “likes.” It’s not about you. I don’t just absolutely LOVE doing
technical reviews of systems, but it’s something I’m good at, so it usually
just gets handed to me, regardless of the team I’m working with. Working where
you are needed and filling needs are not always something that we are
passionate about. It’s not always this thing where we run through a field of
flowers, feeling fresh, and the temperature is 72 degrees with the perfect
sunny day and low UV, and minimal cloud cover and… and… and…
[Nothing is perfect, nothing is set.]
But… are you where you need to be? I didn’t say “want.”
Are you… YOU… where YOU need to be? If you are not where you need to be, are
you moving towards where you need to be? There is no failure in not being there
yet, because you can’t have failed until you are in the grave, having never
been where you should have. But, that’s not my point. My point is… are YOU
taking an active part in the direction of YOUR life? Are you working towards
your callings, your passions? Or are you only stressing? Do you get stressed
and worried over whether every whim and like you have are filled?
[Shut up, Michael.]
You know exactly what I mean. You did a great
job on a report at work. You did your part perfectly, and your team members did
great on theirs. The project gets kudos. Is the team getting a “good job” good
enough? Or do you need to be called out and recognized? I know people that will
need a plaque of recognition and to be especially noted, or they will literally
talk about it for the next one hundred meetings. We all like recognition, and
we all like words of affirmation, but you need to take a realistic look at
yourself… if you are a team member, and the team gets kudos… that’s yours, too.
Or if you were the leader, or contributed significantly more, I could see
wanting it. But usually, those people share the recognition anyway. As a
leader, I always pass credit to the team, I couldn’t do it all without them. Contentment
is not complicated. Contentment is knowing that you are doing what you are
supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it, and doing your best
at that. You will not be content, and you should not be content if you are
calling in your performance, and allowing every circumstance to buffer you about
your own course of life. But, don’t despair. Contentment is possible. It’s
attainable, but it’s not cheap, it’s not free, and it’s not something you trip
and fall into.
[What do you mean it’s not cheap?]
The most expensive thing you can do is take
responsibility for yourself. It’s hard. It costs time, effort, and sweat. But
you have to take responsibility for yourself. Granted, and I mean this
facetiously, but there is a grain of truth, “It’s not your fault you want to
sin, you were born sinful.” That is a true statement. It is NOT your fault you
want to sin. Sin is fun. Sin is abundant. Sin is prevalent. Sin is readily
available. God understands that you are sinful… God understands this so much that
He prepared multiple ways over the passage of time to reconcile your sinful
nature with Him. He made a garden. Nope, we couldn’t do that. We need that fruit
from that tree and we needed that confirmation. Granted, I don’t delve into the
complex theological issues at work there. There are HORDES of people that blame
God anyway. Yet, regardless of what happened, and regardless of the blame game
and the fact that HE receives the majority of the ire and vitriol from this, He
reached out and created a system by which he had a people. God still reached
out. They were HIS people. And we still couldn’t cope. Thanks, God, for the
system of sacrifice, and thanks for claiming us and working with us, but… how
about no. We heard about the garden and we are pissed. So, He wiped the face of
the Earth clean. He repopulated and worked with mankind to establish boundaries
and work through prophets. We killed them. We rejected them. We stoned them. He
was silent. He “took a break” from His relationship with man, if you will.
Well, we didn’t like that either. So, “his” people decided they’d set up some
rules, and see who could be the best. But, it turns out, that Type-A-law-lovers
did not mind learning the rules and pointing out every behavior that our
neighbor could not abide.
[NOTE: Have you ever stopped to consider if the
Pharisees were happy? Were they happy with their prayer shawls, special knots,
and rules? Do you think they enjoyed the ritual, or did they long for a
relationship? What was the need to watch every law, but not have it inside?
Lots of people follow the rules, but they don’t have the relationship. You may
have a standard, but do you have the substance?]
God, regardless of omniscience, created a system
by which to atone for sin. And think about how that feels. You people in bad
relationships know how that feels. When your partner or spouse is cheating and
you know it. You KNOW something is coming. Something bad is coming, but you can’t
stop it. You can’t control them, they won’t be honest, they lie, and you feel
it. You know it. But it just keeps coming. God knew we’d cheat on him. God knew
we’d abandon Him, not the other way around. Nope, we couldn’t keep up. He saw
our struggle. He saw that we could not make it. Enter Jesus. Enter the divine,
holy, eternal Creator wrapped in flesh. God came to Earth, lived as a man
through Jesus and became the ultimate atonement for our sin and separation from
God. We, lost and hopeless, cannot become good enough within ourselves. You
will never be content if you think YOU have the power to save yourself. You
will never be content if you think YOU have to change yourself, and become
“good enough” to commune with God. You will ruin your efficiency and
affectability within the Kingdom of God if you think YOU have any worth in and
of yourself. Your contentment will be based in the flesh, and you will never be
satisfied. You can’t grow your hair long enough, you can’t be strict enough,
you can’t have enough liberty, you can’t prove that you don’t have to obey man,
you can’t prove that you do, you and your ideas and your thoughts and your
efforts and your results will NEVER be the answer. If you only depend on YOUR
strength, you will fail. God is the answer. God has the power. God has the
reason.
Your contentment is based on the fact that, even
though unworthy, you are loved.
Your contentment is based on the fact that, even
though unwarranted, you are saved.
Your contentment is based on the fact that, even
though unmerited, you are favored.
Yet, we want an out for the blame of sin. We
blame God for our nature. We blame Eve, because surely… it’s her fault that we
are in this mess, right? Or, let’s blame Adam. He should have led his family better
or maybe if he had Adam, or a combination. Feminists will always say Eve got a
bad rap. Men feel justified in saying that it’s a woman’s fault that we all
don’t live in paradise and run around “nekkid.” But that’s high level. You
don’t want to submit to a pastor, because he’s only human, even though God uses
humans to accomplish the divine.
[Okay.]
You don’t want to follow personal convictions
because they are inconvenient – even though no one has forced anything on you.
That’s why they are called “personal” convictions. You don’t want standards of
holiness because you feel they are man-made to make women suffer – so you
follow them but you are bitter and might as well be running the aisles in
thongs and cut hair if that’s your attitude. Sacrifice and standards mean
nothing without substance behind them. Just like substance can be there, but if
you feel even a twinge of conviction… you should have some real, hard talks
with God about what you need to do in your life. But we are told NONE of this
is our own fault, our own problem. We carry no responsibility. Why do we even
preach repentance for sin, if we don’t really commit sin? Why should we talk
about how “we try hard and that’s what matters” when the fact is. Your
thoughts, your beliefs, and your hope does not equal what you DO. What you DO
matters. What you DO is what is real. We distance ourselves from the
confrontation and the difficult. If God comes on too strong, we chalk that up
to “bondage” and need a pill to calm the anxiety we feel. I know several
holiness, pure-blood, born and raised, xth-generation Pentecostals that can’t
make it through a service without a mood stabilizer. They don’t love it. They
don’t want it. And that’s not contentment. That nagging feeling in the back of
our minds… we can’t name it, we cannot pinpoint what is causing it, we just
feel “off.” Something is amiss. Something is not right.
[Duh. It’s God.]
We’ve been told that it’s some type of
instability, anxiety, or even just that we can’t focus. But, you think your
conscience is just an overactive guilt complex that society made? Will taking that
pill really help you? Do you think that voice from God, guiding you is
insanity? I mean, you really know what this is, right? There is a difference
between someone that is truly mentally ill (that needs meds), and someone that
is just too ill-equipped and lazy to confront their own emotions and internal
relationship with themselves and with God. And you have to be confident in know
that difference. How will we EVER be content in this world, in this chaos? How
can we find any peace and contentment when everything we are surrounded by is
built to make us unhappy with ourselves and need to spend money we don’t have
to buy things we don’t need to fill voids we can’t fill to find peace we can’t
create? We can’t. We won’t. Not of ourselves and not “within” ourselves. But I
am going to go through Philippians chapter 4 and show you that regardless of
your circumstance, regardless of your situation, regardless of where you find
yourself – you can be content. You can have peace.
Part Three is coming… ツ✔
Cheers,
#JustBeingMichael ツ
This is one of the hardest blogs I've ever written. Mainly, because I've had to soul search what I really believe and if I am truly "happy" or if I'm really "content." That's a raw look in the mirror to have to take. I've also had to search out my spiritual beliefs and if I am "really" applying those to my daily life. Also, because this will be a multi-part series blog, I don't like to always point out the negative, but this first piece is setting the stage for our current state of affairs and how we can be content, even in the middle of chaos. So, read at your own risk and realize...
Contentment is a hard word to really work with. You never really hear contentment talked about. Peace is the poster child for Christian mental well-being. Contentment is the one we gave up on and sold down the river. The world offered us some bling and we bought it. Even songs rally around peace, but you never really hear contentment in songs. Lanny Wolfe wrote “My House Is Full” and that is the only song I know that has the word contentment in the verse. Maybe it’s just harder word with which to rhyme. We feel pressure to be content, yet the world around us is always pressing us to be discontent. We claim peace as our promise from God, but we leave contentment to our whims and choose to say we will be content LATER in our lives, once accomplishments and goals have been achieved. But we won’t take responsibility for our contentment. Our society has evolved to the point that we bear no personal responsibility for our actions.
Let me paint a picture for you of why we are discontent, it’s easy: we are told to be discontent. I could technically end this here, but some folks will need examples. We are told we are not good enough, not smart enough. We are told we need to make more money, lose more weight, spend more, work less, and promote the path of least resistance. We are told that if we differ in any way, then we don’t fit and we are “wrong.” We are told that anything less than homogenization is an aberration. We are told to strive for the exact, cookie-cutter level of success, want, and path – or we don’t love our fellow man, our country, or our God. And most of us are miserable. We can get everything we want, and usually very quickly, but we are not content most of the time.
Food? 30 years ago, a good meal took hours of preparation. Now, we get antsy if we have to wait 5 minutes for gourmet. Are you content?
We eat American-sized portions. They are literally 1.5-2.5 times the size of FDA portions from 20 years ago – are you content?
We wear American-sized clothes. We keep altering the tags on the clothes so we “don’t feel bad” about our bodies. Sizing charts from Europe to America vary. Now, they vary from retailer to retailer. We all know that a size at American Eagle is different at Hollister is different at Pac Sun is different at a boutique store. Are you content?
We get everything delivered, but WOE to the driver that is more than 4 minutes late. Are you content?
Hold music? No thank you, I’ll enter my number and have you call me back when my turn in queue is up. Are you content?
Do you feel like having an expensive toy NOW? Well, charge it. Pay later, or never depending on your circumstances. Are you content?
If you don’t have the latest smart phone, just have your provider break out the cost over several months on a payment plan. You NEED an $800 phone that is meant for traveling professionals. You need to check your email and be able to blog and take photos and instantly share your thoughts to a world of strangers. It’s not your fault – you felt pressure to be like everyone else. Aren't you content?
Tired of corporate greed? Aren’t we all! Let’s just default on the contracts we signed. If you cannot pay your bloated mortgage, it’s the banks’ faults for giving you a line of credit, not yours for not managing your money. Are you content?
Outraged at your student debt? No one should have to work for an education, that’s just absurd… you should be forgiven that debt instead of paying the debt you signed your name on a contract to pay. Be content.
Oh, was it an exorbitant and unfair deal to begin with? I didn’t realize that knowingly signing contracts and agreements that you didn’t intend to honor was still okay, just because you morally disagree with the lender. Are you content?
While you are in school… don’t worry that the self-same education you feel entitled to is being squandered. Are you content?
Don’t worry about grades, spelling, grammar, diction, facts, and “the curve.” It’s the professor’s fault for expecting YOU to know and grasp English, right? Be content.
Michael Kennedy! You can't say that! It's practically racist if you expect someone to sit in an American classroom and know the language of the country in which you are being taught!!!! (Some white right-wingers will AMEN this without thinking! ‘Merica!) Are you content?
I hope those people didn't "Amen!" too loudly, because I don’t mean Mexicans and Blacks not knowing English or using Ebonics. I mean uppity white kids that are so lazy they cannot speak or write their own native language, in a country where they are afforded every privilege possible to be able to do so. In my mind, you are the racist for automatically connecting non-whites to lower expectations for education and presentation of language skills. Are you content?
No one "likes" dead kids. No one "likes" murder, street violence, gang violence, and no one "likes" school shootings… But we cannot continue to be devastated every month because people refuse to believe the cause. Speeding is regulated. Pharmacology is regulated. Beverage consumption is regulated. Why is this even an issue? Maybe... I mean, it's like rational people just throw everything out the window. Don’t worry so much about mental health checks and waiting periods because Jim Bob needs to be able to get his gun TODAY. That’s just the American way. As long as we shuck and jive and just blame a few folks here and there and let those kids keep dying, it'll all blow over, right? It’s only a few crazies here and there doing all the killing – NOT normal God-fearing, sane folks. Could you be more content?
Or let's overlook the fact that they seem to have unlimited access to those weapons. Or let’s overlook the fact that it’s almost always white, religious males that do the shootings. Or let's overlook the fact that it’s almost always religious white males that wage most wars of any kind. Point: Just because you are religious doesn't mean you know Jesus. Are you content yet?
Oh, Michael, you have gone too far now! How would you feel if someone held you up at gunpoint and robbed you or killed you or raped you? Well... to be honest... I’d feel awful. I’d feel robbed and raped. Just like you would feel awful, robbed, and raped if that person did that to you, did so with a gun they got easily, the day they got out of prison instead of making it as hard as possible to be a law-abiding gun owner through background checks and following up on crazy folks. Be content.
Don’t like that you have found yourself unhealthy, overweight, and disease-ridden after years of chemicals, fake food, and any and every vice you ever encountered? Don’t blame yourself for picking up a cigarette and getting cancer – you are NOT at fault! Take comfort in the fact that it’s your genes, and your poor family’s socioeconomic status. If you had only been a little richer, you could have been exposed to better habits! And the company that made those things are at fault for providing them to you. They should pay! Are you content?
Ugh, "those" people on welfare are just moochers and they should be taught a lesson for expecting handouts! Let's compare them to animals and the "No Feeding" signs at zoos, instead of respecting them as created and designed creatures of God. Let's make sure that we teach them that handouts are not the way! Handouts and welfare only breed dependence and failure! Just like every major car corporation under the last three presidents and every bank under the last 2 presidents!!! Teach people that if they can’t make it on their own, if they make poor financial choices that negatively affect their long term fiscal health, then they don’t deserve to be saved! Leave it up to a free market and capitalism, right, Corporate America??!?! Hello? Just me? Are you content?
McDonald's should be sued for selling burgers that make people fat! It’s not YOUR fault you ate 3 a day for 10 years! You cannot be expected to care, know, or control what goes in your mouth. Remember that $800 phone you got on credit through your cellular provider and the $45 a month for data? Well, you have access to the entire knowledge base of humanity in the palm of your hand. Don’t plead ignorance. You can Google song lyrics, statistics, jail terms per crime, your favorite sports statistics, your local wages and tax credits per child. You can watch your favorite television, tweet your experience, look at a stranger's genitals, and calculate how much you won't be tipping with that plastic device - but you can’t look up cheap, healthy meal alternatives? You didn’t eat right because it wasn’t important until it was too late. Don’t blame anyone but yourself now. Just be content.
If you don’t like your spouse, then don't worry. You can get rid of them. Do they want you to treat them well? Do they expect you to be home, help around the house, and take an active role in your relationship? Ugh, what a drain on your emotional reservoir. Leave them. They should have known better than to age or change physically. They should have known better than to act bewildered and confused when YOU changed after a decade. Trade them in on a younger model! Most marriages are just starter marriages now anyway, right? Forget those pesky “vows.” Contentment is just a secretive rendezvous away! Be content.
Don’t want to be faithful? You don’t have to be! Monogamy is a fake creation. We are animals, programmed to just drop and rut on any street corner as the mood hits. Don’t worry about consent or faithfulness. I mean, male privilege and "rape culture" are just touchy-feely words that man-hating liberal lesbians made up, right? If you are in heat, or you have a need, fill it. Better yet... the real key is to have an open relationship OR just don’t get caught cheating. That solves so many pesky questions and issues. If you don’t get caught, it didn’t happen. If you DO get caught, just use the phrase, "God made us sexual creatures; therefore, He obviously knew what He was in for with mankind." That’s not your fault. You can’t be expected to control you mind or your body. Are you finding contentment?
Don’t want to be bothered with societal niceties? Blame the latest boutique syndrome. There is something for everyone… if you are hyper, shy, slow, lazy, have thin eyelashes, want less cramps, can’t focus, can’t cry your own tears, don’t like bread, like bread too much… whatever. All of it is able to be solved with a focus group, a pill, a few side effects and the following class action law suit. Are you content?
If you don’t like your child’s behavior, they need a pill. Children, at the genetic level of their cells are predisposed to be hyper, loud and find the world infinitely interesting. It's their mitochondria and the Kreb's cycle. They have many times more mitochondria at birth than they ever will at death. And, sadly for us and the aging process, mitochondria do not replenish as we get older. That's why as the cells don't create any more, people get slower, more tired, less interested, and it becomes harder to learn, assimilate, file, and then retrieve information. Children are practically wired to be inquisitive and want to know things. But, if they won't be quiet, or want you to participate in their journey through the world, they must just be oppositional and need a pill. Don’t worry about taking a moment to educate them and explain that just because they see you act like a demon to servers, wait staff, the help, and people in labor jobs doesn’t’ mean THEY get to act that way to people. They will repeat every action they see, even if buried for years. Are you content with your children?
If your child sees you disparage and malign your own parents, why do you act so upset when they speak like that to you? It's not your fault that you are already overextended emotionally, so it’s not your fault that you chose to procreate and be responsible for another human’s emotional and mental development. Clearly it's the childrens' fault that the world is worse and that society is in free fall. They are the ones that changed the world, not the adults in charge, right? Are we content?
If you cannot shoehorn your poor behavior into a syndrome, don’t worry! The answer is to just blame the action of another of THEIR syndrome and say you had no choice to but to react poorly, and that your actions are dictated by others. You cannot control yourself, you are at the mercy and whim of how others act. Are you content?
Don’t like your latest syndrome? Take a pill.
Don’t like the side effects, blame big pharma…
…the list goes on and on, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
We are a society that has found ourselves hurtling towards chaos… quickly. But we don’t know why and we cannot seem to apply the brakes. Nothing is no one’s fault anymore. There is no personal responsibility for anything you do, say, or fail to do. (Unless you are on the opposite side of our two-party partisan political arena, THEN, it’s ALL the fault of the other side, right?) I mean, if you believe in personal responsibility and liberty, then you MUST hate poor people and don’t believe in public assistance. Or if you believe in helping people that are down on their luck, or going through a tough period, you must be someone that promotes dependence and welfare queens. Let’s say a single mom that had a military husband that died and the government paid them nada, then you must be a liberal hippie that wants to give all your money away, right? (I mean, Michael, do not be absurd - THAT situation is fine. Military wives are practically saints that should be revered.) It’s only bad to help out single moms if they are black sluts that have lots of babies – THEN it’s just ridiculous to ensure that those children are cared for. Or if they are the spouse of a fallen soldier that was part of a same sex couple. Those freaks can forget it, too. Forget that some are never taught any better and were trapped in propagating a cultural cycle. No, I think we all agree that only tragedy-befallen-white-women deserve consideration and help. Tragedy cannot befall men, so, if you have a penis, you also are judged differently and shamed if you need help. All others should be shamed and ignored for doing all they knew to do with what they had.
Pshaw!!!! We’ve been had! Money making is the name of the game now. Corporations, and through their lobbying efforts, the government at large drive society based on financial markets and fiscal bottom lines. They want to separate families. Michael, that's just silly... except for the fact that if you are divorced that's TWO houses, two sets of energy bills, two sets of Christmas, birthdays, etc. You have more vehicles, transporting more kids using more gas to get to more places. They want whites and blacks to NOT band together. Just look at the number of coalitions, jobs, marketing, and "separate but equal" way they do schools and colleges and jobs and "clubs" and drag shows and food and places of interest. I mean, just this week I read an article on why white atheists don't care about the black atheist experience. That's crazy. We cannot believe that we are just an atheist... we have to compartmentalize people to the most granular level or we are "not fitting in to OUR people." That didn't come from WITHIN us. We are taught that. We are brainwashed to believe that. They want gays and straights to hate one another. They want men and women to be at odds. They want parents and kids to not get along, poor and rich to feel ill at ease. Don’t you see how many jobs, books, talk shows, self-help seminars, wars, companies, real estate, creams, and surgeries, make up, hair products… all of this chaos employs a lot of people. Those people work for peanuts and the majority of the profits make a lot of money for a few. WHY would they change that, promote the "right" thing to do, and give that up? Think about that slowly.
Let the horror of that sink in...
Every time you really get riled up by a lie, a fake picture or statistic on Facebook, and you begin thinking about whatever is making you upset… you spend money. You may not even realize it. And it is ruining this country! You don't even realize that you will spend money on it. But it doesn’t go directly to the cause. Don’t be misled. There are overhead bills to pay. Executives, directors, managers, promotional ads, television spots, and further “spin” on whatever take they need to make extreme enough for you to spend even more money. It especially confuses me when people that are middle class whites agree with this stance. When you get told that it's black welfare queens that are taking the most money, and you buy into that, you then vote for the guy that taxes YOU the most, takes YOUR money, and gives the MOST of it to billionaires, themselves, and government. THEN they still give some to welfare. YOU are the one still paying? WHY would you NOT vote for the guy that makes the billionaire corporations PAY their FAIR share of the taxes they owe? You are essentially voting against yourself and you are essentially falling victim to the lie that big business and government are trying to convince you. They are pitting white men against every other demographic. If we all worked together, as people, to promote people, and not interests, causes and money… this would change drastically. Just ask women about the $8 BILLION dollar a year beauty industry. They pit all women of all colors against one another to make sure that white girls want black booties, and black girls want white hair, and Asian girls have to use sticky tape and contouring tricks to have lidded eyes... everyone spends all of their money to look like someone else. Media, corporate entities, and the government have all worked together to ensure that the flow of money from fear-driven consumer, to corporation, to government and in varying cycles will continue. And yet… we are still overspent as a nation and as people. Credit card debt, surges for the economy, only to pay people in retail, so they can pay people in food industry, so they can pay people in retail, and all of it gets taxed. It’s a cycle. We will borrow money from one country, so that we can give money to another country to show goodwill and keep our national interests in check. Yet, we’re broke. And we have internal infrastructure that we ignore, while we spend American dollars in other countries. That’s not our fault, though… we as a people have overlooked and ignored our leaders for so long, that we’ve allowed them to run rampant. I can hear some people now: “Michael, that’s cruel… tsunami/tornado/earthquake victims around the world NEED our money and our prayers and support.” I’m not saying they don’t. I’m saying that IN YOUR PERSONAL life… if you go borrow money from the bank, and take out loans to the detriment of your own family, and give that money away to needy people… YOU have the right to tell me I’m wrong and to shut my mouth. But if you practice the opposite, and you pay YOUR bills, and YOUR families’ bills first, THEN give to charity and to causes… then you need to recognize that AS A NATION, we cannot continue down this path of funding the entire world, especially if we are going to be fake about it and have to worry about silly things like human rights and collateral damage and war crimes, etc. You cannot give away so much that you are left destitute and unable to take care of your own.
We’ve made entire generations dependent on government. We have taught children how to perform to standardized tests, and made them “one size fits all.” We wonder why there are less and less exceptional people, when we refuse to promote exceptionalism. Everyone gets a trophy. Everyone gets to tout participation, but no one is a “winner.” That would make the “losers” feel bad. We teach students memorization, but not how to research and actually learn something. It’s unheard of to actually expect someone to implement something they’ve learned, unless you languish in academia. I love all night conversations about “what if,” but that’s not going pick up a shovel and move a mountain. At some point you have to learn to put thoughts into action. We’ve taught people that we should be embarrassed to be too successful, or educated. Or that you should be embarrassed if you are poor, or lack education. Parents get upset with teachers if their children perform poorly, instead of expecting a child to study harder, learn more, or take the time to work WITH their child. There is a certain amount of shame that SHOULD go with scoffing at education and bettering yourself. Parents are no longer involved. Parents no longer enforce the full participation of the right of education. They are just too exhausted after long workdays, commutes to suburbs, Candy Crush, and their own “me time.” However, I say, “If you were adult enough to have sex and produce a child. You should be adult enough to be a good parent.” Education is viewed as a right, and I want to say… viewed as an obligation now, instead of as a privilege. But, it’s always been a privilege. You are forced to go to school or you are truant. If you didn’t want to go to school, you used to get a job. For a time, secondary education was a luxury. To complete that meant you studied hard, passed hard exams and it carried clout and respect. Now, students are expected to complete secondary education, or you are a dropout, a loser, a slacker. College was for professionals and for those that truly were meant to be the top tier of knowledge, the best of their fields, and academics that wanted to write and teach and share knowledge. Now, to even be considered for entry level, students are pushed to complete higher education, or you won’t succeed. But… people have turned on education. We act like people that like to learn, study hard, and want to better their situation are nerds, outcasts, and “prissy” know it all’s. We treat educated people like they are these bastions of privilege and we don’t understand that it’s too hard to learn plural vs. possessives. We actively ostracize people that want us to do better, and cry out like crazy street preachers… We strive to be perfectly average. We don’t want to be the one that breaks the curve, so we don’t do TOO good; and we don’t want to be poor (shudder) so we don’t do TOO badly, and we end up being status quo – which is just average. We have been taught that average is just fine. Average is acceptable, adequate, and you should be happy with it. We have even moved the mean of the bell curve and we have changed the first sigma to show that “average” is “good” so that workers don’t have to cry about their Annual Review to HR and so students don’t feel like they are singled out when they are, in fact, average. These help no one. No one is made to try harder; instead we are changing the labels to mean something different - to remove stigma, to remove incentive.
We don’t wage war on poverty, but the poor themselves. We are now shaming the actual humans for their fortune or misfortune. We hate the rich and the poor equally and we assume that both are in that position of their own doing. Reversals of fortune and bad things just happen. Life just happens. We get run over by buses we never see coming. So why are we so hard on one another, and not on the circumstances that cause our fellow race of man- and womankind to suffer? We treat the poor like they always cause their own situation, and we treat them like they are pariahs. But we have also created a sense of entitlement in our poor that creates a further rift. Entitlement doesn’t breed gratitude. No one wants to give to charity, not when it’s looked down upon like you could have done more. Well, I could have done zero, so there’s that you ungrateful wench. We worry more about offending the human rights of another country, when our own citizens are not well cared for and we take our tax paying citizens for granted. We grant complete freedom and amnesty to illegal aliens, but we won’t give tax-paying, natural-born citizens full rights if you disagree with their sexuality. I mean, let’s make sure to spend tons of dollars on someone that snuck here and is wanting a free ride because they had one kid on US soil over someone that pays their bills, YOUR bills, and that illegal woman’s bills by faithfully having 30% of each dollar go to a general fund for all of America. That makes perfect sense.
But it’s not our fault… right? It’s no one’s fault. Not the leaders, because they do what they are told… right? It’s not the fault of the corporations, because they are run by committees and boards. Not the citizens, they have no real power over those in charge. Not the poor because they have no power whatsoever. Not the middle class, they are too busy working to pay for the poor AND the rich. That’s what we’ve all been told to believe. Nothing is your fault.
This seems bleak. This seems pointless and sad and aggravating. (Or, maybe that’s how I feel writing this.) But this is just part one of my series on Contentment. I wanted to set the stage. I wanted to show you that we live in a messed up world, with skewed values and we expect immediate, no-cost, consequence-free results. They are required to convince us to participate, but that’s not our natural state of being. We are made to be content and to live together, it’s the lie we’ve bought into. We are told that if we waver in any way, we are bad. We are an anomaly and we are aberrant. I have literally been told in business to keep my head down, don’t be too good – because that breeds discord and jealousy within a small industry. But, don’t be too bad because we don’t want negative attention either. The perfect place is in the middle, under the radar, doing the acceptable minimum. Don’t be too religious. Don’t be too evil. Don’t be for God. Don’t be against God. Don’t make too much. Don’t be poor. We are told that to be content we must always look to the next step and to keep moving to the next moment. We must always be ready to trade in this year’s model of a phone, car, or house and upgrade to the newest fad and trend of what we “should” want. And we are STILL not content. But we can be.
I can testify and bear witness to the fact that we can be content. We can be in the middle of a great high, and a great blessing, and be truly content. We can be in a trial and facing some truly low points, and be truly content. We can be going through something that would make anyone crumble and assume a fetal position – and be truly content. Peace is available to you, that’s been preached innumerable times. I’m here to tell you, to bear witness and to show you that contentment is available to you.
Lift your head. Do not be discouraged. Understand that you are created, designed, perfected and you are to be blessed, at peace, and content. You are DESIGNED to be content and to be at peace. Stay vigilant. Be aware that everything I’ve said is a trap for all of us. Any of us, if not careful, can be led astray, can be distracted, and can fall victim to viewing each detail in dismay and horror and not bolstering one another in life and furthering our faith. Do not let your mind wander. Do not let your heart be troubled. Your life and your outcome are not tied to peace and contentment. Riches, fame, and “being blessed” are not tied to God’s love for you or your salvation. God does bless people. He rains on the just and the unjust. He gives and He takes away. Your spiritual worth, NOT your material worth, is what is tied to Christ on the cross, peace, and contentment.
This world will not get better. You will always see things that trouble you. But YOU can know peace and know contentment.
Parts Two and Three will be posted in the coming days…