setapartdestiny-blog

[setapartdestiny-blog]

To The Un-Friender

Okay, I really believe we need to examine our maturity level within the body of Messiah. I have witnessed, especially recently, a gross need for maturing beyond the point of “If you don't believe exactly what I believe then I don't want to be your friend anymore!” As we threaten to delete from our friends list on Facebook (and other social media outlets) those who disagree with us on any given view.  I mean really? REALLY??? It's like we're on a schoolyard playground at 5 years old with our hands on her hips screaming nanny nanny boo boo in the face of the poor kid whose only fault was trying to fit in. Now I know Yeshua/Jesus said for us to become as little children but I really don't think that this is what He had in mind when he said it… Acting like school bullies in need of correction from Abba! This is not just about removing someone from your social media “friends list”, as there are definitely reasons to do so, but this is more about how we handle ourselves in the face of disagreements.

  “At that time the taught ones came to Yeshua, saying, “Who, then, is greatest in the reign of the heavens? ” And Yeshua called a little child to Him, set him in their midst, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become as little children, you shall by no means enter into the reign of the heavens. “Whoever then humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the reign of the heavens. “And whoever receives one little child like this in My Name receives Me. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:1-6

  Are we not able to agree to disagree in a civil and mature adult manner? Do we just automatically expect everyone else to see things just the way that we do, and if they don't to heck with them? Why do we behave like this? Maybe in part because we don’t even realize it..? You can NOT expect anybody to see anything exactly the way that you see it. Therefore how can you get mad at them when they don't?  I think this may have been one of the things Paul was talking about when he said if you say and do things without love you're nothing more than a clanging cymbal. Please understand, I am in no way professing the “coexist” mentality but rather speaking to Bible believing brothers & sisters to act in LOVE when encountering another brother or sister who is just in a different place in their spiritual walk. We are ALL at different points in our personal journey in pursuit of THE WAY.

   “If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all belief, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am none at all. And if I give out all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I am not profited at all. Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, does not rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, it covers all, believes all, expects all, endures all. Love never fails. And whether there be prophecies, they shall be inactive; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be inactive. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part shall be inactive. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child. But when I became a man, I did away with childish matters. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known. And now belief (faith), expectation (hope), and love remain – these three. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13

  I hear a lot of cleaning symbols in the body and it's an ugly sound that hurts my ears and it hurts my heart. Sometimes I wonder with half of the Facebook posts that I see on a daily basis, are they posted with the motive of edification and encouragement to even those who may not agree or be of the same spiritual understanding or are they posted just to hear like-minded people agreeing with them? Why do we have to lash out at somebody for disagreeing with us? Why do we have to pick on them for it? Let’s stop pointing fingers and worry about ourselves because you are the only person you have to answer for at the end of the day… nobody else but you.

  Unless you have the good sense to admit the fact that as long as you are a finite being you could very well be wrong about something, you may just have a lot more growing and learning to do than you think. We have to be ready and willing to admit that we could be wrong about something… Lots of things… Everything for that matter, in order to open ourselves up to continue learning and growing. I will be the first to admit that I fought against what I did not understand, holding tightly to what I had been taught by man until one day truth slapped me across the face and I hit my knees in repentance… Another story for another time… Now I don't know about you but I hope that I'm growing and learning until I take my very last breath because the only time that I will have complete knowledge and understanding is when I am standing before Messiah in the kingdom and He has made known all to me! So before we all become a bunch of stereotyping hypocrites like the Pharisees, let's take a good look in the mirror and remember that the greatest command is love!

   “Teacher, which is the great command in the Torah?” And Yeshua said to him, You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great command. “And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40

  LOVE is what sets us apart!

  "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

[setapartdestiny-blog]

Liberated Mamma!

Okay, so today I did something liberating! So liberating that I had to Mark the day, I had to write about it because it will never feel like this again. This thing that I did made me feel like I got a little piece of me back. Something I haven't done in going on two years now. So, you want to know what it is? That thing that I did that was so liberating... I took a shower! Okay, okay, not that I haven't showered in almost two years (because that would be crazy and not to mention gross) but for the first time in a long time I took a shower while at home by myself! Okay, now I know that doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but normally I would have to squeeze in my shower during a time when the twins are napping and Hubby is home to watch the Monitor while I would have to haul butt just to get it done. Either that or wait until I laid the twins down for bed, and by then I would be so tired that I would stumble my way through the process of later/rinse/get the heck out.

So, I figured the twins have been excellent sleepers and I had an hour to kill before waking them up this morning so I just did it… I turned the monitor up as loud as I could and set it next to the shower door, turned on the water and got in! Crazy, I know, that something like a shower could make me feel so thrilled... Here is a little perspective for you... Moms... Unless you've walked in her shoes, you could never possibly know or understand what she's done or what she's willing to do for her children and her family; even all those little things that she gives up on a daily basis to take care of everyone else around her. Always the last one to eat, thus you know why mamma bears porridge was too cold for Goldie locks. Spending the majority of her day bent over either picking up toys or cleaning food and juice spills off the ground or bent over the kitchen sink washing the dishes or over the never ending pile of laundry, oh and lets not forget bending over backwards trying to please everyone around her while her own pleasures usually end up somewhere by the wayside. 

I only wish that my mom was still here so that I could thank her and tell her that now I understand. Now that I am a Mom myself I understand so much of what I was previously oblivious to. So my advice to you today is don't take your mom for granted! Love her even when you don't understand her, even when she makes you so mad that you just want to stomp off and slam your door behind you or hang up the phone on her. Love her through the good AND the bad times, because there will come a time when you will wish that you had! I speak from experience.

So today I was liberated by something as small as a shower, as crazy as that may sound I hope I have afforded someone out there some needed perspective. Now I want to hear from other moms out there, what is something that you have done recently that made you feel liberated or what is something that you want to do? Please share with us here, you never know who needs the encouragement. And just remember no one is promised tomorrow so use today to love... oh and don't forget to shower be blessed!

(Written Feb of 2016)