Our Spiritual Walk Through Human Experience

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French Jesuit priest who said, "We are all spiritual beings having a human experience."  I would venture to say that most people would say it the other way around, that "We are all human beings having a spiritual experience."  But I'm in agreement with de Chardin.  Scripture tells us that God made man in His image.  Although human beings have many of the same attributes of each other, we all look very different.  There are many different races, all with varying characteristics that make it so you can definitely tell us apart from each other.  If our human bodies are all so different,  how is it that we are all made in the image of God?

Could it be that when God formed us in His image, He meant His spiritual image and then He shrouded our spirit in a human form?  I remember when my mom passed from this life to the next, I was terrified to walk into the funeral home and see her there for the first time.  I prayed, took a deep breath and linked arms with my dad as we walked into the room together with my siblings.  I slowly moved my eyes towards her, shaking to my very core.  She looked so beautiful and so peaceful.  She looked just like herself, but at the same time, she looked nothing like herself.  I knew in an instant, that my mother wasn't there.  This, before me, was merely the shell that my mother was housed in while she walked on this earth.

I was actually comforted by this thought.  I remember a small smile coming across my lips as I considered that she was now with the Lord.  What if our humanness is just along for the ride, moving us from experience to experience? If we look at the totality of our lives as spiritual beings experiencing humankind, it changes how we see ourselves and others.  And it should, change the way we treat the people we bump up against in life.

When I remember that I am a spiritual being, I'm encouraged that the possibilities of being a light in a dark world are very real.  I'm merely a vessel for the Lord to work through to touch the lives of those around me.  And the Lord also brings others across my path that will help me heal from the wounds of living in a human fallen world.  Our human experience has limits but our spiritual being knows no bounds when it comes to reflecting the love of God, the presence of peace and the power of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

Imagine living a life, where we don't put such importance on people's human looks, failings or limitations, but where we celebrate the Divine in them, the God in them.  I'm not saying that we should let others walk on us or that as a society, we should tolerate & let people get away with evil. But I find that when I celebrate the God like qualities in people, they tend to allow those characteristics to grow and their broken human tendencies to diminish.

It's not an easy way to live and I tend to slip back into my humanness and see people in their humanness,  But I find that when I spend time in prayer and praise and worship and in the presence of the Lord, I'm able to remember that He created me in His image.  He imparted His character to me, giving me the ability to be a "spiritual being having a human experience."  I pray that you are able to allow the Godly traits that were imparted to you when you were created, to shine and grow, causing the things in you that are not of God, to diminish and lose strength.  If you are facing tough circumstances in 2013, my hope for you is that you are able to see the infinite possibilities, in God, that will help you walk through those experiences coming out of them stronger and purer.

From His lap,

That's About the Size of It!

One evening, early this summer, I was enjoying a few moments of quiet on my front porch.  It's where I go to listen to my waterfall and wind chimes and to hear from God.  On this particular evening, I was watching the goldfish in my pond. My husband and son had built this pond for me a couple of years ago for Mother's Day.

In the pond are three goldfish.  We had purchased them from Wal-Mart several years ago when our son was younger.  When we got them, they were each less than an inch long. They were kept in a bowl on the counter and over about a year's time, they didn't seem to grow much at all.  Then, my husband built a tiny little pond in the back yard and we put the fish in there.  They grew a couple of inches while they lived in that pond for about 2 years.  Then, we built that much bigger pond by my front porch and moved the fish, once again, to a new home.  Since we put them in this pond, they have grown several inches.  They are quite beautiful and have developed shimmering white tails.

That summer night, as I sat there watching those fish, I sensed the Lord speaking to my heart.  He showed me how each time, as the fish were placed in new, unfamiliar environments, bigger environments, they grew. (I read later that gold fish actually grow according to the size of the space they are placed in.)  What if thats how it works with us? What if, when we allow the Lord to move us into new situations and circumstances, our faith grows or our dreams grow?  The Lord showed me that if I wanted to go grow spiritually and emotionally, I would have to allow Him to move me to unfamiliar and maybe even scary territory.  Had I become complacent and content with the condition of my heart, spiritually?  Had I stopped growing, feeling secure right where I was?

Little did I know, as I sat there that evening, how God's words about those goldfish would stir my heart again and again.  I couldn't have known that my summer would be full of new and scary and unfamiliar experiences.  But the Lord had prepared my heart.  He had shown me that if I was willing, if I would only trust Him, He would take me to and through new places that would cause me to grow; grow in my faith, grow in strength and most of all, see miracles of complete restoration and healing in relationships that would change my world, as I knew it.

My dear friend, if you are facing new and uncertain circumstances, if God is leading you to higher ground, it's only because He wants you to grow.  Each time you allow Him to take to to a new place, you will experience glorious and beautiful growth.  He wants you to expand the borders of your heart and walk out your dreams and hopes.  He will surely walk with you and cover you with grace. Don't let the fear of growth and change hold you back from experiencing all that God has for you in this life.  

From His Lap,

Labels Lie

This post is going to be a tough one for me because I'm going to expose a label that has been tattooed across my heart for a long time.  I've decided to expose it to the light and have it removed.  If you follow my blog, you know that I was raised in a Christian home by amazing parents, who taught me the love of Christ.  They lived a life of seeking Him and putting Him first in our family.

In high school, I never drank, smoked, cussed or ran around with boys.  You see, I believed what my parents taught me about living a pure life, one devoted to Christ. I married a Christian.  We started our family and attended Bible school.  I thought our family would continue on in the manner in which I was raised, a God centered family life.

Source: potsc.com via POTSC on Pinterest

And then, life happened.  We had 3 beautiful children.  Things began to go wrong, love was fought for and lost, and my husband and I divorced.  I'm not sure how it even happened, but it did.  After several years, I met my 2nd husband and we became engaged.  Shortly after our engagement, I got pregnant.  Needless to say, this is when the labeling began.

I had to tell my family about the pregnancy.  I was told by some members of my family that this child I was carrying, out of wedlock, would never be accepted or loved like my other children.  Some people told me that I disgusted them.  There were times when I would walk towards friends at church and they would turn the other way when they saw me coming. Thus, the label that became tattooed across my heart..."FAILURE"!

Source: relevantmagazine.com via POTSC on Pinterest

Some Christians are just as guilty as anyone at pinning labels on others. They think that if they've never gotten a divorce, if they've never gotten pregnant before they were married, if they've not had to start life over, they are a success and that those other people are beneath them.  Somehow, I think attaching labels to others, allows people to not to have to face their own shortcomings.  They don't even realize in the process they are giving themselves labels like "BETTER THAN" and "RIGHTEOUS".

Now, I am a grace person.  I am even part of a group called People of the Second Chance (POTSC).  This is a group that believes in extending radical grace to those who have been labeled and feel like there is no grace for them.  We love on and show mercy and grace to hurting people who feel like they can never be accepted by God, the Church or just people in general.  So, you see, I am a grace person.

I try to place value and preciousness on everyone I come across; to see them as my Heavenly Father sees them.  It wasn't until recently, that I realized I haven't extended that same grace to myself.  While I have given my heart over to my Father, there is a part of it I have kept from Him; the part that is labelled "FAILURE".  That part, I have kept from Him, in the dark, in secret.  And when I try to go to that place in my heart, I can still hear the words that were spoken to me so many years ago as if it was just yesterday.  It's as if I get the tattoo redone every time I visit that place.  The colors become more vivid instead of fading with time.  Labels lie to us and tell us that we are something we are not.  And as we believe the lie, it slowly changes us into a person who we were not meant to be. Labels steal, kill and destroy.

This son that I had, 16 years ago, was no surprise to God!  God knew I would have this child from the beginning of time, just as He knew I would have my other children.  He has a plan for Him like He has a plan for each of my other children. He is an amazing child with the most tender heart and a capacity to love and be kind, like no one else that I know.  He is a gift.  He is loved by my family.  How could having this gift, make me a "FAILURE".

And so, I've decided to uncover the tattoo of that label on my heart.  I've laid it bare before the Lord.  I'm going to let the blood of Jesus wash over it and take it away.  I've heard tattoo removal is painful, so I suspect this won't be easy.  I'll have to change my way of thinking about myself.  I'll have to extend the same grace that I extend to others, to myself. I'll have to come up with a different label to tattoo there..like maybe GREAT MOTHER, or maybe, DAUGHTER OF THE KING, or maybe, just SINNER, SAVED BY GRACE.

Source: potsc.com via POTSC on Pinterest

My dear friend,  if you have tattooed any labels across your heart, that are interfering with you being the person God created you to be,  make the tough decision to remove them.  Regardless of what you have done or been, in the past, God wants to make you new and whole and clean.  The only label He has for you is "Child of God".  It's not easy to get rid of labels, but God makes a way.  The Scriptures, in Philippians, says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  These are the ways that you should be thinking about yourself.  If you have sin in your life, know that you are not your sin, repent of it and let Him make you clean and whole again.

From His Lap,

Grace and Law

This morning, as I awoke, I felt a stirring in my heart.  I understood right away, that the Lord had been speaking to me in my sleep.  I knew exactly what He was reminding me of, and it didn't leave me with the most settled feeling.  It felt more like He was showing me things that maybe, I didn't want to see and telling me things that, maybe, I didn't want to hear.  I knew that it was an exhortation and admonition from the Lord.

I focus a lot of my writing on the grace and tender mercies of God.  I do this because people tend to be so hard on themselves and on others.  The Lord wants us to see ourselves and others as He sees us.  He created us to be works in progress, ever growing and evolving in Him.  He knows we've not reached perfection, yet He loves us through all our mess.  That's why I write about His grace.

But God is not grace alone. There are 2 sides to God. He is grace and He is law. As Christians, we are to look to the Scriptures to get an understanding of how He wants us to live and to know what is sin and what is not. God's law is not to prevent us from enjoying life, but to keep us safe, keep us holy and help us remain pure and in fellowship with Him. Adherence to the Word of God does not put us in prison, contrary to what you might think.  It actually sets us free...free from conforming to the world's views of how we should act, think and live.

Our society would have us believe that we are to be tolerant and accepting of anything, "as long as no one gets hurt."  Christians are shamed and scoffed for calling sin, "sin".  While we are being chastised for being intolerant, we are one of the least tolerated groups that I am aware of.  But the Bible is clear on sin.  We can't say, "I am a Christian, but I'm only going to believe the Scriptures that make me feel good and I'm not going to espouse the Scriptures that make me or others feel uncomfortable."

Matthew 18:15-17 is very specific on how to deal with sin.  15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."  This Scripture addresses one Christian dealing with another Christian who has sinned against them. It not only shows that we are to address sin, but that we are not to be doormats when someone is sinning against us.  It shows us how we can address the sin, without attacking the person.  And just remember, if we adhere to this way of handling sin, we just might be the one who others have to confront.  There will be times when someone has to come to us and let us know that we have sinned against them!

Now, having said all that, remember...I'm a grace person.  I write about grace and mercy almost every time I sit down to write.  So don't jump on me here and say that I'm being judgmental.  These are the things that the Lord was speaking to my heart as I slept last night.  He wanted me to remind my readers of the "law" side of Him.

We are not to label people, we are to label sin!  I recently read a post by Cathy Morton, in which she asked "Do you label others before you know their truth?" This statement resonated with me, because it's exactly how I try to live my life.  I fail miserably at times, judging and labeling a person without trying to understand what their story is or where they are coming from.  But I can say that I am learning more and more, everyday, to see people and love them, as the Lord sees and loves them.

Don't ever forget about God's grace and mercy towards you!  But don't forget about His law either.  Walk out each day, spending time with Him, getting to know how He would have you live.  Be quick to repent when you know you have sinned and receive forgiveness and cleansing!  Be sure to extend that forgiveness towards those who have hurt you, as well.




From His Lap,

Texting Causes "Blindness"

Recently I have been privy to observe some teenage girls texting each other.  I'll admit, I am shocked at the ease with which they are able to text hateful and mean spirited messages back and forth.  I started taking notice to the things young kids were posting on each other's Facebook walls, as well.  The name calling, bullying and insults fly back and forth without them ever batting an eye.  And why should they bat that proverbial eye?  They are not present to see the damage their words are causing the the person to whom they're being spoken.  In this manner, texting can cause blindness.  If we can't see it, we're not responsible for it.

I fear that we are raising a generation that can say things through texting, twitter, Facebook and the likes, without having to face or "see" the consequences and the damage their words cause.  It's so easy for them to call people names and tell them they hate them, when they're not standing face to face with the person. If we, as parents, are not careful, we will have children who grow up, completely cold, calloused and blind to the feelings of others.

When I was growing up ("texting", "Facebook" and "twitter" had never even been heard of), we didn't even talk to each other like that over the phone, much less, in person.  I remember being angry with friends and my parents taking me over to their houses to talk to them and work out our issues.  It was never easy to look a friend or a school mate in the eye and tell them how I felt or accuse them of something I thought they had done.  But there's something to be said for looking someone in the eye and gauging our language and tone of voice on how they are reacting to what they are being told.

How easy is it to type in a text and tell somebody off, or to be cruel over Facebook posts, or call someone names on twitter?  Mean and hurtful words cause pain and damage.  People are less likely to use those kinds of words if they are face to face with someone.  If we do say something cruel to a person we are standing in front of, we are forced to see the effects our words cause.

How will the next generation communicate effectively, when most communication is done through electronic means now.  It's much easier to "shoot" someone a "happy birthday" message on their Facebook page rather than take the time to go pick out a birthday card and drop it in the mail.  It takes little or no emotional toll or responsibility to break up with someone over a text.  And, heck, why not quit a job via email?

We have to lead by example.  If our children constantly see us sending texts to friends, relatives and spouses,  they will not learn to communicate by talking directly with people.  I'm not saying that social media is bad, per se.  I use it, myself.  But I am a firm believer in face to face or over the phone conversations whenever possible.  I prefer looking someone in the eye and seeing their reaction to my words and adjusting accordingly.  Sometimes I may need to be firmer in my words and tone, and other times, I need to soften how I'm saying something. How could I ever discern that through a text?

If you are a parent, I challenge you, to make sure that your children know how to hold tough conversations, be responsible for the consequences of their words, and to understand the effects their words have on the person they are speaking them to.  Let's make sure that they grow up as caring and compassionate people, understanding the power of their words.

From His Lap,