Greetings Dear Reader,
If you have not seen the truth.com add about Shards O Glass Freeze Pops it would be worth your time to take a moment and watch it now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbQ4JNpXPTY I am not about to go on a rant about smoking. We all know it is bad for us and I have a different agenda today. I know that I have ingested shards of glass. Unlike the ones that come in Shards O Glass Freeze Pops, mine are much more subtle.
Some of the flavors include high expectations, demanding my way, failure to see beyond my own wants, and failure to forgive. They are all things that tear at my flesh inwardly until most of what comes out of me is loathsome and not worth being near.
Each of these things once ingested eats away at us. When I place expectations on another person, I indulge in conditional acceptance, I lack a truly giving spirit, and I place false debt on them. I used to expect the people that frequented my home help with cleanup. In truth this put a price on my hospitality that sent a message of conditional acceptance. If I am to give freely I need to allow people to act freely. I need to stay away from expecting them to act this way or that. No matter how much someone may need to learn to give as they receive, it is not my place to demand that they meet my needs to learn it. This places conditions on my love for them and drives them away.
When I demand that things be done my way I create tension for my friends and family. I also create tension for myself. Another thing that gets torn away here is the feeling of safety and security I want people to feel. I also lose the opportunity to learn other ways and new approaches to things. I lose the rich experience of learning from my friends. These shards of demanding certain behaviors tear at my humility and extend my own need for grace and understanding.
As I focus on my own wants I intentionally and unintentionally displace my responsibility to see clearly the needs of others and to “esteem them better than myself.” People go where they get their needs met. When I focus on meeting the needs of others then people surround me. When I focus on my own wants and needs I drive people away. The other thing that gets shredded when I focus on my own needs or wants is my faith. I am to trust God for those things and not insist on them from other humans. So many times I have quarreled with someone about what they were supposed to do when I should have been simply content to see that it gets done and use my faith to content my heart.
Perhaps the most dangerous shard is failing to forgive others. Harboring any ill will is dangerous. Holding onto any grudge, slight, or bad regard for another constantly shreds my heart, soul, and mind. My ability to love others where they are drains away through the sieve created in my by failure to forgive another. No matter what someone has done to me or how deeply they have hurt me I am obligated to forgive them. I must do this or I will constantly tear away the ability of my spirit to unconditionally love my fellow man.
Failing to address any of these areas is completely and willingly ingesting shards that tear at my spirit over and over again. It impacts my heart, my health, and so many other things. I do not relate to my children well, I drive friends and family away from me, and I cannot say in truth that I am following Christ.
This part of the journey seems so hard and puts so much at risk. It is difficult and demands a deep exercise of faith with each step. It is one of those constant contradictions inherent in follow Jesus Christ. It is also the only thing that truly works.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."
If you have not seen the truth.com add about Shards O Glass Freeze Pops it would be worth your time to take a moment and watch it now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbQ4JNpXPTY I am not about to go on a rant about smoking. We all know it is bad for us and I have a different agenda today. I know that I have ingested shards of glass. Unlike the ones that come in Shards O Glass Freeze Pops, mine are much more subtle.
Some of the flavors include high expectations, demanding my way, failure to see beyond my own wants, and failure to forgive. They are all things that tear at my flesh inwardly until most of what comes out of me is loathsome and not worth being near.
Each of these things once ingested eats away at us. When I place expectations on another person, I indulge in conditional acceptance, I lack a truly giving spirit, and I place false debt on them. I used to expect the people that frequented my home help with cleanup. In truth this put a price on my hospitality that sent a message of conditional acceptance. If I am to give freely I need to allow people to act freely. I need to stay away from expecting them to act this way or that. No matter how much someone may need to learn to give as they receive, it is not my place to demand that they meet my needs to learn it. This places conditions on my love for them and drives them away.
When I demand that things be done my way I create tension for my friends and family. I also create tension for myself. Another thing that gets torn away here is the feeling of safety and security I want people to feel. I also lose the opportunity to learn other ways and new approaches to things. I lose the rich experience of learning from my friends. These shards of demanding certain behaviors tear at my humility and extend my own need for grace and understanding.
As I focus on my own wants I intentionally and unintentionally displace my responsibility to see clearly the needs of others and to “esteem them better than myself.” People go where they get their needs met. When I focus on meeting the needs of others then people surround me. When I focus on my own wants and needs I drive people away. The other thing that gets shredded when I focus on my own needs or wants is my faith. I am to trust God for those things and not insist on them from other humans. So many times I have quarreled with someone about what they were supposed to do when I should have been simply content to see that it gets done and use my faith to content my heart.
Perhaps the most dangerous shard is failing to forgive others. Harboring any ill will is dangerous. Holding onto any grudge, slight, or bad regard for another constantly shreds my heart, soul, and mind. My ability to love others where they are drains away through the sieve created in my by failure to forgive another. No matter what someone has done to me or how deeply they have hurt me I am obligated to forgive them. I must do this or I will constantly tear away the ability of my spirit to unconditionally love my fellow man.
Failing to address any of these areas is completely and willingly ingesting shards that tear at my spirit over and over again. It impacts my heart, my health, and so many other things. I do not relate to my children well, I drive friends and family away from me, and I cannot say in truth that I am following Christ.
This part of the journey seems so hard and puts so much at risk. It is difficult and demands a deep exercise of faith with each step. It is one of those constant contradictions inherent in follow Jesus Christ. It is also the only thing that truly works.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."
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this is a very real point you amke in your blogs and esspecially in this one, you always find a way to relaate your quuestions and thoughts to other peoples everyday life weather they are of faith or not, thank you you always give us something new to think about and for that I am greatful
ReplyDeleteGod Bless
Are the Shards O' Glass pop-sicles real?
ReplyDeleteNo they are not real. It is an anti-smoking ad
ReplyDelete