Da Word... 213! Transformation

Ever heard the expression, "That which you feed will grow" ...? It's simple really, whatever it is that you feed will continue to grow. Whatever it is that you neglect will die. There's no gray there, heh heh, MIghTy simple ;-D How does this relate to Pops above? He laid it out just as simply.

checkit:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

- Deuteronomy 6:6,7

Word! Whoop there it is! Right there, BAM! In the previous chapter, the famous Ten Commandments have just been laid out. Ten simple commandments. Yet these same ten are like fully decked out soldiers taking on the monumental horde known as the human nature and all of its shadiness. That's right. These ten stand as friggin' Navy Seals in the face of some of the most dangerous threats to life out there. Let me refresh your memory about these homies:

1. Have no other gods before me, Pops above.
2. Don't make any idols, complete waste of time homie. Think about it, worshipping something made from your own hands.... come on kid!
   
3. Don't misuse my name, it's bad not only for you, but for everyone all around.
4. Pay attention to the Sabbath, keep it holy, and take a break!
5. Honor your moms and your pops
6. Yo, don't murder each other!
7. Stay AWAY from adultery, don't give it even a first thought.
8. Theft... kick that to the curb to. I'm talkin' kick with a GIGANTIC boot... Battletoads style.
   
9. Stop lying! Don't even start; it's just a black hole of endless cover up.
10. Don't covet your neighbor's stuff, animate or inanimate.

Yes, these are the ten, in patspeak of course. These ten combat greed, lust, conceit, excessive desire, laziness, selfishness, and overt pride. Kick back a second and try to recall whenever you started to go down a path where these things lead the way. Did it ever end well? Were peeps around you lifted or hurt? Were you, deep down, better off? Was any immediate reward lasting? Can you look back upon that time, and smile with a deep joy? I will bet the answer is a resounding no. Pops above, in all his straight AWESOMENESS, is trying to deliver us from experiencing such depths of humanity, such chains and cages. Hence the guidelines homies! They aren't there to "chain" us as some believe (HAH!!!). No no NO! They are there to free us, truly and lastingly. But for that to happen, we gotta be transformed.

BAM! Hence the passage above. If we feed the side that combats the base human nature, it will grow to be unbelievably solid and the freedom of life is yours for the taking. How do we do it? Simple, by thinking about it and talking about it when we chill, when we travel, when wake up, when we go to bed. In other words, constantly meditate on these things... and DO them! And most importantly, we CANNOT fall into the lie in which most people believe, that following these guidelines is limiting our freedom. No, these guidelines free us to engage life to the fullest. We learn respect, we learn fearlessness, we learn drive, we learn perspective, we learn love, we learn how to take a friggin' break and relax, we learn community, we learn unity. Tell me, how is that even remotely a cage?

Let's be transformed into beings that are free!

G-bless,

- patrick