Da Word... 237! Lighten up!

You know how some people are just stuck in a certain way of doing things?  And I mean STUCK!  Stuck in such a way that this person expects you to do things the same exact way he or she is doing it?  Yeah, ultra dogmatic types.  Sometimes you just gotta smile and nod, other times you kinda wanna smack that kat upside the head and say, "Yo! Chill out!"

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

- Paul (Acts 15:10)

Word.  The council of brothers were meeting at Jerusalem discussing the actions that need to be taken by gentiles (non-jews) who have come to faith.  Some believed they needed to be circumcised and start following all the other customs and rules handed down generation to generation since the days of Moses.  But my man Paul started working his verbal gymnastics again!  See Da Word 128! for some more context.   

The gist is this: lighten up! Paul attempted to make it pretty clear that if they would all just sit down and think for a moment, they would realize, "Hey, even WE have not been able to follow all the customs!  Not only that, we could hardly even bear it!"  So Paul's question is extremely valid, if we can't do a thing, AND we are the chosen people, how can we expect a Gentile to have a fighting chance!  Paul was in a sense imploring his brothers to be realistic, and to recall the whole point of da Christ coming and dying.  It was so that we stand a chance, and that by grace we'd be alright.   Not to stuff nearly unreachable standards down our throats.

The spiritual application is covered in Da Word 128!  How about practically?  For one, we need to learn to lighten up.  It's okay to have expectations, but if we expect others to abide by measures we ourselves either can't or have a very hard time, it's time to lighten up.  Life is a process and change takes time.  Growing together provides an avenue for each individual to grow stronger and gain the fortitude to kick it up a notch.  But staunch dogmatism is an enemy of relationship development, growth, and love extension.  So expect the best, and encourage one another to be the best that he or she can, but don't squash a brother or sister if one happens to slip. Instead, lend a hand.

G-bless,

  - patrick

Da Word... 236! Time to Rise!

Ever feel that tug in your heart when you witness someone being done wrong?  It's like you want to standup and defend the cause of the victim, possibly even knock some serious sense into the perpetuator.  What about when you see a young child who hasn't much, if anything, to eat?  There's a tug no?  But how many times do we act on that tug....

...learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

- Isaiah 1:17

BOOM!  There it is!  Direct from the Word itself!  Actions rather than thoughts seem to be encouraged. And you know what's more?  The actions encouraged here aren't in the realm of "comfortable".  Nope!  I mean come on, seek justice!?  You know that's just asking for a fight.  Encourage the oppressed?  That actually means interacting with people who have been or are going through some potentially serious stuff!  And all the baggage comes along for the ride!  Ugh! Defending and pleading?!?  Whoa...

Yeah people!  It's work!  And it means stepping out of our nice comfy spaces into territory which we may not be very comfortable roaming about.  What makes it harder, especially in this day an age, is this culture of, "well, it's not really my problem, I should mind my own business."  But how about the flip side?  What if stepping in meant the saving of a life?  And by not stepping in, very serious consequences emerged?  Neither the world nor the status quo can be challenged and altered if we simply chill.  We cannot transform thoughts and conventional wisdom by remaining idle!

Tolerance is okay.  But like many things, it's only okay in moderation.  Too much tolerance breeds corruption.  In fact, it gives people the rope necessary to engage in activity we know is against everything in us that screams right.  It's time to rise, and no longer sit on the sidelines.  We need to act.  Instead of simply acknowledging that tug, we need to step up and do something about it.  You know what's great about doing something in these areas?  Areas of justice, the oppressed, orphans, and widows?  You do something that no one can take away from you, and a life is touched beyond what you may ever know.

So, what are you going to do the next time there's a tug at your heart?

G-bless,

  - patrick