Why God wants us to struggle

Do you see yourself as a caterpillar, a worm?  How often do you have thoughts of depression, of lowliness, of unworthiness?  When you try to picture yourself through God's eyes, do you see yourself as a 'sinner' and nothing more?  Unfortunately, this is how much of the church has painted the picture of Christians and Christianity.  But I want to help transform your mind into seeing yourself as God truly sees you.

God doesn't see you as a worm or a struggling caterpillar; He sees you as the gloriously transformed butterfly!  God loves you, and He looks past your struggles and your failures.  He sees your accomplishments, your aspirations, the times that you've picked yourself back up and carried on again.  God isn't as disappointed by the times we fail, as He is excited and overjoyed by the times we 'get back on our horse' and try again.  So what of these struggles?  Why does God even allow all these hardships and struggles in life?  Why doesn't He just eliminate sin from the face of the earth so life can be hunky-dory?

I believe there is one simple reason; one simple answer.  God allows sin because He wants us to struggle.  No - not like you may be thinking.  God isn't looking down from heaven, waiting for us to mess up so He can get angry and curse our lives, and our children's lives, and their children's lives.  No.  He is not an angry Father just waiting for us to mess up.  Far from it.  God is a loving, caring, kind Father who wants His children to grow up to be just like Him!  Let me draw a parallel to help me illustrate this point.

Caterpillars must go into their cocoons at some point of their life if they ever want to become a butterfly.  Your life pre-God is the life of the caterpillar.  You are just crawling around, eating stuff wherever you can find it, thinking this is all there is to life.  You draw your sustenance from this world.  However, at some point it becomes evident to the caterpillar that is must form itself into a cocoon to become a new creation.

When we accepted Christ as our saviour, we've realized a new struggle exists.  This is what the Bible is talking about in Philippians 2:12 when it says you must "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling".  If you've ever seen a caterpillar working and struggling in its cocoon, you can actually see it trembling as it struggles!

This is the point I want to make:  If you don't go through the struggle, you cannot become a butterfly.
Butterflies will die if cut out of their cocoon too early.  God allows struggles and hardships not because He enjoys watching the pain but because His enjoys watching us grow into His own likeness; the image of his Son; the trueness, originality and intentionality of His creating us!  We were created not to struggle, but through the struggle to walk into our inheritance, which is a son-ship including the power and glory available to us from God.

Don't see yourself as a worm or a caterpillar crawling along the earth on your belly.  Remember, Jesus said in John 14:12, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these..."  You were originally and intentionally created to become the glorious butterfly.  However, there must be struggle for that to happen.  I don't particularly like math, nor am I particularly good at it, however, look at this equation:

Comfortability = laziness and sloth = no change = deterioration

If you're not struggling and working out your salvation daily, then perhaps you've gotten off the path somehow, some way.  I know that personally, I look for a life of peace and comfortability, and therefore my life in Christ deteriorates rather than improves.  Some days I am a caterpillar who is just sleeping inside of my cocoon; if I don't wake up because I enjoy my comfortability then I will never become the glorious butterfly that I am destined to be; the image of God with His power and glory.

You too were destined to struggle - not because God wants pain in your life, but because His ultimate goal must be fulfilled:  His goal is that you'll become a true son (or daughter) and that you'll have the life He always intended you to have.  A life full of miracles and communion with Him.

Earthly Divinity

To quote my pastor,

"Humanity is Earthly Divinity."

Whoa... did he say that right?  Humanity is earthly divinity?  Just think about what he could have meant by this statement.  Re-read that statement to yourself... I'll give you a moment.

There are a couple different ways of dissecting this statement that I'd like to explore on this post.  Please (as always) feel free to leave comments for me and my other viewers to see and discuss.

1.  Perhaps my pastor was giving a prophetic insight into the condition of the earth at this time in history; not as it should be but as it currently is.  If such is true, then the quote "Humanity is earthly divinity" is a sad confirmation of the truth: The earth does not yet see a true, pervasive divinity.  The earth is suffering still under the hand of man.  We have been given authority to rule and subdue this earth but we have done so perhaps for too long without enough thought of the consequences of our actions.  Therefore our earthly divinity leaves a lot to be desired (as it currently is).  Perhaps it is time for us to step up to the plate and make conscientious choices about conservation, going 'green' and leaving this earth a better place than we found it (environmentally, relationally, and in all other ways).  

2.  Or maybe he was saying that we as human beings are called "sons of the living God" and that is truly what we are called to be on this earth.  Sons of the Most High Creator of all things, created in His image and likeness.  Therefore, as sons (and daughters) of God who is eternally holy, we should be a representation of holiness and divinity here on this earth, shouldn't we?  The problem is the majority of us (Christians and non-christians) never come to the point in our lives where we realize that we were created with a purpose and reason.  We wander around this life trying to make sense of it all without ever talking with the Source of it all.  Or we wander around with a false humility, saying we are just servants of God, and we never step into the heritage and the power that awaits the mature family of God.  If all of us (not just Christians) could just grasp a hold of the truth that we, as sons and daughters of God have access to His infinite resources and love, there would be a world-wide revolution!  The earth would truly experience humanity as earthly divinity!  

3.  A final possibility that I will explore now is an amalgamation of the first two.  I think my pastor was sounding a sort of call-to-arms for us.  Not just to christians, but for all of humanity.  We are ALL sons of God whether we know it and want to admit it or not; therefore we all have the same responsibility in taking care of the earth He has created for us and places us in charge of.  And we (collectively as humanity) are holy!  Have you thought about yourself as being holy lately?  God sees you as you can be (as He created you) not as you see yourself.  He sees you as holy and divine!  The more you strive to see yourself through God's perspective, the more you'll come to understand the human you were purposefully created to be from before the beginning of time.  With that perspective in mind, humanity truly could be divinity on earth!  With that perspective, we could see preschool-aged children healing the sick of illnesses; we could see average life expectancies sky-rocket; we could see a new energy developed that revolutionizes the idea of 'clean energy'.  So arise to this call to arms (of sorts)!  Change your perspective from that of a worm and servant, to that of one who, in spite of his past deeds (or misdeeds), is considered a holy son of God and therefore has access to God's power, riches and blessings.  Start with yourself today, in being divinity on earth.  If we all start with ourselves then before we know it, Humanity will be Earthly Divinity.

The Skin I'm In

This poem was written by Jen Delgado, one of the worship leaders at the World Harvest Outreach church.  With her permission it has been posted onto my blog for my readers' edification and enjoyment. I feel that her poem embodies a lot of what I've written about on this blog and therefore was very appropriate.  Enjoy!

The Skin I'm In

I want my pen to flow prolifically with words of life that bring newness and wholeness and rememberance of who I was destined to be, the very reason I was called to be, out from eternity into reality, yet never called to leave my kingdom functionality. You blaze your gaze burned into my memory. I can't look away it demands the attention of every part of my anatomy. If one could be changed from just the touch of your hem, what would it then be like to be wrapped in you, to wear you like this skin I'm in?

If you have the keys and to be in you means the keys also belong to me, then why so many locked doors? Why not use those keys to see the release of the new, to unleash the momentum of the free. To know the glow, to unrefutably see the heat of your glory burning from the inside out of me. The me is waning, the you is invading and the line between the two is quickly fading.

Don't want to adopt just a bunch of new lingo while I sit on my butt like old ladies playing bingo. What I have is real and want the change to be true, as true as an unlocked door, never before been opened to you. So what would it look like? What would the new sound be then? If we all began to wear you like this very skin we're in?

If we let go of this idea of "me" and all the things I'm entitled to feel and be, and allow you to mold us into the very constructs of royalty. What once appeared to be confinement would actually begin to feel free. Where I once lacked movement, suddenly there's not an army that could stop me. Where my voice felt shaky and a little quivery is now ringing out and bringing purpose to entire cities. Once valid excuses and reasonable explanations, now going, doing, changing, bringing life to existing nations. Here is where it starts, now is when it begins. The "how" is being wrapped in you like the very skin I'm in.

                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                     -Jennifer Delgado

Awaking Darkon: A Realm of Adventure

Some friends and I got together to watch a documentary called Darkon.  What is Darkon?  Allow me the privilege of enlightening you.  Darkon is an imaginary medieval realm (anchored in the vicinity of Baltimore, MD) in which dark elves and various nations of men wage war!  Think of it sort of like Civil War Re-enactors... except instead of fake guns, they fight with fake weapons made of foam and cardboard.  Another exception is that these people are live-action role-players.  They do not simply re-enact a historic battle:  They actually wage war with their styrofoam weapons, smacking each other like wild lunatics, trying to subdue the opposing army.  Sounds fun, doesn't it?

I know that a lot of you will read that and think:  What a bunch of nerds.  I mean, hey - that's what I thought when I watched the documentary too.  But there is something deeper happening in these people's lives that a little observation reveals.  During multiple interviews during the documentary, different dark elves and lords of the realm admitted that this is a form of release to them:  This is their form of adventure and action in an otherwise dull life.  I think that they have found something most of us are still missing.  I think in some ways these men (and a few women) are actually more whole than a lot of us are.  You may be asking, how could this be possible?  At least I can talk to somebody of the opposite sex!  Touché, however, they may have something that you do not.  Adventure.

As children of the God of Creation, we have a spirit of adventure inside of us.  Everybody does.  Men want to be knights and princes, battling dragons and saving the damsel in distress; women want to share in the adventure as well and be saved by a dashingly handsome prince and live happily ever after.  That is adventure.  What do you do that's adventurous?  Perhaps it is time to awaken the realm of Darkon inside of you.

Understand me:  I am not saying that we should move to Baltimore and start a race of imaginary dwarves or anything like that.  What I am saying is that in this American life, we lack so much of who God has made us to be.  And that is a shame.  What holds you back?  What binds you?  These warriors of the Realm met wherever they could:  soccer fields, wooded knolls, inside a school gymnasium.  In spite of ridicule, bruises from blunted arrows, and a lack of property, they don't let anything stop them from living an adventure.  Maybe it is time that we throw away our facade that says we have it all together, and we're living the life we want.  Maybe it is time that we embrace a little craziness and adventure in our life, even if it means we may be ridiculed by our friends.  There is a Spirit inside of you that you were always meant to become but that somebody inside of you got snuffed out by life's worries and obligations.  Forget your fear.  Free the adventurer inside of you and live life to the fullest!

Being ridiculous so I can have a little adventure:
Yep... that's a snow angel... in a pair of shorts (and gloves).

Goals and Ambitions

I suppose it is only right that I include a post about my hopes and expectations for this blog.  This probably should have been my very FIRST post that I wrote... however, better late than never, right?

MISSION:  To inspire the people of God to a greater appreciation and understanding of the character of God and the Kingdom of God.

GOALS:

1. To create blogs that will help my readers to come to a point of awakening and introspection.
2. To help break the world-created mold of who God is and how He works.
3. To include useful and thought-provoking work that facilitates discussion both in my blog (leave me comments) and outside of my blog (in your real life).
4. To improve the world's e-atmosphere, one reader at a time, which I hope will permeate through the e-world into the r-world (real-world).
5. Finally, I hope to improve myself through this blog.  Just because I am the author does not mean that what I blog about are things I have overcome (necessarily) in my life; usually it's the opposite:  What I blog about are things that I am wrestling with, and publishing them helps me with my own awakening to who I really am in God and how I should work through my issues in life.

I hope that you, as readers, will comment on my blog postings whenever something inspires you to do so.  If I have touched your life by my thoughts and revelations, please leave me a comment saying how I have helped you.  It is not for my gratification that you leave a comment; rather it is so that my other readers can see that they are not alone in working through these same issues.  Hopefully the commonality of life's challenges will inspire other readers to step out of their comfort zone, and confront their own issues head-on.

Awaking Hope

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Pro.13:12 NIV)

Hope.  Hope always.  Hope in all things at all times.  A good friend said, "We need to hope more.  There is faith in hope."

As a teacher, I experience hope a lot.  Every winter-season there are opportunities for hope.  If you're in the education system you know exactly to what I am referring.  SNOW DELAYS.  This morning upon getting up I knew there'd be snow and a possibility of a snow delay.  The first thing I did when I woke up was to check a local news channel for delays/cancellations.  There were only 17, none in Cumberland county... so I got my shower.  That was 'hope deferred'.  We need to be careful that when we experience a deferred hope, that we do not allow that to be a stronghold for the enemy.  It would have been easy for me to experience anger and resentment (toward the other schools that Did have snow delays) and to have allowed that to taint my day at work.  In fact I did have to battle that a little, because two very close-by schools had delays, but my school did not.  But I got over it.

After getting out of the shower, I decided to check again for my hope of a 2-hour delay.  Finally my 'longing was fulfilled' and my school had now posted a delay.  How do you think I felt?  If you're not a teacher, allow me to let you in on a little secret:  We, as teachers, love snow delays just as much as every child does!  WAHOO!  Having my longing fulfilled truly was a tree of life!  I felt a new energy brewing inside of me, not just for the fact that I could go back to sleep for a while, but because of this simple fact:  My hope was fulfilled.  Rejoice and be glad; Thank the Lord when He fulfills one of your hopes, no matter how small or insignificant it seems:  He is Lord of ALL THINGS, and that includes your smallest and simplest hopes.  And allow your fulfilled hopes to bring you joy and increase your faith.  The Lord is good!

By the way:  I never was able to fall back asleep again that morning.  ugh.


What if my hope never seems to be fulfilled?
This question popped into my head since I just gave you an example of a hope that was fulfilled.  But I have hopes that still have not been fulfilled.  What about those?  Well remember, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick..." Therefore, you need to be watching your heart.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  (Prov. 4:23, NIV)

We must continue to trust in the Lord.  Your heart is the wellspring of your life; it's the fountain that determines in part how you feel and act.  If your heart is sick or troubled it will manifest in your flesh, in the way you act.  So we need to guard our hearts.  I have been hoping in the Lord for a healing.  In the spiritual realm we have already seen this miracle take place but it has not manifested in the natural yet.  So I have two options:  I can continue to hope and trust in the Lord, or I can allow my heart to become sick.  It's a choice, you see?  If your hope, like some of my hopes, have not yet been fulfilled, continue to trust in the Lord for His timing and guidance.  He will fulfill the longings of your heart, but they may not be in your timing.  And just imagine how great your 'tree of life' will be when your hope is finally realized!  Great things always take time to develop.

So I encourage you again:  Hope.  Hope always.  Hope in all things at all times.  The Lord loves you and has good things planned for you.  Things that you wouldn't be able to imagine even if He told you!

Awaking the Lion Within

Fear is one of the enemy's strongest tools.  Wouldn't you agree?  Fear is imprisonment.  It will keep you from doing what God has truly called you to do on this earth.  As a child of God, you have the inherited right to be a Ruler; to be a Performer of Miracles on this earth.  As a son (or daughter) of God you have to right to be able to touch the Father's heart and talk with Him whenever you want about whatever you please.  God has made you (yes YOU, reader) a stand-up warrior, a lion, a conqueror of this life and its fears and worries!  

So what do you have to fear if God is with you always?  I can already hear my own answers in my head:  I'm afraid of change, I'm afraid of going broke, I'm afraid of ridicule, I'm afraid of losing somebody important to me, I'm afraid of getting put outside of my comfort zone, etc..., etc..., etc...  I battle this battle daily.  So do not think that just because I'm the author of this blog that I have overcome; that I have arrived.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  But what I can tell you is this:  I battle fear daily.  And THAT is courage.  

Courage isn't being fearless; courage is confronting your fear, and pressing through it.  Courage is proclaiming what you know is truth based upon faith (not sight).  Courage is hard.  It's harder than fear for sure.  Fear leaves you in your comfortable place.  Fear is what probably got you to where you are in life right now.  I know it's what got me, in part, to this place in my own life.  So what can we do?  We need to combat our fears.  We need to release the man or woman God has called us to be!  Throw caution and trepidation to the wind and just live your life the way you've always wanted to live it!  COMBAT YOUR FEAR.

Writing this blog is one form of combating my own personal fear.  I am intimidated by the idea of ridicule; being mocked by friends.  Writing a blog for the whole world to see (including my friends) is a scary idea to me.  So how can I combat this?  How can I let out my inner-lion and be more of the man God calls me to be if I do not confront my fear head-on?  I challenge my fear.  I look it in the eyes and I press forward.  And you can do this too but first you need to realize who you are.  So who are you?

If you're a Christian, then you're a son or daughter of the Most High God, Creator of the Universe!  I don't want to hear your false humbleness (which is really self-righteousness) which tells you "I am nothing but a meager servant.  I am a slave to the will of God."  In God there is NOTHING that enslaves and oppresses - God is the God of freedom, so stand up and walk upright on this earth!

If you're not a Christian but you're reading this blog then first of all, congratulations!  In a small way you're confronting fear by reading this blog.  I want you to understand something.  The 'church' for a long time has been spreading propaganda.  (I am going to use the word 'church' here to mean the religious system and hierarchy that has been established by men, but not in a way that I think God intended.)  This propaganda has been saying things that have isolated people when it shouldn't have.  I want you to know that God loves you and cares for you JUST AS MUCH as He cares for the proclaiming Christians of the earth.  It doesn't matter if you're atheist, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or anything else.  You're still a child of the Lord God, and He cares for you and wants you back.  Therefore, your privileges and obligations are no different than a Christian's.  You too have an inner-lion that is roaming and waiting to be released.  Let it out of the cage and just see what happens.  I dare you.

In fact, I challenge all of you.  In this new year, 2010, how are you going to combat your fear?  You cannot grow in any meaningful way if you're acting in fear.  Journal the ideas that you've had since you were a child and make stride to accomplish those goals now!  Decide what areas of your life are not how you pictured them years ago.  Why are they different?  True, ideas and goals and dreams change... but did yours change because of fear?  I imagine if you truly meditate and think about that and journal down your ideas, you will see that fear has been a larger player in your life than you'd like to admit.  It has been in my life.  The more I am aware of my thoughts and motivations behind my actions, the more I realize that I operate from a system of fear.  A system that is meant to keep me imprisoned and weak.  Bu that is not who I am, and neither are you.  You are a prince or a princess on this earth, and the time is NOW for you to come forth and proclaim the truth.  The time is NOW for you to live up to the standards of God (not men) and break through your fears.  

Take one stride at a time.  Each blog posting is a courageous act for me; one in which I confront and combat my fears.  What will you do today to confront and combat your fears?  How will you release your inner-lion today?