For those who are not followers of Jesus it is difficult at times to understand what we are saying because we speak our own language. And unfortunately there are some of us who seem to have forgotten how to converse with someone who hasn't learned the new language. Now I'm not talking about profanity or English vs French or Spanish -- I'm talking about "Christian-ese" which comes in many different dialects and consequently we don't always understand each other much less someone else. So when we do speak to a person with a different language or dialect, their eyes seem to glass over and their ears close so much so they can't and don't want to hear what is being said. I believe it goes both directions.
When I was first introduced to this new language called Christian-ese, my eyes glassed over, too, but I wanted to be like those who spoke it so I put a smile on my face so as not to alert the person talking to me that I really didn't understand fully what they were saying. As time went on I began listening to it day after day, week after week, and year after year until I began speaking and hearing just the same as the person who had originally introduced me to this new language and because I no longer talked with those who spoke my old language I forgot how to speak it to them and to understand it. I failed to do what Jesus did -- walk and talk with the prostitutes, the adulterers, the addicts, the lost people-those outside the "church" who I had been before. Oh my goodness had I become one of those Pharisees Jesus talked about in the Bible who should look at the large plank in my own eyes before I looked at the speck in the eye of someone else. I fear I had -- LORD please forgive me.
My husband enjoys a television show "Falling Sky" in which we as earthlings (humans) are attacked and about to be taken over by alien beings who kill the adults and take the children into captivity. And after they capture the children they put what is called a harness on them which is embedded in their backs and into their nervous system thus taking away their own thought processes replacing them with the aliens' own thoughts and as this happens the aliens are able to control the children's actions. In a recent episode as the humans cut into the corpse of one of the aliens they discovered there was a "harness" which was deeply imbedded inside the alien which had been grown over and so covered up the former thing was not recognizable. So the question is what was the alien before? So now I'm asking myself the question what and who was I before I surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus? To the humans in the show, the aliens are ugly and mean, and lurking about to devour them, void of any emotion or feeling and believe me they are ugly and vicious. Oh LORD had I become one of those aliens, not remembering who or what I once was, what I did, and how I thought? Was I trying to devour those who I had been just like me only a few years before. Had I so surrounded myself with "life minded" people that I lost site of everyone else. What about reaching out to those with differing views and attempting a true dialogue in a language we both just might understand. After all Jesus ate, walked, and talked with those who were prostitutes, tax collectors, "sinners", etc. I have to confess I haven't been doing much of that.
Have those of us who are Pro-Life alienated our brothers and sisters in the LORD because some advocate "choice" as an option. I'm actually reading a book written by a woman who is a professing Christian and who is also pro-choice. Something which seemed very foreign and impossible to me. She believes that every life is precious and as such one should not be forced to bring a child into this world unwanted or one who would be born with addictions because the mother chose to continue doing drugs during pregnancy. To her it is more compassionate for mother and child to abort the child and allow the mother to continue on with her choice. I don't agree with her reasoning because to me, every life IS precious INCLUDING the life of the unborn child, which is where we differ. But I now understand where she is coming from and where some in the Pro-Choice camp are coming from. I don't have to agree but I don't have to alienate them either. Which will bring me to another future Blog topic "The God of Choice"... but I digress.
Whether we are pro-life or pro-choice -- we all desperately need our minds to be transformed as it states in Romans 12: 1-3 (NIV) - 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
So before I look at the speck in someone else's eye I must first removed the very large plank in my eye. For I desperately need the Holy Spirit to engulf me in such a way as to mold me and make me into the imagine of a most Holy God --to change the way I think and to fill me with HIS presence and inhabit me so that I am able to live life by the Fruits of His Spirit -- which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Help me LORD today to do just that -- to be lead by your Spirit and to continually transform me and shape me and to give me a new mind to think with, Help me love those who think differently than I do and bring us both into a revelation of the truth so we can be set free. I fear LORD because of my actions in the past, people may have a distorted and ugly view of who you really are -- please forgive me for that. May I be light in a dark world and for those around me and those whom I meet, may they see YOU in a true light as a loving and compassionate GOD as well as a Holy GOD, not a mean, ugly, GOD who wants to strike them and devour them but a GOD who loves them. And because sin separates us from a Holy GOD -- thank you that you loved us so much that YOU gave us your SON, JESUS, to take our punishment when we accept HIM and acknowledge HIM, and HE bridges the gap and allow us into your presence. Help me LORD not to alienate those who are different from me but to love them and show them YOU. May, The HOLY SPIRIT, remain visible to me and to those around me and LORD help me not be an ugly alien so covered up that I don't even look human anymore; but may I be seen as one who has been forgiven much and one who loves much not trying to devour those which I once was and still can be.
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