An approach to getting along

One would think there is plenty of direction in Christianity to teach us how to get along with each other. Bible scripture gives us much to think about.  In the Gospel of Matthew 22:36-40, we learn: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” These words of Jesus don’t leave much wiggle room, but we still have a hard time living in to them.

We may even draw on other traditions to further support what Jesus was saying. There are many traditions that are older than recorded history. One principle of such an old Chinese tradition was the principle of Chung Fu, which means Inner Truth. It was introduced into Confucianism at some point. These principles can help nudge us into our already existing Christian principles and commandments.

In Chung Fu, the idea is to be like the wind blowing across the lake. The invisible action of the wind creates to noticeable ripples in the water. Our goal should be to interact with others in a way that is not clouded with prejudice or other predispositions about a person. If you proceed in life relationships this way, you are more invisible to the other person and your behavior toward them is more effective. To have a deep influence on others you must have a good understanding of them.

In love, our partner must trust us deeply.  In order for this to manifest itself in our relationship, we must take the time to thoroughly understand our partner. In business or professional situations, we must be straightforward in our communications. They must be honest and sincere. We must cultivate a deep and compassionate understanding of the people affecting our lives

We must communicate and cooperate effectively with those around us. To do this and be successful we need to take the time to thoroughly understand their natures. Our prejudice, predispositions, or any other negative must be put aside or their receptivity will be lessened and truth will not be reached. Once we thoroughly understand someone, we can work on gaining their trust; however, Chung Fu principles warn that this needs to be for a mutual benefit, not just our benefit. Without honesty and sincerity, progress cannot be achieved.

We must be gentle in our relationships and not jump to conclusions before we have a deep understanding of the other person. There must be a mutual confidence in this relationship in order to build trust and activate beneficial results.

The light generated in a relationship developed in this way will shine on, in and through each of the parties, so that a clear and clean spirit can do its work.  The inner truth that is manifest in this must grow great before its influence can be truly felt.  

In Hebrews 12:14-16, St. Paul reminds us: ^“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled..”

And then in Romans 12:15-28, Paul continues to support what we have been pondering above in saying: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”  

While we have taken a side trip to the Chung Fu principles, we have only proven that what we need in our lives can be found in Holy Scripture. Our side trip reveals that we must do a better job in practicing our own traditions in Christianity. There is much that we pass by; like a ship passing by its port in the night.

WHATEVER!

I know a lot of people that use the word, “whatever”, in an odd way. It’s almost as if they don’t give a hoot about what you’ve just said to them. It seems to be a put down. They don't care about what you said. The term seems to be used to dismiss a previous statement and express indifference.  It is usually considered offensive and impolite.

 

In recent times the word has become a very popular way to express oneself.  It is used to block further conversation on a subject. It leaves the other person without a way to respond.  Anything we suggest can be blocked by the retort of "whatever". In today’s social media on the internet it is used by shorthand in typing w/e, meaning whatever.

People sometimes say, “Whatever”, when they have lost an argument. Maybe sometimes they say the w/e word as a way of being OK with what you’ve just said, but really don’t have a horse in the race. At any rate, I guess we’re stuck with this slang usage for awhile.

There are plenty of other proper uses of the word whatever that don’t carry quite the negativity. It is used in phrases like: take whatever you want; whatever he says, they won't believe him; whatever do you mean by that; do whatever you like; you have our support, whatever you decide; whatever decision he made I would support it; and take whatever action is needed, to name a few.

I’ve done a search of Holy Scripture and find that Philippians 4:8 is packed with the word, whatever.  Let’s take a look at how it is used by St. Paul: ^“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Well now, that seems to put a different twist on the word, whatever. Here St. Paul uses it to target the things in our lives that are beneficial to us in our seeking the Lord. In Mark 13:11, we see another use of whatever: “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
Mark also uses the, whatever, word in 11:24; “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” As it turns out the, whatever word, is used many, many times in Holy Scripture. The following are more examples:

Genesis 2:19 “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.”  Genesis 8:19 “Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.”  Genesis 21:12 “But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.” Genesis 31:16  “For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”
 

This search of Holy Scripture for the whatever word, could go on forever. It is used in so many ways, but doesn’t seem to stand alone very well, as our modern culture sometimes uses it. It seems to need a lot of help in its proper use. While some use it to discount or ignore, its use in the Bible certainly helps raise important things to our attention.

The next time someone states the one word, “whatever”, a good response might be Hallelujah!

Life, Death and Our Spirit

In our religious beliefs, we are seeking to know our Creator God and recognize that we humans have some sort of soul or spirit that is part of us.  We can sense that spirit in each other and have faith that it is an eternal life promise. When we think of most friends and family during their lives and after their death, we certainly sense some kind of spirit relating to them. They had a spirit about them in all that they did in this world and we still sense their spirit after their natural death.

We are all tiny physical pieces of our vast universe, God’s Creation, but we see ourselves as spirits whose souls have always existed. While our mortal bodies seem to be separate from our spirit, we are in some sense immortal in our spirit as we leave these short natural lives to be in God’s Eternal Kingdom.

God does not measure time with a clock. Each of us will experience our own death at a worldly time unknown to us. We are, however, on God’s Time. Einstein probably understood that more than anyone with his theory of Relativity, the thought of which brings us closer together with all humanity that has ever been.

St. Paul tells us in a portion of Chapter 8 of his letter to the Romans: “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you …though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness……nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ben Franklin once wrote to a deceased friend’s family (in part), “Our friend and we were invited abroad on a party of pleasure, which is to last forever.  His chair was ready first, and he goes before us.  We could not all conveniently start together; and why should you and I be grieved at this, since we are soon to follow, and know where to find him? Adieu, Ben Franklin”

My personal certainty of God’s Love, Grace and gift of Eternal Life with Him comes from my revelation experience with Him through His Spirit. During a 10-hour brain tumor surgery and a 30-day recovery at UAB Hospital in Birmingham in 1993, I was forgiven and comforted by Him. My fear of death was removed. He even gave me a glimpse into His Eternal Kingdom. Nothing has changed that understanding I received some 20-years ago.
 
More than one hundred years ago, a man of faith wrote the following piece that has been a help to me and many others over the years. It represents a communication from a deceased family member or friend. It is probably what those we have lost over the years would like to tell us: 

 “Death is nothing at all…I have only slipped away into the next room…I am I and you are you…whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name; speak to me in the easy way which you always used.  Put no difference into your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.  Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.  Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.  Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effect, without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant.  It is the same as it ever was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity.  What is this death but a negligible accident?  Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?  I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner…All is well.” (By Henry Scott Holland, 1847-1918, a Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England.)


We are called, as those before us, to nurture our spirit as we live out our lives in the Lord. Our personal spirit, when enhanced by a close relationship with God, is a gift to us and others in our natural lives in this world and our eternal lives in His Kingdom.

Being Yourself

A friend of mine once told me that he liked to go to places like New Orleans, New York and San Francisco because he could feel more like himself in those environs than at home. There was a certain freedom for him in going out of town and turning loose of that self within him. He said it made him see life differently and it gave him a sense of creativity to be even more than he was.

I often wondered just what it was that caused him to feel that way. Was he able to do things not acceptable in his home environment? What was it about these away from home places that freed him up? Was it not possible for him to get freed up at home? Was this some sort of escape from something for him?

It’s not unusual for people to enjoy travel to see different places and things around our country and the world, but most people see that as a way of educating themselves about the world around them, not a way of escaping from their everyday lives. Travel can allow us to take time out to view the world around us, but not escape from who we are in our home communities.

Being aware of the world around us is certainly informative and helpful in our lives, but we can’t live everywhere all the time. We must be able to be ourselves where we live and not have to go elsewhere to find out who we are. Knowing more about the world around us should help us be ourselves at home. We can take the good and the bad we see in the world and help improve our home environments.

In Romans 12:2, St. Paul tells us: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Seeking places and things to free up ourselves is not worthy to offer up to God. If He is not in it with us, we waste our time. Peace, Grace and Comfort comes from God and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Our searches without them are dead end roads.

In 1 Samuel 16:6-7, we hear:  “So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”  Does my friend see something in the places he likes to journey to, that are not of the Lord? Like Samuel, is he looking at the outward appearance of things and not to the heart of things?

What are we called to be in our environments? Shouldn’t we be seeking God in this and not trying to be freed up in the natural world? The way we can best be ourselves is to consult with our Creator Father. Who would know better what we have been created to be. If we don’t listen to Him while we’re at home, a travel location will not be of much help. He’s with us at home and in travel, sending us His Love and Grace.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul reminds us of Christ’s message to him: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

So, it looks like “being ourselves” is found at home and everywhere we invite God to be with us. No matter the calamities of life that send us elsewhere to look, God is with us in our weaknesses. It is in all of the ups and downs of our lives, that we are lead when we turn to the Lord.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul again reminds us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  Paul goes on in Hebrews 11:1, to confirm that faith is our ‘being ourselves’ tool: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”