It was one of those weird thoughts that sometimes pops into our mind. I think it might have been prompted by something someone said on a show I was watching last night.
Anyway, I grabbed a notepad and started listing all the homes I’ve lived in since I left my parent’s home at 17. The total came to 27 homes. Wow, what a journey I’ve taken! And each one carried a whole slew of memories and experiences. What a great question for someone with a life like mine to answer. I could write a book about each one!! Lol. But here’s the gist of the exercise for me.
My most enjoyed encourager is Jordan B Peterson. In his book “12 Rules For Life” his twelfth rule is to Pet A Cat When You Encounter One On The Street. He calls it a focus on fragility. That when we have come up against the wall, in the betrayals and tragedies of our lives, we should shorten our focus on time frames, and pet the cat we encounter on the street.
This spoke loudly to me today when I sunk into tears over the continuing saga of physical maladies that have attacked me for the last 20 months. As I have overcome one, another has pounced. And the courage to get up to overcome the next challenge simply wears on one. Thus the tears, momentarily at least because I refuse to be a pitiful victim.
These past few months have been a “going through the fire” episode for me, which might explain why I haven’t posted. Honestly, much of the time, I simply didn’t know what to say. And in other parts, it seemed too bizarre to share, especially when I didn’t understand it fully myself.
Ironically, I thought I was finished with the “fire” series this year and was ready to head into the green pastures of the valley. But that wasn’t the case.
Health challenges, some of them with life-threatening proportions loomed over me. And I wasn’t handling them conventionally. Oh, I considered that direction seriously, more than once, and then resorted each time, to my usual. Only Father.
Some might say I’ve been hiding from the chaos. You may know what I mean. If it isn’t chaos about your mask or lack thereof, it’s about your political policies or your thoughts on the civil chaos. And of course, there’s still the religious chaos – fundamentals vs evangelicals or one of the other 41K denominations.
Well, meantime, I’ve had some personal chaos of my own. Therefore I unplugged from every other chaos and refused to be part of it. I must be reconciled with my own chaos before I tackle anything else. After all, how will I make good decisions if I’m not at Peace?
“But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48.
“The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.” ~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952; Harper Collins: 2001) 205-206.
This is a description of paradise, heaven on earth, here and now in this age. We, having been made the perfection of Christ can say “Be Perfect” as though we are truly inside Christ and are able to command a certain reaction from creation. I mimic His voice; His words.
Father awakened me to a secret about rejection. The love inside. It began with a dream about an old boyfriend I’ll call Jay.
Jay didn’t want to fall in love, and made it perfectly clear repeatedly. However, he enjoyed spending lots of time with me over several years of dinners, phone calls, and heart-to-heart talks. And yes, a love affair.
I fell in love with him, but of course, I couldn’t say the words because Jay didn’t want to fall in love. It was his rule.
Eventually, this rejection was more than I could bear and I asked Father to get me out of the relationship. He did it rather quickly.
Why would anyone want to embrace Covid-19? Because LOVE heals damaged Identity and that is what happened to this virus.
Remember when we talked about destructive storms? Father revealed that they were created entities. Much like animals, trees, and water they contain energy and life. And they were given an original purpose to nurture mankind. But their inner Identity was twisted by curses and hatred from mankind.
The same thing has happened in the case of Covid-19.
After excessive antibiotic intake, norovirus infection of mice actually restores the normal function of the immune system’s lymphocytes and the normal morphology of the intestine. The gastrointestinal tracts of mammals are plush with viruses. So far, little is known about how these viruses affect their hosts, but their sheer number and diversity suggest that they have important functions. This information comes from Marilyn Roossinck, PhD, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology and Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
Viruses were created by Father to benefit mankind. But through the years we’ve come to see them as evil, deserving of destruction. We’ve hated them, rebuked them, and screamed horrible names at them.
Wouldn’t it be great if we all prepared for Covid-19 the same way we prepare for a sport? I’ll explain.
First, with an attitude of winning, gear-up the team with every good tool and apparatus. Don’t skimp. Give them the best. And dress them in a way to feel team pride.
Then teach them and practice them until they think they’ll drop. Repetition, repetition, repetition. It strengthens everyone and everything. Even attitudes.
Then pump them up to believe they can win. Mental preparedness is often one of the very best things that can be done for any team. It can be the difference in playing well, or poorly. Emotions are vital. Fear can’t have a place in the fight because fear is defeat. And a fearful team almost never wins.
What’s my view about aging? Well, I have several opinions about it. But I didn’t know that I needed to find the core of what my spirit knows to be true.
There are a few different views about aging and death in Christianity and nonChristianity. So, for me, it’s been like walking through a thick forest, looking and listening for the truth that I will live.
If you saw “Bird Box” with Sandra Bullock, then you’ll have an idea of what it has felt like to navigate this new era of life. I can’t find the truth by simply looking with my eyes. That can actually be the most deadly thing to do!
Instead, I’ve been feeling my way through the trees…using instinct, Spirit, as my only guide. And that’s challenging. Like moving to a foreign country where the basics of life might be the same; air, food, water, and sunshine. But they exist in different terrain, customs, and language. It takes time to learn how to do it best. A way that will lead to satisfaction and groundedness again.
