Friday, February 7, 2014

And the Oscar goes to....



Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 
Ephesians 4, 25

Dear family in Jesus!

Having enjoyed working in the creative world of onstage performances or video shoots one could call me an expert on putting on a show. As a trained actress I bet I can sell you anything and you would not notice that I am lying my nose into infinity. For the purpose of acting this is a vital skill to posses, but how about real life? Many christians "act" their buns off and might not even realize it. Let me take you on the journey to seeking wise transparency. 

A great friend inspired me immensely by sharing the quote to "stay between the ditches". OMG! If only someone had given me this advice 20 years ago. I feel like my life could be summarized by my desperate pursuit to find a home in one ditch after the other. 

Can you identify with this? 

As immature as it might be to slide from one ditch into the other, sharing my new found excitement with everybody around me, only to offend, exclude, and ignore other facts and people, was always at least: honest. 

In the christian world there seem to exist two particular ditches when it comes to honesty. Being too honest and putting on a show. Somewhere in the middle lies the Truth- if we realize it or not.

Between "I am sooo miserable" and "Everything is just grand" lies the potential for revelation. 

What season are you in? Are you waiting for a breakthrough or are you enjoying the fruits of a harvest? Is both applicable in your manifold life? What is God's perspective on your good/bad situation? Who does He want to be for you?

We are called to put away with falsehood. We are called to speak truthful with our neighbor. Who is my neighbor? you might ask. Well, let me remind you that your neighbor tends to be the person you least wanted to be honest with. ...Maybe because they are not a christian? Or they don't attend your church? But remember, being the Good Samaritan means to love everyone and at all cost with a godly love. 

Sharing your true thoughts with someone, including struggles and hopes, means to evangelize (spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ's surrender to the divine and worldly law, execution and glorious resurrection for God's joy and our wholesome salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts). Who would not want to be honest if it means to evangelize? 

Let's be honest, for God's sake. Who are we trying to kid? Let others boast of you. Let God promote you. Let your reputation get better by truth and not by putting a spin on your life.

Now, as we are trying to stay between the ditches, unto the "wise" part. 

Everything you say shall be true, but you do not have to say everything that is true. I believe that the Holy Spirit does a fantastic job to nudge us as to what to say to whom. Don't rationalize it how ever. "If I let a non-believer know that I have struggles in my life and God doesn't answer my prayers the way I think He should, I will be a bad witness." Again, one would think out of a ditch and lacking revelation. 

Please picture this: 

On the one side of the road to eternal life there is a ditch called "Head knowledge" 
and on the other side the ditch called "Heart knowledge". 
Both ditches might be true. 
But to jump from one ditch into the other, without connecting them and sifting out what's not true, will always be one sided, unbalanced, unhealthy, and eventually merely wrong. 

The christian faith receives Jesus as the road in between, calming our fish tail ride by saying: "I am the truth, the way, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." 

We are NOT left as orphans. Our father didn't abandon us with a set of rules to figure out. Jesus went back to the Father in heaven IN ORDER TO send us the Holy Spirit, which is as long as we live continuing to transform us into the image of Jesus, a son/daughter of God, teaching us HOW to posture our head and heart, HOW to live. 

DITCH: Head Knowledge
ROAD: Holy Spirit
DITCH: Heart Knowledge

Here some other ditches:

DITCH: Couch Potato
ROAD: Holy Spirit 
DITCH: Workout Fanatic

DITCH: I trust no authority!
ROAD: Holy Spirit
DITCH: God only speaks through my pastor!

DITCH: I am free to do what ever I want!
ROAD: Holy Spirit
DITCH: Abiding by laws will be our salvation!

DITCH: Meticulous nutrition will keep me from sickness
Road: Holy Spirit
DITCH: Sickness only stems from spiritual matters

DITCH: Heart on the sleeve 
Road: Holy Spirit
DITCH: Total introvert

And many more....

I realized that it is "my style" to learn about something by landing in a ditch for a while. Much like a horse with blinders. It focusses me on the new topic, the new thoughts, new facts, new principles, etc. But I also realized that to stay in that one ditch or to say "You in my ditch or I ditch you" would be grave ignorance. I want to rely on the Holy Spirit to clean up and connect all the ditches in my life, to continue to show me the Truth in everything I know, by using everybody I know. 

Dear family in Jesus, I pray you were inspired to shed another layer of pretense in your life and embrace wise transparency in the Holy Spirt, as we are in need of one another; and so is the world.

Be blessed abundantly!