Irrelevant Bullying...

It was 8:30, and if the bus was just a little late, we may still make it... and then, she began to cry. Said she wouldn't go on the bus, said she couldn't, and wont ever again go to school ever again. Everything in me wanted to just rush on to the next task, push her out the door, and in the "dutch mom" kind of way tell her to suck it up and popo her fear away.  I needed to be somewhere in 15 minutes, my other kids routine will get knocked right off those tracks, laundry, dishes, packing that purse...

And a still small voice at the center of my being spoke, "Bring her close, snuggle in, hold her tight, listen and hear her small heart."  

The front door closed, and to my knees I fell to hear the gasping cries of my 6 year old baby.  "They all call me fat, no one likes me at school...they say I'm fat!"

Without a word I brought her close, held her, kissed her cheeks, stroked her hair, pulled her into my very spirit, and whispered... "who loves you?" Without hesitation she pointed first up then at me.  "Don't you know that God waited all night for you to open your eyes this morning to see what you would think of first?" Her eyes focused on mine.  "You know that you are so much more important to God than what you look like?"  She nods.  "You ask God what he thinks about you, you don't listen to people... Can I pray for you?"  She nods again...

We can go on about bullies, standing up for our children, teaching them not have any tolerance for such behaviors.  But this issue will continue on for the rest of their lives.  What if it was all irrelevant?  What if we taught our children that instead of listening to peoples praises, or insults, in looking to others approval, we taught them it was ALL irrelevant?  What if we raised a generation of children who look to their creator for their identity?  What if instead of telling our children that they are "big boned" and not fat, we ask them if it matters...  Truth is, it is all irrelevant in the span of eternity.  My child's significance must come from her creator, ONLY he knows who she is, what she will do, and who she will be...  and even none of that matters because of HIS GREAT LOVE...

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not something of this world.  The world will not understand it.  The word is meant to be lived out in truth here, now, and into eternity.  Hunger for eternal eyes that know truth for what it is, and discard anything less.  It is not natural for us to have self esteem.  Hunger for God esteem... always eyes looking up, as he affirms who HE is, and let your identity lie in who He is.  Alpha and Omega, in the beginning and through to the end.  Was, and is and is to come...  He never changes, and so neither will your firm identity because of him.  Choose to have your mind transformed to the likeness of Jesus...  Made in the image of our creator, redeemed to be seen as children of the one and only true God...  

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good

(Genesis 1:27, 31)

broken wholeness

With room still, words on a page and a heart to pass through your glory is revealed.  An emptying of oneself. A passing through of life, light, glory, humbling, open laid before you with head to the ground. Undeserved praise to be pushed back to you, my creator, my rescuer, my mentor, my guide.

My all.

Written on my life, words on a page would not do.  Lived in the world, my complete surrender to be made new. It is in you, in you.  Through you and for you. As you still my will, steady my being, lift my eyes to you.  In you, through you and for you. Tendered heart, almost to overwhelmed as you pass by, as you remind me who indwells, with my choice in mind.  No more than I can bear, no less than you have paid for. A choosing, open, bare my heart is before you.

Truth is power when spoken from a place of complete transparent wholeness.  From complete transparent brokenness, wounds in process of being healed. As all wounds are in process to be healed. Trusting you in the pain, in the graciousness of your story dancing within mine, to be corrected: mine dancing within yours.

Forgive me for any words of my own. For teaching in truth but not in you.  In you with part of me. Part of me in my needs.  Forgive me for trust known and believed but not practiced and experienced.  Not learned. Do not let that opportunity pass, for in my disobedience the eternal cannot be seen. And yet, your grace is enough.  However you choose, you remain, and do your mighty works despite me.

You are because of who you are.  And I am because of who you have said I am. You wouldn't have it any other way.  And in every moment of my entire life, make it so with me.

Blue fish tattoo

Today I met a girl with a blue fish tattoo and immediately knew... Told her I had one on my back, we both smiled... then things just got real.  Right to the issues, right to the soul, the truth of the matter.  Suddenly everyday conversation was spoken and understood in an "not so scratch the surface" kind of way.  Someone in need of love was someone needing Jesus, bringing a meal was bringing living water with no bottom to the well...  Smiles recognized to be stored away in the memory of the soul for an eternal reunion.  Here we will serve, there we will dance. Today I met a girl with a blue fish tattoo and immediately knew...

Running stop signs

I ran a stop sign the other day. 50 meters behind me a car laid on its horn. I looked in the rear view mirror at the car stopped at the same sign and said WOW I just ran a stop sign! I drive that street every single day, how in the world could I have forgotten that there was a stop sign there? Would I have even noticed has the person behind me not honked?

God immediately says, this is how it looks when my children point out one anothers mistakes. There is a quick slap of the wrist or pull of the arm, truth is revealed, and the mistake maker is thankful for the reminder of the stop sign. Or are they? Are we? Was I?

The interesting part for me is the blessing in someone pointing out I had made a mistake. Its not like they wanted me to go back and correct it. They simply wanted to remind me that there was indeed a reason to stop there.

Next time you are corrected for a simple mistake, have a little grace. Humble your puffed up self, come back down to earth with the rest of us to enjoy a little fellowship in the mistake makers club. Its going to happen... and if your in the right community people honk because they love. Any other motivation is Gods business, not yours. Mind your honkin' buisness:)