Beware of the lack of flow or order or anything normal in this post....but there are things trying to be get out of me that want to be said :)...I have a point, I almost always do, it's just whether or not it got out of me in an understandable fashion is debatable.
I think the story of the butterfly stuck with me....the one where a person walking down the sidewalk saw a butterfly struggling to break free from his cocoon, so the passerby grabbed some scissors to help the creature take flight....but the thing is that God designed a butterfly to push his way through the cocoon so that all of the goo from the cocoon will be removed from his wings so that he can fly. This butterfly never flew.
And I think I have shared this story here before.
I tend to be a person who leans towards personal empowerment.
When I took a personality test recently I was shocked to have to answer a question that read something like this: are you a person who values mercy or justice?
Um.
I hate that question.
Pick one.
Even just going through the thought process of picking one will tell you a lot about yourself, I think...
That baby genius who learned to roll over all by herself is now reading & reading really well. We are at a point in her life where she'll get to a word she doesn't know & I find that sometimes I let her struggle through it - sound it out, remember the rules, you can do it - & other times when I simply tell her the word & we move on.
Both responses are correct depending on the word.
Both are helping to propel her forward as she strengthens her reading skills.
Lee & I recently went through a season when the Lord placed something heavy on our hearts & then called us to action. The burden was so heavy & the conviction so clear that it seemed to us that it would be clear to everyone. We honestly thought we had just woken up to something that everyone else was surely aware of. We were surprised when people didn't see things the way that we did.
And it has sent us on a journey.
We've been in the cocoon.
We go to church with some very talented musicians. Well known musicians that are probably paid well for their talent as they are popular in Christian music circles. And I hear criticism about that. Should they make as much money as they do? Is it right for Christians to be so 'popular'? People aren't following Jesus they're just following a Christian culture. And within these circles of the Christian world I hear attacks. And then we watched one of these men accept a Grammy for his album. And in the room filled with Christians this man is loved. In a room full of non-Christians.....I didn't hear applause & I saw people checking their phones & all of a sudden the other side of the story was clear.
It felt lonely & I wondered if the people in that room hated Jesus, because I know people do & I may have been one of those people at one point in my life, but now every time I hear of someone hating Jesus I am certain they have never taken a pure look. I get angry that I believe He has been misrepresented & anyway....I felt proud to support the ministry of this man & his music because I saw so clearly that He is playing for the audience of One. And the One has brought many to gather in worship when Chris sings.
God places burdens on our hearts that shape us & make us into the people He is making us into. People don't always see things the same way. Political parties make you decide.....do you think that we should give handouts to people who need money? Or do you think we should take the cushion away so that people can be empowered to succeed? Do you think that 'wealthy' people should be forced to give portions of their money to the government? Or do you think that 'wealthy' people should be allowed to do what they want to with their money?And I am learning that I don't think it's that simple.
I hate that we live in a time when we think that really big, emotional & very real situations are as simple as 'this way' or 'that way'.
The Kony 2012 video is spreading like wildfire & with it comes the passion & the criticism.
I have heard all kinds from the white Americans 'need' to rescue black people to the salaries these people from Invisible Children take.
Sometimes individuals need the room to grow & succeed & to squeeze out of the cocoon all on their own with people standing by cheering them on. And sometimes people need to be rescued. I don't care what color your skin is.
I would say that the LRA is something of a horror story for many people & I would hate for the argument of how things should be done or the politics surrounding that to shadow the faces of the people living through this nightmare.
I think that human rescue should not be political, but rather should be personal. So if God has placed a passionate burden on the hearts of some people to stop a murderous man.....I think that's awesome. If He has not placed that specific burden on your heart or my heart.....I think that's OK too. I think God has wired us differently & there are a whole lot of hurting people in the world that need our attention. I'm thankful to live in a country that had the resources & the moral character to step in when Adolf Hitler was wiping out a massive number of innocent people. And I am OK being criticized if our country steps in to help speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.
I am OK with that.
Not everyone is OK with that.
But I hope that the disagreement around that could be tabled for a moment to simply consider the brutality & reality of the situation. And maybe more importantly, find out what burdens your heart so deeply....because there is something there. It may be hidden under a lot of bad experiences or comfort, but there's something placed on each of our hearts that is purposed for something important.
And when we tap into that - then we'll see the church rockin & rollin like God intended for it to.
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