Matthew 12:25-30
I mentioned the other day a friend of mine forwards a daily inspirational message. I think it is a great practice and it's very uplifting. There are many take home or take-to-heart messages that I try to instill into myself. One pearl I noted on Wednesday was about how we respond to life being more important than what happens to us in life. Today I'll note another and this one comes in a general but consistent way in these daily messages. This is, that if we are serious about something we can't be wishy washy or do it half way. We have to pour our souls into whatever it is we want or think important. If we do not, we are like a house divided.
I can't begin to tell you how many people are half hearted about things, from their marriages to their faith to their very own happiness. There are plenty of mechanisms to support our half heartedness. Indecision, being passive aggressive and simply lack of movement (which is in itself a decision). We lie to ourselves and to others and perhaps we are a bit more than procrastinating too. None of these will achieve happiness, our goals or our true happiness.
I always argue for raw, serious, brutal self reflection. Not brutal in terms of beating ourselves up but simply completely honest and open with ourselves. Perhaps had I been more honest with myself I would have discovered before the age of 50 that I was really gay. But along with that honesty is a sense of self forgiveness at my mistakes and foibles and not looking back and saying shoulda-woulda-coulda. After all, I have had a very rich life and where I am now is heavily influenced by the entire time and life of 'where I was'. The truth remains that we need to be totally honest with ourselves and everyone if we are to move forward in growth and in relationships.
Here is an interesting note though. In our human relationships, no one knows, perhaps even ourselves, if we are obfuscating or disingenuous. We hurt everyone and ourselves in being so. What is funny though is when we lie to ourselves with God, He does know the truth. He knows more than we do. God knows the truth of our actions and the truth of our hearts. There is no escaping that. Perhaps all the more reason to get closer to God. He has the inside info on us. He just might be willing to share some of that info.
We can lie to others, lie to ourselves but we cannot effectively lie to God. I am sure we do try at times. Amazing that God loves us with reckless abandon anyway and respects our journey to wholeness, sometimes in spite of ourselves.
However hokey, the truth remains, honesty is the best policy. We cannot live our lives against ourselves ( in lying ) and if we do not take that brutally honest stance with ourselves we are just not serious about our own journey.
I can't begin to tell you how many people are half hearted about things, from their marriages to their faith to their very own happiness. There are plenty of mechanisms to support our half heartedness. Indecision, being passive aggressive and simply lack of movement (which is in itself a decision). We lie to ourselves and to others and perhaps we are a bit more than procrastinating too. None of these will achieve happiness, our goals or our true happiness.
I always argue for raw, serious, brutal self reflection. Not brutal in terms of beating ourselves up but simply completely honest and open with ourselves. Perhaps had I been more honest with myself I would have discovered before the age of 50 that I was really gay. But along with that honesty is a sense of self forgiveness at my mistakes and foibles and not looking back and saying shoulda-woulda-coulda. After all, I have had a very rich life and where I am now is heavily influenced by the entire time and life of 'where I was'. The truth remains that we need to be totally honest with ourselves and everyone if we are to move forward in growth and in relationships.
Here is an interesting note though. In our human relationships, no one knows, perhaps even ourselves, if we are obfuscating or disingenuous. We hurt everyone and ourselves in being so. What is funny though is when we lie to ourselves with God, He does know the truth. He knows more than we do. God knows the truth of our actions and the truth of our hearts. There is no escaping that. Perhaps all the more reason to get closer to God. He has the inside info on us. He just might be willing to share some of that info.
We can lie to others, lie to ourselves but we cannot effectively lie to God. I am sure we do try at times. Amazing that God loves us with reckless abandon anyway and respects our journey to wholeness, sometimes in spite of ourselves.
However hokey, the truth remains, honesty is the best policy. We cannot live our lives against ourselves ( in lying ) and if we do not take that brutally honest stance with ourselves we are just not serious about our own journey.
He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
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