I don’t have any real work experience in the film industry, but I know we see the actors but we don’t see the production crew. In restaurants you generally see the servers but not the chef. However without the production crew the actors could not be seen or heard and surely without a chef there would be no meal.

As it is in the spreading of the gospel and the ministry of the church as a whole. We must all be careful to not let our flesh get caught up in our roles or more often referred to “our calling”. Some people are called to go out and feed the homeless and others are served to cook the food or prepare the food packages for distribution. Some are called to sing in the choir and some are called to greet and welcome people into the House of God. No matter what work God has placed in your hands to do, your purpose is not more or less important than that of your sister or brother in Christ.  As stated in the scripture above, whether you  plant or whether you provide the water, you don’t have the ability to bring forth growth, only God can do that. You can have a magnificent voice or be able to teach/preach God’s word with wonderful clarity, but only the Holy Spirit can touch a person’s heart or bring conviction that leads a person to a new way of doing, living and being. Let’s be careful that we never forget that we are all co-workers. Satan may lead you to believe that your gift, your talent or your skill is more valued than someone else’s, but don’t be fooled, it is not.

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Romans 12: 3-5

Embrace and be thankful for your assignment while supporting and celebrating the purpose of others. We’re just co-laborers, we can’t make anything grow.

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This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 

Tonight, maybe because my prayer life is not where I want or need it to be, “daily” spoke to me. We need God each day.  We need God to give us the fruits of the spirit each and everyday. Each day we need our the Lord to give us  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Today, you may have been aligned with God in all aspects of your day and your light was so bright that you positively impacted someone else. But guess what, tomorrow you can’t go forth into this world and have the same impact relying on the fumes left over from yesterday. If we want a full life in God we need to seek him daily and request that he strengthens us each day.  In order to have continued growth in God we need him to feed us each day. We can receive our daily portions through personal bible studies, group bible studies, prayer time and worship. He will feed us daily if we truly desire it and if we ask for it.

God, I need you:

• siku
• du quotidien
• taglich
• diariamente
• quotidiano
• nsuku zonke
• daily

Amen.

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• Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. But it’s choice to scream or enjoy the ride.
• Life is like a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish but you can only spend it once.

In this movie a comparison was made between life being like a puzzle. In short, we need all the pieces to make our lives complete. Our lives are not simple. We do have mountain top and valley experiences. At times our vision for ourselves is crystal clear and at other times we are walking through a deep fog. There are celebrations and there are times of immeasurable grief. Easy life lessons and times when it takes us years to “get it”. But, it is all needed in order for our lives to be complete, just like a puzzle.

Puzzle pieces are different shapes and colors. The individual pieces of a puzzle are unique but remain similar enough so that that fit together. If one piece is missing, no matter the size or shape the puzzle will never be complete. So, not a bad way to view our lives. We should not be discouraged by the “not so good days”,  the “I don’t get it days”, the “I don’t deserve this days”, the “why me Lord days”,  nor the “when will I get a break days”.  Each individual aspect of our lives is needed for us to be made whole. Sometimes we find the pieces easily and other times it takes a long time for the shapes to make sense, for them to fit. I believe there are moments in our lives when it is a better use of our time if we focus on the “how” or the “what” instead of the “why”. Things come our way that we did not plan, we find ourselves in hard situations or we have to deal with issues in which we don’t feel equipped to handle . In those times if we concentrate on how we can move through it and what we can learn from it, I believe we’ll be the better for it. Whether the piece is something someone did to us or a situation we got ourselves into, it becomes a part of our story, a part of our puzzle.  Embrace your puzzle!

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For purposes of this discussion let’s look at the following definitions:

1. Resuscitation-the action of making something active or vigorous again.
2. Breathe-a. take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process b. be alive; remain living.
3. Renewed-a. resume (an activity) after an interruption b. give fresh life or strength to

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I started first with researching what is meant by Social Injustice. I came across this information on the Honor Society Strength & Honor site.

Social Injustice: Discrimination

Social injustice can be described as a situation in which dominant population is made known of the inequity that leads for others due to their relative position in the structure of power (Maus n.p.). Social injustice is also the way unjust actions are done in the society. Social injustice occurs in a situation where the equals are treated unequally and the unequal is treated equally. Three common examples of social injustice include: discrimination, ageism, and homophobia (Farooq n.p.). I want to focus on discrimination, its causes, and the solutions of discrimination.

Discrimination is found in education, housing, employment, voting, lending and credit, land use, health care services, transportation, public accommodations, and government benefits and services (Find Law n.p.). Discrimination is described as unequal treatment of persons, for a reason which has nothing to do with legal rights or ability.  Discrimination is considered illegal by the federal and state laws of the United States of America. These laws prohibit discrimination in employment, availability of housing, rates of pay, right to promotion, educational opportunity, civil rights, and use of facilities based on race, nationality, creed, color, age, sex, or sexual orientation (K. Hill and G. Hill n.p.). Discrimination always promotes or reveals unfair treatment of a person or a particular group of people on the basis of prejudice and partiality which could lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. Discrimination seen or considered as a mild or serious form of suffering, with anger sometimes, in particular, if applicable, anger at the person or persons who caused it. (U.K. Essay n.p.). This is why discrimination is considered or seen as a social injustice issue in our society today.

Now to the Word of God

• He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).
• Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow’s cause, (Isaiah 1:17).
• Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute, (Psalm 82:3).
• But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24)
• So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
• Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:20)
• Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:15)
• Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! (Psalm 106:3)
• So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)

The word of God admonishes us over and over again to act just, to give justice and to treat people the way that we want to be treated. So, as Christians social injustice is not a topic that we can just pray about and be silent. We do need to pray but we need to “do justice, to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice, give justice, let justice, follow justice, establish justice and observe justice”.   We need to take steps to keep this conversation going. Take part in initiatives that are led by the word of God. We just can’t sit back this time.

I find myself thinking about the fact that what I’m seeing today, protest and riots, were things I read about in a history book in high school. I did not ever think they would be reoccurring. I don’t condone the rioting and looting at all but if that level of anger, disappointment and frustration is the only way real attention can be given to social injustice then while change may come, this atmosphere is likely to repeat itself.  We have to allow the word of God and the Holy Spirit to be included in our efforts and action for change. But what we can’t do, is to get tired, calm down and forget.  The word of God is clear that we have to be active in order to achieve justice.

• Educate
• Vote
• Have the hard discussions
• Call out injustice each and every time we see it
• Lead with love and kindness
• Treat people the way you want to be treated

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

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Self Esteem has been described as confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.

Self Love is defined as a regard for one’s own well-being and happiness.

Um, so is humility the opposite of self esteem? If someone claims to have love for themselves it is impossible for them to be humble as well?

Let’s now examine how the word of God discusses humility.

Romans 12:3-For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

1 Peter 5:5-In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Luke 14:11- For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Through the filter of God’s word, humility is not shown to be the opposite of self love but more in conflict with being proud/arrogant.

Proud-having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance, and

Arrogant-having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.

God is not commanding us to not love ourselves or to not embrace our self worth. God is directing us to not think that “we’re all that”.  To not place ourselves on a pedestal. If we fall into arrogance we’ll begin to judge others against our warped opinion of ourselves. This is dangerous territory and will for sure have negative impact on relationships. It will be very challenging for two people to build a relationship if one person thinks more highly of themselves than they ought. Arrogance does not give room for patience, kindness or humility.  An arrogant person will focus on the other’s person’s perceived shortcomings while overlooking their own.

God’s word instructs us to not exalt ourselves. No one is truly better than another person. An individual’s conduct/behavior may be better than the next person’s but “all lives matter”.

Matthew 7:1-5  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Therefore, I encourage you to believe in yourself and strive to be the best you that you can be. But, be careful to not position yourself as a judge and to not overthink your personal importance.

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We, well I can only speak for myself, have sometimes not told the truth because I did not want to hurt someone’s feelings or I did not want to admit my personal shortcomings.

But, considering telling the truth as an act of courage hit me differently.

By sharing facts it is true that someone’s feelings may be hurt, but if we share the truth in love everyone should benefit from that experience. Ephesians 4:15-¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.   Being able to deal with outcomes of sharing the truth, positive or negative, is a sign of maturity. It is immature to think that the easy option is the better choice. I am just so convinced that you reap what you sow. Galatians 6:7-9  ⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. My being untruthful may actually eliminate conflict in the moment, but eventually what is done in the dark comes to  the light and at that time I believe the damage will be much worse than if the truth had been shared originally. Luke 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. People may not like what they are told but what they dislike more is not being able to believe what we tell them. It is harder to repair your reputation and character than it is for someone to get over hearing the truth, especially if it is shared in love.

Even if I convince myself that “a little white lie” is not a problem, that is opposite of God’s word. Psalm 34:13-Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Proverbs 14:25-A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.  So no matter the “size” or “color” that we give to the untruth, it is a form of disobedience to God to not be honest.

A big part of my learning about how to tell the truth in love was gained from my actual job duties. I work in Human Resources and generally have first hand information on initiatives and actions that companies are planning. I also would and still do get asked often about confidential information and matters. Or, I will have people want to share something with me but they don’t want me to act upon the information. So, to not have to walk away from one of those interactions and feel like I have lied, I have adopted the following responses. 1-I do have information about that issue but I’m unable to share it with you at this time. 2-If you are going to tell me something that places a person or the company at risk, I can’t promise that I won’t take an action.  Honestly, I never thought about these work situations as speaking the truth in love prior to tonight, but 1 John 3:18 says Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  This verse makes it clear that our deeds, what we do, are more important then what we say. If I say I’m going to be honest with you but I’m not, my words essentially have no value at all, thus what I say can not be trusted.

There are a lot of verses in the bible about being honest. I think an actual bible study on all these verses would actually be pretty powerful. Here are just a few more verses on truth:

• These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;  Zechariah 8:16
• Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:9-10
• There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.  Proverbs 6:16-19
• He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; Psalm 15:2-3
• If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

While I don’t have all the verses listed here, the many verses that speak to “telling the truth” in the bible makes it clear to me that truth is of the upmost importance to God.  3 John 1:4-I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 

So, if you’re like me this topic may cause you to hold your head down a bit as I’ve not always got this issue right the first time. But no worries, God has given us an opportunity to get it right, to do better. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We just need to be honest with God and make it clear where we’ve fallen short. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. We not only have to confess but we need to repent and not do it again. I also believe there is another option that we have prior to taking this issue to the Lord. I think if take this step, it will be pleasing to God. The step is to go directly to the person that we’ve not been truthful with, ask forgiveness and tell them the truth. It does not matter if you were untruthful yesterday or last year, you and I can have a positive impact on the kingdom if we’ll just be honest.   Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.

Let’s be brave, let’s be courageous, let’s be truthful.

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During this national pandemic, known as COVID-19, we often hear:

• I wonder when things will get back to normal.
• I don’t think things will ever be normal again.
• We will never go back to the way things were.
• Things will never be same again.

1. Normal (adjective)- conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.

2. Normal(noun)-the usual, average, or typical state or condition.

3. Normality is a behavior that can be normal for an individual when it is consistent with the most common behavior for that person. Normal is also used to describe individual behavior that conforms to the most common behavior in society, known as conformity.

Reviewing the definitions above, the new normal will include changes in what is deemed “usual, expected, common”. Wearing of masks, wearing of gloves, no longer greeting everyone with a hug and kiss will be second nature to us in time.  Simply put, a lot of our “what, why and when” will be different than it was prior to COVID-19.

When I think about it that way, our “what, why and when” generally represents a time of transition. It should be a fact that how we think today has changed some from how we thought 15 years ago. If we are focused on being better human beings each day, growing ourselves professionally or learning a skill it should result in a new normal for us. How we treat people should change, what we spend our money on, how we spend our time and/or the job that we have or desire to have should change. Growth generally represents change.

I hear you,  a targeted or positive change to our normal day to day is much different than an unplanned event like COVID-19. I realize that for sure, but generally time is the key influence on planned or unplanned events.

Dealing with the passing of a loved one takes time whether unplanned or planned. In this situation having to move into a new normal may be extremely hard and it is not as tangible as a glove and a mask. Empty nesters find it challenging to change daily routines and schedules when a child has exited the household. A person who was laid off from a job after 20 years generally has some obstacles and fears when they are forced to find a new career, a new way of living. However, in many accounts of people that have experienced these type of situations, “time” has been key to reaching a sense of comfort, in embracing a new way of being and getting to there new normal.

As we anticipate the new normal be sure not to let fear creep in because we’ve been here before. We’ve all been in a place when our “what, when and how” had to change. We’ve realized that change was needed, did not know exactly what it would look like but we did get to the other side.

I’m going to try not to think of the “new normal” as something not as good as the past or the current normal. Honestly, I’m not saying I’m in anticipation of the next few months, but I’m not going let the unknown scare me nor stop me.

Romans 12: 2-Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Jeremiah 1:8-Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 8:7-If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?

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I feel like flags are being waived at me as my daughter just finished reading “The Bait of Satan-Living Free From The Deadly Trap of Offense” by John Bevere. (Minister Cleo Holloway recommended it to her) I started reading it the other night but now I feel like I need to finish it quicker. I’m not sure if I’m trapped in offense or need to prepare myself for a potential trap, but this topic really has me thinking.

Seeing offended as a decision is what caught my attention with Pastor Furtick’s quote. I think we all know at some level, that we can’t control what happens to us 100% of the time, but how we react is all on us. One definition I came across describes offend as  “cause to feel upset, annoyed or resentful”.  A definition for resentful is “feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having being treated unfairly”.  So, our individual perceptions dictate if we deem ourselves as having been treated unfairly.  Personal experiences and beliefs are key to why what offends one person may not offend the other. I understand that completely, but I really would like to fine tune my skill set with experiencing an offense but not being offended. I think we all have this ability but our connection to the person who we feel has caused the offense or the importance we place on a subject matter is a factor in how we respond.

Example 1:

a. If I’m walking out of a store and hold the door for a stranger to come in and they don’t say “thank you”, I consider that as rude, it is an offense to me. But, I think it about for a second, maybe a few minutes and I go on with my life.  BUT..

b. If I’m walking out of church and hold the door for a fellow member to come in and they don’t say “thank you”, I consider that as rude, it is an offense to me. But, I don’t just think about it for a minute. Each time I see them from that day forward, unless they apologize, I think about how rude they were.

Example 2:

I don’t really get involved in talking politics because it can be so polarizing. I often read posts from “my friends” on facebook, who I think should have specific things in common with me and have started to feel some kinda way about their posts. I begin to doubt their authenticity towards me based on their political views. It is like I can’t disconnect them from the statement. I choose to not respond and in my mind I’ve “moved on”, but have I?

How can we tell if we’ve just experienced an offense of if we’ve allowed something to offend us? I think there are a number of things we can consider:

1. How much time do we spend thinking about the offense?
2. Have we changed our behavior towards someone because of an offense?
3. Have we told the person that we were offended?

If we find ourselves distracted and not being productive (gossip is a form of non-productivity)  because we’re feeling resentful, I think we’ve made a decision to be offended. If we change or stop our interactions with a person because of what they have said or done, I think we’ve made a decision to be offended. If we never take or create an opportunity to let the person know how we truly feel, we’ve made a decision to be offended. An intentional and careful examination of how we’re responding will quickly let us know if we have held on to an offense or not.  Using these assessments as a filter, it becomes very clear that I can control if I’m offended or not. If I don’t want to walk around offended than I must do something to minimize the amount of energy I give to the offense. I know that we can never forget, but we can choose to not be upset, annoyed or resentful as this will open the door to true bitterness.

So, I’m going to try to be more mindful when an offense occurs and take quicker steps to not let it root. When it happens, I’m going to communicate how I feel right then and there, if possible. If direct discussion can’t occur at the moment, I need to create that opportunity ASAP. If I find myself “not wanting to go to the bible study” because Sally is going to be there, I’m going to pray for God to convict me with the quickness, so I don’t miss my blessing or calling being too caught up in my feelings. I’m thinking this is going to be a lot like working out. It is hard to start and it gets challenging in the middle, but if you stick to it, results will come.

Will you join me?

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