I am now posting primarily to HolySmokeOnTheWater.com because its structure is better suited to my rambling interests: theology, Christianity, my opinions, snippets of what I am reading and hearing,… NotesFromTheMargins.wordpress.com is where I put the dialogues I have with people. I will continue to post items addressing Teachable Moments here. Please join me on these other sites. I miss you.
Thank you. Catherine (Kitsy) Stratton.
I am re-posting this because I suspect those people who raised their heads in hope last Fall are beginning to see the outcome. Those who supported the election are not the beneficiaries of the promises. (God, show me how to help them.)
(November 9, 2016)
For a long time, many people…including the ‘silent majority’…have been quietly despairing. The government was seemingly ignorant of their struggles or unwilling to address their needs, which is what a government is intended to do. Large chunks of the citizenry were not part of the policy equation. These people had given up hope of ever mattering again.
Donald Trump’s message of “Make America Great Again” included their struggles and needs. Rather than ignore the elections, as they often have in the past, they mustered their hope and went to the polls exuberantly.
The hearts and spirits of these people are vulnerable and lie exposed in Donald Trump’s hands.
I believe that whether or not these people’s lives are improved by changes in government or policy lies in who Trump surrounds himself with and listens to…his advisors. Trump is not known to listen to advisors and Trump is used to people being Trump fodder.
(We now see who Trump’s advisors are and the benefit of Trump action will likely not reach the people who elected him.)
Regardless, these people’s hopes have been enlivened; their heads are raised and they are looking for help. If it does not come from changes in government or policy, they will look elsewhere.
After Hurricane Hugo, I was pregnant and not able to clear brush and debris so I offered to help address the emotional needs of the children whose lives were devastated. I consulted a psychologist who specialized in trauma and disaster recovery. His answer was simple: to the extend that the family ties were healthy and functional, the families will survive. The families in despair, however, will turn to things that promise some form of control like drugs, witchcraft, guns, hate-based organizations, even evangelistic preachers.
The disheartened people of this country have their hopes up now. If they are disappointed or mistreated by hurricane Trump, it is likely they will turn elsewhere for a solution.
I am not close-minded and welcome wise action from a new administration. However, my hope does not lie in the presidency nor in the Congress, Supreme Court, or bureaucracy. My hope does not even lie in a church. My hope lies in my own connection with God.
My hope is that if the hopes of these people do not find purchase in the new administration, that they turn their eyes to the only true hope…the only trustworthy source of help and relief.
“Well, this is fate! …What do they call it when everything intersects?” “The Bermuda Triangle.” (wonderful lines written by the late Nora Ephron and spoken by Jay and Sam in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle)
A favorite fellow blogger wrote recently about letting God be God. I responded that she was absolutely right and that all I needed to do was show up. (I keep stealing her best words. Sorry, Donald, I don’t think you do have the best words, but I won’t get into that now.)
While I was in North Carolina, recently, I encountered several people who already had their ‘dukes up’ when I entered the room: sales clerks, buyer’s agents, and even a beloved friend. Driving home with the top down on my little blue wonder car, I felt like I was “getting the hell out of Dodge.” As I breathed deep and emptied my mind of the bits of discordant conversations, the scripture words “shake the dust off your feet,” came to mind.
Now, I am aware of the potential punishment due one who alters or disagrees with scripture, but when I look at the whole text,
If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city…
…I am disturbed. These words are from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus sends out the twelve apostles “with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.’” Now, maybe it is because they are to try to reach out to the Jews; but this does not sound like the Jesus I know. I am reminded of the parable of the shepherd who goes out looking for the one lost sheep. Jesus does not tell me to judge someone as “not worthy” and therefore to “take back my blessing of peace.” Sure, there are swine who are not going to appreciate pearls but convincing them, much less judging them as unworthy, just isn’t my job. Let me explain what I mean…
In the verse, “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet,” I see that as wisdom for my psychological health. In a previous essay, I wrote about the techniques used to keep oneself safe when attempting to help others; I wrote about how healing ministers have a special prayer they pray to cleanse themselves of residual attachment to the pain, evil spirits, or even pride in having helped Jesus to heal someone.
However, I believe the process of acting as ambassadors for Christ does not end just because I have not been well-received; God’s work is far from over. If I give to someone a blessing of peace, I have planted a seed or embedded a grain of sand. I may walk away, but circumstances outside of my knowledge can, and likely will, cause that seed to germinate and, maybe years from now, will grow into belief and faith. I think of the seeds in the desert that lie dormant until the rains come. The image at the top of this essay was published in October 2015, in the Daily Mail . The picture is of the Atacama desert in Chile, “the worlds driest desert,” in late spring after heavy storms took place in March. In the words of the writer, “a magical transformation brings the area to life.”
This image above may be what I encounter on a daily basis, but my blessings are like a seed tossed out into that sand. Sure, I will shake the dust from my feet because I do not want to dwell on the rejection or seeming lack of acceptance of God’s love, but my job is done. Now, it is up to God…who will be God.
I would like to add that sometimes I am met with true rancor; I usually have no idea what is the reason behind it or the source of it, but I can bet I have touched on something that needs God’s healing touch. Again, it is usually none of my business and, therefore, it is not my job to try to fix it. Furthermore, in cases such as that, I have likely planted a grain of sand that, God willing, will irritate the hearer until a pearl of wisdom is formed…but this can take years, just like within an oyster; I don’t need to see it happen. I believe and have faith; I move on. What happens over time is God business.
A young blogger recently indicated that he was concerned about the state of the salvation of his friends as they were facing college; my advice to him was to remember that their souls were in God’s hands and that his job was to love them, be kind to them, be there to answer questions, but to try to not judge or criticize them; God is not done with them and paths of their lives will be as diverse as the flowers of the world.
This same blogger, only weeks before, had expressed dismay over his own doubts and waverings of faith. When I replied with some of my personal experiences and with teachings and practices that have helped me, he responded with much self-righteous criticism and condemnation; he said some of my beliefs and practices were”Satanic.” Before I lashed out in self-defense, I had to remind myself that he is probably no more than 20 years old and, certainly, God is not done with him, yet, either. However, it would be prudent for me to give the topics mentioned in his attacks at least a cursory look… Balaam’s ass and all that.
When something like that niggles my soul, I am wise to reflect on the situation. I am not exempt from receiving seeds and sand from others who are unknowingly (or knowingly) acting on behalf of God. My beloved friend’s screaming at me that “Now, you’re just being contrary!” has merit; I am by no means a saint. I can be contrary. I can be mean-spirited. How do you think I recognize so well the mean-spirited ways of others ?!? I can only thank God, and my friends and family, that there are such things as forgiveness and understanding.
The point I started out with is simply this: my job is to show up. Jesus is not physically here to plant seeds and sand; I am. I am not equipped, or emotionally or spiritually healthy enough, to give appropriate correction to others. However, I can obey Jesus’ commandments to love God and to love my neighbor. The only way I know how to love my neighbor is to show up, be kind to them, to set a good example of what ‘love of God and neighbor’ look like, to not judge or criticize them, to allow them to be where they are spiritually, and to forgive them and have faith that God is not done with them, yet.
Addendum: As I learn more about the Law of Three, it occurs to me that as I ‘show up’ with seeds and sand, I may, in fact, be acting as Third Force…just a thought.
To God be the Glory
All of my life, I have carried rhetorical questions around on my shoulders like a yoke:
Why did my parents resent that I was not a boy and repeatedly set me up for shame and rejection when I was young?
Why was I born with bipolar disorder?
Why did my husband not love me?
Why have I not been able to support myself with my God-given talents?
Why was I not appreciated by my co-workers and managers during my 22-year career and forced to retire in disgrace?
I now know why.
Had I not been raised with neglect and abuse, I would not have learned to watch the signs and I would not have needed the kind of spiritual healing that has enabled me to release wounds, scars, and resentments and be open to God.
Had I not suffered with mental illness, I would not have the patience and understanding I now have for others who suffer in such a way…nor would I have an appreciation for the gifts of such an illness.
Had I not been left to raise two babies on my own, I would not be as strong as I am now or as compassionate toward other single mothers. Had I remained married, I would probably not have sought reconciliation with God. Had I built the dream we shared, I would be selling a business now, not living alone, writing, praying, blessing, and consoling others.
Had I been successful selling my photography, paintings, and writing, I would not have had to sell my home and move into a 60-year-old house trailer and be able to see life on ground level with other people who struggle day in and day out, figuring out ways to buy gas and feed the animals.
Had I been supported and encouraged by others in my career, I would probably hold a high level government position now…not doing ‘God work’ and helping others figure out how to tell the truth about climate change and to serve the poor and needy when and if the bureaucracy is destroyed.
I know what it is like to be abused and neglected…and to abuse and neglect. I know what it is like to look back on my life with guilt and horror. I know what it is like to be lost, confused, and full of anger, doubt, and resentment. I know what it is like to fail. I know what it is like to look to God and imagine Him turning His back…looking remarkably like someone else I knew when I was a child. I know what it is like to want to die by my own hand.
I know what it is like…to live this life…
…and that is why.
Today's Teachable Moment 