Rear View

So as you I am sure you have heard before, as you progress in life, people will often tell you not to dwell on the past and to stay focused on the future. I mean even the Bible says not to dwell on the past and keep your eyes on what’s ahead, because like a car, if you drive looking backwards, there is no doubt that you will crash.

But then I thought about it some more.

There is such a thing as a rear view mirror, something that allows you to see what is behind you for safety precautions. Still, what is the point? Well, if you want to bring Scripture back into it, time after time there is the sentiment of remembering where you came from and remembering what God did in the past.

Rear_View_Mirror

On this road of life, there is a purpose for all your mirrors and there are times you will have to check your blind spots and check your rearview mirror to remind yourself of what was in the past and what may be coming up against you. It will let you know whether you need to slow down or speed up, switch lanes, or pull over and stop. Far too often people are criticized for forgetting where they came from, as if the past never existed and make others feel uncomfortable, and because they never check their rear view, they are oblivious to the fact or don’t care that they have left others behind, denying what is often times not too far in back of them. In the same way, God many times, in the midst of their grumbling or crying out in bondage or suffering, had to tell His people not to forget what He had done for them in order to correct or encourage them.

The same applies to us.

Yeah, it’s good to move forward and keep your eyes on what is set before you, because if you keep looking back, you may in one way or another turn to a pillar of salt. Still, that rear view mirror of life will help us and give us direction in the decisions and choices we make to keep us from crashing, harming others or going of a cliff. It will also be our hope, in reflecting on where we have come from and what God has done, so there is less of a reason to fear the road ahead, though it may be treacherous. Checking behind you also allows you to connect and communicate with those riding with you to make sure they are in good standing.

All in all, the rear view mirror is there for a reason, so as you are progressing and growing and going in life, take advantage of that feature when you are on the highways of life, but remember that your attention can’t stay there, otherwise you will never reach where you are destined and trying to go. Yet, keep in mind that you may have to adjust your mirror to the circumstance so that you have the right focus and line of sight.

Be you for a purpose never forgetting who you were and where you came from and remembering what God has done, as you put into focus where you are going.

Fairytales & Dragons

By definition, a fairy tale is a tale that involves some fantasy characters that possess some power or ability. When thinking of these childhood stories, the connotation seems to be little girls, glitter, rainbows, and unicorns; sweet, perfect, and innocent. As a result, the bigger picture is often missed.

In the Christian life somehow, there is the theory that life is meant to be perfect and without struggle or hardship for those in the faith; that couldn’t be further from the truth. The idea of “happily ever after” is somehow associated with “no more trouble,” but when you remove the frills, fluff, and fairies from these stories, you see something much different, as I learned reading a devotion.

In all of these fantastical stories, there is struggle, there is death, there is disappointment, loneliness, uncertainty and doubt, fairytalejealousy, and fear. For these individuals (i.e. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel, etc.) to become all they hoped or dreamed, they had to face dragons, unpleasant circumstances, and wicked people, most of the time people closest to them. They were mistreated and take advantage of, and belittled many times to nothing, with no value. So much in so that their friends many times were not other people, but animals and things found in nature. How different are we from them? All of us have face any one or a combination of these things on a day-to-day basis, some more intense than others. It’s like, there is no “happily ever after” without the “painful ever before.” Still, even after the characters got their miracle, there was always a sequel. The same applies to us.

In order to get to where God would have us walk in all He has for us, whatever far away land you are aiming for, whatever castle you are trying to reach, whatever prince or maiden you are praying for, whatever glory within you that has been suppressed over the years that you are trying to let shine, whatever chains or tower that has had you bound you are trying to escape from, or whoever that person is inside of you that you are attempting to discover, there will be dragons. Some that are more ferocious than others, and there will be a fight, there will be tears, and there will be blood, and that’s just before, because even after you slay one dragon or put it in its place, another enemy will arise to hinder you from going forth.

All in all, when you think of fairytales, yeah, they are pretty and hopeful, but you can’t neglect the fight and the struggle, for without it, there is no story or tale to be told; there is no excitement or reason for faith. It is in the struggle, like many of the characters, that you find your own inner strength, power and value, beauty, purpose and worth; you realize that you can stand amongst the enemy and can make a difference even if that means going against what the culture or society or family has told you. It’s the struggle that proves that you can do anything and all things are possible, which is often far more than you can ever imagined.

The beautiful thing about our story, is that we don’t have to fight alone; God is right there in the midst through it all as our peace and comfort when times get rough, and sometimes He does fight the battle for us. He hears every tear, even those when we are in our closets late at night for no one to see or hear; He knows our every need and desire. He knows our tale and where we came from, who we are and where we have the potential to go. Yet, like the characters in the fairytales, it’s the moment we decide to step out on faith, despite our fear and get our of our comfort zone, refusing to settle for the ordinary and choosing not to be a victim, that our story, our life begins to change. And truth be told, things may even get more complicated and worse than it was, but that’s because the Enemy never likes change; he doesn’t like it when God’s children have hope and begin to believe and walk in the abundance of a life in Christ. But as I have to remind myself, greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world, and no matter what new trials or heavy fire the Dragon is blowing my way, I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me, and that He has equipped me to defeat the Enemy.

You can’t hope for the fairytales or want the “happily ever after” if you aren’t willing to face the dragons. It’s the fight that opens the door to your destiny to be all you were made to be.

Defeat the dragons and be you for a purpose.

Expression

As much as I speak of being yourself for a purpose, there are clearly many things that can mean, and it’s relative to the individual. So at some point you have to consider the standard, meaning what is it that should drive every person’s life that they walk in the glory of God, being all of who God deliberately designed them to be and to what He desires you to do in such a way that only that person can? A verse I am sure I have read previously, I came across again in a devotional and it really struck me.

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

expression

The context of the passage from Galatians speaks of freedom in Christ, in that there is no longer a reason to try to fit a impossible standard of perfection because of the cross. Ultimately, there is nothing about a person that makes him or her more worthy of God’s grace and His salvation than another; every one is welcome at the cross of Jesus it doesn’t matter who you are. Even before getting to the focus verse, there is the assurance of being able to be who you are at the feet of the Messiah, even if you go against how people perceive or believe you should be. The only thing that counts is your faith in the Lord God who created you that He and He alone can save you, trusting that He knew what He was doing when He created you and that He alone can satisfy you. But when it’s all said and done, what’s the proof?

Love.

Behind the person you are, the way you speak, the things you do or otherwise, it should be backed by love. Paul explained how it is all vain without love. What does that mean? It means accepting others because God accepted you. It means that you see, accept, and love yourself just as Jesus loves you, because he had something special in mind when he made you, and you live your life working toward being all he intended for you to be. It means that you love others, even those that don’t deserve it, even those that don’t reciprocate it. It means you live in the will and purpose of God because He wants to show His love to the world in a way that only you can. It means doing all you can to witness and tell others about their need of Jesus, because one day it will be too late. It means following the great commandment to love others as yourself. It means being a voice for those that can’t speak. It means giving as much as you are able, as often as you are able, understanding God blessed you to be a blessing. It means going out of your way and reaching out to those that society neglects, rejects, or are afraid of. It means loving others when no one else will because you believe in the power of the blood of Jesus to transform a life. Expressing your faith through love is being confident in the essence of who you are enough to liberate others to do the same. Expressing your faith through love is living intentionally to leave or make the world more beautiful and better than it was when you came. Expressing your faith through love is living in such a way that people no longer see you, they see Jesus manifested in your life. It simply means that you love because you love God with all your heart, soul, body, and mind. You love because He immensely and incomprehensibly loves you.

Be yourself for a purpose remembering that love is what thing that matters.

Love Tips

Love is something you see all the time. People have different ideas of what it is or what it should look like, specifically as it pertains to romantic relationships between a man and a woman. And recently there were two quotes, for lack of a better term. that really grabbed my attention and I think will help those who are willing to listen.

“The characteristic of love is spontaneity.”

When I read that in a devotional actually, the premise was not so much on romantic, though somewhat inferred, but it was referring to the dynamic of the Holy Spirit’s movement in us. To further my point, how many times has God surprised you, or left you guessing, or made you wait, or told you to do something crazy, or led you way outside of your comfort zone? He does it all that time. Even in the New Testament it speaks a lot about the mysteries of Christ and how mysterious God can be at times, and for me that is much of what keeps me in wonder about God and who He is because, there is so much to Him, I’m on the edge of my seat wondering what He will do next. And the more He reveals Himself to me, the more our relationship deepens and the more I learn about who I am. God is not boring and the lie of Satan is anything otherwise. He never ceases to amaze me.

The same applies for our relationships.

The beauty of growing with another person, the person God allowed you to be with, is that you learn more and more about them, the good and the bad. It’s about the journey that you take together, but it’s those unexpected moments that define the truth of a relationship. So often I hear of marriages failing because it became mundane, someone (or both) got board, or someone (or both) fell out of love, or the other person wasn’t willing to do something different. Am I condoning those reasons? Absolutely not, but I think it speaks volumes as to how God intended us to love out significant others. It should be spontaneous and exciting, even in intimate settings, because it keeps you guessing and excited. That element of surprise does wonders, especially as a female. Spontaneity is where life happens; it’s where you see the depths of another person and allows you to be free to be yourself, and not be afraid to be imperfect. It does require a lot of patience though. All in all, it keeps the attention and focus at home, because time and time again we see that the moment someone else offers something more than the mundane, problems occur. Follow the example of the Holy Spirit and switch it up a bit, and if one thing doesn’t work, well, try something else. The journey is all about the story and the memories created and those times you realized why you fell in love.

However, not all surprises are honky dory.

“Love, a rare commitment to care for another regardless of the response.”

The cross is the perfect example of this. Despite of how we treat him, no matter how unfaithful we are, despite how much we fall, despite the times we reject him, Jesus still chose and chooses to love us, leaving his arms wide open for us to come to him. The truth is that we can try in any form or any way to love God as much as He loves us, but no human mind could ever fathom just how deep, wide, high, and long his love is for us. We could never repay Him for what He has done for us. His type of love is so rare, even in the church. It’s hard to find that unconditional love in any type of relationship, that sincere “I don’t care” kind of love. Granted, that does require wisdom and discernment. Nevertheless, Christ’s love for us will never run out, no matter the type of response we give Him, of course that doesn’t mean act any way you feel or think you won’t be judged, but that is another blog for another time.

As many can attest, those who have been in long relationships, there are those times you were caught way off guard by your significant other. Now, another disclaimer, this is not speaking of the extreme circumstances, but rather those imperfections that sometimes make us question the relationship. But love is all about those growing pains, because real love is not perfect. There are plenty of low points and valleys, but through the grace of God, assuming we are in fact living in His will, we must continue to love. Relationships begin on that eros and phileo type of love, but it lasts only on that agape love, because there will be plenty times you really don’t like each other. However, the commitment you make is to be a light even when the other is being all but pleasant for whatever reason. All in all, it comes down to loving that person, with fervent and intentional prayer, being patient and caring the way God continues to be with you, because that moment we do get back in line, no matter what it takes to get there, the solidarity of the relationship grows and that love reaches such a deep place that will be a testament for the generations to come.

Be you for a purpose and love hard, love deep, and be spontaneous as only you can, and get ready to be amazed by what happens in your relationships and in your life.

Aroma

If you have ever noticed, every person and every house has its unique smell, whether there is a woman that wears the same perfume [bottle] each and every Sunday, the unique smell of your grandmother’s house, the odor of cigarettes that lingers even if in a car even if no one is smoking, or even the cultural scents, like curry. Furthermore, when you think of crime shows, my favorite being “Law & Order: SVU,” whenever questioning a victim, they scentwould always ask if they remember a specific smell related to their attacker. Smells are memories, and some of my fondest and most unfavorable memories in life can be triggered by a scent. Thus, our fragrance reveals our story, it’s a part of who we are. The even more interesting part is that our smell will not always be desired by everyone, and truth be told, sometimes we really can’t help it, let alone recognize the smell we have. It goes further than hygiene, it’s rather a culmination of everything that makes us who were are; what we like, where we live, where we come from, and who we associate with. For instance, a woman may suspect her husband of cheating if he comes home with a scent of a perfume that she does not own, or you may know that something is not right in the house if you smell gas or something burning, or the best part of your week may be coming home after church and smelling the pot roast or the chicken that has been cooking for the last two hours, or your mother being able to tell you weren’t in good company because you walked in the house smelling like alcohol and weed, or the delight of acknowledging that you are a new parent by the baby smell as soon as you open your door, or the kente oil and all the other incense that lingers from your afro-centric neighbor, or the smell of being outside or working out that leads you to wash up before eating, or the smell of coffee that tells you to get up in the morning. Our smells define us, they move us, they can cause a reaction, and sometimes they can change. So I have to ask, what do you smell like?

Scripture many times talks about the aroma that we send to God in our everyday worship to Him, but I particularly like the one found in 2 Corinthians when it says,

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Talking about being you for a purpose, the idea is that in becoming the person God has for us to be, we generate a smell that is unique and distinctive to who we are, but it doesn’t stop there. The aroma that is created as we live each day more and more as the person God has called us to be, we more and more begin to smell like Christ, and that is the sweetest smell to God. Still, even before that, we should have a fragrance so strong that people can know him because of the whiff of our lives.

I’ve heard many times before, but whenever someone is not acting pleasurable, someone may say, “your stuff stinks.” Now does that mean that they haven’t bathed in a few days? No, rather it implies that the aroma they are giving off by their attitude and actions is turning people away. In the same way, being you for a purpose means that as much as you are able, smell as though God is continually making a difference in your life, like Oswald Chambers put it, as if Christ has risen in you. God wants to smell His Son on you. It honestly makes me wonder what Jesus really smelled like.

Everything about you, all that makes you you, and all that makes me me, the good, the bad, the indifferent, has formulated a smell whether we recognize it or not. And may I say, don’t be ashamed of that smell, even if someone else doesn’t like it or it sticks out, because your aroma will attract who God meant for it to attract, but if part of that smell is not a godly aroma, spray some Holy Spirit perfume or cologne (too much??), you get the idea. The point is not to put on any one else’s body spray, but to cover yourself in the scent of all that God has intended for you so that others can sense Christ and God can smell His Son on you. Be you for a purpose so that when people sniff you they always remember Christ.