During our Texas winter when working in my yard, I noticed one of my rose bushes standing there with bare ugly, thin branches. It had not produced it’s the normal lovely crop of roses the summer before. Standing there mulling over what to do, I decided to prune it way back knowing I may kill it, but the only other alternative I had was to just dig it up and throw it away. I usually do well with rose bushes but this one looked like it was dying and certainly was not pretty. I grabbed my loppers and literally butchered that bush; by the time I was done, there was practically nothing left of it. That was okay- it just wasn’t doing what it was created to do which is to be beautiful. To my delight, this new season brought me a wonderful surprise; I was so glad I gave it another chance to be beautiful and produce. It is now full of beautiful new branches, and many buds that will be opening as it warms up. That’s what God does to us. The pruning is sincerely painful, but He loves us enough to refine us into his image and for his glory.
In those moments when I was first waking up from sleep this morning I had that rose bush on my mind. I realized that God was doing the same thing to me; I was being pruned. Ouch. I think we can all agree that to be pruned really hurts. In the human sense, it is hard to come to terms with our humanness, mistakes, lack of perfect communication, and being misunderstood. Equally, it is hard to be attacked and have loved ones be so diligent to point out everyone’s flaws, except their own. The truth is, we are all flawed, all make mistakes, all are imperfect and will be until the day we leave this earth and enter into the presence of the Lord.
Life is hard, and frankly, humans make it hard on one another by their lack of even wanting to understand. We make life hard for ourselves when we refuse to see our own faults, and this deep-seated need mankind must be “right.” Pride is our enemy for sure, and there can be much destruction when pride is running the show. Some people have disabilities, some have those wonderful high IQ’s, some lack common sense and some have an overabundance of it. Some are born with DNA that leads them to addictions, others suffer from great physical disabilities, and many are insecure and in need of acceptance and love. None of us are all good or all bad, but a combination of both. Humans tend to wrongly judge others according to their own particular circumstances and perspectives, most especially when they lack self-clarity about their own selves.
The Bible says to think the best of one another and show mercy over judgment. Hours could be spent quoting the scripture about how Jesus expects us to live out our relationship with him, and others. It’s impossible to have a good relationship with Jesus without equally extending that love to mankind. People pride themselves in not being offended, but when the rubber meets to road they point fingers and condemn others without EQUALLY pointing them back at themself and seeing their own faults and lack the clarity to see their own. Jesus said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Jesus says if someone takes your coat to give them your shirt too. He also said if someone strikes you on one cheek, to offer up your other cheek. Well, we all at least have the thought pass through our brains, “ya you hit me on one of my cheeks, I’ll flatten you totally, then run over you and if that doesn’t work go get my Glock. “ (Just kidding) But you all get the point, right? We all need help.
We are all imperfect. We all make mistakes, we all at times don’t communicate clearly and accurately, we all, ALL are just as imperfect as the other. Period. Wouldn’t it be far better if we as a lifestyle thought like Jesus thinks? Would it not be better if, when issues come up, that we still chose to think well of others and go to them for open communication to find out the facts face to face? When you chose to think well of others, you place your self in the best position to be a person Jesus can use. There is always something helpful to be discovered when we are open to listening with the heart of reconciliation. Instead, more often than not, we tend to plant our feet fast to the ground in our supposed rightness, and gather around us those who will strengthen our belief and stand? Sadly, it is far more common (even among Christians, to find their little circle of like-minded people and discuss the perceived wrong done and as a group. Everyone feels cohesively connected “cause we all agree.” The problem with that is it separates even the closest of friends and family, and it is void of all the facts and all the truth. The problem with that, is its 100% NOT Biblical.
We live in the day of Matthew 10 and Luke 12; Parents against children, children against parents, friends against friends. The stronghold of deceit on the earth among mankind is huge. HUGE. Just because we THINK we are right, does not make us right. Just because you’re or my “group” thinks we are right, does not make you or me right. The majority in the world at this point, call evil good and good evil. It’s a slippery slope in which we all are on and it takes a willingness to communicate, to listen, to choose to understand, to stop being critical and needing to be right. It takes a man or woman with the heart of God to live 24/7 as Jesus has called us to live. At home, at work, at dinner, at the grocery store, everywhere, in all that we do and all that we talk about. A parent that takes the fall for their child or spouse and lies to protect them, is showing that child or spouse that sin is okay, and honesty conditional. A spouse that excuses sin, is making room for more sin. Setting a standard means doing as Jesus would do all the time, regardless of any circumstance. Thankfully, when we make a mistake, and even when we sin purposefully, we have the opportunity to repent and make things right with God and man. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. ALL.
There are two old sayings that I love. One is “The birds of the same feather flock together.” I don’t know what your mind does with that one, but I see that as a two-sided coin. One side good, one side bad. Flocking together with those that AGREE with you, can keep you on board and empowered with wrong beliefs and understandings. Gangs flock with their own, drug-addicted flock together, sports lovers flock together. Whatever our issues, we can go look for the support of like-minded people who will agree with us or we can step dangerously out and go look for the other side, or the other belief, of the “other” whatever. Only then will we find the truth. Our flocks can be good, but they can also aid us in staying in error. The good side of that coin is it is nice to belong and feel loved and cared about. That’s what a family should be to ALL their own. The other saying, I love comes from Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens Iron, so one person sharpens another. Now that’s love, even though it does not feel like love at the time it’s going on. Iron must be melted down in a hot furnace to softened in order to be sharpened. I am that, to my husband. I can tell you firsthand that initially, he hates it, but literally, every time we had one of those iron sharpens iron confrontations, he has come back and said thank you for helping him to be a better person. The person that allows the hard confrontations, the words of truth to penetrate their soul will be the one that God can use and the one that you know for sure has a heart for truth and for God. There are a lot of pretenders out there- this is one way to judge.
May God minister truth to us all today. You are deeply loved and cared about. God never leaves his children in their comfort zones, and it is because of that LOVE that He has for us all.
Uniquely You 