Do this, don't do that, be this way, don't be that way, stop this, start that, get these, lose those.
We live our lives in a sea of imperatives. Most of the messages meant to encourage us to walk with Jesus come in this form. This is profoundly unfortunate for us all.
For lost in the deluge of all these commands is the inviting voice of the Father.
"Come," He says. The good news of the Gospel isn't an imperative--it's an invitation.
An invitation.
I think I'll go back and read all the words of Jesus and see how many imperatives He spoke, compared to the number of invitations He offered.
When was the last time you felt invited? The way the open road calls the name of the Harley rider?
What if most of what the Father speaks to us comes in the form of an invitation? What if He's done giving us commands? What if all the work's been done, and now there's life to enjoy, simply for accepting the invitation?
Have you ever felt invited by the Father?
I can't get over the absurdity of delivering Christian teaching in the form of imperatives. Consider:
ReplyDelete"Be compassionate."
If we don't have the power to add a cubit to our stature by taking thought, how audacious to think we could change the very nature of our invisible self.
Absurd.
Whose job is it to change us? Ours?
Absurd. Completely absurd.
And audacious of any who would seek to minister to another.
man, bro, were it not for seeing Jesus I would be drowning in the wretched sea of imperatives.
ReplyDeleteI stopped counting at eighteen kazillion. Found out that was my personal limit of being told "do/don't X", "be/don't be Y".
Every single one of those phrases well-meaning, mind you, yet like fingernails against the chalkboard of the God-radar in the heart placed there by the Man himself.
It is dumbfounding the percentage of advice, conversation, "encouragement" floating around which has nothing to do with the heart or spirit.
The frustration expressed by Kool Aid drinkers when this journey God is authoring does not fit within the confines of their formulas is fervent. Scathing sometimes. Bewildering most certainly.
The magnitude of encounters with this, quite honestly, has repulsed me to withdraw. I'm done with it.
Dehydrated from the puking, I had to take a break. It reached a point of survival, and those who speak, hint or imply imperatives are not given voice.
They focus on behavior, shoulds and ought to's til they are blue in the face. The still waters are located beyond earshot of that refuse.
Are you hearing an invitation, J330?
ReplyDeleteI've responded to the invitation.
ReplyDeleteThe invitation was: come be totally and absolutely free from ALL shoulds, ought to's, obligations, etc. Every single last one of them.
There is no way to begin to describe the liberty.
Responding to this invitation is dangerous. It makes religious demons come out of the woodwork.
it's like stomping on an anthill. Societal, religious and familial ants go beserk.
How dare anyone remove the nooses they slipped around the neck over the course of years "in love" and in telling others the "right" way to live and be.
The good news is the nooses were not only removed but destroyed, making it impossible to ever be put around the neck again.
Boy there are some pissed off entities, people and spirits about this.
Nice. Whom He sets free shall be free indeed.
ReplyDeleteHave any idea where this freedom is going to take you? Have you set off in any certain direction?
Having tasted freedom, you are now powerful beyond even your own imagination.
What is more powerful than freedom?
The ability to set others free.
yes, helping set others free.
ReplyDeleteAnd it likewise blends with your subsequent post, about those who have been through pain being agents of healing. Dude, you hit that one on the mark.
Final aside here. In your first reply post, you talked about "be compassionate" and the audacity of changing nature.
I'm not a huge wordsmith, but I've been thinking some recently of "be compassion", as compared to "being compassionate" or "having compassion".
I think the latter two are of the shallow, stilted variety that Followers feel obligated to have, and b/c it's artificial in that sense it is shallow and only band-aidish at best.
Those who have been wounded, on the other hand, can be compassion. Not have it. Be it.
com ("with") passion ("pain")
Those who have endured pain can be "with pain" alongside others.
Like that carpenter dude, for example. (or is that "Dude"? heh heh)
Man, you're nailing it bro. Awesome.