Truth & Lies

I was aimlessly scrolling through social media one day and I saw a post that made me go...What?! It was an image that said something about "Pay attention to those who don't clap for you." And immediately I thought-- NO! Why would you ever give energy and attention to those who are not rooting for you? Instead, I fully believe(d) you should focus on "your people." The ones who are in the trenches with you, encouraging you, supporting you, loving you. I couldn't fathom why anyone would ever want to pay attention to those who are not any of those things. Those are not the ones who matter. And why would you ever want to waste your energy paying attention to them?

I spent a lot of time paying attention to those people in my life. The ones who are not in the "arena" with me. Have you read this lovely quote (below) that has been circulating the past few years? It's been brought back into the spotlight because of authors and speakers, such as Brene Brown. A couple of years ago, I attended a leadership training where this quote was a central part of the study. When I read it, I felt the weight of such a realization deep in my bones. As someone who carried what others thought about her for most of her life, reading this brought emotion after emotion bubbling to the surface. A lump always forms in my throat and tears always fill my eyes.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Lately, in my spiritual walk,  I have been more aware of false truths and/or world-y beliefs. What I am learning is that the Kingdom operates very differently. I love that the wool is being pulled off of my eyes, and I am now being exposed to the lies to better understand the Kingdom Realm. It operates in a much different way than this earthly realm. I hope and pray that I will continue to be exposed to earthly lies so I can help others know and understand the Truth. But how do we know what is Kingdom Truth and what is not?

First of all, we have to be willing to know the One who created it all. To know our Heavenly Father and his son, the One who gave his life for us, Jesus Christ. The Living Word of God is another crucial piece to the puzzle. We have to read it. It's a non-negotiable.

For years I never read my Bible. Occasionally, I would get a wild hair and decide to do a daily devotional, of sorts. But even that would be short lived. I didn't understand it. I felt like I was reading something written in a different language. And it wasn't interesting to me at all. Sure, I was familiar with your basic Bible stories. That guy who got swallowed by the whale. The creation story. Adam and Eve. What's his name with the sling shot that killed the giant. Before I would have been so ashamed to admit that I didn't enjoy reading the Word. But gosh, I bet I am not the only one. I have been given a gift of boldness. And sometimes it gets me in trouble, or so I think at the time. But usually later on, after the dust settles, I find the lessons woven ever so perfectly throughout the story. I have no choice but to be authentic and to share my truth. And the truth is...I didn't enjoy reading the Bible, so I just didn't do it. (insert judgmental gasp here.)

But how do we know the TRUTH without reading and educating ourselves about who we were created to be? And to know and understand that, we must first know our Creator. Notice I didn't say know and... understand our Creator. He operates in such a mysterious way that our human brains could never fully understand him or his ways. I don't say that to be crass. I say it with a sense of awe and astonishment at who YHVH is and how he operates. These past few months I have prayed to put logic aside and to immerse myself in relationship with him. (Logic bend the knee!) Not so I can dissect it and know more about him or his mystifying ways, but because I just want to be in relationship with him-- To just love on him, and he on me. So simple, really.

As I get to know YHVH better, I am pulled into his Word. Get this, ya'll. I literally cannot wait to read my Bible. I am so intrigued by it; like a kid on Christmas morning. And the craziest part? I understand it! I meditate on it. I digest it. And I get to share it with others. It's amazing. I mentioned in this blog post a few days ago, that I was recently reading in the word and he replied to a thought I had been having for a few days, right there in the text. I cannot tell you how comforting that was. Some might say it was mere coincidence. And that's okay. However, I know without a shadow of a doubt that there is no such thing as coincidence.

As for the Bible being "boring"...Well, there's some pretty juicy stuff in there. For example: When David was on the run from King Saul. Saul went into the cave that David was hiding in (unknowingly) and while he was relieving himself David had the opportunity to end his life. But chose not. That's right Saul went into a cave to drop a deuce and it could have been the end of him. That'll make you think twice about pooping in any caves. Or what about when David saw a beautiful woman bathing and had her brought up to his palace to sleep with her. She gets pregnant, and then he orchestrates her husband's murder. I mean, this is soap opera stuff, people!

The Bible is so much more than this, but I think you get what I am trying to say. If you'll ask the Father to reveal himself to you he most certainly will. But you (I really mean, me) have to be willing to do the work. To make spending time with him a priority. It's the MOST important thing, actually. Not a number on the list of to-do's. (Again, preaching to myself).

Sometimes I get so fired up about sharing the truth I have learned that I don't always have the best delivery. But I hope and pray that it is always done in L O V E. And this particular message that the world spreads about paying attention to those who are not clapping for you...I will say it again for those in the back...Those are NOT your people. 

Your people are those who love to see you win. 

Who come running when you fall down. 

Who speak life into you when you need it the most. 

Who always root for you and encourage you.

Who are in the "arena" with you.

Pay attention to those people. Love those people. BUT-------Yep, there it is...the dreaded but.

"And why would you ever want to waste your energy paying attention to them?" 

As for those who do not clap for you or encourage you or want to see you win...love them too. I know. You're like..."Say WHAT?" Yes, love them too. Encourage them too. Hope the best for them. Pray for them. Intercede for them. Not because that's the easy thing to do. Not because their opinion matters or they get a say over your life choices. But because it's what we are called to do. We are CALLED to be a light in this world. We are called to breath Jesus into this world. And do it, not out of "Oh, Imma pray for them." (insert side eye here) But do it out of L O V E.

As I am typing these words I am challenging myself to do this very thing...So what do you say?

Challenge Accepted?

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

P.S. Want to read more about David? Check out 1 & 2 Samuel.