One More Step Away Leaving Eden, Going Home!

This world mourns the loss of Eden because of the fall of man in the garden. Instead of seeking our way back, we succumb to grieving that loss, not healing toward a new paradise.

There is a paradigm shift toward a negative norm, with ourselves becoming the focal point! This shift separates us as opposed to coming together believing in the promises of God, allowing thistles to seethe into our gardens multiplying at an unimaginable rate.

We are imperfect, undeserving, and still loved beyond measure by God without condition. Loving as He does is a task that man fails at within our weakened flesh. Even when we don’t want to go down the slippery slope, we do! The slide is so enticing, almost oiled up for a faster ride.

We are turning mid-slide, trying to claw our way back only to get the extra push from those who claim to desire a way back. We hurt those we love the most, holding grudges where forgiveness is what we expect for ourselves.

We are dimming the glow of our faith to a flicker limiting its attraction to others. When we douse the Spirit with darkness, the cloud takes over. We should be better at loving. Our fingers should never point. Instead, seek the reflection in the mirror of a humbled, flawed self.

Losing Eden presents a lack of awareness of action equaling consequence. Maturing in our weaknesses is how we find our way back. Why, if we desire truth and healing, do we mess it up even more? I assure you, the puppeteer of deception sits back and laughs.

There is a perpetuation of sad hopelessness in a world, fixating on negativity. A world of broken and misfit toys stumbles with judging the missteps of others. Why are we not acting in the true forgiveness and growth in our Father's desires?

Instead of getting on our knees for God’s intended purpose in all things, we keep the merry-go-round of confusion cycling until we can’t get off. When it stops, we are super dizzy and discombobulated as we try to make a step forward alone! What are we learning from circumstances? Are we alone? Or missing the point God is with us, we are not paying attention as we are never alone!

He calls us to grow and become a part of the solution instead of deceptive negativity? And we act out because of the lack of admission that we can not do it alone. We beg for men to be the spiritual leaders of the home, and sin has them running in packs away from the pride. They are the lions that have lost their roar. As they seek, they slide into oppression, the homeland darkens, and the hyenas take over.

It appears easier to lick the wounds and relent to self-preservation. When we succumb to the negative and skim by with an occasional positive, we are not following the lead of God!

We all do it, though; refusal and denial take precedent. This unintentional act of dancing among the egos of our minds. Understandably, we live in a society that seeks to negate the fact that God is with us and in control. Alarming how we lose sight of this truth!

If we all seek alignment with our focus centered or guiding one another back to God in all circumstances. We could win our way back to a purposeful life. I want us to at least try our darndest. First, we must humble ourselves to steadfast faith and service to others. The flesh limits as we refuse to surrender, and the spiritual battle rages. But God is, was, and will be! Our world is at war! We must arm ourselves with truth, and why not try being second?

Dang, we spend a lot of time pointing fingers at others. I guess that is because when we look inside; we have to deal with the work left to do. There is so much work to do both on ourselves and in service!

Ever wonder WHY? There is so much violence, why the sadness, the eagerness to grow up fast, the need for gossip, why the news expounds the horror stories and brainwashes! Those listening to it slip into the despair of belief that there is no hope. But there is HOPE!

It’s wasteful when we judge and get stuck slipping down the slide. Remaining angry is never helpful, and not focusing on the good or the joy that hope is ours is futile. Be angry, but be angry with the right thing. Not the broken people are clawing their way back up the slide, but the action of sin pushes all down the slippery slide away from a Christ-centered relationship.

I do not say this to harm the ego of anyone or dredge up a past that has pain. Pain has its place and purpose in our story. However, it is not the final chapter. We can write a new chapter as long as there is breath in our lungs. We know the truth and yet react in fear, and that is not of God.

Sharing our weaknesses is healing, but separation focuses on brokenness. Separation is the nuclear bomb to losing EDEN forever. We can come together in the light of truth and re-ignite the fire within us, the forgiveness that has a humbling admission of being a work in progress.

• A notable decline in beauty displays as true faith and trust in God disappear from our society.
• It is a minority to see one stand firm in their faith as they trust in God. I suppose this is the timid Comfort Christians can become. The one category we can all slip into is a state of comfortable. We face denials of Christ; it’s not that one does not want to speak, but some become stifled in overwhelmed silence.
• We are a world living in an epidemic of brokenness, broken marriages, broken faith, and injured people. We cast others away as we put on the religious persuasion of feeding the lost, yet are we not all a little lost? Are we honest that we are under attack with our thoughts, words, and actions? Are we reflective of the Christ we shine for when looking in our mirror? Are we as Christians speaking in different languages from both sides of our mouths? One in love and the other in hate!
• For example, in schools, you’re not to pray in or before class. We must not mix church and state. My favorite is that we must be politically correct about belief systems when in a public forum. The “I love God, but I am afraid to stand against a majority pressure, as a Christian.” The Christian is quiet in fear of speaking up when not in the comfort of “other Christians.” This type is not the judging Christian; this is the fear of not being safe or standing out in a group of Christians. Sadly, in these cases, if the call were to cast stones at the sinner, all would join in; thank God Jesus taught us differently!
• How about when our so-called church families become the judge and jury? Versus God’s love and discipleship of His word in and amongst the chaos? Are we not all a little broken, seeking that new slate daily that God affords? And yet we control our brokenness by keeping that clean slate from those breaking around us. Who are we to decide someone is unworthy when none of us is worthy?
• Should we not want to stand out a bit in a group? At least enough for others to feel comfortable in seeking us out. Is that light that others seek switched on and off for our convenience? We should set their direction toward the script with the answers, The Bible. Are we loving and without condition? The old standby, “Do Unto Others.”
• Why do we allow one more step away from losing Eden?

We challenge some of these points vehemently, yet not always correctly or in love. We must be respectful and loving of all people, meeting them as Christ would.

Be accepting and patient with those struggling in their walk with Christ or, more importantly, with those who do not know Him. We are not to judge others or, for a better visual, cast a stone at another. If we have the image in our heads of a rock, we can relate to the physical pain the landing of said stone would make. We can access the damage and immediately understand the need to heal said wound.

We are less likely to understand the repercussions of our verbal assaults. Often these assaults are subtle and made quietly. Sadly,’ we’re not even conscious of the attack.’ It’s merely a reaction from a previous hurt that now comes out against an innocent.

We are all guilty of these pains and judging. When hit by such an attack, we rarely respond; we ignore or walk away. We allow it to stew and fester, and sadly, we pay it forward. Usually, this is in a way that we’re unaware of, and it can be of purging past or pent-up emotions.

People respond to these hurts;’ it’s just that the timeliness is not always immediate. We see this so blatantly as we learn from typical childhood bullying. We also continue these habits into adulthood, yet we are more verbal and skilled in weaving our way through the chaos. Not necessarily better than our childhood reactions, perhaps just a tad bit more rational or not.

To think that we make mistakes but believe we are justified in our judgments is wrong primarily if used for self-preservation. If we are one of the quote Christians, then you, on the outside looking in, may have urgent questions, especially when our behaviors don’t match our claims of salvation in a life with and for Christ.

People should question us as Christians as they are seeking answers. If you come across a proclaimed Christian, they are short-tempered, not interested, lacking grace, reacting to situations negatively, or just not getting involved on this day. Then please call us on it, but remember, we too need grace.

We need to be accountable for our actions as children of God. We are all human and have those days when not emulating actual Christian behavior. We also want you to know we struggle with emotion and frustration and the lack of luster we display in our humanness.

I do admit there are times I feel limited in my abilities to do God's works, or there are times of serious discernment where God wants my attention to go first. I even feel seriously frustrated with how God allows me to grow in my pain of emotion. If we could all recognize our limits as “Children.” Then wow, we would be so far ahead of the game. My limits do not matter, as God is the power that fuels me, and I lean on His understanding.

We, as adults, understand the limits when a child is learning. We become frustrated and love as we try to re-direct their actions or behavior. Knowingly, we are aware of how these actions feel to us as adults. However, as the parent of this child, we feel protective, even embarrassed, as we are the ones who “should have set a better foundation.” It’s not about us as the parent but more about relying on the parenting of our Father in Heaven.

• He set a foundation, and in our case, we do the best we can in man's flesh.
• The second truth, we are human and living in the flesh. The thing we can relate to is the love and occasional frustration one will feel when trying to teach or help a person acting out. If I could only help them see what I already know, no worries, God is in control of their destiny and life plan. So do your best and hang on for the ride.

If we stop and imagine God and His heart as He watches, we continually deny His guidance and buck at His desires for our lives. Well, I guess then we realize the pain we cause Him. We also know it can create great joy when we get it right.

I hope as parents, teachers, and leaders of this next group of up-and-coming adults, we can treat these children as God treats us. He is all-forgiving. He gives us time to figure things out on our own, and when He needs to, He gives us a little nudge. God is repeatedly planting seeds and watering them, yet with these gifts comes high expectations. He trusts that given life in Him, we will want to share these gifts, and as the plant grows, provide clipping to all of those around us.

How many of you, young or old daily, say, “Gee God, I am so sorry I just messed up again; please help me be better each minute. Thank you, God, for loving me anyway while I figure things out. Thank you for letting me know I am loved, no matter what!”

We must be tolerant of others and respectful. We are not anyone’s judges. We are merely children ourselves learning and trying to get things right. We can say we are secure in the world, and yes, this can be true. We can be skilled and knowledgeable about life skills and the Bible's teachings. But we remain HIS children.

So, just as in our homes, classrooms, and workplaces, we have sets of rules and policies, routines, and beliefs. We still make mistakes and do wrong. Some of our transgressions are small and heal readily, like a tiny pebble hitting an arm.

Some may be large and cause significant repercussions like a shooting or death. We must remember even a pebble; if it lands in the wrong spot, like someone’s eye, the damage can be more severe. Perhaps not intentional, but critical, the larger the stones and attacks take time and counsel to heal.

The last is the stones forming, the ones we are unaware of because they are in the works. Little pains are slowly building up and smoldering. These are the most damaging and require patience while turning to prayer and God for His intervention.

We do not always understand His plan, yet we must comply with it so we can be part of the beautiful outcome.

Sometimes the trickiest attacks to get over are the ones that build up and then slam.’ It’s not that we do not know they are building up.’ We’re not sure how to deal with these or change our patterns. We need to go to God with these problems. We need to pray for His guidance, and we need to surrender to His plan.

Sometimes, He purposely has us change course for short periods as He works more directly on our walk as His student. We could consider these a time in a desert, but what if we looked at them as time alone with God?

We would love to play a game of tag with just our mom or dad, all alone, just us. We crave that alone time with a parent. So, we can think of this time as an exclusive appointment with GOD. The things that happen when given this time with God can be surprising.

I am a Christian, and I will mess up.’ it’s a given. I am also a child of God, and I am loved, and SO ARE YOU!’ Let’s do a little more of the GOD THING in our world. Help each other build up in confidence of God’s promises. Let us share our clippings with others and let us love, more like Christ, unconditionally. Let us forgive as our Father in Heaven forgives us. Get our gear on and never give up, for we are on His team. Here’s hoping when pointing the finger, we try to look to ourselves first, always the right place to start the work, moving one step closer to Eden.