The Mind of God

The mind of man conceiving the mind of God.

Solitude and Gentleness

"It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them…. Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say.”

~Thomas Merton

Gossip

So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.~3 John 1:10

Have you ever been a target of gossip? I have. It hurts. It is when people feel the need the defame your character, create a story that incorporates half-truths or no truth what-so-ever to satisfy their own insecurities.  Usually these Gossips gather a following, a group of people who want to be on the "in" and that have insecurities of their own (that become obscured because everyone is focusing on the target of the spoken gossip).
 
It is somehow reassuring that others are not perfect, isn't it?  Those who you envy for whatever reason are somehow brought down and made to be imperfect by gossip...the thing is though, the Gossip - the person speaking the rumour - put the target on a pedestal to begin with.
 
Whoa! Did you catch that?
 
...the Gossip - the person speaking the rumour - put the target on a pedestal to begin with. 
 

Why do we gossip? Why do we not build others up instead? Why do we feel the need to slander others?
I would suggest one reason is fear.
We are afraid. The target of our gossip is someone in our own mind that we have determined we need to be afraid of. They threaten our concept of normal or our concept of security. They challenge the comfort of our existence and so we react to try to reclaim control over this disturbance.

Ironically, "gossip" had its original meaning in "godsibb" which is formed from "godparent," from God + sibb "relative".
Gossip hasn't always been considered a bad word. The word gossip first meant godparents or a familiar acquaintance and was used to describe someone who told of a family's news and developments. In Shakespeare's time, a gossip was also someone who sat with a woman through childbirth, perhaps to talk, offer comfort, or to help her pass the time.
Now it's defined as "rumour or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature" or as "idle talk or rumour, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others." Someone who fits the stereotypical image of a gossip bears names like rumourmonger and blabbermouth. They're viewed as busybodies, as nosy and meddlesome. Somewhere down through history, the word's original meaning became tangled up in rumour-spreading and idle talk.

I was once told that when we gossip, it is like taking a feather pillow to the top of a tower and cutting the pillow open releasing all the feathers into the wind.  To return the feathers back to the pillow is impossible. It is a done deal - the damage has been done and cannot be taken back. So it is with gossip.
A person is hurt, relationships are damaged or cease to be. It is a tool of the devil that destroys many a person. Gossip can be the tipping point for some to that leads to death...literally. For others, their self-esteem is so damaged that they become a shadow of their former self...destroyed by words.  Without those who would speak God's truth and love into the lives of these damaged souls, we would find many who would be spending unnecessary time in a pit of darkness.

Do you hear what I am saying?

Words are powerful indeed.
For some, "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows."~Psalm 64:3 "They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips."~Psalm 140:3
... for, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."~James 3:6
 
We are called, as Christians, to be peacemakers, encouragers, agents of reconciliation not destroyers.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.~Matthew 5:9 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.~James 3:18

Consider:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:29-32


And remember:

A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.~Proverbs 16:28

Don't be party to gossip. Stand and speak what is true and good.

fear

This isn't what I expected or what I hoped for by any stretch of the imagination. Sometimes, I am sure that God places me in a bubble of sorts...you know, the boundary lines fall in pleasant places kinda feel, but without the "pleasant" aspect...more like a "tolerable" place...the "in-between" place...lukewarm - not hot, not cold..."God, I don't like this place."

So, here in this place, I turn to God for guidance (more like desperation to get out) and I listen for Him to speak...to show me the way...for a sign...Instead, He talks about how He loves me...how I am His.  !   How do you whine to God when He is telling you that He loves you?!  So, I rest in His love - for a while - and then I dig a little deeper. "God, why am I bothered in this situation?" (tenacious - one of my discriptors...I think God made me that way...perhaps) And He is silent.  I listen harder. "Lord, help me to hear Your voice, please remove that from me which hinders me from hearing You...please." ...then, I see a word in my mind... FEAR

Flamin' Hockey Pucks!


For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.~Isaiah 41:13

God Willing

When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." ~Matthew 8:1-4

"if you are willing"....Doesn't that speak volumes?! The man is absolutely humble in this situation, prepared to remain in such an undesirable state, yet full of hope that Jesus will respond and full of faith that Jesus can bring healing.
 
Do we live like that? Full of hope and faith, but willing to remain content while waiting?
 
Paul said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."~Philippians 4:12
 
How can Paul live like this?
 
He says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."~Philippians 4:13 Paul lives humbly with the hope that God can provide and with the faith that God will indeed provide.
 
Now, that being said, when we believe God can deliver us...are we willing to take action for Him to do so? In the passage of the man with the skin condition, we recognize that he was willing to remain in an undesirable state if need be, but his desire for healing was greater than remaining in his condition. This may be obvious, I mean, who wouldn't want to be made better? But the thing note is that the man took action. He got his courage up, let his convictions rule, and brought himself into a confrontational situation. (Either) Jesus would heal him (or ..."or" was not part of his hope and faith). The man was prepared to receive, saw the opportunity to present his request, and engaged his desire.
So, in action, the man brought his hope and faith before God and God responded.

When you have a need know that, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."~1John5:14-15

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.~Isaiah 58:11

Take action...
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.~Philippians 4:6