The Joy Of Decluttering

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ve never liked clutter. Why? Because it feels claustrophobic and it looks messy.

The visual side of me cringes when I see someone having to remove things from their desk or counter top in order to free up space to work. This distain, however, doesn’t pair well with the pack-rat, creative, repurposing, sentimental side of me who has a hard time getting rid of things I determine have some kind of value. The challenge has always been to find a functional balance between the two.

Now, I’ve seen some pretty nasty human spaces in my day (offices, cars, homes, yards, etc.), but I’m not talking about roach infested, filth ridden environments. Clutter can exist among the most ardent of clean freaks - people whose magazines might be stacked to the ceiling, but they’re all perfectly aligned, organized by date, and void of all dust mites. This is called organized clutter, and I’m somewhat familiar with the propensity.

I know this is a completely subjective issue. What you call a collection I may classify as clutter, and vice versa. But, I think we can all agree that it doesn’t take much for an unnecessary accumulation of things to find their way into the spaces we inhabit, and overwhelm us.

According to one expert, the way to differentiate between a collection and clutter is by evaluating the emotions we experience when we view them. If you follow her steps for decluttering, you will get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy. She says, “Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order.” (Marie Kondo)

There's value in her statement, as it speaks to the concept of material management. Everyone knows that a well managed environment is not only more productive, but it also frees up the mental capacity to enjoy that environment. However, this idea didn’t originate with Ms. Kondo. She’s merely piggy-backing on a long established biblical principal that not only works for the things we can see and feel, but it can be applied to our spiritual house. Furthermore, applying God’s method of decluttering not only brings order, by enabling us to rid ourselves of the unnecessary clutter we’ve accumulated, but it frees up space for the habitation of genuine Joy.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 says there is “a time to keep, and a time to cast away.”

(The whole book of Ecclesiastes is about man's futile attempt to gain happiness apart from God. The writer of the book (Solomon) writes from the unique vantage point of having accumulated more material, mental, and political resources of any human being up to that point in history. Yet he concludes that none of the things he has amassed has lead to joy. None of it satisfies and all of it leaves him feeling empty. In the end, he concludes that the ultimate meaning in life is found only in knowing God.)

With every new season of life comes change, and change always requires something of us if we hope to transition well.

I recently taught on the life of Leah (Jacob’s first wife). Her story is heartbreaking for several reasons, but one of them is that neither Leah or her sister (Rachel) was willing to “cast away” the emotional clutter they had amassed over the years, and it all but destroyed their relationship.

When Peter talks to believers about loving each other with a pure heart, he says that one way we do that is by “laying aside” the clutter that hinders relationships (1Pet.2:1). Rather than casting away their heart’s clutter, Leah and Rachel chose to accumulate and keep it stored in their sinful hearts. This left no room for genuine Joy. I can’t help but wonder how different things would have been had they been willing to let go of the things that kept their hearts locked in turmoil.

What does spiritual clutter look like for us today, and how do we get rid of it?

It looks like anything that comes between you and your relationship with God. That tells me that my clutter may look different than yours, but that any collection of things the Bible tells us to “cast off” qualifies as things we don’t need - no matter how sentimentally attached we’ve become.

I like what Carla Gasser writes in her article, 5 Simple Ways To Declutter Your Soul (https://carlagasser.com/5-simple-ways-to-declutter-your.../), “While we may acknowledge the need and sincerely have the desire to declutter our souls, we lack the focus, determination, and willpower to begin this painstaking process.”

This tells me that I need something (Someone) outside myself in order to succeed in my attempt to declutter my heart.

King David recognized his need for help and asked God to “search” and “point out” the things that created a wedge between him and God (Psa.139). He knew that the only way for God to “renew a right spirit” within him (Psa.51:10) was to surrender the accumulation of destructive ways to God. We too can trust God to show us areas of our heart that need decluttering when we ask for His help.

We get rid of spiritual clutter the same way David did - by asking God to show us and to help us. While the process of decluttering may be grueling at times, maintaining a clean heart is worth every effort we spend in prayer and action.

Life truly does begin when we declutter our souls and put our spiritual houses in order. Because wherever the Spirit of the Lord resides, there is the freedom to embrace and celebrate the Joy that He brings with Him.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Tilly

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ll never forget the day Tilly died.

I’m not sure how my toddler brain processed the big issues of life, but Tilly was always available to hear them. She was so patient and seemed to understand me perfectly, whether I had the words to express my feelings or not. I was drawn to her because she had freckles (like me), ponytails, and a smile that always made me feel loved and accepted. She was almost as tall as me, but I managed to carry her around with little effort. We walked together every day and she slept with me every night.

Tilly was my first doll baby and my very best friend.

One day I noticed that Tilly was injured. Her large, rubber head had started separating from her fabric body. Over time her insides started making their way to the outside. There were no doll hospitals back then so my mother placed her on the top shelf in my closet. I was very sad because I couldn’t hold her or put her in my little toy stroller for a walk. But I knew where she was and would frequent my closet to talk to her. I knew she didn’t feel good, but even though she was laying down she never stopped smiling. Somehow I felt like she would be okay.

After dinner one evening I went to tell Tilly goodnight, but when I opened my closet door she was not there. I ran to ask my mom if she knew where Tilly was and she told me the devastating news - that Tilly was gone and would not be coming back. She tried to console me by giving me a new doll (every year), but it didn’t work. I never played with baby dolls again.

My mother had no way of knowing how devastated I would be to lose this special doll. After all, I'm sure she surmised that Tilly was a toy and toys could be replaced. It makes perfect sense, but not to a toddler. To me this was a death, and my first encounter with what it feels like to lose something you love.

It's important for children to understand what death is, why it is, and where they can take their grief.

WHAT DEATH IS

Bottom line: death happens when our bodies stop working. But there’s way more to it than that. When we explain the difference between the temporary human body we live in and the eternal part of the human spirit that never dies, children begin to grasp the fact that death is merely a portal.

Be real with them though; God did not create plants, animals, or inanimate objects with a spirit that will live forever. Though Tilly was very real to my little girl heart, she was neither alive nor eternal - as evidenced by the fact that she bled stuffing and maintained that sweet smile throughout the entire time her head was falling off.

Reality can invoke sad emotions, but that’s part of the grieving process. Give your child the time and space to express their pain. It will open the door to many conversations that will enable you to instill the hope and vision of eternity.

WHY DEATH EXISTS

Everything in our world has a beginning and an end, but it was not created to be that way. Death exists because sin came into the world (Rms.5:12), and sin always leads to death (Jms.1:15).

The “Why?” questions our children ask will provide the opportunity for us to remind them of the gospel and the reason Christ came - to rescue us from sin and death (Jn.3:16, 11:25-26). The reason death is temporary is because Christ swallowed it and emerged victorious (1Cor.15:21).

WHERE WE TAKE OUR SORROW

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

Parents play a crucial role in leading their children to the only One who can reach into the darkest places of their soul to provide the exact measure of comfort they need for each and every moment they need it.

It’s okay to tell children that their sorrow will never go completely away. There are some wounds, like those left by the death of a loved one, that leave a permanent scar that will remind us of what caused it every time it rains. One day God will clear all the storms of grief, but until then He provides an umbrella, along with His extended arms to hold us while we cry.

I like what J.R.Tolkien said when he noted that, “The birth, death & resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.”

I will never see Tilly again, but the joy I’ve had loving and playing with my real doll babies - the kind that I can take with me - is a delight that will last for all eternity.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

He Sings Over Us

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Rocking a baby is something that comes natural to almost every human being - whether they have children or not. Most parents-to-be include a rocking chair on their nursery wish list. I recall putting many miles on mine, as I had a fussy infant whose health issues kept her from being comforted any other way.

Singing (or humming) almost always accompanies rocking a baby. The two actions go together like babies and crying. My guess is that this practice has been around since the first baby was born.

If I were to ask you what song most people default to, what would be your guess?

Rock A Bye Baby? Yep! It’s the universal hummer.

Some of the lyrics are quite disturbing though … “when the bow breaks the baby will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all.”

The origin of the song varies from it being a political allegory to the observations of a pilgrim boy as he observed Native American mothers placing infants in cradles made of birch bark attached to low hanging branches. The goal was for the soothing motion of a breeze to gently rock the baby to sleep. Others credit the song to a real life family of tree dwellers in England. Davy Crockett’s cousin publicly claimed she was the author of the song, saying she was inspired after babysitting a fussy child. Whatever its origin, you’d have to agree, it’s a strange nursery rhyme (as most are).

I never liked it, so along with tunes like Jesus Loves Me I made up my own songs as I rocked my baby to sleep.

One of my favorites borrows its lyrics from a verse in the book of Zephaniah. “The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (3:17)

Read that again, slowly!

First of all, there’s no doubt about who the Author is. It’s an absolute, objective proclamation given to the prophet Zephaniah by the God of Scripture. The warning is given and the “day of the Lord” - a day where the sovereign God will deal with the malignant sin problem that plagues humanity - is imminent.

The second thing is that it’s worth singing about. Not because of the doom and gloom predicted, but in that while we read that God will “utterly consume all things from the face of the land” (1:2), He simultaneously extends His mercy to those who humble themselves and repent. God's universal judgement includes cleansing, redemption, and restoration. It always has!

The part I love to ponder is the comfort that comes from knowing that the Creator and Almighty King of the universe, cares enough about us to quiet us with His love, “in the midst” of all the chaos and calamity that can fill our hearts with fear. And, as if that weren’t enough, He rejoices over us with gladness and singing. It’s like He cradles us in His arms and shields us from the surrounding devastation, and then drowns out the noise of all the confusion with His gentle, reassuring voice.

Can you hear Him singing over you?

There’s nothing more soothing than to be held and comforted by someone who loves you. Trusting the outcome of our circumstances to the One who is truly in control not only brings peace to the heart, but it fills the mind with the assurance we need to fully rest in His care.

When the bow of this world breaks, and the cradle of chaos falls, make sure you are tethered to the One whose arms remain steadfast and secure.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Begin With The End

(by Lorie Codispoti)

If we put all the things we start in one of the pan holders of an imaginary scale, and then compared them to the pan on the other side - the side that holds all the things we finish - would the scale be balanced?

I can’t speak for you, but my scale is rarely symmetrical these days. Too many times my starts rest comfortably on the floor while my finishes dangle in midair.

Anyone else feel this way?

In Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, the second habit is to “begin with the end in mind.” He explains it this way: “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.”

Wait! I did that once.

When we started homeschooling in 1984, there wasn’t much out there by way of teacher resources or curriculum. My son was starting kindergarten and I had no idea what a scope and sequence was, much less what kindergartners were supposed to learn. So, I did what seemed reasonable - after crying out to God for HELP! I asked myself what I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year, and determined that I wanted him to know how to read, to add & subtract, and to tell time. Those skills doable for me to teach and my son to learn. And, guess what? It was highly effective. I spent the next 15 years of homeschooling developing and following this habit (without even knowing about Covey’s book), until both my children graduated.

So, what tipped the scale, taking me from a focused, organized planner to someone who has a hard time focusing on one thing long enough to complete it? Sometimes I feel like I’ve morphed into a squirrel who woke up one morning and realized there was more than one oak tree in the forrest.

It’s hard to say, as I think there are several contributing factors, but my finishes have had a hard time keeping up with my starts. I've always had an active imagination, but something has fed my curiosity with steroid laced acorns and I find myself wanting to capture every one that falls and rolls across the ground. Some call this chasing rabbit trails, but that’s only because they’ve never watched a squirrel dart around like it doesn't know where it's going, or how to get there if it did.

The biggest problem is that the proverbal acorns never stop falling so I’m never finished collecting them. Then there’s the pressure of trying to remember where you buried the boatload you did manage to collect as you scurried about. But that’s a whole other forrest to traverse so I’ll save that ground for another article.

The solution seems to be in going back to what worked before. If I start by loading the “finish” side of my scale first, then I’ll take the time necessary to think through and formulate a doable plan for the “start” side of the scale, without being overwhelmed by all the options and possibilities.

Perhaps that will be of some help to you other squirrels out there. Just don’t let anyone try to convince you that acorns are not the only nut squirrels like to eat. You certainly won’t hear that from me.

Two Camps

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Even those who claim no religious affiliation believe in something, because faith is universal. The fact that there are over 10,000 distinct world religions supports this idea.

If you are an Omnist it means you possess a belief in many gods.

Famous actress Ellen Burstyne says, ”I am a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all of these religions…” and notes that she prays to many gods, including Jesus, depending on her need. An Omnist recognizes that Jesus is God, but that He is one among many to chose from.

Ms. Burstyne’s cover-all-the-bases approach is nothing new. It’s simply a repackaging of “enlightened” beliefs that have been around for centuries. I call it the alphabet soup approach - mixing all the gods together and spooning up whatever one feels palatable.

POSSESSION

History records a fascinating story in the book of First Samuel.

The Israelites had just lost 4,000 men in a battle with the Philistines. As they were evaluating what went wrong, they concluded that the reason they lost the battle was because they didn’t have the Ark of The Covenant in their possession. So they determined to retrieve it for the next battle.

As they witnessed the Ark coming into their camp they began to shout. The noise was loud enough that the Philistines could hear it from their camp. The Bible notes that the noise was so powerful that it literally caused the earth to shake.

Throughout the Philistine camp, terror spread quickly, and out of fear they began to proclaim, “God is come into the camp…” (1Sam.4:7)

Question: Does this mean that the Philistines were shaking in their sandals from a newfound fear of Israel’s God? One might get that impression, but the next verse confirms that this was just another god to them.

“Woe to us… who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?” (1Sam.4:8) The word used for “gods” here is “Elohim,” which is a generic term used to describe any disembodied spiritual being.

The Philistines were afraid because they sensed a company of Elohim. (Author and scholar, Michael Heiser, in his book, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About The Powers of Darkness, says this about the Elohim: “Yahweh is an Elohim, but no other Elohim is Yahweh.”) This insight is helpful to understand the next puzzling thing that happens in the story.

SOMETHING WENT WRONG

Not only was Israel’s army pummeled in the next battle - losing 30,000 foot soldiers - but the Philistines captured the very thing Israel thought would secure their win (The Ark of The Covenant).

If the Ark represented God’s presence, and the Israelites possessed it, what happened? Surely, securing it meant victory over their enemy, like it always had, right?

Not this time! Something significant made this battle different.

Israel lost to the Philistines because they had embraced the worship of many gods. Yahweh and His Ark had become an iconic symbol they had added to their collection of good luck charms.

MAKE IT RIGHT

Thankfully, God did not leave them to self-destruct. He sent the prophet Samuel to call them out and he rebuked their omnistic behavior (1Sam.7:3). The Israelites paid a hefty price for their sin, but they also heeded Samuel’s word and repented of their idolatry.

When we assume that God’s presence is with us, simply because we possess a religious icon, we’ve deluded ourselves. I’ve known people who believe that if they wear a cross necklace or hang a St. Christopher from their rear view mirror, nothing bad will happen to them; as if these icons have some kind of mystical powers.

The Ark of the Covenant was a representation of God’s presence in the Old Testament; it gave the Israelites access to Him. It was a type of what was to come - Jesus Christ. God’s presence now dwells inside every believer, giving us access to a holy God, who maintains the same desire He’s always had - to be with us and have a relationship with us. (That fact alone should blow your mind.) No other god, from any other religion, can say that.

No one knows what happened to the Ark, and from the time it was lost people have been searching for it (and making movies about it). But, did you know that we will see it again? At the end of the age, when all the nations are judged. Revelation 11:19 says, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the Ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”

What do you know - another ground shaking!

There may be over 10,000 world religions, but there is only One God who can hear you. And He responds to everyone who cries out and puts their faith in Him.

Which camp do you reside in?

If you possess a belief in many gods (Omnism), and think you’ve secured your fate by incorporating a little of this religion and a little of that religion; if you’ve bought into the idea that an “anointed” handkerchief is going to secure your victory over whatever ails you; if you think kissing the feet of a statue, twirling a drum, or offering sacrifices to Mother Earth is going to secure your position on the winning side, I implore you to heed the words of the prophet Samuel, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (7:3)

Don’t wait any longer. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2Cor.6:2)

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Two Trees

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Pride is the largest tree in the forrest, dwarfing every other resident within miles. 

The giant crown is supported by a massive trunk. The expanse of its canopy is quite impressive and would not be possible without the numerous and sturdy limbs that help to showcase its wonder among the neighboring trees. Thousands of tiny leaves decorate the branches, each one sporting a different shape, with the collective modeling a dazzling display of bright colors. When the wind blows it’s as if you can see the tree dancing. A cacophony of voices blend harmoniously as each leaf sings its own song. From a distance Pride is perceived to be the most beautiful tree in the forrest. It’s distinct features arouse the curious and invite the viewer to come a little closer.

However, there’s something deep within the heart of each person drawn to the mesmerizing beauty of Pride. One might describe it as an eerie sense that something isn’t quite right. Might this be a warning?   

In the Garden, the serpent enticed Eve to question the Truth God had given her. He offered her a beautifully crafted pair of lenses that would bring clarity to her vision as she approached the tree that was blurred by distance. Promising that if Eve partook of its fruit, the tree would enable her to  see things like her Creator. Even better - she’d be a god, like Him.

Every good lie contains an element of truth; otherwise it wouldn’t have the ability to deceive those it entices. The serpent was correct when he said “your eyes will be opened…” (Gen.3:5,7), but that opening was something very different than what was expected. Eve took the bait that pride offered and Adam joined her. Sin entered their perfect world and produced its sentence of death to all mankind.

C.S. Lewis said, “Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind. It is the sin that leads to all others.. “ 

THE LIE

LGBTQIA+? 

What happens when you keep adding letters to your self-imposed identity? You get alphabet soup. The letters have no ability to form and reflect words of truth. All they do is float around in a sea of chaos. And in the end, they’re gobbled up by the ravenous one who captures them in his spoon. 

I’m ashamed to confess that in my early Christian walk I could have cared less who you chose to have sex with. I knew it was wrong, but I excused it thinking that it was a private choice that had no effect on me. I worked closely with a homosexual, and when he introduced me to his live-in partner I thought their sexual preference was gross, but I kept that opinion to myself because I cared for him and didn’t want to appear unloving. 

Was I wrong? Yes. I bought the lie that mixed a counterfeit love with my “own understanding” (something we’re warned not to lean on). I surmised that all was well, but all was, in reality, far from well. Our enemy was quietly collecting the fruits of his tree for a big pot of pride soup.

In her article, “Are We Living Out Romans 1?” Rosaria Butterfield points out the three exchanges homosexual people make in order to embrace a lie. They chose to suppress truth, and as a result: exchanged glory for corruption (1:23), exchanged knowledge of God for falsehood (1:25); and exchanged the creation ordinance for a dysfunctional sexuality that is “contrary to nature” (1:26-28). She points out that no sin is private, and that these exchanges are a progression that will deaden the conscience and sear the soul.

We needn't be surprised by Pride. From the onset, Satan has been on a mission to re-image humanity and deceive people into identifying themselves based on themselves. If he can convince you that you can have a different identity than the one you were created with, you’ve just landed in his spoon.

THE TRUTH

If I truly care for people who have exchanged their God-given identity for this lie, then I will do what I can to expose it (Eph.5:11). To love someone with the same love Christ has for us (Jn.15:12) means that, for the sake of their eternal soul, I need to be willing, ready, and able to share truth with them and pray they will embrace it. If the Bible tells me that pride is not a virtue, and that it precedes a great fall, wouldn’t I want to see those trapped in a lie set free?

In John 8 Jesus tells His followers that He is the Light of the world, and that they need not walk in darkness (8:12). If they abide in His word they will “know the truth, and the truth will set you free (8:31-32).

It’s past time to throw away the artificial lenses that give us a distorted view of reality. The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2Cor.4:4), but our Creator (Truth) commands light to shine out of darkness (4:6). His unfathomable love for us desires for us to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1Jn.1:7).

Taking the blinders off can be a very difficult choice, but it’s a necessary one if you want to see the Pride tree for what it really is - a death trap. While it continues to claim to be the largest tree in the forrest by those who boast and promote their godless ideology, a very different view is observed when you look through the lens of Truth. 

Truth reveals Pride’s massive trunk to be one that emits an intense heat from the fire that burns within its core. As you approach it you notice an inverted crown, which indicates a loss of prestige, power, and authority. The limbs that showcase the canopy are a disturbing sight, as they reveal the dismembered human appendages that were torn off by the traps that ensnared them when they touched the tree. And what first appeared to be a variety of multi-colored shaped leaves is actually the disfigured faces of all those who painted themselves to look like something other than what their Creator designed. As you focus your lens of truth, a visible chain reveals all those who are bound to the tree. And when the wind blows, what originally appeared to be dancing and singing is, in reality, each prisoner writhing in pain as their cries of despair echo through the empty darkness that surrounds and engulfs Pride.

When seen through the lens of truth, this loathsome object of disgust is exposed for what it really is. However, the most vile thing you will find when Truth exposes Pride is the serpent who sits under its dark canopy. He meticulously milks all the “leaves” of their tears and collects the “fruits” in his evil caldron. He then bottles his poison and markets it the same way he did in the garden by convincing his targets to question God’s goodness. He plants the idea that they are missing out, and an ungodly desire takes root and secures another prisoner to his tree of death. 

HOPE FOR THE LOST

“I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…” (Jn.14:6).

Jesus Christ is the only one who can rescue us from Satan’s snare. He said that He came to “seek and save” those who are lost“ (Lk.19:10). He regularly visits the forrest where the Pride tree resides. To all its residents He proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Lk.4:18)

How can He do this? Because the tree that He willingly sacrificed Himself on exposed the lie and bought back what the serpent stole. 

The chains of the bound fall away for every prisoner who responds to His voice. The freedom restores them to live as the men and women God created them to be.  

It’s the tree of Truth whose crown is upright, revealing genuine prestige, power and authority. Early every morning, the Son rises and the rays of His glory reflect off of the dew-like living water on each leaf. The bounty of color is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And when the Wind of His Spirit blows through the canopy, each leaf detaches for one purpose - to encircle the tree, filling the air with dancing and singing praises to the One who created them for this very purpose.

Reject Pride! It may rise up for 30 days every year, spouting a fountain of lies in hopes of capturing more victims, but it is marked for destruction. Don’t be caught in Pride’s snare on the day it implodes. 

Truth has no expiration date. It offers every weary soul renewal and joy forevermore. 

Choose Truth and live!

Perception Isn't Enough

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I like dandelions! I’d be fine if my whole yard was filled with them.

A few days ago I appealed to my husband to wait another week before mowing the grass because I thought the polka-dotted lawn was pretty, and I enjoyed watching the bees go from flower to flower. Given that he’s allergic to bees that probably wasn’t the best way to frame my appeal. As a result, the yellow beauties fell fate to the decapitating mission of the lawn mower blade, forcing our bees to find more socially acceptable flowers for their honey-making business?

Did you know that up until the 1800s people would pull the grass from their lawns to make room for dandelions (and other “weeds”)?

So, what happened to change their status and dethrone these crowned jewels?

Simple. Perception.

To perceive is to “receive impressions of external objects through the medium or instrumentality of the senses…” (Webster’s 1828) It’s what you interpret from your senses. I might see a lawn of maintenance-free flowers while someone else sees weeds that will choke out their grass. It’s a matter of perception.

I recently listened to a conversation between a christian and an atheist. The atheist noted that humans are “sense making beings.” He posited that our brains use our senses to observe how our world works, and asserted that because of this process no one can know truth. This might sound reasonable IF I thought that perception was the only tool in our toolbox.

Perception is important, but it is not enough.

Why? Well, for one thing our perception is limited. Compared to the heightened senses of the animal world, we’d be at a loss if this was all we had to evaluate reality.

Look at the bees. Because they were created with the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic fields, they never get lost. Imagine that! Buzzbee’s queen always knows he’ll be home on time for dinner. Perhaps if I had the ability to sense magnetic fields I’d never have to experience the fear of getting lost (something I’m really good at).

Perception is also limited because it makes us the center from which everything is interpreted. “If I say dandelions are pretty, who are you to say otherwise?”Can you see how the atheist would come to the conclusion that we can’t know truth when you have everyone concluding something different? Without an objective approach (something that allows us to evaluate our surroundings from an outside-looking-in perspective) reality is up to individual interpretation. How confusing is that?

Thankfully, God didn’t leave us to ourselves. He created humans with an exclusive feature that no other creature possesses.

His likeness. (Gen.1:27)

We have a nature that resembles our Creator - characteristics that enable us to tap into more than what our limited perception allows.

For example: We’ve been given 1) A moral conscience. 2) The ability to think and reason in abstract ways. 3) And, like our Creator, humans have been endowed with the ability to create through invention, composition, art, etc.

With these universal tools, believers can then add the power of God’s indwelling Spirit, which gives us the ability to rightly align our perception to God’s perspective and see things the way they really are. This enables us to view things from the outside-in (objective) rather than the inside-out (subjective).

People may have thought dandelions were pretty before the 1800’s, but their value was derived from the medicinal properties God gave them. Perhaps if I’d of framed my appeal this way they’d of kept their heads.

Allowing perspective to rightly align my perceptions has another benefit.

It expands my capacity to feel empathy - for my friend who had two abortions, for the person who left their family to pursue their same-sex attraction, for the person addicted to a substance that is destroying their body, etc.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses…”

Jesus Christ came in the likeness of man and modeled God’s perspective to us. If we aspire to “be like Christ” then we have the capacity to love those who differ with us. With the goal of planting seeds we can challenge them to question the validity of their perceptions and consider God's perspective. It may not produce a field of dandelions, but if cultivated it will provide the medicine their soul craves.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Listen And You Will Hear

(by Lorie Codispoti)

They call it the “death rattle.” It’s the very distinct gurgling sound that a dying person can make as they near death, and if you’ve ever heard it you will never forget it.

One care taker’s manual explains that the sound is the result of air passing through mucus that pools in the throat of a person who no longer has the strength to cough and clear them.

Watching her father die, one writer noted, “In death, you discover the body is baroque in its unintended flows and suppurations. It contorts and contracts until, finally, it returns to the clay from which it was pulled.”

I Can Hear It

I’ve always been very sensitive to sound. I’m practically blind without my glasses, however, I can hear things that many people cannot. I liken it to a super power, or the closest I will ever get to one anyway. The downside is that this ability comes fully equipped with an equal measure of kryptonite. Things don’t have to get very loud before I’m reaching for my earplugs.

Decibels are what we use to measure sound, and anything above 150 will burst your eardrums. (Like standing next to a jet taking off, or firing a shotgun without ear protection.) Many soldiers have even died in battle due to the “blast overpressure” from explosions. The most interesting thing about this kind of damage is that there is no external evidence of injury. It’s all internal: eardrums burst, lungs rupture, and the GI tract turns to mush.

But the sound I want to draw your attention to is one that extends beyond the measure of decibels. Most people cannot hear it, yet it’s the loudest noise of all. I can hear it, and If you pay attention you will be able to hear it too.

Horton Heard It

Just because we can’t hear it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

In my favorite Dr. Seuss book, Horton Hears A Who, the biggest creature in the Jungle of Nool is the only one who can hear the tiny creatures that live on a speck of dust. They are too small for Horton to see, but he vows to save them nonetheless. His jungle neighbors, however, can’t hear anything and don’t believe him, so they mount an opposition.

The story has a good ending, though.

Horton cared enough to risk the persecution of his neighbors, but the ultimate thing that saved Whoville were the people who rallied together, with one collective voice.

God Hears It

When God confronts Cain about murdering his brother He says, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Gen.4:10)

Did you hear that (pun intended)? Abel’s blood “cried out” to God? Reading this sent a chill through me. It also sparked my curiosity.

Does blood have a measurable sound? I’m not talking about the swishing noise we hear as it passes through the various chambers of the heart, but the cells themselves. Do they emit the kind of sound that only God can hear? Turns out, they DO!

An advanced form of ultrasound, called photoacoustics, harnesses the power of light to pick up the sound a blood cell makes. This is exciting news for cell whisperers, as it puts them on the edge of being able to identify factors that differentiate between healthy and sick cells.

(Imagine that? Science, once again, confirming what Scripture tells us.)

Can You Hear It?

Do You Hear What I Hear? This question was posed in a song written by a couple in 1962, as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They were asked to write a Christmas song, but the couple was so burdened by the threat of annihilation that they found it difficult to harness their creativity…

...UNTIL this experience …

“In the studio, the producer was listening to the radio to see if we had been obliterated. En route to my home, I saw two mothers with their babies in strollers. The little angels were looking at each other and smiling. All of a sudden, my mood was extraordinary.” A glimpse of these babies filled Noel Regney’s heart with poetry. The little ones reminded him of newborn lambs. Thus, the song begins, “Said the night wind to the little lamb….”

We may not be facing off with the residents of Nool, or fearful of nuclear war. We may not have literally committed murder, but our hands are saturated with the blood of over millions of babies (3,000+ a day), and the blood of Christ is the only thing that can wash us clean.

“With a voice as big as the sea” their blood cries out.

Can you hear it? It’s the silent death rattle of murdered babies and the cacophony is deafening. Take out the earplugs and be sobered to action by what you hear.

I echo Horton’s plea, “Please don’t harm all my little folks who have as much right to live as us bigger folks do.”

Let us cry out with a loud voice! And may the collective sound reach the ears of our Father as we weep for the unborn and beg for His mercy.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com