Finesse

I have been contemplating finesse. It is "great subtlety and tact in handling or manipulating people or difficult situations." How much finesse, pray tell, do you have Dear One? Finesse is refinement, a way of seeing the world, relationships, situations. A gliding seamlessly as though floating, just above the earth, weightless, effortless...glorious. With subtlety and tact great things can be accomplished and the one who possesses these qualities of communication can affect change, utilizing the force that moves them and unwittingly moves others along too. The force within beacons and calls to others to join in travelling this high road to heavenly heights. It is delightful whimsy, stardust, ether charged air that only a few can breathe because they have longed for the richness that only purity can provide. What do I speak of, you wonder? I guess it is just that, this wonder that is available, the awestruck ness of elevated planes. Have you been there Dear Reader, this above the earth place where souls brush and all that is good and holy exists? Tasting, sensing, feeling your way to this place requires a giving up of self to something far greater than you and I, in the here and now. It is an acknowledgement that I can be and do nothing of my own accord, that I alone am useless, hopelessly helpless and must be joined with another or many to accomplish what we are here to accomplish. Finesse is the topic and the question remains, how do we navigate this world in such a way as to move ourselves and others along without cutting and bruising, pushing and shoving? How do I see what you need, what you must have to heal and even grow, if I impose my needs first without considering yours? The higher plane, it exists. It is where love abounds and is not questioned, qualified, measured, compared. It is dilated eyes that let in The Light, open ears that hear The Voice of Truth, a heart that believes in The Eternal. It is the expansive feeling of Immanuel, God in our midst. The Force teaches finesse, a way of being. Finesse is nuanced and elegant and I want this, don't you, Dear One? Everything good is conceived firstly, practiced secondly, acquired over time thirdly. All good things are modelled for us, we need only look for the composite we crave. Finesse is a human behavioural art form. We can be walking talking elegant art, hand crafter, shaped and moulded, genuine replicas of The Original. Finesse me Lord, teach me your ways. Is this your prayer too, Dear Reader? Holiness calls us forth, how will you respond?

The Miserable Life

The miserable life is available for all

The miserable life is available for all. All you need do is ignore your instincts, your intuition. Next, listen to what everyone else wants you to do and you can acquire the desired state of oddly being disassociated from you. Somehow, your own wants and desires have been misplaced... where did they go again? Did they ever really exist? You can also fret and worry, because we all know that a racing heart can lead to it being over taxed, a great way to ensure it breaking down, perhaps helping it reach the ultimate goal toward a massive attack.

Suspicion is a paving stone 

Misery is a choice

And what about all those people out there, the ones out to get you, take advantage of you, takers, all of them...this kind of thinking can really help you along the road to destruction. Suspicion is another paving stone to the desired miserable life you crave. You are well on your way now! Lets not stop here, the goal of destruction via miserable is coming along nicely.

Remember that decision you made, the one behind closed doors, you know, the one you kept repeating? Yes yes, that one... now we are onto fabulous ways of self haunting with keeping that a secret! Oh and lets add to this the anxiety that couples with the secrets: what if you are exposed, found out, discovered?

Your fingers point up, down, right in my face

Oh rich ground that runs deep with trenches to fall fast and dead into, we are getting close to the end here with just enough energy to push on. Your fingers, they point up, they point down, they point right in my face, his face, her face and it is clear, it is all their fault! Yes, you have cornered the market on how everything works and what a relief, that in your doing no wrong, you have someone else to blame! This fantastic state of burning rage can take you there, to that wonderful bitter place of despising others, damn them all. And how about this bit of brilliance-breathe shallow breaths, eat artery clogging food imposters, don't exercise and you have made it-the perfectly concocted formula for success! The miserable life was not only available, you have made it yours.

You have accomplished your goal

Sweet delight, you have accomplished your goal and now you get to suaver the flavour of gall. Before we push off from here, lets make sure you take credit where it is do. You have done this all by yourself, exercising your autonomy beautifully. You get to claim your fame as a member of miserable and don't you let anyone take this gem from you! Go on with your bad self... Congratulations, you win.

You don't want the miserable life

You don't want the miserable life? Did I hear you correctly? Excellent, because God has some direction for you:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).

Vortex

Vortex is defined as: a region and a fluid in which the flow is rotating around an access line which may be straight or curved. Think tornado. Now think on the pull of the rotation, as in you being suctioned into the spin. Without your consent, you are spun faster and faster with no time to grab hold let alone break free. Besides, everything and everyone around you is caught up too, there is no one thing that you can anchor yourself to. The only gravitational force is the mighty seemingly relentless wind with its deafening thunder in your ears, preventing thought and consideration of what to do? What can you do? Just when you feel hopeless and helpless taking over your soul with doom looming and death beckoning, you feel the grip release and you are tossed centre, into the calm, the eye of the storm. Now you are in it, not of it. In the storm but no longer a rag doll like piece of unconsidered debris. And yet, the storm, it still does not care a whit about you Dear One, it goes about its whirling destructive business because that is what storms, tornados, do. You cannot blame a tornado for being one, not logically anyway. You are in the middle now and in the calm you consider the possibilities of survival, a way out while maintaining life, despite the battering and bruising you sustained while you were a part of the storm. Whatever will you do? The whirlwind and its gail forces would have you destroyed without sentimentality, remorse, regret. If you attempt a rushing through of the powerfully encasing wall of turmoil, you risk death. Staying in the centre means waiting, and perhaps never getting out? 

I am considering all of the vortexes I have experienced, all of the pulling into someone else's ways that I have unwittingly been caught up in. They couldn't help it, they were them and I was me and somehow, the spinning and swirling had us caught up until we were spit out and picked up again by someone else's tornado like suction and drag. I too, have been a storm, a tornado of sorts. My perception, my way, my thinking feeling and doing all pulling others in, hearts and souls akimbo. I am laughing at the imagery, although at the same time it saddens me. The destructive path of a storm, a tornado, leaves devastating and sometimes permanent marks. I am considering the peace and calm of the eye of the storm. Fighting my way out does not seem valiant, even feasible. While waiting and considering options in the centre, I see that it is not up to me to dissolve, resolve, solve the problem of the storm, it is up to me to trust that just as it gathered force, it will of itself, weaken and drop out of sight as though it never existed. Just as I must wait and trust, I must give others the gift of believing that in their centre, the calm will guide them, teach them, show them the way out of their own spinning and storming, if they are ready for fair weather, that is. Peace is strangely and seemingly contradictorily, a struggle to achieve and acquire, almost humanly impossible...this brings me to our God: Who do you trust when all around you there is chaos, whirling dervishes, dramatic anti-peace, soul exhausting words and behaviours that you must, for need of holy preservation, disengage from? Tornadoes, yours, mine, and the ones created by others, can be circumvented. I am claiming harmony and peace for myself, even when the whirlwind pull would have me experience something completely different. I don't have a solution for you if vortex has your life in a spin. I can say this: ou can be in the storm, without having to be of it. I end with Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

In Common

This week was heavy in numerous ways. I attended a course on Social Role Valorization and now I understand empirically, what life is like and can be like for those who have not worth, no value in our society. It is the roles we play that give us credence in the eyes of the beholder and without valuation, as the economists say, there is no worth. We are governed by a set of laws, naturally. We make distinctions as we perceive our world. Sky is blue with clouds, that person is tall with short hair, that man, the dirty one sitting on the park bench is alone and homeless. We can't help it, it is what we do and with no intention of malice, we categorize, judge, assess and place things in their proper order. Better than, somewhere in-between and the lowest of the low. Can you read this and disagree Dear One? What we do for financial gain, where we live, what we wear, say, think, tell others exactly who we are and where we fit in hierarchically. Moving on up means acquiring the better things in life, the good things that offer creature comfort and afford us the respect of those who see us and are constantly assessing. Sometimes we choose our company based on their status because there is, make no mistake, transference. So this is our nature, empirically validated. Studies have proven what you are reading and Social Role Valorization is about this very thing, that the roles we hold or don't hold in society impact our ability to experience the good things in life, including love, respect, being considered, appreciated, and ultimately valued as a fellow human being. Now lets look at the under belly Dear Reader. There is a great undertone causing undertow. What is valued in our society has been established by the greedy few who perpetuate ideas of what constitute the good life. Wealth, health, youth and prestige. Anyone falling outside of these categories may as well give up and perhaps even, die. Think of it. How often have we wished for the death of someone or heard the phrase "they are better off now" for those who could no longer add value to the lives of others? Burden is a word we use for those who require assistance and care and while we see others as subhuman, may I make the statement that it is because they have been cast in the role of useless and worthless? Look at Steven Hawking. Because of his massive brain power, he has an offering so valuable that he has been preserved for many years in a body that has betrayed him. What if all the people we lay eyes on have the same brilliance awaiting discovery but because we consider them broken and burdensome, we shall never know their true worth? I am not comparing apples to oranges, please understand me. I realize not everyone has the brain power of Steven Hawking. I am saying that the comparisons MUST STOP. We must, it is our duty and responsibility as members of the human race, value each person no matter their current physical, socio economic or emotional state, because bad things happen to all people and one day, it could be brilliant you, a mind trapped in a body that needs some love in order for you to be seen and heard. Or worse yet, it could be your child that you have to fight for to be valued in this biased society. You and I, we can make a difference. Raising the bar for ourselves, the expectations we have for our own accomplishments can also be applied for those we want to see having the good things in life along side us. We can see each human as capable of great things, potential waiting to be actualized. Do you believe that greatness is within the realm of each living being you lay your eyes upon Dear One? I end with a grin as I type. I see you. You have within your being, the planted seeds of greatness that await sunlight and gentle nurturing rain. This, Dear One, is what we all have in common. 

Equation

Equation has several meanings and today, I select this one: the process of equating one thing with another. I am alarmed lately, with the reckless abandonment of God in the equation. God has been energetically kicked to the curb. The sad thing is, this is not new, it is as old as the sneaky slithery serpent that showed his selfish soul so long ago. What does it mean, to equate one thing with another? I am thinking of character traits and the active development of said traits. So lets take honesty as a valued trait and see how this relates to humans and equates with God. If you believe in the God of the bible, you know that He is incapable of lying, that betraying His nature as Truth disallows lying as a possibility. Can you relate, equate with this standard and appropriate this higher than the sky level of honesty, Dear One? I know I cannot but, but, I strive for it as the gold standard of practice because my God has told me I can do all things, through Christ, who strengthens me. Is it easy to be honest all of the time? Oh my gosh, no! Our human nature leads us toward self preservation and this might mean bending the truth in order to keep the peace, accommodate another, save someone or ourselves from hurt feelings...the list goes on. What I love about the example of the living God, Jesus of the people who walked the streets and spoke to the crowds, is He spoke the truth in love, and it wasn't always the easiest thing for people to hear. He saw people as they were; thieves, liars, sneaky, adulterous, and He spoke directly to their sin and asked them to sin no more. He had a way of saying cut it out, stop doing what you are doing. People could see in Him what they could have for themselves and it made them long for a better way of living. They did not equate themselves with God, with this Jesus they saw. They realized they could never be Him and at the same time, they realized how much they wanted to be, just like Him. To be just like Jesus in the longing of every believer and to be just like Him means we have to draw near to the Good Shepherd. He modelled for us what it looks, sounds and feels like to be in the presence of Truth-He calls us to higher ground. The deceiver would have us follow him to the dark corners of the soul, the ones that keep us hiding from the Light and exposure to the ugly parts of what we think, say and do and what others think, say and do. He would have us equate sin with pleasure and the good life. He would have us mired in the muck with him by having us lie to ourselves and one another. You and I, we cannot be God and we dare not equate ourselves thusly-but we do not have to except the lowly offerings of the evil one, the one that would have us destroy our God given and accessible traits, by trading them in for cheap substitutes, nasty pseudo imitations of ourselves. In plain language, we are Gods children and we can claim our place in the family by modelling after His Perfect Son. Honestly, are you honest with yourself and others? What standards do you measure your life by? Is the God of the bible your guide to what is good, true and right? Have you kicked Him to the curb Dear One? If so, how willing are you to return, head hung low in repentance, and forsake all others for God Almighty? In the equation of life and death, there is One who offers life abundant, and He wants YOU. We are, after all is said and done, the company we keep.