Being & Becoming

Confidence in Christian Birth Rites (Excerpts)

In order to have “great faith” we must be confident in Christian birth rites and see ourselves the way God sees us.  I am convinced that He sees us like a beautiful tapestry.  Since the NIV version of Psalms 139:13 reads, “You (God) made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  This paints a beautiful picture of how our veins, arteries, capillaries, and lymph systems are but visible remainders of our spiritual design.

Spiritual Tapestry - Much like the respiratory system carries vital gasses and nutrients to different parts of the body; the soul’s tapestry channels the emotions of love, hate, bliss, rage, contentment, and resentment.  All of which holds the promise of life giving hope in God or the deathly despair of a reprobate mind.  Could this be the reason why anger, hate, despair and un-forgiveness leads to psychosomatic illnesses or deadly circulatory problems?  Which in turn chokes the blood from the veins and thus the air from the lungs – causing both physical and spiritual demise?

As such, we are each a beautiful tapestry, woven by a Master Craftsman and allowed to spin out of our mother’s umbilical cord.  The tapestry is held together and strengthened by the satin soul stitches of Biblical truth.  It is made of priceless experiences, irreplaceable jewels of knowledge, and exquisite pearls of wisdom.  These precious jewels mark, “mile-stones” in our lives.  Moreover, each of our experiences weaves another stitch in colors of love, care, and devotion with our families, friends, and loved ones.  Perhaps, this is why we feel, “out of the loop” or why we use terms like, “being cut from the same cloth.”  Then what is most disheartening, is when a loved one falls asleep in this world and it rips at every fiber in our being.

In much the same way, God knows we were built for relationship, so He promises in Jeremiah 29:11, “Fore I know the plans I have for you,” Says the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with your whole heart.”  Yes, even among billions of people on Earth, the Master Craftsman desires our “whole heart.”

Worship Warriors - In an effort to gain our whole hearts, He gently beckons us in worship and pulls on the drawstrings of our hearts to bring us near to Him in praise.  Not because of obedience or because we have exercised great virtue in our freewill; but because He knows we must be reminded of our identity and security in Him.  Much like any great lover, we find security and identity in the Lord, and have confidence in His eternal provisions.  Then, like children on the playground of life, we find comfort in returning to our parents for nourishment and protection.

In as much, the King James Version of Ecclesiastes 25:12 reminds us, “The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of His love (wisdom): and faith is the beginning of cleaving unto Him.”  In the same way, as our love grows for Father God, we respect His authority and cleave to Him in reverential fear.  Even when the wiles of the World seem better than obedience to God, we soon find that the pleasures of sin are really only for a season.[1]  Since we never escape unscathed and almost never have the tools to fix the problem, God intervenes.  He then restores order and forgives.

In some cases, some may think other offenses are too heinous to forgive, but God is devoted to His children.  Much like a parent with many children on the playground of life, things happen.  If one child hurts another on purpose or by mistake, a loving parent rushes to aid the situation.  Once the injured child is comforted, the offending child is convicted of their actions.  Then they are restored with love and forgiveness, not banished from the family to fend for themselves or left homeless in the streets.

Justice in Forgiveness - As Creator, God knows that banishment and un-forgiveness revokes our identity in Him and security through Him.  Moreover, human beings tend to wither if we cannot fully exchange affections with God in worship.[2]  We begin to wither like broken branches, partly torn away from a tree.  Often, this withering of the human spirit begins to manifest in heartache; confuses the mind, and produces feelings of rejection or abandonment.  Without the identity and security of Father God, humans lose their direction and become desperate to survive.  In an attempt to survive, they often commit more offenses to numb the pain of rejection and isolation.  As offenses begin to mount, one injury after another only bloodies the tapestry.  After which, bitterness fuels hatred and the violent cycle of pain never ends.

On the other hand, when the love of God is applied to the injury through acts of forgiveness, it acts as a healing balm.  It is a balm that mends the tapestry and strengthens its bonds.  So God models forgiveness then requires each of us to forgive others.  Since He knows that the justice of His forgiveness will: halt the cycle of injuries, restore calm, allow the wounds to heal, and restore relationships.  In short, He forgives to redeem us with His love.  After all, He has many children on Earth’s playground and He desires to see each of them enjoy the gift of freewill and creativity.  Moreover, there is no real expression of love without freewill.

In as much, God grants freewill, but our choices open heavenly portals of blessings or hellish portals of curses.  Similarly, the injustice of God’s grace is what causes His presence and provision to amazingly shut down those hellish portals of curses!  In addition to His amazing grace, His ability to be all knowing gives Him the advantage of seeing the future and the past all at once.  In actuality, He can chart our progress long before we get there ourselves.  So He patiently waits, counting down the days, until we are victorious.  [3]

In addition, much like human parents, He also takes pleasure in watching us learn and grow.  As each of our experiences weaves another section of the tapestry and He is well aware of every stitch and seam.  Nothing we will ever do or say can surprise or disappoint Him.  As Romans 8:28 declares, “I will cause all things to work for the good of them that love the Lord, to the called, according to My purpose.”  This is the beauty of His omnipotence and our freewill.  It is beautiful because He is powerful enough to speak the worlds into existence, yet gracious in His blessings and merciful in counting our faults.

 

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[2] John 15:5