Building walls of protection is nothing new. The Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China and Western Wall in Israel were established as defense mechanisms. These structures served as a hiding place as well as a refuge, either to keep enemies out or prevent other civilians from corrupting the ideology shared by those who call this places home.
Beyond the vision of a human eye, another wall exists. This one surrounds the heart, protecting individuals from becoming vulnerable, hurt or both. The greater the pain from the past, the larger the barrier erected. Like a facade, unveiling what lies behind this inclosure isn’t easy. Layer by layer must be removed carefully or else souls will clam up, refusing to convey genuine concerns, emotions or thoughts.
According to a famous prophet, the heart is a mysterious organ, Jeremiah 17:9-10. Regardless of how cautious someone is, when the heart speaks don’t be surprised by what you hear. Deceitfulness has taken hearts captive, a condition that is beyond cure. Therefore, if famous historic walls could speak, sin might be the topic of conversation. In view of this grave condition, set your heart on things above, Colossians 3:1-3, so that hell will wear off as heaven takes center stage.
At age 10, I began to experience a reoccurring nightmare. Maybe I watched one too many scary movies, but each night I was awaken in the same manner. Whether I was restless or enjoying a peaceful sleep, an image appeared out of no where. First, I felt the sensation of slipping off a cliff. Once I reached a free fall mode, I was at ease until the ground came into view. Just before striking the canyon floor, my body shook, waking me up. This went on for nearly 2 years. Why, I’m not sure. Perhaps, God allowed these thoughts to enter my mind to lead me toward the meaning of life.
A couple of years ago, I was driving my family home after vacationing in Chicago for a week. It was getting late, the sun had set and everyone in the car was asleep. I was traveling on the Ohio Turnpike, heading east toward the Maumee River. As I was approaching the river valley, a whisper entered my mind, “drive off the bridge.” Shocked initially, it didn’t take long to determine the origin of this thought. Similar to the Dana Carvey’s Church Lady skit on Saturday Night Live, “could it be Satan?”
Over the course of a lifetime, the mind will become weary, bombarded with a plethora thoughts. If individuals are careless, lazy or tempted, souls are vulnerable. When you try to fight a spiritual battle with mental discipline, sooner or later you will lose. Therefore, its essential to practice 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, by taking your thoughts captive. Whether thoughts are from God, Satan or your own sinful desires, how you respond to them will dictate the path that you choose.
Nick names provide a window into a person’s soul. Although some may be based upon an embarrassing moment, humorous personality or sarcasm, nicknames serve as terms of endearment, sobriquet or a tag that sticks. If you allow yourself to become vulnerable in a social setting, sooner or later you too will receive one.
In the first century, two young fisherman were given an unusual nickname in Mark 3:17, known as the sons of thunder. Growing up on their father’s boat, James and John likely passed on fishing stories to the disciples. The origin of this label has 3 possible explanations. First, since fisherman like to go out in the rain, perhaps whenever the boys went along with dad, it began to thunder. On the other hand, thunder can also represent someone with a bad temper, wearing emotions on your sleeves. Finally, since voices echo on water, each might have possessed a loud voice, bouncing off the water like thunder. Whatever the source, people are watching to see who you really are.
Most of the nicknames I accrued over time occurred in either high school or college. Blue Jay, Mank the Tank and Praying Mantis are just a few of the ones that come to mind. While reflecting on this topic, I began to wonder, how will people remember me? Was I a hypocrite, jerk or pain in the butt? I’m sure some of my former students have strong opinions either way. Though people will continue to dole out nicknames, make sure the one’s you earn glorify God.
Feel free to share your favorite nick name and the context in which it was coined.
History has a habit of uncovering relics from the past. Caves hid the Dead Sea Scrolls until 1946 when 981 texts written in Aramaic, Greek and Hebrews were discovered over a 10 year period. However, there are always things in plain sight which get overlooked, neglected by those too busy to slow down.
As I opened Leviticus 19 today, I stumbled upon an expanded version of the 10 commandments. Although some of the passages are subtle reminders, God conveys to Moses the whys to keeping decrees and laws. These biblical nuggets offer common sense, direction and a foundation for faith. Nonetheless, unless you accept and practice these precepts, you will be vulnerable to straying off course.
There are several reasons why commandments are forgotten. First, the Bible offends those comfortable with how they are living, reluctant to change. Second, people don’t like to be told that they are wrong, especially if there are eternal consequences. Third, since truth has become relative, everyone has their own take on right and wrong. In the end, Leviticus 19 serves as a wake up call, to alert those sleep walking through life. May the words of Scripture breathe life into sleepy, tired and weary souls.
If the words of King Solomon in Proverbs 4:23 hold true today, the heart is vulnerable to numerous attacks. Beyond physical ailments, there are various trials which can upset, puncture or wound this precious organ. As women lose a child to complications, a miscarriage or still born death, one can only imagine the grief experienced by this poor soul. Beside the obvious, accidents, illness and shattered relationships can bombard an innocent heart, leaving pain that lasts a lifetime.
According to King David, another element inflicts jabs to the heart, Psalm 69:19-20. Scorn is like a deadly weapon, poison on the tips of human tongues which derides a bystander, resulting in a sense of worthlessness. In an attempt to get ahead in life, words cut like a knife using contempt, disdain and mockery. When thoughts become verbalized, the Holy Spirit grieves, Ephesians 4:29, recognizing that a heart has been bruised by sticks and stones with names that do leave a scar on one ‘s soul.
Beside watching what you eat, it’s impossible to control or predict the circumstances in life. Thus, it’s essential to guard your heart with the word of God, Psalm 119:9-11. No matter where you live or work, unless you’re prepared for the future, you will likely fail, Hosea 4:6. Although heartbreak may be a way of life for some, you don’t have to accept this negative mindset. Yet, when a piece of your heart does break, remember the promise of Psalm 34:18. In God’s timing, He will mend your broken heart.
There are certain individuals which possess gravitas, tempting family, friends and followers to place them up on a pedestal. These dynamics personalities make it hard not to jump on the bandwagon as some become held in high regards as a cultural hero. However, when you choose to place someone up on a pedestal, its a matter of time before you will experience disappointment.
According to Romans 3:23, no one is perfect. Regardless of your efforts and motives, sooner or later will you fail, mess up or make a mistake. This blunder often shatters the image of your fans, causing many to jump ship. In the aftermath of sin, its difficult to come with terms with the failures of leaders. The painful reality of this disappointment will make you think twice before placing another treasured soul on a pedestal.
The relational aspect of life makes people vulnerable to pain. Perhaps, a growing number of adults are forgoing marriage to avoid the heartbreak of unfilled vows. While you may believe this is a good idea, there is only One who is worth placing up on a pedestal, Hebrews 4:14-16. Don’t blame the creator for imperfect people. Rather, lift up the only One who is worthy to be praised, Romans 5:8.
I am not the first to ask why God allows bad things to happen. Nor will I be the last to demand a response. However, after one month of complaining, groaning and frustration, I sensed the Holy Spirit whisper to me yesterday, “my pain is Christ’s gain.”
As a former professional athlete, I’ve always been able to rely on my God given talents, to work harder than the next person, regularly experiencing success. Yet, when your ability to breathe, lift more than 5 pounds and walk is taken away, you become helpless. Thus, I was placed into a situation where I was vulnerable, forced to depend on Christ’s strength, 2 Corinthians 12:9, to ease my pain.
T-Shirt companies have created similar themes in the past, using God’s Gym instead of Gold’s Gym. On the back, Jesus is doing a push up with the weight of the world, the cross on his back. Nonetheless, a conversation on my first day back at work revealed the true reason for my accident. One of my co-workers was encouraged by posts updating my progress. Subsequently, without my fall, I wouldn’t have had the material to cover these topics. Thus, in the end, God allowed my injury, 2 broken ribs, a lacerated liver and internal bleeding to occur so that my pain was Christ’s gain for eternity.
Although its been thousands of years since Lucifer first planted the idea of questioning God within eve’s mind, Genesis 3:1, there is a new trend gaining traction. Sure, there will always be doubters, haters and nay sayers who will claim God does not exist. Yet, this latest fad might be more harmful, especially when their promises come up empty. Like a page out of the Bible, more and more people are sharing stories about how God is speaking to them in an audible voice, either in dreams, during a prayer or while reading the Bible. Before these phanatics get excited by telling anyone who will listen, maybe they should practice 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, asking the question, “did God really tell me that?”
The reason why I say this is that gullible and hurting people are often burned by optimistic news, taking what pastors, television evangelists or faith healers say as gospel, as if these words came straight out of Jesus’ mouth. Back in February of 2012, I began to hear countless testimonies, people who reached out to the parents of Joseph Feeley, one of my former students who had been battling cancer for 2 years. Though I believe each had good intentions, they were proved wrong when Joseph went to be home with the Lord on February 27th, less than a month after confidently proclaiming Joseph would be healed, traveling throughout the country as a motivational speaker.
Six months later, I received a similar message at a Christian bookstore in Delaware. Since I was still searching for a full time job, I was vulnerable, grasping at straws for anything positive. When I wrote a blog on this encounter in late August of 2012, I was hopeful the words of this prophet might come true, “God will reward you with a great paying job, surpassing your wildest imagination.” Unfortunately, this grandois prophecy did not occur within the time table give but who knows, maybe my position at Amazon could turn into something special. However, like the Feeley family, I am still in a lot of pain, disappointed by the outcome of my current path.
Instead of crying over spilled milk, I won’t give up on chasing my dreams of becoming a novelist, screen writer or both. In future blogs, I will be careful not to exploit anyone with promises unless I am certain of a specific message, truth or word of insight people need to hear. The lesson to be learned from this blog is to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, ensuring your words don’t inflict false hope to a world searching for answers. May these words, stirring within my heart, strike a cord, helping you to reflect before blotting out any words in the future.
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