Above all these, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together perfectly; and let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, for this is why you were called to be part of a single Body. And be thankful — let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts. That is, everything you do or say, do in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:14-17
So many thoughts going through my head this evening, actually all day. My wife and I had a very good talk today, one which we have had before with it ending in an argument. But this time, it was her saying the very things I have told her before and her arguing with me about them. All about family and the craziness that comes from them.
Two thoughts which come from this point. The first one is it was brought to my memory of when we were first married and living together. One day she said, is it always this quiet? Which I said yes, I saw it as a good thing, she saw it as a bad thing. She was so used to being with her family in the midst of a lot of dysfunction and her in the middle of it all. Sher has always been the one person who controlled everything or tried to. When it stopped or slowed down, it was not good in her eyes.
But she also had serious migraines, so bad they put her down for a week at times. Since we have been together, not even once has she had one like that. They were obviously caused from stress, which mostly was created in trying to make her family something they had no intention of being, nor do they still. The difference is she is not participating anymore.
Which brings up the next point. Many times I have brought up to her the verses about “unless you hate your family…you cannot be my disciple.” Or “he who loves his mother…more than me is not worthy of me.” Because of her love and devotion to her family she never understood these things. And when she looked at me, a gringo (US citizen) and how my own older girls did not speak with me. She saw it as a negative and I was not right with God. She could never understand how I could ever leave them, that I should somehow fight to the very end of my life. She also had a hard time with my relationship with my mom when she was still alive. Although the funny thing is she treats her mom the same as I used to.
My mom and I used to butt heads, and it increased as I started to know God. Because my mom had her religious catholic ideas which were not of God. My mom was very demanding and expecting, and when my new ways in Yeshua did not correspond with her ideas and theology, we clashed. Same with my daughters, if they want to believe what their mom was telling them and expecting me to bend and do things their way when it goes against God’s way, then what? Plus no matter what I did it was wrong. The few times I did do it their moms way, she changed it so I was still wrong.
Which brings me to the point my wife is finally seeing. The dysfunction of this world keeps you crazy. So we need to separate ourselves from this world and remain in Yeshua. My wife said almost word for word this same exact thing today. She spoke of how even though her dad was almost dying, she still sleeps well. And she is seeing all the craziness from her siblings and aunts from it.
For example, she told them I did not want her dad in our house. They over reacted about it like what???? But at the same time they do not want him in their house which is OK. The only two reasons I do not want him here is because I do not want him around my kids with his sexual and other abusive issues, and I do not want his spirit in my house. We do not even begin to understand how powerful these spirits are and the last thing you want is for these spirits in your home no matter how strong you are in the Lord.
So the short is my wife is seeing how people can be, including or especially family. And how they take your peace if you let them and do not see things God’s way.
Now read the verse above again, and apply it! Keeping in mind the word is not the bible but is him speaking ot us. And his peace comes from this not a bible or other men. Because for many years I have told my wife this lesson, and she always argued with me and went against me on it because she never understood. But now she is understanding because she is living it, not just hearing it but living it. She is seeing the fruits of her labor and the peace she is getting from it, and watching all her family just keep pissing their opportunities away. As an example she spent a lot of time in her dads small little 100 sq ft room cleaning. He has nothing to do at all, yet his room has not been cleaned in probably years. A part of why he is so sick. She sees how she gives him money and he spends it on cigarettes and coke and other trash instead of healthy food. He is destroying his life, and instead of her money helping him to stop and live a better life, it is the opposite as it is making him sick.
Interestingly enough when he came here, the doctors said come back Monday “IF” he is still alive (I spoke on this yesterday). He looked like he would never make it, but today he looks 1,000% better. A few days of not eating trash and sleeping with toxins all over the place around him. His lungs have cleared up and his overall health is much better. He will make it easy until Monday now. So why did the doctor say this last Thursday?
Because no one makes the necessary changes in their life to get better. Many times I have spoken about you need to leave your environment to heal. God moved me to Mexico to get me away from family and friends (including my older daughters, not so much because of them but because their mother who still used them to keep me sick). We all stay in the crazy sick life. Even my dad who with moving here has made a 1,000% improvement in his health, same with my father in law. They still want to go back to the old ways. My dad would love to move back to Iowa, going right back to his sickness. Same with my father in law, he keeps asking for trash foods and eats a little of the good stuff we give him.
This brings up the next verse of paying attention to the fruit you bear. The “WAY” we know for having good health we have shown to our dads and neither likes it. They like the results of course, but would rather keep doing the same stupid things and be sick. Maybe they do not get it completely that you reap what you sow, or you will know the fruit you bear to be good or bad. A good tree (or the way you do things) will not bear bad fruit. For some reason they cannot put the two together to understand this simple point, and somehow believe they can go back to the way it was and get different results this time around. But you cannot!
So next point, similar yet different. I personally am having a hard time with this transition from being in sales all my life, being extremely busy and making money hand over foot the last few years, to now nothing. I know the Lord wants me to move onto the next phase of life, he has told me he wants me to now be a salesman to men about him. I watch the Jehovah Witness and men preaching in the streets. And other missionaries doing their things. We have one in one of our rentals now. And I find it sad, because they are lost in their religion and do not even know God, but yet think they do and are doing exactly what God wants. But they are doing the opposite. Yet they have so much more success than someone like me who is pushing truth which goes against the religions of the world.
But then the Lord reminds me he said some will bear fruit, 30 fold, 50 fold or a 100 fold. He did not say they would bear fruit 100’s of 1,000’s fold like the big box churches are. It is easy to lead people when you tell them what their itching ear wants to hear instead of the truth they do not want to hear, even if that truth bears good fruit (like our dads). People prefer to be able to remain in the way they are, do not rock the boat. They remain in this dysfunction and do not see it. I even see it in my sister with my dad. She sees some of it as she knows he is better off staying here in Baja. She sees he has had zero health issues since moving here, where before he was in and out of the hospital. Costing millions of dollars in medical care before, now zero.
Which is another point. For years he cost the medical system money, my guess is in the millions of dollars because my dad did not take care of himself and lived according to the worldly ways. Since he came here he has cost zero, nada. We do not use the drug card anymore as drugs are less here and we have eliminated almost all of them. And never once in the hospital. So zero cost to the system, where the way the other people are they keep costing the system. The system is set up this way, they want to keep you using the system so they can keep stealing your wealth. We must recognize this and stop it. Get out of the systems, the medical, political and religious systems. Start knowing Yeshua and obeying him. My father in law is another example of how if you do things God’s way (even if forced to, because my dad does not like how I take care of him, he prefers the sugar and other trash). Then it comes good, but if you keep doing things the way of the world and satan it keeps going bad. He wants you sick, broke, in misery and dysfunction. He does not want you healthy, wealthy and with peace, it is the last thing satan wants.
One last piece to this story, a high school classmate. We got back in touch because of facebook. We are not really friends to speak of and were not even in Highschool. We both were in the dumb class so we learned together, but he was very quiet and not in sports so our paths did not cross much. But we became facebook friends non the less. I have watched him go through some tough stuff, not sure what but his post made it clear he was going through some things. Lately his posts are much different, instead of crying about it, he is having the Spirit of “gratitude in his heart.” In listening to him he is starting to see the way of God and following it. I pray for him even though he does not know it. I do not pray he gets an easy life and the pain stops, but instead that the Lord has his way with him and shows him truth which surpasses all understanding. And brings the peace, again see the verse above.
We do not seem to understand that basically everything we believe is true and right is wrong. These days more than ever. Technology can be a very bad thing, yet it can be used for good also. Using this man as an example, if it were not for facebook, I would not know the path he is on, and would never know to pray for him and give him words of encouragement and truth.
The walk with God is boring at times, but has peace. Choose what you want, boring and peace or dysfunction and excitement? As said before I am having a hard time with the transition to no business as it is boring. But I also know it is the will of God and he has a purpose. Boring is OK with me as long as I stay in righteousness with God.