By Carol Harper
I have 'Walmart anxiety' (actually, shopping in general). I make my list ahead of time, repeating to myself that I'm gonna go in and get out...then when I look at how many cars are in the parking lot, I get into some sort of 'hunting mode' vibe. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst...go in, scope it out, shoot it, drag it out.
Sometimes I think if I get there early enough, I'll be pretty safe. Still, I find myself wandering the aisles in a daze, list in hand, looking at all of the different brands, checking labels, expiration dates, etc. I spent a good 10-15 minutes just looking at electric water kettles (mine tragically broke, so I couldn't make my morning coffee, which only added to my anxiety). Then, of course, I was already there, so I had to continue to maneuver through the forest to find the rest of the tagged items on my list. Shopping is a lot of work, but like I said, everything takes work to work. So here we go: Scope, pay, drag.
But wait, there's more. Once I get home, I have to put it all away in the fridge, pantry or designated cupboards. Then I can make my coffee, plop on the couch and enjoy the fruits of my labor with a nice cup o' joe...take a sip, ponder my life choices and whether it was worth it. (It was.)
All things bright and beautiful! I'm grateful to have a job so I can have the things I need to not just survive, but to also buy a few things of convenience in order to enjoy a few perks that I enjoy. I love my morning coffee ritual; I love to cook, I love to road trip, take trips out to see/play with my grand-puppies. Coffee in my cup, delicious food in my belly, gas in my car, family and friends.
Some might think I'm just being plain ridiculous, but hey...shopping isn't the only thing that has become systematically complicated over the decades. All of the Nouns have, too. We only have to look at our world history to see how systems have risen to crush and destroy en masse. We only have to look back to see how pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth has infiltrated and fueled a world of confusion and division. After all, who likes to go shopping in the big box store of the Past, raise your hand? That's not a fun activity, either!
The past teaches us that we've all been programmed to live in a constant state of anxiety, fear, depression, anger, and frustration...makes it hard to find those moments of peace when you don't know when the next bomb is going to strike your own building. And all the while, those in the struggle between Light and darkness, Life and death, Love and hate, Truth and lies are crying out, "It's not fair! Why do I have to put up with all the liars, murderers, thieves, scammers, gossipers, and bullies? Why do I have to be the one to turn the other cheek? Why do I have to do the "Jesus-ing" thing when there are so many who don't, or are pretending to?
A New Commandment
My daughter and I both identify with 'Walmart anxiety', so when I told my daughter that my water kettle broke and needed to replace it, her response was, "Can't you just boil water in a pot on the stove?" I laughed. Yes, I could. Did I? No. I ended up buying a new one; it was just a basic one, nothing fancy. But don't think that I didn't ponder on her practical words that caused me to look around at all the stuff I already had, versus what I thought I needed merely for the sake of want and convenience.
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
(1 John 4:1-5)
Well, that doesn't seem too complicated. Simply being aware that there are anti/false christs and false prophets, and that Jesus Himself warned us of them (Matthew 24:24-25) does help. Also, knowing that systematic religion has confused and complicated our innate faith can help make us aware and more discerning of those who try to sell their own brands with bells and whistles. Those are the things we can leave on the shelves and walk away from. Let them have their 'rewards'. (Matthew 6).
Where is God in all of this?
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Old Testament, Exodus 20:3)
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 34-35)
So let me get this straight: Considering all of the religious evolutions, even from Jesus's Revolution 2000 years ago to the present...and given we exist in a world that seems to be oblivious and incapable of the simple commandments of "Love God, love your neighbor (even love your enemies)..." and if one believes that Jesus is God incarnate, and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...why are so many different brands of Jesus being systematically bought and sold? Isn't that creating gods and idols before God? Isn't worshipping a false christ the same as worshipping and idolizing another god? It could be confusing, but...
Old water kettle. New water kettle. Both hold water.
Old Testament. New Testament. Old commandments, new commandments.
Both hold Living Water. And again, Love is the answer.
I don't call myself a Christian; I call myself a believer. I have made it no secret that I stand with my tribe against Foundations for Nations. Why? Because I recognize a false christ when I see one. How? Because I myself worshipped one for 35 years! Because I'm not going to just sit back and watch others get sucked into believing the preaching of an unrepentant, disrespectful person who feeds a demon that delights in pride, contempt, and division. I'm not going to just sit back and watch these or other preachers of a false christs get away with selling and delivering their brands of spiritual poison and making more people sick. Just as I've experienced and witness what alcohol does to the mind, body, and spirit...I'm not going to sit back and say that the cause and effects of its consumption is okay.
The Truth is the truth, whether one likes it to hear it or not...whether or not one tries to twist it or hide it. When someone asks me: "Just whose side are you on?" I'll always be on the side of what is true. So what were the moments of discovery? When Sarah Lucas didn't do what the real Jesus would have done. When she gathered more so-called 'Christians' to support her, and market/rally around her false christ and its branding. When she claimed persecution, hiding behind the tenets of religion and man-made law to protect it... rather than humbly acknowledging that she had made a mistake and learning from it. Or taking responsilbility for the hurt it has caused and still causes. This could have all ended months ago if she had just considered: What would Jesus do? Hey, all I'm doing is calling out a faulty product!
But this is what happens re: spiritual battles unseen...they create problems which cannot be solved with self-proclaimed 'power' and money thrown at them, or fought in courts of law (which are flawed and failed systems all their own). When one or more people finally stand up, give injustice a voice and call a spade a spade, it's because they're standing on principle or fundamental belief(s) that what was said or done was not right. Isn't that what Jesus did throughout His entire ministry? Didn't Jesus call out the hypocrites (Matthew 23)? And, (under man-made law)...was He not crucified for it? And did not God send His Son into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it from all the constant BS we're compelled to swim through every day? (John 3:16-17) If only more were as teachable as Nicodemus!
Judging Softly
What is actually seen is so small compared to dimensions unseen, but there is one Universal truth: The Creator of all, sees all and knows all. So as I may cry out and see the ripple effects of hurt and injustice and ask: "Why? Why did this happen? What is wrong with people?"...there is a Constant energy that has ebbed and flowed throughout Time, very well Aware of the causes and effects of the seen and unseen battles, as well as their purpose. There will come a time when there is nothing left to do but to let go, prepare, trim our lamps, pray, and wait (Matthew 25: 1-13). Mankind cannot control and change what only the Creator of the entire Universe controls and changes through both order and chaos. (The Book of Revelation is not exactly a feel-good read, but at least we know the ending!)
Walking a path of faith is never easy or convenient. Whenever I am angry and agitated, I play my wood flute. I respect the hands that carved it, honor my teacher who taught me how to play it...I reverence the breath the Creator gives me to play it, and the music that flows from it. It is not an idol, it's not a toy; it's not something bought off the shelves at Walmart. It's not something I use to compete and see who is the best flute player of all. For me, it is an instrument that calms my soul and becomes a catalyst between the seen and the unseen. Music is a universal language, communicating on frequencies that flow through the mind, body, and soul. It is a connection to my Creator.
In turn, what we say and do can also be used to hurt or heal. It has nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with who's the best, richest, smartest...who has the most toys, or the latest and greatest, who's the most popular, who's the most pious and has done the most wonderful things (Matthew 7: 21-23) It has everything to do with whether what has been said or done has hurt or healed, and the continuum of both...whether we have brought Light, Life, Love and Truth, or darkness, death, hate, and lies. It has everything to do with how we have either added or taken away from the confusion and chaos. It is how we have matured into our adulthoods with wisdom, listening to and recognizing the Spirit of Truth. Knowing how to call a spade a spade. Knowing how to boil water in a pot.
The way you treat people says more about you than it does about them.
My birthday is coming up; I will have spent 60 years of time on this little rock in the Universe, a mere micro-blip in the grand sceme of things! As I ponder upon on my timeline and look at all that I've said, done, written, and experienced, I am the most grateful to know that my Creator has purposefully shaped my story and ongoing journey in a way only He can and knows how to do. The challenges, struggles, paradoxes, lessons, warnings, wisdom...all things seen and unseen in constant motion, forming a path within this little blip of Time. Have I chosen the good, or the evil? Have I hurt, or have I healed? Is this the truth, or is it a lie? Questions asked, not in desperation, anger, or fear...but asked strategically in faith, in order to know the battle when I see it. Then it becomes as simple as boiling water in a pot.
All I have to do is sit down, pray, play my flute, and ponder:
Where is God in all of this?
Judge Softly
By Mary T. Lathrap, 1895
Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,
Or stumbled beneath the same load.
There may be tears in his soles that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
The burden he bears placed on your back
May cause you to stumble and fall, too.
Don’t sneer at the man who is down today
Unless you have felt the same blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, unknown to you in the same way,
May cause you to stagger and fall, too.
Don’t be too harsh with the man that sins.
Or pelt him with words, or stone, or disdain.
Unless you are sure you have no sins of your own,
And it’s only wisdom and love that your heart contains.
For you know if the tempter’s voice
Should whisper as soft to you,
As it did to him when he went astray,
It might cause you to falter, too.
Just walk a mile in his moccasins
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
If just for one hour, you could find a way
To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.
I believe you’d be surprised to see
That you’ve been blind and narrow-minded, even unkind.
There are people on reservations and in the ghettos
Who have so little hope, and too much worry on their minds.
Brother, there but for the grace of God go you and I.
Just for a moment, slip into his mind and traditions
And see the world through his spirit and eyes
Before you cast a stone or falsely judge his conditions.
Remember to walk a mile in his moccasins
And remember the lessons of humanity taught to you by your elders.
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave
In other people’s lives, our kindnesses and generosity.
Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.
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