Update #99

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment” 1 John 4:18

The crew from Palau Ayer

I recently heard a story about a couple who brought home their newborn baby to a two year old daughter who was uncharacteristically insistent about wanting to be alone with her brother. The pleading went on for days. Finally the parents placed their new son in his crib and mostly closed the door so they could supervise the interaction.

The little girl glanced around, assuring herself she was alone, and walked over to the crib. Grabbing the white vertical slats she pressed her face toward her brother and whispered: “Remind me what God looks like, I am beginning to forget.”

This simple story grabbed me. Its depth rocked me; we all know God. Whether we remember him or not, we all knew him at some point.

This little girl is being raised in a God-centered existence. She goes to Sunday school; her parents pray with her and read her Bible stories. She is in a God friendly environment…and by 26 months she is “beginning to forget.” How much faster does a child in a non-spiritual environment loose his or her “God memory”?

By the time we are adults, moving and being independent in the world, we have our own view of God. Some deny his existence, some ignore him even though they acknowledge spirituality, some choose to worship a god that isn’t the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and some, well, let’s just say they make up their own (and it usually looks like them).

Where is the breakdown? If we once knew God, if we were once intimately acquainted with Him how do we become separated? Yeah, I know about Adam, Eve and the apple - that isn’t the point I am making. At some moment in time we forgot, at some instant our memory of a good God, a loving God, an “I am for you God,” an “I have a plan for you God,” gets lost and forgotten from our memory and we have to relearn it.

I think it has to do a lot with pain and hurt. A source I read stated that by the time we are five we pretty much have our world filters in place – the way we view, interpret, and respond to events is almost solidified. Ack! What does a pre-schooler know about motives, intentions, circumstance, and background?! Not much…they just know if it hurts or not.

Wounds stay with us. Unless fully healed they can cause some hard to understand life circumstances. For example, in the movie “Heart and Souls” a boy looses his four closest friends at a young age. This hurts him deeply; he felt abandoned, alone. And as a result his young mind determined he wouldn’t allow people to get close enough to hurt him again - and he didn’t. As an adult he had a hard time bonding with people…especially women.

What is your view of God? Is he good? Is he good all the time, some of the time, or only when he feels like it? Do you believe that God has your best intentions at heart?

Do you believe that God loves you – deeply; that God wants you to live a full and abundant life – one with purpose, passion and pleasure? Do you believe that God is fun and isn’t a cosmic kill joy sitting in heaven waiting for you to screw up so he can punish you?

We all have wounds and past pain that provide a skewed lens in which we view the world - and reality. What are yours?

Updates:
Living – Lots to report here – my renter moved out, I am dropping the price, and PRAYING hard that God will move this thing! Secondly, the Johnsons have secured a home in Saratoga…with a m-i-law apartment over the garage – my new home as of September 1st! I have a sweeping view of the Silicon Valley and can see San Francisco on a clear day – I’ll post pictures!
Work – I made it home from Indonesia safely and am just about over jet-lag (last night was my first night sleeping straight through). I am trying to get back into the rhythm of life it is just taking a bit to adjust!
Travel – I am heading to Seattle next week for my high school reunion…

Requests:
Living – for my condo to sell and for my pending move to Saratoga. The condo’s special assessment has been stalled for the moment (thank God) but is pending – AND without a renter God needs to come up with the financing every month – yep, faith is being built!
Work – Please pray with us as we seek a training lead to manage the upcoming training cycle beginning July 22nd, and for our recruiting of consultants.
Finances - If you would like to sow into what I am doing see the footer info at http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/ or contribute at http://www.repurposing.biz/ for more information.