The Pretenders

The Pretenders

I have recently gone through some things that had you asked me prior if I could deal with it, the answer more than likely would have been no. Probably some kind of phrase muttered, "I'd rather be dead." But come to think about it it, the previous mountain climbed would have resulted in the same response. The time before that, and before that, etc.. You get the picture. Point is, from the time we are children, we have limitations placed on our lives. Some are imposed by others, while some are just self imposed by our surrounding environment and just being taught, we are just humans, we are not suppose to be able to handle everything. Well, at least there is some truth in that phrase, kinda. We are humans, and we seldom handle things correctly, especially when it's our butt on the line. It's that sympathetic nervous response Walter Cannon nailed as the fight or flight response. High tech language we have to learn in the medical field but it basically means, we freak out. We become the Chihuahua of the human species. In our defense, this has saved many men and women in situations that seemed unachievable. But for the rest of us, especially me, it has caused me to forget the thought process altogether. In the majority of my life, had I just slowed my breathing, my pulse, and just started getting some oxygen to my brain, I may have thought of a much more logical way out of my predicament. But then, who are we talking about? Steve...... So I freaked when I should have thought and screwed everything up so much worse.

So, here comes the Great Pretender.. Shakespeare would've been so proud of me so many times. So, here we are again, we have inevitably messed something up so bad it just can't be ignored. Now, this is where my theory I call my, Bill Clinton Syndrome kicks in. The one thing we all have in common is that , yes, we are all humans. Some of us perform our roles with a little more admiration than others but at some point we all fail. It's that sin nature passed down through thousands of generations, when our dear ole Grande Eve and Papa Adam decided it would be cool to be smart as or smarter than God. Fast forward, the Bill Clinton Syndrome. Now, when we mess things up, and I mean really mess up, sure someone is going to be mad, maybe even hurt. But if we stop it there, then we may still be in the forgivable range. After all, we are all humans and even the purest have messed up. But, nooooooooo. We will compound that mistake a million times over just to avoid the brief moments of humility and pride swallowing we may have to do. Of course, while we are in that fight or flight response, we are not coming to the obvious conclusion that at some point that simple little error is going to be found out. When that happens it's going to look like a pinhead compared to the mountain of lies we just emitted in our freak out moment to cover it up. This has inevitably been mine and a lot of our lives. Does it mean we are bad people? Some, maybe, but for the most of us no. It just means we made a mistake and instead of just squaring our shoulders back and facing it, we had the crazy thought we could just cover it up and no one would get hurt. I believe in most of our hearts, that's the case.. We are good people that made mistakes and really do not want to hurt the ones we love the most. Most of us would gladly take a brutal beating before we hurt the ones we love. So we try to prevent it. But, in the process, we compound their pain.

When I sat down tonight and started to write, I had a whole different direction I was going. "The Pretenders" topic was suppose to be geared toward how we pretend everything is ok, when in reality on the inside we are hurting. I know for myself, there may be a few I open up to and let know some of the pain that is going on, but even after a while you start feeling guilty for using them as a dumping ground. To me, and this is my own opinion based on observation of people that I watch and my own actions combined, I think one of the biggest issues in God's church today is that we are not transparent. We play that Stained Glassed Masquerade. But do you know what happens? It's the same inevitality that by hiding our own hurts and pains we hurt those closest to us. They see us as having it all together and hold their pain inside. God gave us a 24 hour hotline to him to pray or just talk to him about these things. We are to lay all of our burdens at his feet. He wants us to take these chains we carry and lay them on his shoulders, to give us peace. The price he paid to be able to do that is a price none of us can ever imagine. See, before we were ever created, God created a place called hell for a band of rebellious angels including Satan. It's a place of such eternal torment that our minds can never comprehend. But, he had no intention of us ever going there. Unfortunately, the one hell was built for travels this earth, seeking to devour and destroy as many as he can. We fall right into his trap. Because we choose to follow his lies and fall to his deceit and we will be taken down with him. Many say God is a God of love and I will say you are right. He doesn't want his children in that hell. He himself felt the temtations of Satan as a man. He knows his power. But these games we play as humans only play into the hands of a doomed man wanting to take down as many as possible. The 24 hr open line of communication to God is there to help us. But he also wants us as his church to stop playing these masquerade games and lean on each other for strength while we turn to him for guidance. For those that think hell is just a fairy tale, that God would never send his own children there, let me ask or tell you this. There is a reason he left paradise to come to this God forsaken Earth to be beaten, humiliated, tortured and killed on a cross. A pure sacrifice had to be given in order to save his misled children from that nightmare designed for the one that deceives us all. He gave all that up and was butchered so we do not ever have to experience that. Listen, as a man that has faced many hellish things on this Earth, the pain from MS or for those poor souls that have gone through so much worse than I can ever imagine, there is hope. There is hope because he loved us so much to go through so much pain, agony and humiliation as the King of this Universe to give us the hope of something so wonderful he has waiting for us. All we have to do is just make the choice to do so. Stop being bitter and a scorn in your neighbors side, tell them you love them. Stop being the one no one wants to be around because you are always negative, be the one that lets his light shine. Stop pretending everything is ok when its not. Be real, get on your knees and cry out to your father whose heart aches for you but stands in the paradise he created for you if you will just hold on a little longer. And church members, stop putting on your suit and ties and pretty dresses and painting smiles on your faces when your world is falling apart. God called for us to join together as a body. To lean on each other for strength. Remember, he knows how hard it is. There is a reason for the parable of the one lost sheep. Well there are a few, but one very important is that together as his sheep we are strong under his watchful eye, but let one of us wonder off and in the brush there is a wold that is ready to devour us. We have to stick together as his sheep, under his protection. We need to know his voice and listen when he speaks. Above all else we need to put all our faith in that voice, without it we are doomed. Yes, there is a hell, a place of torment never ending, but he left heaven to face hell head on so we never have to experience it.

I've learned a slow painful lesson. Like a dog beaten over the head multiple times I'm slowly starting to get it. There is a way and only one way. We are going to face trials here on Earth, but he will never leave our side. I also learned that I am much stronger and able to defend myself against the attacks of that doomed one if I am surrounded by other Godly men and women. Not perfect, just people that have learned like me that the only way is through Jesus. Sometimes when I start these things I never know where he is going to lead me and this is one for sure I didn't know but I believe it's probably one of the most important. We have been given just 2 commandments in the new covenant established by Christ. If we follow those then the rest take care of themselves. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor.. If you do that then we will all one day be singing praises to our creator in our glorious home, Heaven.. God Bless and I love you all..