Love That Does Not Fail

"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18 

You want to know something? 

Jesus was a carpenter. 

And you want to know what Christ said on the cross? 

It is finished. 

But what, exactly? What is finished? 

Your sin, your guilt, shame, pain, and your suffering. That is what Christ took on -- it's not on your bill. So do yourself a favor, follow His word and learn how to let it go. Give all that up and say "it is done, it is finished" allow yourself to be healed. 

For a lot of years I had an issue with the concept of, "born sinners". Because how can you look at an infant and say, "yep.. that's a sinner alright. Inherently evil." But, that's actually not what's meant by the scripture. What's meant by it is the capability to sin and to live out an inherited evil, inherited sin. So to capture this -- you want to know what sin really is? It's simply this: turning away from God. Turning away from His ways. Turning away from His blessing for your life, because you want to do your own thing. It's using your free will, to step out of holiness with God -- out of His design. Without getting too far into the weeds around it, that verse that describes humans as born sinners is true, because of the fall of man in Genesis, where sin (turning away from God) first took place. 

But the fall of man leads us to another unwavering truth -- the love of God. And that love being built on grace, sure, but really? accountability. Accountability came first -- it's the first lesson in the book. When God said "don't eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge..." that was an invitation and warning to Adam and Eve to trust His word; to trust His design. Since they over-rode that invitation and warning, God held them accountable. Why? He created them. He created their (our) design to operate a certain way, and manipulation of that design would invite hell on earth. Some might say, "but that's blind-following -- where is the freedom in that?" 

Here's what I can tell you about that. The further you go into the void and psyche, trying to fix and understand everything, the further you get away from being on the earth and exercising the domain God gave you over it. The further you get away from being in relationship with others, who are also created in His image. Only because, what you set into motion creates momentum for a reality of life. If your focus is spent on knowledge, never-ending intelligence gains and fixating on what's right or wrong all the time, you're creating a life on concepts. You're not building a life on anything tangible.. a life on sand, not a solid rock. Both are real and true, but only one is reliable for a firm foundation. This is where I think the saying, "life is about what you do" comes into play. If you don't do, then simply put, you don't live. 

Higher consciousness is not bad, when balanced and rooted in God's ways. Getting your story straight is not bad either, in fact, it's healthy to get your ducks in a row. If you've had a similar experience to mine and had significant points of life data blocked out in your memory... You need the foundation of your truth to operate outside of reactive chaos. But the thing is -- life doesn't stop at a certain level of knowledge obtained. Life doesn't stop when you've gained more wisdom. That's the subtle lesson in the Fall of Man from Genesis -- as the tree was "desirable to attain wisdom" this is not how wisdom itself is attained. Did wisdom come after the fall, as far as we can gather, yes, but wisdom is not something you consume. Wisdom comes from living life, trying something, failing, and learning; growing. That's what's meant by everlasting life. That's what a love that does not fail, looks like. It looks like accountability for our most basic conflict of the human condition: God said, and therefore it was. Satan spoke, and therefore it was manipulated into a lie to turn away from God.  In turning away from God's ways, away from life itself, God's love in his response? He will hold you accountable to that choice.

The point of the scriptures aren't to submit blindly to the will of God, it's to collaborate and work with Him. That's what I believe God intended in the beginning, presence with Adam and Eve, to create more life with them. The fall then, creating a separation from Him, changing the dynamic -- while that dynamic is still there, there's more burden on our part, to earn His trust in what He already designed for us to have. The biggest temptation I think we face as humans, I don't think is any specific act, it's the temptation to repeat a line crossed, fail another instruction given, because we count on God's grace prematurely. When you look at God as the creator and author of time, and Satan as the manipulator and hijacker of it, these in context with memory, human development and progress in life, it's your job to honor your time. It's your job to commence your assignment(s) with your time. It's your job to resolve and close the gap on the rabbit holes of thought that come from unresolved experiences on your timeline -- the events that keep robbing you of being present here, now, with God, with others. 

Cause look, the Lord sought to kill Moses because he was not getting it -- accountability with his own life. Accountability with the call God had on Moses' life. Moses was taking too much time, abusing it and dilly-dallying. This is also why Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Why Bathesheba's son to David died days after giving birth to him. God's grace, while free, is not exempt from accountability. At some point, you have to decide when the final chapter of a way of living ends. A way that doesn't serve you or others. At some point, if you don't admit and embrace failures, especially instances of forced self-betrayal (childhood trauma survivors, I see you) -- that is the only story you will ever write.

A love that does not fail allows you to grow and evolve.

A love that does not fail holds you accountable to where you are letting yourself down.

A love that does not fail is not a built on concepts, mind-games, word-salad love letters or arrogant, authoritarian speeches.

A love that does not fail nourishes you with everlasting life.

Life.

Living. Doing. Being.

Breathing.

Support of your “Job One”.

It is quite simple really. And that is our greatest struggle -- complicating the single most important thing: "Trust in the Lord, with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

His design was always simple. Becoming like God through experiences of trauma and deceit, will only complicate things for you as long as you allow them to.

So keep it easy, and let the words of Jesus heal you: "It is finished." 

Jesus was a carpenter. 

If you want to be holy, do something like that — something human — that which requires your feet on the ground, your mind focused, attentive on the craft or task in front of you. 

When you generate that love in your life, of building something out of joy fulfillment and dedication — that is the love that will not fail you. 

While only He is our savior, Jesus was a carpenter. 

-B