Clearing Out the Cobwebs

I always tell the kids that it's OK to feel negative emotions, to be disappointed or angry or sad.  Such emotions are natural.  But I always tell them to never let those things grow big in their hearts and take over.  They can acknowledge those things and mourn or cry or talk or ask questions, and then through all that, they can find a way to get beyond the issue.  I tell them to guard their hearts, to guard their emotions, to guard their thoughts, to ask their heavenly Father and their brother/Savior/King Yahshua to help them stand guard.  I tell them that to harbor those negative things is to give them power, and that power can eventually grow so big as to take over inside them and make them feel worse; they can lead to bitterness, offense, unforgiveness, and an overall yucky feeling inside.  If someone hurts them, shame on that person.  But if they let it grow big inside them, shame on them.  That's no one else's fault but their own, which is the same for all of us.  All the sudden, perspective is gone, God's true reality is lost in the mess, and they could find themselves beholden to a lie.

It's all about perspective and walking that fine line between what's real and what's...real. 

Because we have before us what's real:  our experiences, good, bad, neutral.

We also have before us what's real:  the word and purpose and identity of Yahweh, Truth, always good, sometimes uncomfortable, never neutral.  He calls us higher, to come up here where our view is above the storm.

Yahweh's word, written in the Bible and spoken to you, is what's really real.  The spirit realm is real.  And if we get to know Him and His great love for us, His heart and purpose for us, we begin to understand something that often transcends our experience.  We then have the glory of walking out our life in a way that makes our experiences match His Truth.  For example, if your parents told you that you were never good enough, you might have that ingrained in your identity and might respond to a lot in life out of that feeling of lack.  But Yahweh sees worth in you.  Which is more real?  Your experience or His word?  Even though you feel your experience, it's a lie.  His word is all that matters.  Sometimes our experience is a lie, even though it's the one thing right in front of our faces. 

I have to laugh, because in my recent post about life's challenges, I got some replies that made me think I may have come off as pretty down.  I didn't mean to do that!  But it's OK.  I've read it a few more times and realize that some cobwebs did, in fact, creep in and muck up my perspective.  For instance, I am not often shell-shocked by the experience of being a mommy, even though I said that.  I am sometimes shell-shocked.  For sure.  It seems more often to me, because I'm used to having everything perfectly arranged and under control, and life is blissfully messy and spontaneous.  Truth is, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I could go on and on about personal stuff that is a-brewin' right now, but that's not important.  What's important is that life is always a-brewin', thank the Lord.  It's got mountains with glorious vistas, valleys with quicksand and desperation, oceans full of life and light over here but murky shadows over there.  That's all part of the adventure.  It's that way for us all.  The big question as you hike along your way is, who is your guide?

What voice do you trust to help you navigate your path, to tell you what's worthy of your attention?

[Insert a joke here about Justin Bieber that I decided to remove.  ;)]

So many voices want to crowd the others out and become big in your head, spreading out like cobwebs, causing confusion and distraction.  For prophetic people who are somewhat like radios with giant antennae and access to every station all at once, things can get really loud and full of static, and fast.  Someone said one of my sentences in the "challenge" post had 66 "and"s in it.  That's a lot of noise. 

Or, to sound cliche, merely being a part of our wonderful generation brings its noise from all the access to information and entertainment that we have.  Oh, we must guard our minds and our hearts.  So many voices.

To be proactive rather than reactive is a steady, willful choice.  To reach up and swipe away all the cobwebs is an act of liberty.  Maybe every one of them represents something on your radar that's even good or worthwhile, but if it's distracting and not for now, let it go.   

The cobwebs come down, the grating noises slowly die away, and the weight that tried to aggrandize itself is lifted like the inconsequential vapor it really is.  "My yoke is easy; My burden is light," He smiles.  Therein we are free to relax and smile back, "I love you!  I've come to do Your will!"  It all boils down to a relationship with the God of the mountains, the valleys, the oceans, the galaxies, the atoms, you.  To know Him, to know His voice, makes everything else so very small.

To close, here's an incredible and simple song that perfectly expresses my heart for this post, and it's been bubbling out of me all week.  My friend at church wrote it, and it is anointed and full of revelation. 

Your Word
(c) Misty Angelini 2010

In the quiet time, I am listening

I hear Your voice, calling me to go on

It's a refreshing wind, touching everything

Removing all that is not of You

And I lay down my dreams

I set aside all Your promises

I lay them at Your feet

And I listen for Your word

For You alone are my strength

You alone can lead me deeper

My passion lies in You

I live and die by Your word

And here's an ultra high-tech, squished-to-fit video if you want to take a listen:  :)

Have a happy day of lucid vision and peace in Him, and as always, thanks for stopping by.  :)