The Rational Rabbit Hole no. 20

‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan BUT do you? I was thinking about this a little last evening as I walked home from Wednesday night service. I was thinking about how I have a plan for getting things done and then I go out and achieve the plan and get those things done. My plans may seem far-fetched and even crazy at times, however, those plans always seem to become reality. As I repeat many times in my routine, “For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37 AMP). Nothing is impossible. Do you really believe that?

Fourteen days ago I had a plan to grow my own food and shorten my supply chain. That plan began in failure BUT it did not end there because nothing is ever impossible. Fourteen days ago I had a plan to get myself healthy in mind, body, and spirit. That plan began with a lot of pain and turmoil BUT it did not end there because nothing is ever impossible. I have had a lot of plans in my life that have seemed impossible, improbable, and unlikely. I am rather certain friends and family and strangers look at what I am attempting, look at my plans, and think those things are insane and unrealistic. I am quite certain that folks believe that I will give up, I will quit, I will stop living my conviction and my heart. They believe this is just a fad. It is a phase that eventually I will replace with something else.

BUT, this is a journey with a definite plan. For longer than the fourteen days, I have wanted to live a life that was aligned with my ideals. And I wasn’t going to stop until that life became clear and real. And it started with a plan that changed and grew and became what I see every morning when I walk outside to let the chickens out. It is a plan I see every afternoon when I walk around to make sure everything is running smoothly. It is a plan I see every evening when I put the chickens away for the night. And you don’t get to your plan overnight. No one is an overnight success. There is work to be done and deliberate actions to take.

And wherever you go in this journey, you are not working the plan alone. God is always there to help you pull the burden. The two of you are harnessed together and you get to choose whether you work in alignment or not. Whether one is pulling in an opposite direction from God or working in harmony with the Almighty’s plan. Prayer is not a way to get God to change the plan. Prayer is a way for us to come to an acceptance and understanding of God’s plan.

’Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin

The Rational Rabbit Hole no. 19

"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32 If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. "

Luke 6:31-33 AMP

“For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that?”

Matthew 5:46-47 AMP

Embrace the Within.

The Golden Rule is one of those things we teach children and ignore as adults. We have less of a problem with loving folks that love us and even that is sometimes a burden for folks that truly do not even love themselves. And there are a whole lot of miserable folks out there that just do not love themselves. And they go out into the world spitting anger and hate wherever they go. They are a devastation of misery and sorrow unleashed daily upon the world around them. And you probably know a few folks that fit that description. And Christ commands us to love them as well.

I have to love the folks that hate me, the folks that want me to fall, the folks that are plotting against me, the folks that are making my life more difficult, the folks that are costing me money, the folks that are testing my patience, the folks that race down the lane that they know is going to end, the folks that camp out in the passing lane, the folks that run stop lights, the folks that have no idea what they are ordering when the reach the register . . . Insert whatever bothers you about people into the mix as well and the result is the same. Love.

I keep talking about how Christianity is the simplest BUT most difficult of teachings. Living like Christ makes you do things that do not make sense to the world. I continue to hear that the teachings are upside-down when compared to the world of men. And when you look at how folks work in human society, I can see that there is a lot that is confusing. If folks aren’t confused by your belief then you might be doing things incorrectly. If you don’t get confused about your actions then you might be doing things incorrectly. I find it takes a lot of trust in God to get totally onboard with being a Christian. It is a lot more than sitting in a pew and doing a Simon-says routine. There is a lot more than just being there.

Take a look at what makes you act like a Gentile, what makes you act like a tax collector, and then see where God can work a change in your heart, a lasting change that will help you more like Christ. That is what I am constantly working towards each day. A little more grace, a little more love, and a lot more Christ.

Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyNepheshMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin