Not Shocked

There are way too many things to talk about here so I will try to narrow it down to one or two. They may or may not correlate.

I have been asked my opinion on well-known established organizations that have been exposed of their ongoing sins... organizations that have functioned for years under the guise of "conservative" and "spiritual"...what do I think about it?

First of all, I'm not sure what good it does for one more voice to say what they think...I personally cannot bear to hear one more opinion... although I will admit this is a bit reactionary from the last four years of intense-ness. However I will just say this. It's about time. It's about time we realize that conservative Anabaptist people are just that. People are people are people the world over. It is past time to break down our little kingdoms of self righteousness in our heritage and realize we are human and sinners and no better than anyone.

We are all crawling with filth and grime and in need of a Redeemer. Being born into a conservative denomination will not make you a more blessed person that is less tempted. Involving yourself into a more conservative lifestyle won't touch your heart and soul. Only Jesus has the power to do such things. So no, I was not shocked or heartbroken or discouraged. I praised the Lord because He is still on the throne and is busy in the hearts of man to convict and to expose our sins. Hallelujah! Now we can have growth and redemption. 

The one thing that did disturb me on this subject was the wow and drama factor. I think the devil is very happy and satisfied when he can get Christians squawking and shell shocked over these things. We are supposed to love mercy and do justly and walk humbly with our God. We should be settled and established and rooted to the Truth. It should hold us in these storms. I saw people being caught up in discouragement of what this means for the Anabaptist people. I think that kind of thinking is giving the devil the wind he craves.

It was sick and wrong and ugly. But God is good and just and forgiving. Recently I have been made aware again of the fact that you will always go where you are focused. Look at the ditch while driving and you will surely go into the ditch. If you want to spend your time being horrified and amazed and sickened by humans and their sins, you will be all three of those things. But if you spend your time looking to see God at work in the lives of His people, if you praise God for the everyday miracles that occur all around you, and if you want to see growth and change in your life, remain calm, humble, and kind. If you want to be wowed, be wowed by Jesus.

Which brings me to more about drama. I just can't do drama. I used to thrive on it, invite it, pet it. I'm a lot like Jack, a dog we recently bought and lost five days later. He couldn't do drama either. And whatever he deemed drama to be then it was. He was reactionary too. He would get stiff and go into fight and flight mode. He hated the leash and would not walk when on one. If you tried to be affectionate and call him he would stiffly walk away, sometimes run. He simply could not be appeased, impressed, or coddled. The more excitement you would try to enter into his life, the more he would pull away.

The moral of the story is, there is none. I don't know why I am like this. I hope it will pass. But only because I think this is probably not acceptable behavior in the real world. Jack left us under the fence. He simply walked away. Alone. In the dark. I have no intentions of leaving. There isn't a metaphor here. I just like the idea of simply walking away from drama. And for sure remaining calm when someone in your life is often gasping or choking on one of life's factors.