Imitations

It has struck me lately (again) that for all the very good gifts that God gives, the enemy comes up with a easy but broken imitation. One thing I have been privileged to experience for short periods of my life is the beauty of authentic community. Knowing that you are seen with all your strengths and flaws, and are yet still loved - and being able to see others with all their strengths and flaws and still love them is an incredibly freeing place to be. And I confess that here (and often enough there) in my longing for that community, I find myself surfing facebook, blogs - any site might work to get that feeling of connection. But it is a fake - there are no real conversations happening, no real communi-cation. No exchange, no reality, no seeing, and no really loving. You can only love and be loved in gritty relationship.


I John 1:9 states "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." Light, sincerity, fellowship, forgiveness.  The enemy's imitation is to convince us of the need to project an image of who we want to be seen as - hip, funny, sexy, caring, tough, conservative, liberal, religious, cool, etc. etc.... and try to hold that up for all to see and believe. The problem then is that love can only hit the mask, not the heart... so we are left empty and insecure. So I thought about other imitations and here they are. Forgive my Dr. Seuss-ishness.


Come and trade my friends...

co-dependency for commitment

      truth in love that graces and believes

      not fear that enables and deceives

social networking for community

      bared souls and protected lives

      not projected images and vibes

busyness for satisfying work

      the important pursued, hard beauty wrought

      not the hamster wheel of petty battles fought

cheap thrills for real joy

      that comes with giving of your self
      not grasping at pleasure and pelf

spirits for The Spirit

      Life and freedom deep within

      not numbing the pain
             a fleeting win.

lust for true love

      that doesn't walk away. Sharing

      not taking, and willing to stay

      when it hurts, is mundane or at odds,

      when vision is blurred and uncovers flaws.

      That says “you,” not “me,” yet

      calls for respect, the hard, not the easy

      “I'm outta here” check.*

Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 55:1-2




*Please hear no judgement here. Some of my best friends are divorced for very good reasons. But I venture that what the world calls and proposes as "love" is really selfishness in disguise, a "you for me" mentality and not the "you and I, and I for you" that I see in the Word.