Yes, this can be good. What the dictionary doesn't explain to us, is the social implications of the word. Socially tolerate conjures images of putting up with, enduring something we do not want to endure. It projects an image of, "Well, I'll tolerate this for the rest of this event." or "OMG! WHY!?"
: an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer of another so that a contract is concluded and the parties become legally bound2 : the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable3 : the act of accepting: the fact of being accepted :approval
Acceptance is well, just that-acceptance.
Ask yourself, would you rather be tolerated or accepted?
This was written 28 December 2000
WHY? We all ask this question a lot. Why, before we can work through one
problem, does another (or several others) crop up?
Some say it is the
Devil. To be glad that he is ‘after' you. If you were not serving God, Satan
would have no need to be after you.
Others say it is God. He is ‘testing' your faith. Doesn't He already know all about your faith?
Some
say it is God ‘whipping' you. That you are a dis-obedient child and He is
lovingly trying to get you back ‘where you should be'.
Still others say
it is just part of the fall from grace.
I am not sure which of these
theories is correct, if any of them are. I know I have believed each and every
one of them at some point in time.
It is not good to ask ‘Why?'
sometimes.
Maybe there is truth in each of these theories.
Maybe
one comes into play when the others do not.
I do know God said it would
rain on the bad and the good.
Maybe this is one of those questions we
are not to know the answer to.
This piece was written 13 January 2001 Why do others question your decisions in your walk with God?
Is it
really their business? Do they make themselves feel better by making you feel
belittled? Are they trying to get God to see your faults so maybe He will lay
off them??
It is so frustrating to pray and seek God's will for a
situation and He tells you to do 'A' when your heart is screaming to do 'B'. You
know you must submit to His grace, justice and love and obey, but you still have
to deal with fear and questions.
You do something, knowing it is what
God wants you to do. Knowing He has a greater thing to accomplish and what
happens--those He called before you to do this, those He wanted to do it in the
first place--try to make you feel like a dog.
Think before you run from
God's calling. When you refuse to obey, He has to get someone else to do it in
your stead. Your disobedience does affect more than just you. You may protect
yourself from some pain, but you may cause pain for others.
This is something I wrote on 26 February 2001. It was previously published on a no defunct website that paid per view.
We recently met a gentleman that is a wonderful person. At least we thought
so. He offered to help us out with transportation problems, taking me places
when David was at work and offering to sell us his extra vehicle. We helped him
gather wood and offered to help him with any chores around his homestead.
He approached his church to take up a love offering and have a clothing
drive for us. We knew nothing of this and of all things did not need any
clothes. I have sent a pick up load to the local food bank that gives clothes
also and plan on sending more! My husband wondered how to let this church know
they were not buying our "membership".
This gentleman then proceeds to
let us know that only, or at least mostly, his denomination was going to Heaven.
Now, I've heard of this sort of thing before but never encountered it. My
personal beliefs are that man and NOT God created the different denominations.
Your Godly, Christian character, your heart, your relationship with God will
determine your entrance into Heaven.
The next point was that only the
1611 King James Version of the Bible is the real Bible and anyone that has ‘funny' Bibles in there home is asking for demons to come torment, oppress, and
possess them. That very Bible says to study to show thyself approved. As KJV was
not translated from the original languages but from other ‘versions' and
knowing that something is lost in translating from one language to another, what
is wrong with studying to show thyself approved?
Next came that only ‘church' is the correct place to worship God and gather with other believers.
and that there has to be an ‘altar call' at each and every church
service/gathering of believers. We have been fellowshipping with some
Plain/Amish Christians. The Bible says not to forsake the gathering together of
believers. In the early days of the Church, people met in each other's homes,
caves, or wherever they could get together. Witnessing was done out. They went ‘out' to witness to those considered lost. If the altar call is to allow lost
souls to pray for salvation, isn't it a moot thing if the gathering is of
BELIEVERS?
God did not create the church building or denominations. He
created us. He gave us His Son as atonement for our sins. He does not dictate
that if you join one church or the other, that is the way to Heaven. He said we
have to accept the offering of Jesus. We must confess to Him our sins. We are
commanded to share the gospel with all we can.
Please, do not join the
ranks of this man and loose sheep. My husband will not set foot in this
particular church because of its views. My oldest daughter feels the same. My
children had grown to love this gentleman and have now been hurt by him.
I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. But you
didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.
I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But you didn't see me playing Santa at the local Mall.
I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant when you saw my
bike parked out front. But you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise
more money for the hurricane relief.
I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But you
didn't see me riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the
car window.
I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children. But you didn't see me,
when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.
I saw you stare at my long hair. But you didn't see me and my friends cut ten
inches off for Locks of Love.
I saw you roll your eyes at our Leather jackets and gloves. But you didn't see
me and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.
I saw you look in fright at my tattoos. But you didn't see me cry as my
children were born or have their name written over and in my heart.
I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But you didn't see
me going home to be with my family.
I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But you didn't
see me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.
I saw you yelling at your kids in the car. But you didn't see me pat my
child's hands knowing she was safe behind me.
I saw you reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But you
didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.
I saw you race down the road in the rain. But you didn't see me get soaked to
the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.
I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But you
didn't see me trying to turn right.
I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But you
didn't see me leave the road.
I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But you didn't see me.
I wasn't there.
I saw you go home to your family. But you didn't see me. Because I died that
day you cut me off.
I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But you didn't see me.
I have actually had well meaning people tell I am.
They rarely ask me what my Spiritual or Religious beliefs are or if they do, they ask AFTER having told me Indians/Native Americans are going to hades.
Never can they explain to me why the Indigenous Peoples of America are supposedly condemned by the Creator/God to an eternity of fire and brimstone--just what the collective sin or sin of race or culture is.
Once the statement of so called fact is made, the conversation goes something like this:
Me: Do we agree that there is one supreme being above all else in the universe?
They: Yes.
Me: Do we agree that according to the Bible, that being is a loving God?
They: Yes.
Me: Yet you are telling me that this loving God, created me for no other reason to watch me burn and suffer for an eternity? What kind of love is that?
The conversation generally ends at that point with the other person walking away, head hung down.
The long-expected detachment of Sioux, on their way to the Oklahoma Indian Territory, arrived in Omaha yesterday afternoon... American Horse had his squaw and papoose with him and there were eleven other squaws in the party. One or two were quite pleasing in the face, but the majority looked as though they were natural-born mothers-in-law. Perhaps this is too severe —they all had the appearance of being amiable at times, and the Herald does not wish to say anything really bad about them. American Horse’s papoose was a chubby, sturdy little beggar, and when one of the ladies spoke to him, he set up a tremendous wail, just as natural and lifelike as if he were human.
I read this little historical tidbit several years ago. I can not explain the pain or bewilderment at that last phrase.
The writer took a whole paragraph describing the humanness of these people and then makes this totally insane statement.
Truth us, this is how our Ancestors were looked at, not human. As savage animals. Not even as feral humans.
The REAL truth is that by de-humanizing the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (I am starting the like the new word that has been put forthautochthonous (this last term is derived from Greek, meaning "sprung from the earth". Very accurate to many belief systems.)it made it okay to treat us like animals.
See, it was obvious we were not plants or rocks, but no good "Christian" could slaughter Old People, women and babies-- therefore we had to be some type of animals.
There was a problem with that thought process beyond the obvious one many of you are thinking right now. See the Bible has a certain verse in it that says,"A righteous man regardth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." Proverbs 12:10 KJV
Now the writer was obviously educated. Commenting that a baby cried ". . .as if it were human. . .", and being able to publish that in a public media source, in a "Christian Country" only goes to prove that it was the general opinion of the day of the larger part of the populace.
It also goes to show that the truly righteous were unwilling to speak up or may be the fact they did not speak up brings into question their righteousness?
This attitude has not disappeared totally yet, and may never. There are still people in this world that think the only skin color God accepts is white.
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7
How many colors of dirt are there? Sand is whiteish in color, fertile soil is dark, browns to blacks, Clay comes in yellows and reds.
I'll leave this topic for now, the more I write the more I can think of to write.
Please, do leave comments. Let's turn this into a discussion.
