Finger pointers

I was sitting at church on Sunday listening to a really great talk and we turned up this scripture.

"Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment."
Proverbs 18 v 1

This thought might not have anything to do with this verse necessarily, but it got me thinking about isolation and how we usually only look at isolation in a physical context.

Another meaning for isolation is simply "the complete separation from others".

I thought about things that could separate us emotionally from those around us and one thing that sprung to mind is the act of passing judgment on others. I feel quite strongly that when you pass judgment on someone else, you are in fact separating yourself from the rest of humanity. You are elevating yourself to an unrightful place that is unattainable to the rest of humanity.

We are called to be holy, but we are not called to judge.

"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore"
Romans 14 v 13

Let’s face it, we tend to feel strongly about our personal preferences regarding what Christians should and should not do. And, when others violate our spiritual preferences, the finger-pointing begins! Paul doesn’t seem to take sides either, instead he says, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” Romans 14 v 5-6. So each and every one of us should be convinced that what we are doing is pleasing to God.

I have been reading a book called "To love and be loved" by Sam Keen, and he talks strongly about learning to love a person holistically and completely. In his book he talks about learning to have empathy for others and that only through empathy, comes a deep and holistic love. One can only love someone holistically if they, like an actor would study a character, take on the life of the person whom we wish to love.

We have to remove ourselves from everything we know to be true, our own pasts, our own life altering experiences and view points, all the hundreds of things that have made us who we are today with the belief and value system we have today, and accumulate information about another person. We need to metaphorically put ourselves in their shoes and walk the life they walked. See the world through their eyes. Only by doing this will we be able to open our minds up to the joys and tragedies that others have lived. Maybe then we would have a little more love...a little more patience...and be a little less judgmental of those we have been called to love...holistically.

Who?

Who should we pray to?
If we pray to God does Jesus get jealous? If we pray to Jesus does God get jealous? Do we pray to both?

Imagine going to someone's house and greeting the man of the house and not greeting his partner wife. Do you think this is how Jesus feels when we pray exclusively to God? Is Jesus just the mediator? And what does that really mean? Should we pray to both God and Jesus simultaneously? Or does Jesus rejoice when we pray to God. Should we just pray to God, through Jesus? And what does that mean exactly? Because God asks us to show him love by showing others love. Does that mean if we pray to Jesus that we are actually praying to God?

Any thoughts?

A prayer for every soul

God be with those who explore in the cause of understanding, whose search takes them far from what is familiar and comfortable and leads them into danger and terrifying loneliness. Let us try to understand their sometimes strange or difficult ways, their confronting or unusual language, the uncommon life of their emotions, for they have been affected and shaped and changed by their struggle at the frontiers of a wild darkness, just as we may be affected, shaped and changed by the insights they bring back to us. Bless them with strength and peace.
Amen.

By Leunig