With our global presence as individuals expanding, the community our parents knew is a thing of the past. Our kids will never experience the pile of bicycles at the end of the driveway. As Christians, we need to be deliberate in modeling the need for actual “face time” with others, where we experience eye-to-eye contact and work together for a cause.
“No!” said Joy. The Women, Trooper, and VSA all gasped.
Joy was making it quite clear she did not like pickles anymore. “Don’t talk to me about pickles, don’t joke about pickles, don’t even show me another picture of pickles. I am sick and tired of pickles.”
The Women, Trooper, and VSA all stepped back a step, gasped again and covered their mouths with their two hands. This was a game changer.
Joy was back on the scene with all her glory, all her spunk, sense of humor and fun. All her glory except that part of her magic to get anyone out of a pickle. To the women, trooper and VSA, it was like Michael Jordan saying he doesn’t want anything to do with basketball anymore. Situations, where one was in “a pickle”, were Joy’s “basketball.” The thought bubble above their heads “Now what do we do?” Central to their persona was Joy’s amazing skill.
The Women, Trooper, and VSA were left “holding the pickle” and they had no idea what to do.
Joy was walking the proverbial red carpet, waving to the crowds in an eloquent long black, sequin evening gown. She was back in all of her glory. Everyone sighed in relief and took a deep breath. When Joy was down for the count, life was boring, lifeless and a whole lot of work. But now, Joy and her magic we’re back with her charm, goofiness, unpredictability, quick wit and magnetic personality. Her energy and frequency filled any room she was in and was so high, some thought it could shatter glass.
Relieved to have her back, she could demand a flight to the moon and back and someone would accommodate her. Instead, she wanted purple nail polish and silver sequins. Shrimp cocktail, wine, and roses. Goofy selfies. New friends, new adventures. Theater shows, dinner dates, conferences and trainings. And a business card with, you guessed it, a pickle on it.
Trooper and VSA were part of the adoring crowds. They loved Joy, but we’re very protective of her. They were less concerned for her safety as nievity was now gone Joy was now more grounded and less apt to be taken advantage of by the temptation to belong. Joy was back. Partytime!
After I clicked on the add for the “age defying serum and the renewing eye cream”, my computer started acting funny. I did, however, get both in the mail shortly afterward. Upon applying them, I yelled over to Nate “Get over here! Look at my face and tell me if I am defying age.” He responded: Do you want me to tell you it was worth the computer virus? Do you want me to lie? Or do you want me to tell you how young you always look?
Three pop-up windows appeared on the women’s on the laptop almost simultaneously. Sirens and beeping with a threatening voice declared impending doom to her laptops existence. She called the Microsoft Store and got the earliest appointment at 4 pm.
The Microsoft store always fascinated the women. How could a store that was only visited when her laptop crashed have almost a magnetic pull?
“I need, I need, I need” said VSA repeatedly. The words of the prophetic adviser to VSA regarding her awesomeness gave her renewed boldness. The women realized that she would do well to listen. “What do you need?” The women asked VSA. “Energy” VSA replied. “Positive Energy.” Trooper and Joy gave each other a high five then a fist bump. VSA’s eyes sparkled!
The Microsoft Store’s “magnetic pull” was positive energy. The women, “A”, VSA, Trooper and Joy had found themselves surrounded by people in pits of misery who claimed they wanted help, but really did not and were going to remain quite stuck. The Microsoft Store offered a stark contrast.
The Women was greeted with a warm handshake, smile and “hello how may I help you?” right at the threshold of the store. She informed Dan she had a 4 pm appointment. The technician was notified of her arrival via Bluetooth. She was thoughtfully escorted to the back of the store where Corey the computer technician was already waiting. Dan politely introduced her to Corey who was going to work on her laptop. Corey confidently shook her hand and said “Nice to meet you. Sit right here. Can I get you a bottle of water?”
The next two hours scans searching for viruses, malware, cookies, bloatware and blogware included several conversations with the gentlemen from India whose laptop also crashed, listening to engaging music over the overhead speakers. The women had a blast watching the “20 somethings” play the newest Hololens Tech (Virtual Reality) on this 8 foot by 16 foot screen, bodies flailing as they try to catch flying objects, climb cliffs and shoot robots. The staff moved briskly, no one complained, they were competent, confident and did what they did with excellence. All with smiles and great customer service skills. All around high positive energy that left customers in a very positive mindset.
VSA was awesome! VSA was smart. The women would try to find more positive energy. She was convinced VSA was right. It would help.
The women, “A,” Trooper, Joy and VSA had all had left the banquet table in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. They were now engaged in the “real world” that Anger had threatened would soon bulldoze them all, leaving them defenseless with out him.
Healing throughout life is on a spectrum, and Psalm 23 is a picture of that spectrum. “Below 0” is in the negative. It is where depression, fear, anxiety, loneliness, lack, abuse, selfishness, sickness, hurt reign. It is where the Lord who is your Shepherd sees your heart is wanting. But “the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want.” He then leads you beside still waters and restores your soul. We cannot stay there though. There comes a time when you need to leave the still waters, cross the Valley of the Shadow of Death, face your enemies and eat of the table that is prepared in the presence of your enemies. Here, forgiveness is key here to having victory over your enemies. Solid victory is evident when you can eat, eat peacefully in the presence of those who formally gave you much grief, pain and even made you naucious. As you are eating, He anoints your head with oil and your cup overflows. Oil is medicinal for healing as well as the very presence of the Holy Spirit being poured out on you. And the cup, well, we know it is filled with wine, also symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Indeed we read in Ephesians 8:18: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery . Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Empowered with the oil and wine of the Spirit, a mix that would bring you from “0” or neutral, into the positives where “surely goodness and mercy would follow you all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6. Leaving a trail of goodness and mercy and living in the glory filling the temple (us as Christians) in the Kingdom. That is where you and I want to be This is the part of the journey that follows in this sequel or the story of journeying into the positives or “On the Up and Out.”
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Psalm 23:5-6
The Women sat at the banquet table, laughing hysterically in the presence of her ex-enemies at the humor of the angels who had chosen a huge pickle for the centerpiece.
And that silly angel. The more the women drank, the more the angel came and filled her cup and opps, it ran over again. One judges how much they drink by watching where the level of the cup is at. That silly angel had obviously made that impossible. The pickle began looking funnier and funnier as the evening wore on.
“VSA I really like you! You are awesome” said the prophetic adviser. The wine and oil. A dangerous mix already. The prophetic advisers comment, a match to oil. VSA had a spark in her eye.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5
The ministering angels ran over to the women and lifted her up under her arms and helped her to the table. The women was clothed in a new white freshly laundered loose fitting cotton dress. One angel was washing her feet, another wiping her face with a white clean warm cloth. One was combing her hair and putting it up in a bun. Still another was tending to her wounds, anointing her head with oil. Another was filling her cup that was on the table, and oops-it ran over.
The women was quite hungry and the meal was extraordinary. Trooper cheered, Joy sighed, VSA actually was beginning to think some kind thoughts toward these people-her ex-enemies. Anger pulverized. A meal in the presence of her enemies. Peace enough to sit down and enjoy a meal in the very presence of those who previously would make her nauseous. Beautiful flower centerpieces, good will and great conversation. The topic of conversation and much laughter-the biggest pickle you had ever seen, stuck right in front of the women.
Joy for the Journey 
Get Out and Get Peace! Abusive Relationships
7 MayI had an hour long talk today with my son about abusive people. Abusive people tell you-you are amazing, wonderful and their closest friend. Quickly they start acting like they cannot live life without you and will weasel their way into your life by doing wonderful things for you. Suddenly you realize that all their platitudes and acts of kindness have strings attached. When they think they are not going to get from you what they want from all their efforts, they turn on you, often first in sarcastic, belittling, negative humor. When you tell them they are stifling you, you need to set boundaries or you are not going to take their sarcastic belittling, they turn around and shame you. You are now “stupid” and a “moron.” You will be pummeled with belittling texts telling you how insufficient and ignorant you are. If you have made a mistake, it will be brought up as a justification for their abuse toward you, after all, you deserve it. The more people they can get upset and in a frenzy at this point the better. The abusive personality eats up being the center of attention and the topic of everyone’s discussion. Yes, eventually they will apologize, but be assured in a short time later the whole cycle will start all over again! Ronald Reagan said (I believe) “We do not respond to terroristic threats.” If you feel you are a victim of an abusive person, the only solution is put up boundaries and stay away, far away for a long time. It may be scary, but believe me, as soon as you take action your peace will return to you!
Biblically, shaming someone and motivating by fear is Satan’s tactic, not Father God’s. If God corrects us, it is based in love and truth. He created us and wants, like any good father, for us to live life abundantly and in our full potential. Jesus died so you can be a victor, not a victim.