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Listening at the Speed of Life

– by C. J. Wade –

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thewritewade

Inspirationalist. Educator. Creative Soul. Faith Walker. - All posts by C. J. Wade are property of The Write Wade Publishing Company, LLC (thewritewade) and posts by guest bloggers are shared jointly with thewritewade and their respective owners. -

Treasured & Protected – Part II

Remember that wooden heart?

Well, that’s still yours… but this time, let’s go deeper. Within its fibers.

Each grain shares a story of the tree’s life. It unfolds to us the magnitude of pain and growth it has experienced upon its time of death. A scroll of agricultural history is that tree and so are we.

If we are made from the dirt of the ground and formed into the human intellects that create computers, trains, and automobiles, then we are a form of seed as well… Recording experiences and downloading data to make our way through this world. While this sounds fascinating, it can be just as damaging when we have recordings that we should have let go.

Perhaps what you treasure is not valuable. Pain. Victimization. Power. Possessions. Drug-altered consciousness. Whatever it is, you hold it dear and God forbid anyone tries to take it away from you. If this happens, you won’t feel free at first; you’ll feel naked. It has clothed you for so many years that it feels like skin. Warm, soft, and cozy. It’s part of you, embedded in your fibers and deeply recorded for all the world to see and hear through your actions. You lash out like a fiercely protective animal… coddling your treasure and its surrounding space. Come too close and you’ll attack the Hand that tries to liberate you.

Your money facilitates its order in your life and you constantly feed its mouth. It is treasured and you’re addicted to keeping it alive.

My heart can’t take that type of symbiotic torture. I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to become that tree that looks like a heart. The rings of my experiences are still there, but I don’t have to treasure my pain. It is not my badge of honor. My victory is.

What is in your heart that needs to be evacuated?
What are you protecting that shouldn’t be treasured?

Do some digging through your fibers and see what you find.

Peace & Thanks for listening!

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Treasured & Protected

PhotoGrid_1461550413068Anything that is treasured must be protected.

Think about it.

The White House. Diamonds. Museum artifacts. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them. They are protected to prevent abuse and to preserve their value. Their boundaries reduce the risk of them being abused and destroyed.

The wooden heart pictured here is just as fragile as we are. We appear fortified and impenetrable on the outside, but the reality is all it takes is a little fire and water to warp our behavior toward a situation.

God’s Love protects us. We are His treasured beings. His Son’s blood was used to redeem us, and it is also designed to protect us. It shields us from all hurt, harm, and danger that we cannot see. Does that mean we will not hurt? No.

Even museum artifacts must be taken from their protective cases to be cleaned and preserved so they can last longer.

So it is with us. Our hedge of protection is made pliable for a moment to strengthen us through an experience. That seems unfair, but consider the following: God knows that if we are to truly learn, we must experience. If all it took was our Father to tell us everything, there would be less hardship and hardheadedness. We can’t be trusted to simply take heed because we usually don’t do so. The lasting impression needed for growth is experience. God knows that. Your parents and teachers knew that. Even your manager knows that; otherwise, why ask for a resume and references? Experience matters… and there’s no way around it.

Secondly, one could say that the heart is the most fragile thing. Why would we hide the Word there and not in our minds? Because we protect our hearts more than our minds. Just think of all the things you saw or heard that were impure today or this week. Our eyes and ears are inlets to the heart, but the heart is the inner sanctuary of the soul. It has its own guard… Peace.

Peace protects us from the contamination of life. It causes us to remain fortified when the world is crumbling.

Thirdly, there is peace in saying “yes” and “no.” There is peace in stillness and in a joyous moment with others. Peace is not easily broken, but it can be relieved of its duties if you give the orders. Where the mind rationalizes, the heart leads. If it doesn’t “feel” right in the heart, we move forward in the mind. Decisions are rescinded often because the heart doors not agree. God knows the heart is where it’s at! David screwed up so many times, but God cherished his repentance and praise because of his heart.

What does your heart treasure? What’s in it and why is it there?
Is it worth protecting? Is your Peace on duty?

Peace & Thanks for listening!

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Don’t Get It Twisted

1 Samuel 16:7 NASB:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – http://bible.com/100/1sa.16.7.NASB

It’s easy to see the good stuff on the outside. Oreo cookies let you see the filling in the middle. The right frosting can make the worst-tasting cake appear delicious. A glass of juice looks appetizing because the container is transparent. Any chef will tell you the people eat with their eyes just as much as their mouths. We believe what we see! But leave it to the Lord to test that carnal inclination with a little thing called faith.

Samuel is sent on a mission to anoint the next King of Israel. He has an idea of what the candidate will look like, but there’s a flag on the play when he realizes that what he saw as the best-looking choice (Eliab) was not God’s chosen King.

How often do we get suckered in by looks alone? That job offer pays more money, but you’ll have less time with the kids. That loan will help relieve some stress, but the interest rate is high. That lover looks like “The One,” but you always feel empty instead of full when he/she leaves your presence.

God knows that our eyes cannot be trusted,
even though He made two of them on our faces!

Our perceptions will lead us over a cliff every time. There are errors in our input that cause us to output in error as well. In the Communication theory world, they are actually called perceptual errors!

Don’t be fooled by what’s on the outside. Whether it’s a person, place, or thing, always ask God to show you the heart of it and act accordingly.

Be obedient to what He sees, not what you perceive.
That’s what faith truly is.

Peace & Thanks for listening.

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Know The One You’re Walking With

image
Walking tall

For my Grammatical Family Members – “Know The One With Whom You Are Walking” 😉

My dog taught me a lesson again. It’s such a simple one.

Let’s start with his swag. His confidence is pretty up there, especially when he’s with me. If he senses the need to bark, he does. It is only when he deems it necessary and it has kept us safe a few times already.

When we walk together, he watches out for us… All 8 pounds of him looks out for all of me. Sammy is never intimidated by larger dogs or people for that matter. You would think he was 10-feet tall. He’s not rude, but he’s secure in his walk with me because he knows I’m his owner and I will protect and sustain him.

How often do we discredit God’s ability by walking without the confidence in which we should have? Every step is made with faith in lip service, but not necessarily in the fortitude of God’s ability and good pleasure.

“God wants you to know Him well enough to trust him.

Just like He has your back, do you stand up for Him when it is necessary? Not that God needs your bark or bite, but do you live life with the peace of knowing that He is always in control, no matter what happens on the journey? Do you walk tall because you know who’s walking with you into work, school, or at home? I will admit that sometimes I don’t. I have to be reminded. When we know the one we’re walking with, we give in to the exchange of trust with no room for doubt and fear.

Sammy walks taller than me every day without thinking about it. You can best believe that is changing in me with every step I take from this point forward. My God is worth that level of trust. So is yours, so get to high steppin’.

Peace & Thanks for listening.

image

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Party of 3

Party of 3

If you try to reach me using Facebook, good luck. I’m simply not as big of a user, especially of the messaging system. I turned off the notifications to my phone a long time ago. “This person like your picture… this person commented on a picture you liked… This person liked the same picture you liked…” It was becoming too nerve-wrecking. Then there’s the infamous question:

Did you see my post/get my message on Facebook?

My usual response – No. Do you still have my number? Why didn’t you just call me?

Sure, I understand that social media is the wave of the future in terms of communicating with the masses and with loved ones abroad. It makes perfect sense to use it in that fashion; however, if you truly want my attention for a time-sensitive matter… call me. That’s the direct line to anything you need from me. I’ve often wondered how we moved so far from using the phone for its intended purpose, yet claim that we can’t keep in touch? Don’t hide. I’m guilty too.

With so much technology,
you would think the ties that bind us
would be stronger, but instead,
they’re sparse and brittle.

While I was wandering around this topic, I heard God say the following:

“You have complete access to me,
but you always choose a 3rd party to reach me.
You have direct access and barely use it.”

Wow. I couldn’t believe the conviction and hurt in His voice. We listen to sermons, read devotionals, attend bible studies, all to receive a Word from God. He loves that about us… that we seek Him diligently and collaborate with others to sharpen our Faith. Nevertheless, there is nothing like that sweet alone time with God. Our Father is lovingly waiting for us to use the only liaisons we need… His Son and His Spirit. The requirement to patch through to Him is Jesus. That’s why Jesus died on the cross. His Spirit allows us direct connection any time we wish and without delay.

I encourage you to use your hotline today to say “I need you” or just to say “hi.” You can use any of the above mentioned methods to dig deeper in His Word, but He truly loves to hear your voice. He knows what you sound like.

Its timbre is sweet to Him
because He made it the perfect pitch
and wavelength; it is a custom fit for His ear.

Isn’t that amazing? Out of the 7.4 billion people in the world, He leans forward when you say His name in passion and sincerity. Speak with the Holy Spirit, by way of Jesus the Son, to your Father. Use your party of Three to be heard by the One.

Peace & Thanks for listening.

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Kiss your inhibitions goodbye.

Each quarter, I challenge my first-term students to engage in “15 Minutes of Fame.” This is where they find an emotionally-safe spot (closet, car, bathroom, etc.), turn on their favorite song(s), and absolutely lose themselves in the music. No pressure to dance or sing, just the dropping of caked-on inhibitions for a few minutes in order to refuel the soul. Well, I clocked in my 15-minutes this week… and then some.

For 55 minutes, I danced my heart IN
after pouring much of it out for the last few months
and I loved every second of it.

It began with an invitation to participate in a “Dancing In The Dark” party with my writer’s group. Just the thought of it made me excited to attend. The energy was loving, encouraging, and full of camaraderie when I walked in. We wore what we felt was comfortable and the care for body-type was null and void. After a round of laughs, a few photos, and a quick rundown from our facilitator and it was lights off-music on.

The mix of audible goodness fertilized our eagerness to let go of the day’s demands and celebrate our group founder’s birthday. Immediately, my arms flew up and my eyes adjusted to the un-need to close them. I had moves that made the angels blush.  They probably covered their faces with their wings. It was great. I was alive and electric. No one could see each other, but everyone could feel their own light shining in the room.  We screamed, chanted, and sang our way to liberation in the middle of a workweek. It was a fantastic relief. My body was sore, but I didn’t care. The moment was about me, not what happened to me physically, spiritually, or mentally.

If you had the honor to peek into our session,
you would have seen the weight of social roles breaking around the room
and shattering like glass shackles on the dance floor.

For almost an hour, we weren’t wives, mothers, employees, supervisors, etc. We were all-shades-of-woman gaining control of our existence. It was evident on our faces when the lights floated back on and we resurfaced from our pools of freedom.

I began the evening with the thought of “I’m going to dance my heart out.” I said it to myself, but stopped at the word heart and instead of saying out, I heard in. I was determined to dance my heart IN that night. It reminded me of Proverbs 4:23 –


“Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.”

Everyday I pour my heart into the things I do, because they are extensions of who I am. I teach, tutor, sing, dance, serve, and speak because it flows from my heart. It’s not a bad thing, but it does take a toll if I don’t refuel and regroup. In my freshman orientation course, we discuss “who you are” versus “what you are.” Easy is the road to becoming engulfed in the roles you play in life without filling up the bucket of what makes you awesome.


Pouring into multiple vessels can only occur if your “who you are” bucket is full; otherwise, you’ll end up still trying to pour with a cantankerous pail from a barren well.

God is pretty cool at this task. Fill up with His view of you. You’re an awesome creation with beautiful springs of life. I encourage you to refuel with your own “15 -Minutes of Fame” some time.  You could do it in your living room, but there’s something special about being in good company as you disrobe your soul. SOL Dance Exchange is the perfect segue way to unravel the ropes of personal and social constructs. Say hi to Laura and enjoy.

Go for it. Dance your heart IN and let me know how it goes. *smile*

Peace & Thanks for listening.

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The Drug of Choice

Flight Write

Do you know my most prized possession of learned content from this weekend? Here it is…

You have to choose to live.

You must decide to let life enter your situations and experiences.  You have to go to the door of your life, your “house,” and promptly let death out. He can come in many forms… defeat, illness, strife, anger, frustration, or despair.  They all have the same result — death.

Furthermore, death in mind is worse than death of body.  Your mind can be fresh and agile while your body is weak.  People have overcome life-threatening situations by the power of their mind.  Trying to override a matter of reality through the mystery of mental prowess can be a daunting challenge.  Everything outside of you says to quit, roll over in anguish, pull the covers over your head and don’t even try to fight.  You have to choose, right then, that your life is worth fighting for — regardless of who is in it, around it, or absent from it.

Choice is a powerful drug. 

It can cause you to accomplish great things and to clear hurdles taller than you or it can bring the onset of your demise.  It, like any other prescription, can be taken at will.  Even medicine forced through the veins must have consent.  Well, let me tell you something.  God gave you the prescription of making decisions… choices… also known as free will.  He could have pumped you up with a lot of bondage, especially when the decisions you made were not in your best interest.  Truth is, choice is potent and He knew that if you chose the negative for yourself, you would most likely remember not to do it again.  In the positive realm, that’s how life is.  When you choose life once, you will most likely choose it again because you liked the way it made you feel alive and present.  You’ll like the energizing warmth that brings you to smile and mean it from the depths of your being.  You’ll love the sound of your own laughter when it echoes through the halls of your soul.  You’ll enjoy soaking it all in with no gates in between.

When you kick death out of your residence, you make the decision to live in your “house.”  You utilize the keys and access the deadbolts on your potential.  Who wants to be a prisoner in the confines of themselves? No, you will not curl up and disintegrate in the dark corners of your mind.  You will go in your medicine cabinet and reach for CHOICE.  Pop a few affirmations, scriptures, community service, or local kindness (where you assist the person nearest you).  It may be hard to swallow because your reflexes say to gag and remain sour or lackadaisical, but ingest the choice to breathe in life.  Feel it in your lungs as you’re grateful for the air.  Feel it around  your waist as your hug yourself and on your hips as your hands confidently rest there.

You matter and you deserve to live EVERYDAY, not just on vacation.

You deserve to feel radiant whether you’re in a mansion or a halfway house. 

Let the choice of living digest and before you know it, you’re in the moment.  You’re dancing, smiling, reading, exercising, driving, and loving yourself in the decision you made.  You evicted death and he no longer roams freely about the rooms of your obligations such as mom, dad, caregiver, friend, etc.  He’ll try to get in, but you’ll be ready with your medicinal weapon… DECISION.

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No More Muddy Tracks

Sleeping dogs can't lie.

I have a dog… a puppy, actually.

For those who know me, your eyes probably just doubled in size. You may recall my life-long fright of four-legged canines of any size. What can I say? Things change and I truly believe he was meant to be my dog. I have seen more sunrises than I intended and heard more from God than I expected since Sammy’s paws stepped into my world. One of these lessons occurred on a cold and rainy day in Birmingham, Alabama.

There I was… praying that my dog would hurry up and relieve himself so I could dry my soles in the comfort of my heated home. It was the unforgiving wind coupled with rain that created an unholy matrimony for a bitter attitude to flourish. Sammy wasn’t a fan of the wind, but he enjoyed licking raindrops from the grass blades and slurping water from the mini-pools along the path. I felt myself getting frustrated.

“C’mon, Sammy… just use it already,” I muttered under my scarf. “Stay focused.”

He couldn’t care less about my rising flame of frustrated funk and was having the time of his life. The puppy pad was not an option; Being a chew toy was its demise. The doggie booties were returned to the store; I never got past one staying on without him taking it off. Apparently, being naked outside was his state of choice for the moment and I had better deal with it… mud, wind, rain, and all.

Finally, relief came and I was beyond elated to get inside. Oh, sweet victory! I wanted to rush us in, but I forgot the wipe towel and growled at myself. Sammy licked his paws in nonchalance, then proceeded inside.

“No! I do NOT want muddy tracks in my house! Let’s leave the outside, OUTSIDE!”

As soon as they left my lips, I heard the resonance of that string of words in my spirit… No muddy tracks.

I thought of how many times the past has tracked into our future. To scale down, how many times has a negative experience from your day – the “outside” – dribbled into your home as soon as you walked in it? You stepped in it earlier in the day. It’s stubborn and even satisfying to wallow in for a small length of time. When you walk inside, you realize it’s still there. It also takes more than water to remove it, but that’s for a different post. *wink* If we go a bit deeper, think of moments when a sour word, bad customer service experience, or a disagreement with someone disrupted the peace in which your soul was bathing.

It’s easy to allow the residue from situations of anger, sadness, mistrust, or resentment to transfer to the walls and floors of your inner sanctuary, and it can be quite difficult to remove it. Even temporary tattoos can linger around for a while.  That’s the where the peace of God steps in like a centurion (Philippians 4:7). It can see the danger of allowing unwanted visitors past the gate and the mud underneath their feet. While you’re focusing on the rain and the wind, peace stands guard to protect your heart and mind from receiving the muddy tracks those situations can leave on your soul.

Take a stand and be resolved. In light of it still being the first month, we have built a fire around resolutions and expectations to warm us throughout the new year. Let’s include the fortitude of throwing muddy tracks into that flame.

Peace & Thanks for listening.

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