Have you ever Considered

[ccbtcestranged (ccbtcestranged)]

Grief: The pain that is felt when you lose a loved one to death, where there is no hope of reconciliation. "Grief" is the offspring of of not being able to undo that which was done, unlike its counterpart "Peace". Peace is the result of having no regrets, for there is nothing that has gone unreconciled.

What is unreconciled in your life? What regrets do you have? What is within your power to change in these areas before true grief sets in because of death? The Lord desires our hearts to be free of every weight and sin that so easily besets us. So what is your baggage, and why do you choose to continue to carry it, rather than shed it?

Steve Walsh of the band Kansas asked this question of himself, and wrote this song to express it.

Into the Coming Dawn

As the dew turns into frost
There is something that I hope will not be lost
The leaves will change, they'll start to fall
I still wonder if it mattered much at all.

When my world starts to fade
I can only hope that every choice I made
Will endure,and carry on...into the Coming dawn.

The breezes blow, soft clouds drift by
Like some artists' canvas captured in my eye
I am sure, I'm holding fast
I am dying for a lifetime that will last.

But when my world, starts to fade
I'm still hoping this foundation that I laid
Will endure,and carry on... into the Coming dawn.

We're so close, yet never touch
Can there be a Love that changes me this much?
I can't see, eyes open wide
Yet I'll never doubt you're standing by my side.

When my world, starts to fade
I can only hope that every choice I made
Will endure,and carry on...into the Coming dawn.

I hope you find peace in the midst of all your turmoil, and escape the trap the devil has laid to ensnare you.

[movinon (movinon)]

Everyone has unreconciled things in their lives,including you. Everyone has regrets (if they say they don't they are either lying or self-deceived). To think that every single thing in our lives will be reconciled to the point that we will have no regrets or carry no baggage is one of the biggest lies foisted upon christians,in my estimation.

To carry no baggage is to cease suffering. To have no regrets is to have achieved perfection. To miss the maturing growth that these things bring would be a grave loss indeed, and would truly hinder one from experiencing depth and reality in their christian lives. If we have no turmoil, if we do not question, if we do not challenge, if we do not seek to understand more fully, we will never know peace or love.

Yes, I think that is the heart of the REAL message of the song you quoted. I think you missed it, ccbtcestranged.

[ccbtcestranged (ccbtcestranged)]

I agree with both of your assessments concerning grief. Personally, I do not grieve over something I still have within my ability to change. I toil or struggle to overcome, but not grieve. I suppose I would grieve if I had the ability to do something to stop the suffering, but only perpetuated it by not doing something about it. Then yes, I would call that grief.

The lyrics to the song are a glimpse of a moment in Steve Walsh's life where he was reflecting on that very point. There is a coming dawn for all of us, and the decisions we make here and now effect us then. He obviously has had struggles within his own life, as the lyrics suggest, of being unsure of the choices he has made. But he has a hope, that the ones that were right and good will endure, and carry on with him into Christs Kingdom.

I simply asked the question for all to consider. Are the choices you / me / everyone else have made worthy of that kind of blessing? These lyrics ministered to me, and has helped on a number of occasions to place my life into perspective. I hope sharing it also has encouraged you to look into your own soul, and ask those questions of yourselves. The answers you might find are between you and God alone.

I personally know, though, that there are times when you can look back on a personal issue in your life, that you've dealt with honestly and before Yahweh, where I can honestly say I have no regrets. Forgiveness is a key factor in that. If I had chosen to harbor my baggage toward a certain person, and not dealt with those issues openly and honestly, there never would have been the opportunity to say goodbye with no regrets. When that person died, it hurt, but I didn't grieve. Our personal accounts with one another were settled, and we not only didn't owe each other anything, we had plenty to spare in the bank.

The key was forgiveness. All I had to do was turn it to see what would happen. I was surprized and blessed by the results. The shackles fell from off of me, and I no longer carried that baggage.

I thank the one who encouraged me to do so. He was indeed, dead nuts on.

I don't know what lies you are talking about that you said against Yahshua the Messiah, but I'll try and respond.

(Message edited by CCBTCestranged on October 11, 2005)

(Message edited by CCBTCestranged on October 14, 2005)

[movinon (movinon)]

The lie I am referring to, and I'm assuming you are speaking to me, is that everything will be all taken care of, all ok; that once you become a christian or you choose to forgive or you lay it at the foot of the cross or whatever particular terminology you choose to use, that you will grieve no more, hurt no more, struggle no more, etc., etc., etc. Your post implies that if one is experiencing these things at all, that something must be wrong.

I don't believe this is what the Bible is saying to us as Christians. I think it is saying that doing all those things is a continual process that we participate in on a regular basis. It does not guarantee we'll suffer, grieve, or hurt no more. In fact, I think it says pretty much the opposite.

Your post, to me, was rife with that attitude, especially the attitude that you assume that we are heading for a snare of some sort or that because one may have a grievance or an issue with something or someone, that we are somehow in "trouble." It smacked of the same spirit of the place we all have in common. Been there, done that, don't need it and don't want it.

To say you don't grieve is not a natural or good thing. Grief is an important tool that we must go through to TRULY heal from the blows of life. I would seriously question anyone that says they have not grieved or do not allow themselves to grieve. It all sounds so "superspiritual", but it's not really very wise.

You said, "I don't know what lies you are talking about that you said against Yahshua the Messiah"....I have said no lies against Jesus, just my opinion and interpretation of others' interpretations of different viewpoints. I don't follow you on that one at all.

mo

[movinon (movinon)]

One,

I had the same very strong impression as you about the identity of our visitor....

mo

[ccbtcestranged (ccbtcestranged)]

mo,

First, let me clarify the "lie" point. Onesimus said that I had not responded to his e-mail concerning lies he had made "about my master". This of course was a bully shot at my friendship with One's brother, whom he assumes is "Lord" over me. I simply responded that I have but one Lord, and that is Christ, and that I do not know of ever stating he had perpetuated lies about Him.
That post is now missing, as many others are that were full of very grievous statements, thus your confusion.

Believe me, I have grieved, and do grieve plenty. Maybe you overlooked it, but here is what I said in response to that:

"Personally, I do not grieve over something I still have within my ability to change. I toil or struggle to overcome, but not grieve. I suppose I would grieve if I had the ability to do something to stop the suffering, but only perpetuated it by not doing something about it. Then yes, I would call that grief."

I guess if you haven't been paying to close attention to the things that have been happening, then you wouldn't have picked up on the suffering, grief, and turmoil taking place. Yes, I'm all to familiar with these things.

Steve Walsh put it best:

When my world, starts to fade
I can only hope that every choice I made
Will endure,and carry on...into the Coming dawn.

I hope that is your frame of mind as well, as well as others.

(Message edited by CCBTCestranged on October 12, 2005)

[movinon (movinon)]

Estranged,

Perhaps things have been deleted or edited that I was not able to read, but please do not think me confused about what is happening. I pay as close attention to things as my busy schedule allows. I simply chose to address what I felt, and still do feel, was an attitude of self-righteousness in your original post that I found deeply troubling and very reminiscent of the attitude(s) knowingly or unknowingly espoused at CC. Whether your original post was in some way connected to posts no longer on this board would have made no difference in my reaction to what I did read.

mo