It just has a subtle way of happening. Often far from our own recognition of what has happened. Often without our permission or even desire, it just happens.
Religion has a way of ushering in this happening.
It is that subtle settling for what is good, rather then fighting to hold to that which is better.
It just simply happens, we replace this better, His better for that which is just, simply good.
"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." ~ Hebrews 11:16
Those few who hold on and live to find "the better," He is not ashamed to be named their God.
Not ashamed. For they, these better-seekers, know of the deep calling the deep and they refuse to wallow in the shallow, and they dive amongst the depths to know the better.
But now they desire a better . . .
I hear it in a gentle wind whistle through the leaves, I see it as dawn rises wide and wild and breaks wide upon the horizon and yet rising dawn wild with wonder is subject to the telling He. The dawning light that bathes half a globe in glorious golden rays bows a humble knee to the telling He, Who determines the rise and fall of light and the rise and fall of nation and the rise and fall of man and even me.
I see it there and I hear it here and I do know of a better, a heavenly country . . .
And yet, I also do know that the day will fill with math lesson and phone calls, and hours can be whittled away with unkind talk and worried planning, I can skim the news and plummet into an empty nothingness, a gaping black hole. And then I am not one of the they, not a better - seeker; I settle for the here and the now and I let the better slip through my lackadaisical fingers.
It is a choice, my choice, your choice. To be a better - seeker or a settler.
And in truth I do not believe this is a salvation concern. At least not for me or for you. But, maybe it will be for them.
It may be a salvation concern for the many 'thems'. The 'thems' that are watching me and watching you.
I do believe there will be those in heaven who were NOT better - seekers but were simply settlers. However, these settlers were likely deeply impacted by a better - seeker at one point or another.
Better - seekers are those rare ones, those people who have just a slight grip here on earth and very strong grasp on heaven. I would rightly name them as Jesus - freaks. In some ways it can be difficult to even relate - they feel strangely unearthly. Maybe even abstract. And surely not relevant. Many better - seekers are by in large rejected by main-stream Christianity and seen as 'too out there' (and how could that possibly be bad?) by the western church as a whole.
They are better - seekers. And yes, they are a touch weird. Alien. Sojourners.
They are mainly tethered to this earth by two things - love for humanity and the reality that their flesh is still functioning, their body has not yet expired. But, other then that, their desire is Jesus and "a better." A better place. A better land.
They are not phased by finances and they care not for luxury. They are not ruffled by our offensive words to them or about them. The better - seekers are not obsessed with the November elections for truly their citizenship is elsewhere. And they are not impressed with your numbers ~ numbers in ministry, or bank accounts, or number of cars and the size of your jeans matter not to these others. For those are numbers of this land and they are simply just passing through.
And weird as these Jesus - freaks may be, they are absolutely game - changers. And whether you realize it or not - your game was changed by one of these at some point in time.
These rare gems sparkle with a glimpse of the other and in a dark world in the midst of dark times they are living, breathing examples of another way.
Now here is the hard, harsh reality ~ when Christians live life firmly planted to this planet - wallowing ankle deep in faith, merely enough to slide into heaven but still submerged in the waters of this wasteland about - they do not offer much hope of anything different then is already seen all about. And by wastelands I do not mean the lands of depravity - I mean everyday, normal earthly living. The wastelands of the struggle for wealth and success, for security and comfort, for friendship and people who just "get you" and "appreciate you," for the right starting spot for you child on the right team, for the right to be heard and the struggle to be understood and the endless wastelands of modern entertainment where ALL true creativity, authenticity, purity and any ounce of genius WENT TO DIE (leave it to the opulent and pampered West to truly decimate any level of true art). The normal everyday wastelands of social media and the he-said and she-said and she wore and he dated. And the wastelands of self-medicating with food or exercise, pills or a few drinks or many dollars. These are all of the wastelands of this world and while we wallow and wade around here, the better is waiting and wondering . . .
And the world is watching and dying . . .
There is a better, a heavenly, and I do know and I do hear - when I choose to silence the wastelands and to hear from the other.
To release grip on this empty earth and climb up amongst the stars and to hear tales of Knight on mighty steed saving from the settling and teaching us of the seeking. The better - seeking.
And we may slide into heaven but what of all the ones who are watching the wallowing in the wastelands and so they do not see the needed glimpse of the other, the better?
What of them? Those thems desperately need to see us living as better - seekers to know this empty earth has no answers and to finally find courage in our living to look up to the Only Answer.
Religion has a way of ushering in this happening.
It is that subtle settling for what is good, rather then fighting to hold to that which is better.
It just simply happens, we replace this better, His better for that which is just, simply good.
"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." ~ Hebrews 11:16
Those few who hold on and live to find "the better," He is not ashamed to be named their God.
Not ashamed. For they, these better-seekers, know of the deep calling the deep and they refuse to wallow in the shallow, and they dive amongst the depths to know the better.
But now they desire a better . . .
I hear it in a gentle wind whistle through the leaves, I see it as dawn rises wide and wild and breaks wide upon the horizon and yet rising dawn wild with wonder is subject to the telling He. The dawning light that bathes half a globe in glorious golden rays bows a humble knee to the telling He, Who determines the rise and fall of light and the rise and fall of nation and the rise and fall of man and even me.
I see it there and I hear it here and I do know of a better, a heavenly country . . .
And yet, I also do know that the day will fill with math lesson and phone calls, and hours can be whittled away with unkind talk and worried planning, I can skim the news and plummet into an empty nothingness, a gaping black hole. And then I am not one of the they, not a better - seeker; I settle for the here and the now and I let the better slip through my lackadaisical fingers.
It is a choice, my choice, your choice. To be a better - seeker or a settler.
And in truth I do not believe this is a salvation concern. At least not for me or for you. But, maybe it will be for them.
It may be a salvation concern for the many 'thems'. The 'thems' that are watching me and watching you.
I do believe there will be those in heaven who were NOT better - seekers but were simply settlers. However, these settlers were likely deeply impacted by a better - seeker at one point or another.
Better - seekers are those rare ones, those people who have just a slight grip here on earth and very strong grasp on heaven. I would rightly name them as Jesus - freaks. In some ways it can be difficult to even relate - they feel strangely unearthly. Maybe even abstract. And surely not relevant. Many better - seekers are by in large rejected by main-stream Christianity and seen as 'too out there' (and how could that possibly be bad?) by the western church as a whole.
They are better - seekers. And yes, they are a touch weird. Alien. Sojourners.
They are mainly tethered to this earth by two things - love for humanity and the reality that their flesh is still functioning, their body has not yet expired. But, other then that, their desire is Jesus and "a better." A better place. A better land.
They are not phased by finances and they care not for luxury. They are not ruffled by our offensive words to them or about them. The better - seekers are not obsessed with the November elections for truly their citizenship is elsewhere. And they are not impressed with your numbers ~ numbers in ministry, or bank accounts, or number of cars and the size of your jeans matter not to these others. For those are numbers of this land and they are simply just passing through.
And weird as these Jesus - freaks may be, they are absolutely game - changers. And whether you realize it or not - your game was changed by one of these at some point in time.
These rare gems sparkle with a glimpse of the other and in a dark world in the midst of dark times they are living, breathing examples of another way.
Now here is the hard, harsh reality ~ when Christians live life firmly planted to this planet - wallowing ankle deep in faith, merely enough to slide into heaven but still submerged in the waters of this wasteland about - they do not offer much hope of anything different then is already seen all about. And by wastelands I do not mean the lands of depravity - I mean everyday, normal earthly living. The wastelands of the struggle for wealth and success, for security and comfort, for friendship and people who just "get you" and "appreciate you," for the right starting spot for you child on the right team, for the right to be heard and the struggle to be understood and the endless wastelands of modern entertainment where ALL true creativity, authenticity, purity and any ounce of genius WENT TO DIE (leave it to the opulent and pampered West to truly decimate any level of true art). The normal everyday wastelands of social media and the he-said and she-said and she wore and he dated. And the wastelands of self-medicating with food or exercise, pills or a few drinks or many dollars. These are all of the wastelands of this world and while we wallow and wade around here, the better is waiting and wondering . . .
And the world is watching and dying . . .
There is a better, a heavenly, and I do know and I do hear - when I choose to silence the wastelands and to hear from the other.
To release grip on this empty earth and climb up amongst the stars and to hear tales of Knight on mighty steed saving from the settling and teaching us of the seeking. The better - seeking.
And we may slide into heaven but what of all the ones who are watching the wallowing in the wastelands and so they do not see the needed glimpse of the other, the better?
What of them? Those thems desperately need to see us living as better - seekers to know this empty earth has no answers and to finally find courage in our living to look up to the Only Answer.
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