You

Oh darlin’

You have a . . .

Beautiful face

Delightful waist

You, your love I taste.

Oh darlin’

You are a . . .

Radiant flower

With uncanny power

You, my love I’ll shower

Jonathan Watson

September 30, 2009

Celebrate

 Today . . .

I celebrate

For this I’ll ne’re hesitate

Not just, that God did you create

Or that He gave me such a mate

Or how you keep me straight

But, today . . .

There’s no debate

As for me, I do celebrate

The times our souls do conjugate

Or your beauty, such a lovely trait

Or as you near, increased is my heart rate

Regardless of the many rhymes

Which frequent countless times

From before the time I said “I do”

This one thing, will always be true . . .

I love . . . only you.

Jonathan Watson

October 10, 2009

“The World”

Where do I fit in?  That’s right . . . where do I fit in this great big wonderful world?  A while back, I sent my sweet wonderful sexy wife a song by Brad Paisley call “The World.”  It was a hit, well at least for us.  He he he.  But then the other day, I heard it again playing and that’s where it the question hit me again.  “Where to I fit in”?  On the off chance that you may not be aware of the song I speak of, I’ll paste the lyrics of the first verse and chorus below.

To the teller down at the bank
You’re just another checking account
To the plumber that came today
You’re just another house
At the airport ticket counter
You’re just another fare
At the beauty shop at the mall
Well you’re just another head of hair
Well that’s alright, that’s ok
If you don’t feel important, honey
All I’ve got to say is

(Chorus:)
To the world
You may be just another girl
But to me
Baby, you are the world

So in a more personal way . . . the song could go be sung something like . . .

To the kids in the room next to mine
I’m just their dad
To wife that I kissed today
I’m another requestor
At the dinner table at night
I’m just another plate
At the tire shop down the road
Well I’m just another pair
At the office tomorrow morn
I’m just another seven digit number
Well baby . . .  All I’ve got to say is

(Chorus:)
To the world
I may be just another guy

So . . . suffice it to say, the song did in fact get me to thinking, where do I fit into this great big world?  Do I have a special spot that none other may hold, or am I as I am at work, just another guy?

These are just the latest thoughts that have been on my mind as of late.  I welcome any insights or thoughts as I discover my place in this great big world.  I know that I supposed to know what “I want to be when I grow up” already, but here I am gaining a gray or grey head and wondering all the same.

Until later . . .

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

January 12, 2010 THIS JUST IN: Missionary & friend needs your HELP!!

Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with one of our best friends/missionaries as she came to us asking how she could further her “support.”  It was my advice that she start by sending regular newsletters and regular e-updates to those who share her vision.  Her name is Sarah Kaehn of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City.  As she reaffirms at the beginning of these notes, she is NOT looking for just money givers but rather those who are interested in supporting her vision and supporting her.  She has asked me to share these thoughts with anyone who may be blessed by them so I am choosing to do so through my blog. If after reading through these words from her heart you feel a kinship with her vision, please feel free to contact her or myself (if you don’t know her) and be blessed. 

*** Kind of long, but just sharing more of my heart in what I am doing down here in Kansas City, and why!*** Hope you enjoy!! ****Reply Requested!******

     Hullo! Yeah, I think that e-newsletters would be a lot easier to get out on a regular basis, as well. Doing a hard-copy letter on a monthly or every other month basis is soooo much work- write letter, find someone to print it out. Address letters. Buy stamps ( no car, so find a ride or car to borrow to get stamps!), write thoughtful note on each letter, stuff envelopes, and finally, MAIL! I don’t have the time to do that, and honestly, I don’t have the money to do it either, right now. So, yeah, e-letters are a good idea.

     It is interesting that people have come to you about my sending out newsletters and doing support raising. Part of what I am really wanting is not so much just people to send in some dollars every month, but those who are actually interested in seeing God’s name glorified in the earth, and want to be part of a team who they monetarily sow into my life, and I support them through prayer, through keeping them connected with how God is moving here and other places. I know that what I do is unusual, and that it is not a typical ministry. But this is one thing that has been stirring in my heart lately: We have such a “low” view of God. We think of Him in such average terms, bringing Him to the level of our human thoughts, forgetting the greatness of His majesty, the way that He is worth the worship and adoration of the entire earth and heavens and hell; He is worthy of unceasing prayer and worship, and that is what He is calling me to give my life to, firstly, out of the reality of His unsearchable riches and love and grace towards me, and in return, I give my heart, my life, my time and energy in worshiping and loving Him.

     The loving Him takes a different expression from day to day. It sometimes looks like serving the families here by caring for their children. Other days it looks like scrubbing floors and doing dishes. Other days it looks like going out to the city and being part of evangelism teams. Sometimes it is praying for and encouraging someone. Sometimes it is ministering at a meeting, either praying for people, being an usher, cleaning the building, cooking for a family that needs help. Sometimes it is sitting in a classroom, learning more about His heart and character, so that when He releases me to preach the Word, I can do it accurately and with the power of the Holy Spirit! Sometimes it means a day or so of fasting to help open my eyes and heart to more of God, gain spiritual strength, weaken the strongholds of the flesh, and contend for the breakthrough of His love and strength to His Bride worldwide.

     I just wanted to share some of more of what I do, and the why behind it, because I know that because what I do is not widely understood in the Church, people often just disregard it or think it’s not important. But Jonathan, my heart has been coming alive in the past few years, as God has been calling me into this! I have tried different kinds of ministries, and never felt that I found where I fit. Some of it failed because of fear, and I know that Jesus will be taking me back into some of those different ministries, someday, but I know that I can wait for His timing. For example, I do want to go overseas again someday, but I am no less a missionary now than I was when I was in Macau or Minneapolis or Costa Rica! On Mondays, I “go to Israel” in intercession for what God wants to do there, praying for the Church there, the rabbis, the Orthodox Jews that don’t know Him.

     On Saturdays I pray for children (my nieces and nephews, children’s ministry, homeschooling families, etc.) for the will of God to be accomplished, for the raising up of mighty men and women of God, for God to bring dreams and visions to children in this city and the children/families that I know, for hearts to be softened and open towards God, that He strengthen and prepare them for everything that He has for them. God is so much stronger and more effective in knowing how to open and get to people’s hearts than my weak words are! I don’t underestimate the importance of speaking and sharing the Gospel- intercession and action go together! But I also know that God calls each person to specific kinds of ministry, and even different kinds of ministry in different seasons of their lives! —

     Just to clarify, I am still explaining more of what God has called me to, as I know that sometimes the question arises in people’s minds: “Oh, so her ministry is ‘just’ to PRAY?”
So, brother, let me know what your thoughts are! I know this is pretty long, but I just wanted to try to help bring more clarification of my ministry and WHY! – Next email, I will explain one more thing that comes to mind, that is really important, but this email is long enough

Email soon!
Thanks for the help!
Sarah

*****Hello! This is a “follow up” email to the other email I just sent you, so please read the other one first!! ********

The other thing that came to mind about what/why I do is this:

     We live in a world/ a culture, that is consumed with what media and the secular world around us tells us is important, that we “HAVE to know”, “Have to see!” “Have to listen to”; funny, but it tells us what we should value, how we should spend our time, etc.!!! Funny, but I thought that was what the Word of God was supposed to do?!

     There are soooo few true Believers in Jesus these days, in America, and even those that claim the name of Jesus are more consumed with things of the world than Jesus Himself! (I thought it was all about HIM, after all, right???!)

    There is SOOO much darkness and evil, and crime, and heinous things are becoming the “norm” in America. The Church is in such a CRITICAL state of EMERGENCY right now, because WHO is supposed to have the answer to the lost world??? The Church! But who is stuck in the mire of the world along with everyone else? The Church….

     Also, we are in a unique hour of history, when the Lord is definitely getting ready to move, and in many places, has begun to move and stir things up, but FOR SURE, MORE IS COMING!!! Did you know that only 4% of Americans born after 1983 even claim to GO to church, not even those that claim to know Jesus?!! So, we are living in quite a crisis in this nation, when SO many are going to hell, and the Church, currently, is powerless to do anything about it, stuck in our own lack of vision, lack of power, lack of the transforming power of Jesus, the God-Man who came to set the world free, Redeem the Lost, and renew all things, starting with our relationship with His Father!

     Sounds pretty bad, eh? This is part of what fuels my heart for intercession.
Also, what about the End Times? Who is ready to stand during the darkest days the world will ever face? Who has clarity and understanding of what God is going to do in the End of THIS Age? And yet, did you know that The Bible is FULL of information about it that is supposed to help prepare us and help us to know? There are over 150 chapters in the Bible about the End Times, and gives very clear statements about what is going to happen, what to look for, and in Matthew 24-25 even gives a clear outline of “this… then this….. and then when you see…. then this…. etc.” With careful attention and study given to this topic, the Church Can (and eventually WILL) be prepared- But does the Church even recognize the Generation that we are living in? Most of us are too concerned with our own lives and agendas and our own concerns, troubles, bondages, traps, families, goals, etc. to even realize that the Creator of everything, the Sovereign over all of time has a very distinct plan that He is unfolding. And guess what?!!! As His Bride, He wants us to know what is on His heart, what He is planning! He wants us to be in the loop with Him, partnering with Him, free from everything that binds, walking in purity, truth, humility, love, power, etc!!!

     SOOOOO…. all this is to say that I am choosing to live my life in the way I do, because He is worthy, and because I am sitting under the leadership of amazing men and women of God, who live to hear His voice and live to be true witnesses to Who He Is and truly testify to what God is saying. But you don’t just all of a sudden hear the clear voice of God in a day! It is developing a lifestyle of getting rid of all the other voices that crowd out God’s voice, becoming one with Him, to learn to recognize His voice above all the others! (cuz sometimes we speak out of our own convictions and passions and mistake it for the voice of God telling us what to say!)

     So, I am at a dead end to my thoughts for the night, which is probably not a bad thing at the moment, considering the length of these two LONG emails….

Let me know when you get through them! 

     Okay, one last (important) thought to bring it all home: All is not hopeless. God is committed to us, He is faithful, He is not disappointed and ashamed of us. He knows we are made of weak human flesh- He made us, and He knows our slowness to get it right, but He is so patient and longsuffering, but because of His great love for us, He is NOT going to let us stay the way we are! He is going to get us moving, and that is part of my vision for my personal, life ministry that is close to my heart:::: To become close to God’s heart, to grow in maturity and power, and to disciple His people. I want to see the Bride of Christ walking in the fullness of her destiny that God has for her! I want to see her free from everything that keeps her from receiving the love that God has poured upon her, and to see her fully loving Him and the world, in return. SLOWLY, I am growing and learning and even getting a little more clarity on how God would have me minister to and disciple others, as He walks me along and ministers to me and disciples me hee hee

So, bless you brother! I am wondering how all this stirs in your heart! Let me know!
talk to you soon! you can call if you want, if that would be easier than emailing! forward these emails to anyone that you think would be blessed, too! (just let me know who! lol!)

buenas noches!!!
Sarah

Until later . . .

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

Jonathan Watson

January 12, 2010

Blog: The Terpsichorean Vector

The Lover of My Being

The Lover of My Being

Brazen strength with matchless beauty

Bronzed arms of iron sensitive

Calloused hands of cotton soft

Brawny muscle ripple under a chest of flesh

A chest of love that beats only for me

A day without him

Is a lifetime of loneliness

He loves my being for who I am

Not for what I will be

I know that in his eyes; I’m mint

Eyes of love survey my figure

Within my lover’s sight I am

When the sun shines on your face

I can’t help but want to be in your embrace

Take me in and let’s hold one another

In you I want to linger

Taste you and know you

Pleasures are found within the arms of my lover

He alone I find my affection

Within his gaze I bathe

His tender hands caress me

Washing me clean unto only himself

With choice perfumes I prepare myself for him

Readied in gowns he’s bought for me

Adorned in sapphires, diamonds, rubies, and pearls

Readied for me my lover prepares

A room, a bed, a gown … just for me

I yield my being for his enjoyment

Against his breast I lay my head

My body he embraces as I embrace his

His hands roam my body freely

His lips kiss my hidden places

His mouth drips with nuggets of love for me

His love I open myself to

I love to be in my lover’s arms

In my lover’s embrace I am

Lover of my being

Let me press against you

Feel your presence deep within my soul

Open my eyes

And let me know you

To you I submit

Know me fully, deeply, entirely

I am yours

And you are mine

The lover of my being

Here I am

Make me into what you want me to be

Take me into your arms

Make me do what you want me to do

I am yours

Completely

Yours

Jonathan Watson

January 10, 2010

It is my personal experience that I’ve often viewed my relationship with God in a way similarly as I view other relationships in my life, a father, a mentor, or some other figure that was or was not in my life.  I believe that many times we transpose an earthly relationship upon our heavenly father and seriously muddle the waters of what He longs for with us, an intimate relationship.  Oftentimes, we are less than comfortable bearing ourselves to those we say we love, let alone to God.  Our past hurts and insecurities limit our ability to be vulnerable and know the fullness of our Lover’s embrace.  The majority of this poem was written after worship at church yesterday.  It’s an analogy of how we are in the eyes of our lover, Jesus.  It has been a breath of true reality seeing the Lover of my soul through the lens of a conjugal relationship, one for which He created and established.  I love seeing Him as the one who loves me, fully.  It is a new vantage point for me; one that God has been revealing to me for the last two and a half years. 

As we are told in the Bible that God does sing and dance over his Bride, and though it might be a little “old school,” I think there’s a chance that God might sing the country song by Crystal Gayle called “Somebody Loves You.” And though I don’t really like how Steve Holy performs in his video, maybe God hopes that we might one day we might sing back to Him a song like “Good Morning Beautiful” By Steve Holy. 

Until later . . .

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

Jonathan Watson

January 11, 2010

Blog: The Terpsichorean Vector

Thoughts: My-Lissa

This is what I left on our Facebook status “Leave a 1 word comment that you think best describes me. It can only be 1 word. No more than 1 word” concerning Melissa and how I feel about her.  Per her wish for me to be quiet saying that these things were not true, I replied “I’m not saying them to butter you up…or for your reply. I love you and see the best in you.”  She is the best part of my life here on Earth.  Be sure to read to the end as the last entry is a special “treat.”

Melissa: desired

Melissa: Playful

Melissa: Social

Melissa: Smart

Melissa: Smiley

Melissa: Impartial

Melissa: meek

Melissa: patient

Melissa: Appreciated

Melissa: NOT-flashy

Melissa: Serene

Melissa: Giving

Melissa: NOT-dull

Melissa: tremendous

Melissa: daring

Melissa: exquisite

Melissa: gorgeous

Melissa: Original

Melissa: Soft-hearted

Melissa: perfumed

Melissa: Awesome

Melissa: Unique

Melissa: Grand

Melissa: Pure-Lady

Melissa: Spunky

Melissa: Gracious

Melissa: Tactful

Melissa: Joyous

Melissa: lovely

Melissa: humble

Melissa: Busy-bee

Melissa: Irreplaceable

Melissa: Sexy (that should be in all caps, but I don’t want to draw attention to it – he he)

Melissa: Respectful

Melissa: Considerate

Melissa: NOT-plain (Yay for that!!)

Melissa: indescribable

Melissa: mine

Melissa: FINE

Melissa: Ravishing

Melissa: wanted

Melissa: Graceful

Melissa: Musical

Melissa: Amazing

Melissa: Bliss

Melissa: Thoughtful

Melissa: Exceptional (did I say that already?)

Melissa: Spontaneous

Melissa: generous

Melissa: Awesome-cook

Melissa: Contagious (that’s a good thing here – lol)

Melissa: Lovable

Melissa: NOT-overbearing

Melissa: Honey-bee

Melissa: Priceless

Melissa: degraded (by mere words)

Melissa: NOT-rude

Melissa: courteous

Melissa: Candy

Melissa: Prize

Melissa: Unbelievable (that I’m so luck to have her in my life!!)

Melissa: Foxy

Melissa: Sensible

Melissa: Craved

Melissa: Polite

Melissa: Dainty

Melissa: Honey

Melissa: Charming

Melissa: Divine

Melissa: Feminine

Melissa: Forgiving

Melissa: Candid

Melissa: attentive

Melissa: Sweet

Melissa: Oh-so-very-lovely

Melissa: NOT-brash

Melissa: perseverant

Melissa: Pretty

Melissa: Quiet (in spirit)

Melissa: NOT-Impolite

Melissa: Appealing

Melissa: Eye-candy

Melissa: Prized

Melissa: Absolutely-WONDERFUL (in EVERY way imaginable or not imaginable)

Melissa: Splendiferous

Melissa: diplomatic

Melissa: Sought

Melissa: Nice

Melissa: Sensational

Melissa: Adorable

Melissa: Delicious

Melissa: Dreamy

Melissa: Ladylike

Melissa: Persevering

Melissa: Truthful

Melissa: Great-Listener

Melissa: Blue-eyed-wonder

Melissa: lover

Melissa: NOT-crass

Melissa: blind (to her own value)

Melissa: elegant

Melissa: NOT-Blaring

Melissa: NOT-Offensive

Melissa: Cute

Melissa: terrific

Melissa: treasure

Melissa: glorious

Melissa: Stunning

Melissa: prudent (usually when not being spunky he he)

Melissa: Amiable

Melissa: Angelic

Melissa: Hot

Melissa: Flower

Melissa: Sweetheart

Melissa: Fun

Melissa: Friendly

Melissa: Gentle

Melissa: Beautiful (worth repeating many times)

Melissa: Indiscriminate

Melissa: loyal

Melissa: Servant

Melissa: Precious

Melissa: Radiant

Melissa: Tender

Melissa: Sweet-smelling (all the time)

Melissa: Stylish

Melissa: wonderful

Melissa: wise

Melissa: good-looking

Melissa: Picturesque

Melissa: ingenious

Melissa: funny

Melissa: Dessert

Melissa: Caring

Melissa: Sublime

Melissa: Adored

Melissa: Awe-Inspiring

Melissa: breath-defying

Melissa: Jewel

Melissa: dream-fodder

Melissa: compassionate

Melissa: kind

Melissa: sympathetic

Melissa: conscientious

Melissa: creative

Melissa: romantic

Melissa: dependable

Melissa: trustworthy

Melissa: discerning

Melissa: exceptional

Melissa: incomparable

Melissa: Transportative (Meaning that when I’m with her, she takes me to a better place in this world)

Melissa: Completely (See the song by Garth Brooks “Wrapped Up In You“)

After being poked at by my fellow facebookers, I succumbed.  After having listed only a few, I posted “I still have over a hundred things left to say about her . . . hmmm. Maybe this isn’t the right time or place for such philanderies” and I retired such loving frivolities.

Jonathan Watson

January 7, 2010

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

Poem: How Do You Know I Love You?

How do you know I love you?

Would I fight dragons and demons to rescue my princess?

How do you know I love you?

Would I walk a million miles just to be by your side?

How do you know I love you?

Would I steal the stars in the black night sky to make a sparking ring for you?

How do you know I love you?

If you don’t know the answer, who does? One thing though, is for certain,

I love you more than my own life.

I love you with all my heart . . . could not live without your love.

Jonathan Watson  

October 21, 2008

Forgiveness: A Beautiful Bow

Forgiveness is an oft misunderstood concept. I think that like love or faith, forgiveness is one of those things that are contrary to any human notion or logic. It goes against anything we’ve been brought up to believe. Even in the “Christian” world we have a faulty understanding of forgiveness and thereby we don’t forgive. More often than not, the victim is told to forgive and what that means is that they are supposed to forget or overlook the event. They are to be “okay” with the person that assaulted them, they are to accept the assaulter, but to these notions or ribbons of belief, I would like to unravel and show forgiveness as the beautiful bow that it is meant to be. I want to make the assertion that repression or blocking out the event is not forgiveness at all but rather it is suppressing the trespass; sweeping the crumbs of hurts under our emotional carpet will only draw the rats of bitterness, anger, sickness, and ultimately death. Yet forgiveness is of centric importance as it mentioned over 3,306 times in the Bible. Its biblical roots go back to the book of Genesis. The first account of the actual word “forgive” can be found in Genesis 50:17. It is the account of Joseph entreating his brothers who were unaware of his true identity after having sold him into slavery. It is a beautiful story of forgiveness and reconciliation. However the initial concept of forgiveness can go back even further as seen in the story of Adam and Eve concerning the encounter with God that accompanied the display of their humanity see Genesis 3:1. But I really don’t want to dwell in these biblical realms just yet. First I want to give you a peek into my mind, or my approach to how I understand forgiveness.

Forgiveness has been a topic of some discussion lately between some of my friends and family and though I don’t claim to have the corner on the market, I want to spend a little more time on this crucially important subject matter. For the unbeliever, they really don’t understand the need for forgiveness. Most, actually all true Christians readily understand, being “saved” and forgiveness go hand in hand and it is of realized importance. There’s this line of reflection that one of my former instructors used to express. It seemed to be her personal opinion or belief; as she said it quite repeatedly throughout the class. She said that she didn’t understand why Christians use the terminology of “saving the lost.”  As she was speaking to the class of middle to upper class college student, she said, “Who of you feel like you are lost?”  “Do you need to be saved from something?”  She continued with this line of assailment towards the Christian faith until finally I said something to the effect that the fearful thing to consider is that many may be in danger or lost and that they don’t even know it. To illustrate this point, I recounted a story that we have all seen from time to time, this time though for me, it was when my family and I we went to Toys”R”Us. While there that particular day, I saw a child who had wander off in the store. Watching this child, there seemed to be a few moments of time that they were in their own fun world, wandering around, looking up and down the toy isles, and unaware of their predicament. Not only were they unconscious of the fact that they were “lost,” but they were also naive of how much danger they are in wondering around a toy store with no adult supervision. However, all of a sudden, a wave of panic gripped their little heart and they realized that they were lost. And just as suddenly as they realized their helpless situation they realized their need for help/salvation. You may or may not be asking yourself . . . “why is he including this “lost” story in a post of forgiveness?”  Well, like the child in the store, there is a way out. God has offered all of us forgiveness . . . across the board, universal. There’s nothing that you have to be to earn forgiveness. You don’t have to go to a particular church, you don’t have to pay a percentage of your money, you don’t have to dress up, you don’t have to be good, and you don’t have to follow any other rule(s) to be forgiven. Acts 16:31 The only thing you have to do is to believe Jesus and He will carry your bag; He will save you from your bag of sin and will give you the freedom to enjoy life. I’ll explain this “bag” later. This instructor was walking around her fun little world, sadly unaware of the fact that she was lost. To use the words of John 8:12, she unsuspectingly is walking in darkness. While she professes to be a Christian yet she doesn’t understand her need of being forgiven or saved. 1 John 1:6 We have all been in darkness, none of us are better than another. Our objective is to do as Ephesians 5:8 says and to walk as children of light, to walk in that light and grace of forgiveness.

 “Helping” me filter through some of these forgiveness issues, I have my own experiences and understandings. So, let me tell you a story that I have on my mind. As I trust it will help illustrate my own thoughts on this topic. Ok, I just erased two pages of “story” for the sake of brevity. It was a nice story. A story where my great grandfather who survived both World War I, World War II, and the Great Depression was the principal figure, but like I said, for the sake of briefness I’ll pass on that particular story. So . . . picture if you will an individual with an enormous . . . uh bag. This particular bag is extremely heavy and cumbersome. Thus it is rather hard to manage, especially since it causes the one carrying it pain and bouts of embarrassment. Many of us have had our own “bags” or issues like this where we are trying to carry something and due to one thing or another, it is just unbearable. It causes us pain; we bump into others that we may or may not be able to see, causing them pain. We may also drop the precious cargo. All of this pain because we feel we must bear this burden by ourselves. Now along comes a friend or a stranger, but regardless, some well-meaning soul, who asks if they can help us carry our bag. As they take one side of the bag we can straighten our back, we can see where we are going, and we can allow that person who offered us their assistance. Even if they are only holding one side of the bag and we are holding the other, it suddenly becomes a much more manageable ordeal. At times, there are those in our lives who are willing to take 100% of the load upon themselves!  How freeing would that be!?

For me, this illustration has helped me understand forgiveness in a new light. Typically, the cliché “forgive and forget” comes to mind when one tries to understand forgiveness. But forgiveness and forgetfulness have nothing in common as far as I can tell. In the story above, what would happen if the one helping the other would forget they were holding the bag? They’d drop it . . . duh!  If my wife and I were out hunting and she shoots my leg off, am I going to forgive her or forget that she shot my leg off? Forgive of course! The forgetting of such an event would be ludicrous; how could one forget that they only have one leg?!  However if one were to understand forgiveness in the light of bearing as above, they would understand that the definition of “to bear” is “to move while holding up or supporting.”  If my wife were to blastingly amputate one of my lower appendages . . . I should be thankful and realize that I’m lucky to still have one. No seriously, I’d forgive her and understand that now she carries the weight of “ruining” my life. Thereby my forgiveness of her would consciously release her from that “weight.” The guilt and shame of blowing my leg off would not be hers to carry by herself, if at all.

Now I can write about my understandings and ramble on endlessly about my opinions, but, now that you understand my take on forgiveness, let’s take a look at what the Bible says about such things. In Psalm 38:4 King David in a broken state realized his humanity as he acknowledged that his sins, his failures, his shortcomings (if piled up) would be over his head!  He described them as being a heavy burden that was too heavy for him. Most Christians, and others too since it is plastered on Christmas cards, have heard the passage from Isaiah that says “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  Fascinatingly, just a couple of verses prior to that, Isaiah 9:4, it speaks of the individual who had lived in darkness being set free to walk in the “great light” it says that their burden, their yoke, was broken . . . that their oppression was lifted. Praise the Lord!! Isaiah 10:27 goes on to expound on this whole concept saying that our “burden shall be taken away from off their shoulder, and his yoke from off their neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed.”  This may seem contrary to the passage in Matthew 11:30 where Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light but the way I understand it is that Jesus in essence trades His light and easy “burden” of righteousness with our back-breaking burden of sin. Therefore He can genuinely say that His burden is light. You see forgiveness isn’t forgetfulness. Forgiveness is helping to bear the burden of another. Forgivers are burden bearers. As I posted on Facebook the other day a quote from J. Allan Peterson, “Love [like forgiveness] is the accurate estimate and supply of another’s needs.” You see forgetfulness is a mental weakness; a breakdown or sign of our humanity. Does God forget about our sin or does He remove it from us Psalm 103:12? If God did in fact forget about our sin, it would be a weakness not a sign of omnipotent strength.

The funny thing about forgetting is that there is always room for remembering and . . . that might not be good if you know what I mean. Let’s pretend that I did a grievous act towards my wife, just a horrific tragedy, would I want her to forget about it, if that’s even remotely possible? I mean sure, while she’s forgotten about it, life would be grand, but what happens when she remembered it again? Would she remember it later on and hold it under my nose? For those who have lived in this atmosphere of always wondering when, waiting for, anticipating their dirty laundry aired in the middle of an argument or being embarrassed . . . it’s an emotionally abusive atmosphere. It’s horrible. But what if I knew that my wife remembered the horrible thing that I did to her and yet she CHOSE not to talk about it, CHOSE to leave that subject alone, and CHOSE to “move [forward] while holding up or supporting” me? Wouldn’t that sound like absolute, wholehearted, everlasting love; “till death do us part . . . in sickness and in health” type of love? Matthew 6:12 speaks of this matter. It speaks of forgiving debts. Would we want our banker, the one who forgave three year’s worth of interest on our mortgage to forget about our debts? Wouldn’t we want them to remember why they forgave them so that when they get audited, they can offer a sound reason versus saying “oh let me go and get that money from those good-for-nothing thieves”? You see, God isn’t a weak minded man that forgets our sins. He is a strong and powerful God who fully remembers EVERY sin we’ve ever done or will do and yet God CHOOSES to remove our sin from us as far as the East is from the West!

How did the Son of God forgive? Though we don’t have anything telling us how He forgave others other than He almost made it seem easy (and for us humans, it ain’t easy, that’s for sure! Bearing the weight of someone elses – is non-human.  Humans are incapable of forgiveness by themselves.). He did give us a little clue in Luke as to how we are to go about it. Luke 17:4 says that if someone takes advantage of us, violates us, abuses us repeatedly, that we are to match each episode of their wrongdoing with an act of forgiveness. Matthew 18:22 goes even further when Peter asks “but Lord, how many times?!”  I can picture it now, Peter, good ol’ say-it-how-it-is Peter, with a look of bewilderment plastered on his sun-baked face, who was known for anything but forgiving, looking up to Jesus who was sitting near, asking, “But Master, how many times should I forgive that snake Zach who keeps stealing half of my profits in taxes. I’ve been working on it for the past year. So far, I’ve forgiven him about every other month . . . please; do I have to keep forgiving him? Or is seven times enough?”  And Jesus in His cool way answered him saying “Seven? Right, try seventy times seven.”  And as the Apostles said at Jesus’ statement in an overwhelmed plea in Luke 17:5, I too say “Lord, increase our faith.”

In conclusion, forgiveness, isn’t this what Jesus did? We were totally incapable of hefting our bag of sin. Jesus took our whole burden and in return gave us a crown of purity and righteousness, a new name that makes us part of his eternal and universal family. 1 John 1:9 puts is so very beautifully, if we confess our sins, he is faithful . . . He is just . . . to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. For the unbeliever, usually unbeknownst to themselves, they are unenlightened; they really don’t see the need for forgiveness. But as I mentioned above, those children who walk in the light fully understand, that being “saved” and forgiveness are inseparable. Jesus will carry your bag, He will save you from your sin, and He will give you the freedom to straighten our backs and to see where we are going. We have the ability and freedom to enjoy life. Forgiveness is an oft misunderstood concept. I think that like love or faith, forgiveness is one of those things that are contrary to any human notion. It goes against anything we’ve been brought up to believe. To receive forgiveness requires faith. To give forgiveness requires love. No, it isn’t going to be easy, but it is possible. It is my prayer that these ribbons of belief might be understood to be what they truly are; a beautiful bow of forgiveness that is wrapped around a beautiful gift of salvation . . . if we will but receive it.

Until  later . . .

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

Forgiveness: An Elusive Practice

The purpose of this post is to help enlighten the reader in a deeper understand and knowledge of what genuine forgiveness is versus what they or society believe it to be. It is an elusive practice. This topic will be divided up into at least two posts, the first of which will be to dispel some incorrect notions of what forgiveness is NOT. It will be called Forgiveness: An Elusive Practice. The second post will be entitled Forgiveness: A Beautiful Bow. It will focus on a deeper and truer understanding of forgiveness as we delve into our need for it.

In a survey that I conducted a year or so ago, I delivered ten basic questions on this subject matter requesting the participant to answer each question with their own personal beliefs and opinions. This survey was delivered to by twenty some classmates, a dozen peers at work, and several of my family members. It was clear the subject of forgiveness is universally accepted. What I mean by that is that it is universally desired and in and of itself, forgiveness is inoffensive. According to my survey:

• 25% of the survey indicated it is forgetting the offense or “letting it go”

• 43% of the survey indicated it is accepting the offense or trying to understand the offense or offender

• 7% of the survey indicated it is canceling the penalty for the offense

• 2% of the survey gave an answer referring to what Christ did for them

• The remainder opted not to return the survey to me

Due to a gross misunderstanding of what authentic forgiveness is in our culture at large, forgiveness has become this nebulous idea, an intangible and unfortunately a seldom practiced achievement or act.

Forgiveness is NOT forgetting. Purposefully forgetting is a mental exercise to ignore the offense, of “Band-Aiding” over the problem. Nothing is solved or resolved in this way of handling the matter. For example, let say that you were verbally abused at work and you pretend it didn’t happen. This is very similar to staying in an abusive relationship. Stuffing our feelings or hurts down and blocking out events in your mind causes resentment, anger, and stress to develop.

Forgiveness is NOT “letting it go.”   It is not liberating the offender of their offense. Using the above illustration of the verbal abuse, it would be like someone verbally assaulting you and you saying “it’s OK.”  Letting the offense “go” only promotes its return, its recurrence.

Forgiveness is NOT acceptance. This is an unhealthy habit one can get into in order to cope with hard issue in life. For example, let’s say your spouse wrongs you greatly and you respond in a way that it is “normal” or tolerable . . . you accept it. In essence you are saying that this offense is permissible to you and you are in essence welcoming more of the same behavior.

Forgiveness is NOT an understanding. This too encouraged repeat offenses. Let’s say that someone kicks your dog. You’re out walking her and they haul off and kick your sweet little puppy out into the road. Understanding this would be if you processes this event in your mind, rationalized it as the puppy was the one at fault as it must have gotten in the attacker’s way and thereby you condone their behavior . . . you excuse the offense passing the blame onto an innocent party, usually yourself.

Forgiveness is NOT absolving (pardoning or erasing) the crime. Though this term is used loosely by a state governor when they pardon a criminal, it is used as a legal term rather than a philosophical term in this case. When absolving an offense you make yourself the judge, jury, and executor. In essence you see the issue at hand and you take it upon yourself to decide the outcome of the offender. For example, there is a thirty story building that is on fire and one hundred and twenty-six people are trapped on floors five through thirty due to faulty escape means. If absolved, the owner of the property would be released of any wrong doing. The fact that the owner neglected to properly maintain their building’s escape plan would be totally erased of any wrong doing, free to go about business as usual. Those families that were connected to the one hundred and twenty-six people that were trapped in that building would have no recourse of action for any sort of compensation or settlement.

Forgiveness could be defined as the bestowment of unconditional favor . . . whether divine or human. Forgiveness is offender directed versus offense directed. In light of the above example of the faulty building owner, forgiveness would be recognition of the errant human factor involved and an extension of unconditional compassion. This is the purest form of love. No, the owner would not be exonerated of his wrongs but neither should they be subjected to the abraidings of their haters. Owning up to one’s faults and enduring the natural consequences is a far cry different than dragging someone through the proverbial mud. All too often our forgiveness seems to get inverted and it becomes for . . . getting, where in a healthy way we need to for . . . give. It’s an undeserved gift given not an object to be collected.

In conclusion of part one on forgiveness, 75% of those that completed the survey had a skewed view of forgiveness, however, nearly just as many with 70% were correct that it should be given universally, at all times and to everyone. Forgiveness is not turning a purposeful blind eye or forgetting.  Those are handicaps and weaknesses. In its most simplistic form, forgiveness is a recognition of an offense and a giving of love . . . regardless. Though it is universally accepted, it’s NOT universally practiced. Let this post be a call to give love, not just get love.

Until later . . .

P.S. Wanna see more of my fastidious and incisive enponderments? I invite you to join me on the vectored dance floor of life as I muse on my journey through the terpsichorean edifice called life. Enter here.

I’ll Raise The Sun

I’ll Raise The Sun

“I love you” he said,

Stained crimson red.

Lips that mouthed, it’s true,

“I forgive – you.”

All who are worn out,

Those who want to shout.

Friend where are you?

Why run, I know you.

Faithful am I,

No need to cry.

Here, I am here.

I’ll wipe your tear.

I know what you have done,

It’s ok, I’ll raise the sun.

He said “I love you so”,

White as snow.

Lips that mouthed, it’s true,

“I forgive – you.”

Jonathan Watson

April 13, 2008