Change

It is the title to the only song Michael Jackson sung that made me cry. In the lyrics he sung, "there's no message that can ever be more clearer..." And he is right. It is the same message that the bible is based on -love.

People will use verses and events in the bible to stand on their platform of hate but if they took the time to actually read it they would find that the wars that are written in those verses show the hate of others and to what extent they took it. Other wars are for the purpose to stop the evil plan and in order for that man who started to choose to wipe that colony completely out. The documenting of those things are to teach us what to do and what not to repeat.

Instead we justify the reason to argue, blame others for your own mistakes, be selfish, and stay that way just so you can have your own way? Relationships whether business or personal are destroyed because of these platitudes. Why must your point be made  rather then staying silent? Why should you be the one to make the speech instead of someone else? Why should the spotlight be on you? Why is it necessary for you to have the last word?

This past weekend (originally written in September), my children got together, bought groceries, and made dinner at my home so they could have a family meeting with me. I have had meetings before with them when they were much younger and to my surprise, they got together at times and met without me. But this Sunday, they came for the purpose of staying close and to keep abreast of what everyone else was doing. They knew that their experience to handle some of their issues is limited so they decided to be quiet and allowed me to speak. I was pleased to see how they have matured and placed those adolescent ways behind them. The compassion and sensitivity that I knew they had couldn't be used when the how-would-that-be-good-for-me thought processes were trying to spill out of their mouths. They were quiet and they listened.

You don't have the ability to force others to change. All you can do is change you. As surprised as I was (more like hurt) that my children would dare to meet without me, they needed that and I had to allow for them to do it without disputes. I had to be quiet and let them say what they needed to; because I didn't do the matriarch thing and speak in a booming voice that I can, they could listen to each other and at the given time to me. It was humbling for me to see and still taught how not to be.

The bible teaches us this very lesson to be quiet and listen to what others are trying to convey. You would be more readily to hear their hurt, their anger, and their hidden tendencies to do something criminal. It takes Wisdom not to blurt everything out without thinking. It takes Wisdom not to complain and be critical of every teenie tiny nit picky thing along the way. It takes Wisdom to pick up the socks without being told. It takes Wisdom just to shut up and listen. So change already; enough with the stupid things you think are so profound in.
(James 1:19 KJV)