THURSDAY THOUGHTS: TO GERMANY

There you are, happily buckled in your seat--your carry-on bag stowed. 

You've greeted your seatmate, and located your headphones. 

You made it to the airport on time, rejoiced that your bag wasn't too heavy, were led around in a maze, like a frequently-flying rat, exposed to a "healthy" dose of radiation, reassured that your blurry, x-rays won't end up on the internet, and were, for all intents and purposes, felt up by a stranger (who insisted they didn't enjoy it any more than you did). 

It's life at the airport after 9/11. 

You may as well wear a towel and flip flops, and send your luggage ahead to your destination, via UPS. 

There you are, anticipating a pleasant trip, the customary soft drink, and 8.5 honey-roasted peanuts. 

Suddenly, the seat in front of you comes flying toward your forehead like a runaway missile. 

Thank heavens your tray table isn’t down. You’d be sliced in half like a magician's unwilling assistant. 

The in-seat video monitor is now at an angle. The movie you WERE watching is now watching the floor. 

Your soda goes left, and your puzzle book and peanuts go right.

 

You're trapped. You felt like a sardine before, but you could live with that. Now, you're feeling like a SQUASHED sardine. 

So, you gently tap the person in front of you, point out that the already small space you occupy, has been lessened by 75%, and you ask, as politely as you know how, if they would kindly have a little compassion and put up their seat. (Note all of the extreme kindness involved.) 
They know what they have done. They were just hoping their move would go unnoticed. They roll their eyes, and ask coldly, "What do you expect me to do?". You tell them that you "expect" them to be a considerate human being and put their seat back up. 

In a huff, they reluctantly put up their seat, as if you've just told them to go to hell without dying first. 

Minutes later, after thinking about it, they decide that they don't care about you,  NOR your limited space, and they recline AGAIN. 

You're startled AGAIN, so you ask AGAIN. "Please, could you put up your seat? It's really cramped back here". 

Maybe you can appeal to their sense of empathy, but, wait--they have none. 

They tell you that they don't care about your lack of space, they intend to leave the seat in your face, and they turn around, leaving you with the prospect of flying with them AND their dandruff in your lap. 

They recline even more than before, just to FURTHER show you how little they care about your comfort. 

You feel like that poor turtle named Mack in the Dr. Seuss story "Yertle the Turtle". 

Nice, peace-loving, and gentle, didn't work. 

As a matter of fact, they got totally disregarded. Frustrated, sad, and defeated, you decide to:
A. Sit there like a moron sardine, and count the number of hairs on their head.
B. Push the seat back up off of you, and out of your space.
C. Call for a flight attendant, and hope a spawn of Satan doesn't show up instead.
D. Assign yourself a new seat, and pray you didn't exchange cramped quarters for an opportunity to be coughed and sneezed upon, or talked to death.
E. Cry.
F. Recline YOUR seat, and lie down into the lap of the person behind YOU, so that HE or SHE can count the hairs on YOUR head.
G. Haul off and slap the daylights out of yourself, so you'll be rendered unconscious, thus spending the entire flight not knowing, nor caring, whether the seat in front of you is back, upright, or swinging from the ceiling.
H. “Accidentally” waste your soda…on their head.

I. Use your hands and knees to play a drum solo on the back of their seat for the duration of the flight.

J. Really cry...just have a full-out meltdown.

K. Become a consumer of hard liquor after avoiding it your whole life.
L. None of the above
M. All of the above

Give up? 

Your best bet may be to sit there like a moron sardine…maybe cry…and drink.

Trying to get someone to do the right thing, or see your predicament, may very well land you in jail. 

If you can find a sympathetic flight attendant, you're fortunate, blessed, and depending on the airline, possibly dreaming. 

If all you've got, on your particular hellish flight, are sarcastic, antsy, tired, racist, over-worked, power-hungry people who have forgotten ALL about customer service, and only view themselves as post-9/11 sky police, don't even THINK about asking for ANYTHING.

 

The apparent correct answer, in these days of behaving badly, is for you to behave as rudely and as inconsiderately as the person in front of you, recline YOUR seat, and inconvenience the person BEHIND you. 

Apparently, “two wrongs making a wrong”, is the way to go on occasion, these days, and sometimes, it's just “too much like right” to acknowledge and correct gross errors in morality.

If you're sorta tall like me, knees against the seat in front of you are inevitable--especially if the person, sitting IN the seat in front of you, decides to recline. 

You're not being annoying, as you adjust your knee caps, you're just trying to minimize the swelling and bruising that is sure to come.

 

Be warned. Moving in ANY way may be construed as an antagonistic, aggressive, provocative, combative and hostile response, and may cause the person in front of you (who thinks it's perfectly alright to lie down in your freaking lap), to wild out, alert a flight attendant about YOUR inconsideration, and brand you a criminal. 

You have to keep "vewy, vewy" still. 

Touching the seat in front of you may land you in "big trouble" with the nasty law enforcement authorities waiting at your destination--"and you don't want THAT". 

You MUST keep in mind, as your circulation slows to a screeching halt, that you were just flying to spend time with friends, family, or maybe business associates--not inmates.

I get it now. The passenger in front of me had a "right to recline". 

I didn't, however, have a "right" to be comfortable. 

I was told I had the same "right" to be a pain-in-the-neck to the person behind me. 

What you DON'T do is push the beloved seat off of your knees and back into its upright position. You don't interact with it in any way, thereby making the person in front of you FULLY aware of the discomfort they are causing. If you do, suddenly THEY will feel offended, wronged, uncomfortable and inconvenienced. 

Whether it is on purpose, or a knee-jerk reaction to the back of a chair coming at you unexpectedly, any attempt to protect yourself, or hang on to what little space you DO enjoy, is a definite no-no. 

It doesn't seem fair, right, reasonable, or even HUMAN for that matter, to find that your inconvenience is considered frivolous, and your position is meritless. 

You're just supposed to deal with it, behave as badly as others do, or "Don't fly". 

Don't fly? What?

DON'T FLY. 

I heard those words being seriously said to one too many people:
*The mother of a 3 year old who was chosen for a second bag inspection.
*The parents whose young son got up to go to the restroom, seconds before the captain indicated there was turbulence ahead.
*The woman who was told her luggage required her to shell out another $600.00.

Uh...Dear Airline Presidents, is the scripted message that flight attendants are being taught these days, to say to paying passengers, "Maybe you shouldn't fly"?

I didn't feel like a valued customer OR a passenger yesterday. 

Yes. I DID have a choice of airlines to fly, and I'm beginning to think that the little parting speech at the end of the flight is, often times, just something to say.
I've flown for years on numerous airlines, and yesterday's flight was by far the WORST experience I have ever had. 

The turbulence, I could deal with. The incessant bumping and rocking was NOTHING, compared to being yelled at, treated like a potential convict, and threatened with arrest upon arrival in a foreign land all because I moved a seat off of my knees. 

I have seen rude flight attendants and uncaring, unhelpful, stone-faced agents before, but yesterday was by far the absolute WORST example of customer service and conflict resolution EVER. 

When I observed bad behavior toward passengers BEFORE I boarded the plane, I should have known there was a possibility that MY turn was coming.

I was SO happy when the plane touched down, I wanted to cry. 

A flight attendant stopped me on my way off of the plane, told me she saw what happened, and suggested I file a complaint with the airline. "You HAVE to write it up", she said as she gave me her name. 

Perhaps she knows something that I don't. Maybe over-the-top rudeness is the norm among her colleagues, and I wasn't the first passenger who had been treated so horribly. 

I've considered drafting a letter, but I honestly don't know how much good it will do. 

When I took out pen and paper to write, the rudest of the flight attendants saw me, and made sure I knew his name. "That's right! Joseph!", he said in a manner that made me conclude that his brand of customer service has gone unchecked for a while, and now he thinks he has a license to be a certified jerk. 

I looked at him and shook my head. I'm surprised he didn't spell his name for me. I suppose he thought he'd won. I suddenly felt pity for him. Maybe the power he wields onboard the plane is the only power he has anywhere.

I can't get yesterday back, but I do know what to do--and what NOT to do--in the unfortunate event that it happens again. I did sincerely pray that there would be a different flight crew on board when it's time to return to the states.

The whole discussion of whether something is a "right" should be SIMPLE. If it negatively impacts, or infringes upon the rights of another person, it seems that there should be NO question whether a particular behavior is inappropriate or abusive. 

I WISH I had seen the CNN article BEFORE I boarded the plane. Better late than never, I suppose. Apparently there's a new phenomena called "Air Rage".

I TOTALLY understand how the defendant in the case feels. My situation didn't involve me assaulting another passenger--just trying to reason with her (to no avail), and attracting the attention of flight attendants-- who wasted no time berating me. It seems that pushing an occupied seat out of your way is the same as pushing the person who occupies it. Someone reclining their seat and infringing upon your space is ALLOWED, by virtue of the fact that there's a “recline” button on their seat. Your reasonable reaction to their sudden, invasive movement is NOT allowed, by virtue of the fact that there is a “recline”button on your seat. Got it?

I've never had the pleasure of having the captain of a plane come, kneel down by my seat, and personally talk to me in all the years I've flown. Fortunately, this one was somewhat sympathetic, and still knows what "customer service" means. Even the passenger next to me tried to help me plead my case. Nothing we said counted. The conclusion of the matter was, if someone is rude to YOU, your only recourse is to be rude to someone else. 

No. I won't be embracing that philosophy, and no, I'm not going to stop flying. 

Lesson learned. 

After 9/11, passengers on planes became potential suspects. People are nervous and waiting for ANYTHING to jump off. 

Nerves are bad. 

Patience is low. 

Tolerance is, too. 

Make a move, and someone will jump in your chest first and ask questions later. 

Nice and law-abiding has nothing to do with it. 

Child or adult, you are at the mercy of the crew on board an airplane, and have mercy on YOU if they missed the customer service seminar.

Your reaction is key! 

No matter how badly you're treated, how you respond is the difference between your cause being supported, you being reprimanded, branded an instigator, or labeled the bad guy.
You can have expectations that people will do the right thing in any given situation, but kindness, compassion, consideration, and fair play are among things in life that have to be taught…at home.

Some principles are either instilled and embraced, or promptly adopted as a result of finding ONESELF in the uncomfortable shoes of someone else.

*********************

Two smiling faces greeted me after I went through customs and retrieved my luggage. 

God how I appreciate nice people! 

The kind lady, who'd sat next to me on the plane, gave me a hug and said, "God is in control". 

She also alerted me to the cultural nature of what happened on the plane. 

I never even considered cultural implications. Good grief! Was I looked upon as the proverbial "Angry Black Woman"? 

Is that why the flight attendants automatically assumed I was at fault? 

Is that why the captain was summoned? 

My seat mate told me, "You Americans ask, 'Is it okay to do this or that?' You are too polite. Everyone is not like that". 

I surely THOUGHT I had been polite. 

Good grief.

Even at speeds that MY speedometer only gets to display, but never experience, the ride to Ramstein, after my ordeal, was so WONDERFULLY pleasant. 

I just admired the scenery, and snapped a few pictures. 

There was a bottle of purified water (that I desperately needed), candies and mints for me in the car. 

With every mile, I could feel myself calming down. 

Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep. 

At the Hotel Merkur, everything had already been taken care of. 

My room was ready. I was escorted there. where a beautiful floral arrangement and gift basket awaited me. I thanked God profusely. 

It was nice to chat with my host for a while, and nice to be shown kindness and hospitality. 

"Do you need anything?" 

My eye was on what I needed--a very, very clean shower, and a neatly made, comfortable bed.

I don't know where the rest of Wednesday went.
Day ONE began with excitement and anticipation and morphed into offense, hurt, hostility, threat, accusation, defeat, and sadness; then ended in peace. 

It seemed like EVERYTHING I read or heard when I got to Germany, was fighting to help me forget, or at least, have a different attitude about flight 952.

 

A character on an animated program on the CBBC was explaining the definition of "subjective", and how to determine what IS and is NOT funny; then I heard the "Rocky" theme. 

After that, another character said, "We're going to keep on doing this until you get it right". 

The TV stayed on all night, and drilling of some kind began outside my window at 8:00 AM. 

I didn't care. 

The Sun was shining bright, "Scooby Doo" was on, and someone told Shaggy, "Cheer up. Enjoy the parade". 

You couldn't tell me that message wasn't for me. 

On another channel, I listened to Tobias Megeman play his tuba, and Katrin Zellner's musical nose instruments. 

I watched "Loose Women" and heard, "If you keep comparing yourself to other people, it's going to drive you nuts!" 

Even the Coke commercial preached, "You should lighten up". 

Judge Judy declared, "You're mad at the wrong person! We're going to start again. I'm going to try and calm down..." 

Then, an injury lawyers' commercial prophesied, "You can say 'It's fate', or you can say, 'I absolutely didn't deserve that'.

Day TWO brought pondering, questioning, praying, residue, displays of kindness, exhaustion, and spirituality working overtime. 

I dreamed that there had been a fire drill at the hotel, and everyone on the plane was lined up against the wall in the hallway--except me. 

I heard an alarm, and a man's voice coming through the TV speakers telling everyone to leave their rooms. 

I went to the bathroom, saw a weird bug and promptly killed it. 

The door was open, and I saw another one crawling on the carpet. Then I heard the door to the room open. I screamed, "Excuse me! Wait a minute!" until the door closed again. 

I noticed when I woke up, that the door handle in my dream and the actual door handle were very different. There had been no fire drill, false alarm, line up in the hallway, or bugs. 

It really had been a dream, but the ordeal on the plane was real, and I was still feeling it. 

Anger is a great motivator, but I was determined I would not be motivated to wreck the rest of my trip by dwelling on the flight.

I looked at my beautiful flowers, and thanked God.
Everything I heard, saw, and read seemed to be a comforting, encouraging reminder to put the events of the flight behind me. 

They were just a distraction. 

Even my bag of Uncle Ray's potato chips was ministering to me! 

Who knew you could learn anything from a bag of chips, except the calorie count, and saturated fat content? 

I have to hand it to Uncle Ray for the lesson on "Persuasiveness".

Day THREE has brought joy, relief, laughter, refreshing, and fellowship.

I’m grateful. What a difference a day makes.

#airlineseats

#flyingetiquette

#beconsiderate

KNOW YOUR WORTH

Sometimes you ask yourself, "If it were someone else, would they have done the same thing that they did to me?" Sometimes you come to the realization that you pose that question to yourself WAY too often.
It's true. You teach people how to treat you. Even if the infamous "THEY" KNOW to do better, if "THEY" get no incentive from you to behave properly, fairly, reasonably, or differently, WHAT, other than their OWN sense of right and wrong, will motivate them? Do you have time or reserve resources enough to wait for others to do the right thing?
When you don't speak up, don't value what you do, aren't sure of, or don't understand your reasonable worth, or live life dreamily hoping that people will miraculously do right by you personally and professionally, you may find yourself disappointed, disillusioned, and shortchanged quite a bit. Fortunately, a wise person of integrity will/can surely help you to change your view and put you on the road to honoring yourself, your time and effort. That wise person will undoubtedly be someone who has walked quite a few miles in your shoes. They have memories of being repeatedly disrespected, delivering goods and services but leaving empty- handed, listening to sob stories, and dealing with other instances where the end result was them feeling foolish--and in the red.
Respect doesn't have to be forced, but it is given--even reluctantly-- to those for whom it is a non-negotiable requirement.
When you finally see the light, you may realize that you have probably been:
1. Too nice
2. Gullible
3. Fearful of rejection
4. Insecure
5. Confusing humility with a sense of charity
6. Just plain fearful.
You'll find that a change is necessary when you wake up and realize that the biggest sucker you know is you. Some people won't like the change, but will soon find some other unsuspecting, trusting individual(s) of whom to take advantage. Ignore any manipulative tactics and words intended to keep you in a position to be misused.
Speak up. Know your worth. Ask for what you want, not because you're an, arrogant jerk, but because you have a healthy sense of self. At least one of the people who should benefit from your labor is YOU.

AND THE WINNER FOR "ANNOYANCE OF THE WEEK" GOES TO...

I know I'm of the generation that believed it was a no-no to walk in church while the preacher is preaching. It was considered a MAJOR infraction punishable by a good talking to by ANYBODY'S mama--or a spanking. You knew better. Go to the restroom before the service began. There was no reason to be mobile while the service was going on--except for the customary offering march.

With that said, I do believe I have a new pet peeve. Photographers CONSTANTLY snapping pictures in church--professional AND amateur. Sometimes, it's just seems unbelievably rude. I know that people have a job to do, but when is enough ENOUGH? When is it time to just use the zoom feature? Sometimes, especially in a small facility, it is just too much. You wonder if you're there to watch the photographer. Unless people just like having their photograph taken, it is a little unnerving having someone shoving a camera in your face every 3 seconds. Exactly what is it that one is attempting to capture? I'm waiting to hear about a pastor who has banned the use of cameras.
*sigh*
Church paparazzi....all that incessant walking/roving/posturing/clicking...I imagine a band of gangster angels tripping them, then taking the batteries out of their cameras, camcorders, and cell phones and throwing them out on the parking lot and screaming with glee as a truck comes along and crushes them to smithereens. I want to find my inner old church mother, snatch the shutterbugs up, glue them to a pew and yell, "SIT YOUR BUSY SELF DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE MESSAGE!!!!!", but then that would be an even BIGGER, annoying distraction, now wouldn't it? 
Pray for me. 
That is all.

SHUT DOWN

There's an obsolete use of the word 'GOVERNMENT'. At one time it meant "moral conduct or behavior; discretion".
Based on that definition, sometimes it seems as if there already IS a shut down.

A lot of people are fearful today because the entity within which they put their trust is appearing to be unstable, uncaring, childish, and selfish. The news reports seem to be assisting in creating an atmosphere of anxiety. It is a wake up to reconsider just who gets top billing in one's mind and heart. 
Government is doing things that it was never established to do, and as a result, has become to go-to guy for everything. When it fails to function, people tend to lose it. It is a god to many, and many forget who's really in control--and who has always sustained them in the past.

People are suffering, worried, and facing what looks like the end of their world. Perhaps their identities lie in the positions they hold. Perhaps they have overextended themselves financially. Perhaps their plans have been indefinitely placed on hold. Perhaps something may have to be sacrificed.
Every misfortune, however, is not the result of an individual's wrongdoing or poor choices. Power in the hands of people who have forgotten that they are servants can be dangerous. It can also be a blessing in disguise. Oppression has a way of stirring up the survivor in a person. Lack of trust has a way of inspiring one to take precautions. Trouble can be a mighty motivator. It may even guide you to where you are supposed to be.

As I pray for leaders, I'd hate to think that people are delighting in making others squirm. You never want to think that people are deliberately causing hardship, or hoping that others suffer. Then it occurred to me that someone has used all of their leave. Someone needs a vacation. Someone needs more time with their family. Someone desperately needs rest. Someone has been putting off retirement. Someone has asked God for a change. Someone secretly desires to move. Someone has been going to work ill. Someone has had a toxic situation in the office. Someone has been spending a fortune on gasoline. What may seem like the political posturing of uncaring, spoiled, uncooperative leaders just MAY be divine intervention.

God is still sovereign. He says don't worry. He says trust him. Sounds like a plan.

Never be so arrogant as to think that another person's success or failure lies in your hands or depends upon your support. What looks like despair, rejection, sure failure and defeat to you--even if you orchestrated it-- may be a divine set up, and in the end, the only person you can depend on will be the person you put down, laughed at, cast out, ignored, oppressed, or tried to destroy. Read about Joseph in Genesis 37-50...and trust God.

TODAY I LEARNED: EXCERPTS FROM ZION

"He gets on my nerves...HGOMN...That's a new one...If you're going to love your neighbor, treat EVERYBODY right. Love and respect EVERYONE. God loves people downtrodden...broken...disadvantaged...God waited on all of us... He waited on you until you came to Him... How dare you act like you're better than anyone else?...Don't kiss up to important people and kick down poor people...We have got to be a people who are concerned with more than ourselves...
When a pastor needs to know the temperature of his congregation, he must put the thermometer in his own mouth. We can have the most inspiring, creative, engaging service in the world, and it is meaningless if we leave and don't care about people. You cannot connect with God and ignore the people that He's concerned about. Ask God to show you what your prejudices are...Consciously, intentionally try to love and respect everybody. Ask God to show you what your prejudices are...If you're going to love your neighbor, treat EVERYBODY right...You can't score points by just drawing up a play. Help us to run this play--not just think about it, but execute it..."Faith and favoritism don't mix..." ~Pastor Keith Battle

"Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." Proverbs 22:2

"Flatter not thyself in thy faith in God if thou hast not charity for thy neighbor." ~Francis Quarles

"If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble." ~Bob Hope

SATURDAY THOUGHTS: TOOLS

"And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me." 

~1 Samuel 21:8-10

There is probably a tool for every job. There are, no doubt, countless gadgets lying around our homes in bags, drawers or tool boxes. 

Can we identify them by name? 

If challenged, would we know what to do with them, or just concoct a use for them based on what we think they are? 

"What is this for?", we ask before we decide whether or not we need to keep the mystery tool, or throw it away.

 
There’s always a tool that will allow us to perform a task with greater ease, in less time, and with better results. What works for others, however may not work for you. 

The scripture finds David in search of tools. It’s ironic that the same David, who had earlier rejected the weaponry of Saul as he prepared to fight Goliath, was later being offered, and accepted the sword of Goliath- as he was running from Saul! 

David had been given an assignment by his father prior to his entanglement with the giant. He was merely being obedient when he arrived with roasted grain and bread for his brothers, and cheese for the commander of their unit. 

Instead of being thanked and greeted warmly for bringing food, David’s brother chastised, criticized, accused and challenged him. 

David’s purpose for being there changed dramatically when he heard the words Goliath spoke against God. 

David’s brother was not only going to see him in the battle, but David would perform with the kind of bravery and skill that none of the soldiers had been willing, or able to demonstrate. 

He was going to defeat the enemy on his own terms, and using the tools with which he was accustomed. He had developed mastery with those tools. It was clear that he carefully selected stones. There were things he learned as a result of his prior experience that would serve him well in the most notable confrontation of his life.

Possessing the proper tools for a job, but choosing not using them is just foolish, and guarantees among other things, a big mess and wasted time. 

Having great tools and not knowing how to use them reduces them to decoration. Having available helpers who do know how to use the tools, and not bothering to enlist their expertise makes even less sense. Proper tools utilized in proper places, are a terrific idea and conserves energy.

When faced with a task, wisdom says "Prepare". 

Perhaps there will be big mess, but it doesn’t mean it’s not manageable.
You don’t see the task at hand, and then guess at what you need to complete it. No. Any task has to be assessed.

Consider the fish cleaner. Part of the task of cleaning an actual fish is removing the scales. What do you do? If you don’t know, your first inclination would be to grab a knife. Maybe you’ve tried it, and had to learn the sloppy way that scraping with the grain of a fish’s scales, using an ordinary knife, won’t get rid of a thing. 

There’s a proper way to do everything in order to obtain optimal results. Scraping against the grain of the scales with an actual fish scaler will help you achieve the objective- which is to remove the scales! 

Do we want to play with the fish or clean them? 

How a fish is treated soon after it is caught, has so much to do with whether it will be preserved or discarded. 

Fish, like people don’t fare well when they are mishandled! It doesn’t take much to badly bruise them, and they can’t be left out in the elements. A few days of improper treatment renders the caught fish unusable. Do you see a connection?

We have a tendency to make some things more complicated than they have to be. Sometimes a simple thing can be a big help. If you know a mess is imminent, make provision and use common sense. 

I thought about the process of cleaning actual fish, and remembered that the first thing most people do, if they’re inside, is to protect the surface on which they are going to work. 

The first thing most people reach for is old newspaper. When it comes to making mess, suddenly that old, cheap newspaper is like gold. The ever abundant newsprint paper seems perfect for holding all of the mess, and it’s wide enough, plentiful enough, and pliable enough to just ball up and throw away when the job is over. 

Every task does not require great expense. Can you imagine someone cleaning fish on a linen covered mahogany table? Who cares about being pretentious when they just want to be clean? 

How many valuable things and people have we thrown away because we used them improperly and unnecessarily? 

What far reaching choices have we made when we could have just selected something right under our noses? Cleaning fish? Get newsprint. It does the job and then is easily disposed of. That’s right. Throw it away. 

Cleaning people? Be careful that the wrong things don’t end up in the garbage.

When something has served its purpose, it’s time to move on to newness in thought and deed. 

When something has exhausted its capacity, or begins to stink, it’s time to toss it and replace it with something new. 

Something clean has to be separated from any and all sources of contamination. Past hurts, failures, mishaps and messes have to be tossed out, like the fish scales in the newspaper. 

When Jesus healed the woman of her issue, he said “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague". Mark 5:34. 

I’m sure she was not the least bit interested in carrying around, keeping or wearing the clothes of her infirmity! They’d served their purpose long enough.

If you’re cleaning, keeping the junk and trash around is counterproductive. Even when you think the residue has been removed, a little rinsing never hurt. 

The need for thorough washing has to be understood. 

The knife, the scaler, the newspaper and the rinsing takes care of the surface, but what about the insides? It’s sobering, but if a fish is being cleaned, it’s already dead, so the next necessary step won’t hurt in the least—and it means a lot more mess. If we’re going to serve, we have to finish the job.

If you want a good fillet, there are knives specially made to make sure no meat is lost. Fish have scales, and some genius actually manufactures fish scalers just to help that task along. 

I found out that a fish’s scales are a good place for bacteria to live. Getting rid of scales insures a cleaner, longer lasting, and better tasting piece of fish. In like manner, those things that are upon the people of God which causes them to be soiled, weak, sour, or threatens their longevity have to be removed. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do everything, and time is not always on your side.

Why not invest in anything that will assist in getting a job done more efficiently and effectively? 

Why keep using the same old things just because they are convenient? 

Sure, you can always substitute one tool for another. A butter knife makes a great screwdriver, but every screw is not the same. A drawer full of faithful butter knives pale in comparison to one Phillips head screwdriver when the screw you’re trying to loosen has a Phillips head!

As there are varying types of screws, there are varying types of fish, with varying purposes but one goal in common- survival. 

Ephesians 4:11-15 reads, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ." 

People are in fact resources. We cannot continue to make the mistakes of lumping everyone in the same category, leaving huge amounts of critical work in the hands of a few, and being so covetous or insecure that we take on tasks, and assume positions that our hands were never intended, nor assigned to handle. To do so threatens that our own true calling and gifts are never realized. We must believe in God’s willingness and ability to provide us with everything we need to flourish. 

1 Corinthians 12:28-30 reads, "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" 

Obviously the answer is "No", and we must act accordingly. 

Helping to clean up people, like cleaning fish, and obtaining the best they have to offer is not for novices! 

 Carelessness in employing the tools of our service is unacceptable. 

There are those who are given to finding fault, and ever evaluating whether or not people are suitable for one task or another. It’s the kind of thinking that leads some people to believe they have to be an integral part of everything, and present everywhere whether their gifts, callings or talents are suitable for a job or not. There’s a level of insecurity and selfishness in those who are rigid and inflexible with regards to others. 

We have no choice but to see the good, and employ the proper tools to bring it to light! Further we must embrace the very real truth that the best man or woman for the job is always the one whom God designates. Whether we choose to agree or not, God’s purposes will always be fulfilled. 

We can’t mishandle the people of God- especially babes in Christ. 

We certainly can’t be serious when we scratch our heads and wonder why they don’t stick around, and choose to take their chances in the world’s muddy river instead.

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS

"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:5-8

Enter lots of workplaces and, no matter what business is being conducted, you’ll find that someone has posted a list of do’s and don’ts. We spend our childhoods anticipating a time when there will be no one telling us what to do, only to find that rules and directions never go away. There’s always someone giving orders, restricting our behavior, and posting signs to make sure we don’t forget to behave ourselves.
There are lots of reasons that people make lists or signs and hang them for all to see. Perhaps there was an accident as a result of someone’s carelessness with a piece of equipment. Maybe something was damaged or contaminated because of improper handling. It might be that someone goofed, and instead of the offender being directly reprimanded, it just seems more diplomatic to post signs and indirectly address everyone. Sometimes the “to do” or “don’t do” lists are just reminders of what steps to follow in case something suddenly malfunctions. The hastily scribbled signs that are full of underlines and exclamation points are the best. They imply that someone is a bit upset, and whatever happened had better not happen again. “Please wash your hands” "Use this door" "No Smoking" "All Employees Must Sign In" "Authorized Personnel Only" "Don’t Even Think of Parking Here!" EVERYWHERE there are rules and directions to govern our actions.

When conditions are set, there are reasons. When Jesus addressed his disciples, he gave them very specific instructions. The Bible doesn’t say that they challenged Jesus, or asked why they couldn’t venture out of their immediate area or follow their own script. Jesus didn’t want them to just rush out in all directions. There was a plan of action that had to be followed. Most of all there was and is a God to represent. The disciples could not be anxious and take it upon themselves to go outside of the boundaries set by Christ, or perform duties outside of the ones he specified. The instructions Jesus gave didn’t imply that the disciples were a bunch of dummies who couldn’t think for themselves. Jesus wasn’t being condescending. It seems to me that he demonstrated great love for them by taking the time to be so specific. They were given an opportunity to prove themselves teachable, dependable and committed. They were demonstrating that they could be trusted, and could handle such an important task.

Every now and then, even the most competent among us need a little refresher that helps us to perform more efficiently. We get careless sometimes, cocky even- especially if we’ve been doing a particular job for a long time. We think we can do it in our deepest sleep. We don’t like the idea of someone evaluating us or looking over our shoulders. We’re anointed right? We’ll just instinctively know what to do, won’t we?
It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves as we serve. We hear instructions, rules, requirements and suggestions and sometimes think we don’t need them. We minimize their importance, are offended by how simple they seem, or decide they don’t apply to us. Then, we feel free to act independently, establish our own methods and plans, and wonder why things don’t work.
Sometimes we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and decide that the instructions we are given are too hard, unfair, or deliberately designed so that we can’t possibly live up to them. This causes us to modify our behavior; sabotage our potential, or walk away from our assignments. Even when we’re called, anointed and appointed, do we really have to be told where to go, what to do, who to approach, what to say, and how to behave? Do we still need directions? Absolutely. 
As servants we have to listen. We have to pay attention. We have to be receptive to instructions, carry them out, and not embellish. Any bright ideas we have, no matter how wonderful, are shaky at best if they deviate from the instructions we are given.