Get REAL

Relationships

           Exemplifying

           Agape

                   Love

"Got REAL?"

I've got REAL with these two loving smiling ladies!

Both are wonderful mentors to me!

So you got REAL? I sure hope so! There should be no better place to look than your church if you go to one. This is the place were we should be able to be looked upon deeper rather just glance by someone. Now if you are a believer then you should do this for everyone. I'll explain this further by sharing what God has been doing in and around me for some time now.

Now before I could fully understand the fullness of REAL there were things I needed to realize and deeply learn. To me, there seems to be a spectrum by which we can view relationships other than the titles "acquaintance, co-wacko, co-worker, BFFL, BFF, LYLAS (love you like a sister), bestie, sister, sistah, Siesta, etc etc.....See the bottom line is that you simply do not know what is going on in someones life unless you look deeper. Perhaps you only glance at people so as to protect yourself and not be vulnerable to the things or with the people that come with looking deeper. Or maybe you find yourself around people who appear, at least to you, to have "it" altogether. (Trust me they don't.)

I'm not sure what end of the spectrum you are on but we have all been on any section of it at some point in our lives.

For those who thought I had it altogether, they did not realize that deep inside I was struggling with a challenging depression. I would do the things I was supposed to do because they had become habit in my life and in my heart but the JOY of it was absent or distant. And then to top that off no one seemed to have noticed that there was something going on at a deeper level. I just felt judged for not doing a good enough job here or there. But to "everyone's" defense - I did not even know I was depressed! So to accuse them of failing when it was hard for me to see would be unfair. But on the other end to say I put on my smile or my mask so no one would know wasn't intentional but later revealed to me as true. See life was very difficult for me for a solid 2 - 2 1/2 years. Little did I know it had begun its ugly process shortly before October of 2007.

One place I have been is actually what guided me into the depression was in the area of protecting myself. I protected myself right into isolation! This is wheree my depression began. Ironic isn't it? To learn that protecting myself lead to depression is a huge eye opener. But see when you are depressed you feel dead inside, hence the lack of JOY, but it is proven in the Word of God:

Matthew 10:39 (New Living Translation - important for words)

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

When we protect our lives we push God right out of that role and fulfill this scripture. I find it interesting the Lord showed me this scripture at the very beginning, prior to 10/07, but unfortunately I had only allowed its application to one incident instead of over my whole life. My journey began with the Truth right before my eyes but I still missed it! Had I not missed this key of Truth I might not have gone so long without JOY!

Psalm 5:11 (NKJV - a must for word's sake)

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You."

Now that these truths are deeper within me, I hope to show you the correlation to all this and having REAL friends. See one avenue through which the Lord guided me away from depression was allowing me to be rehired with a previous employer. This place has been safe for me - safer than any other place. This is good and true because I do mean the only only only only place I felt safe and built up! Yes you read that right: the only place I felt safe and built up! Now, I must add Lavernia Baptist Church in Lavernia, TX. This church made me feel at home for the two visits in which I was actually "doing the thing" while feeling so little joy and they loved me, they accepted me and allowed me to serve in my calling! Bless you all, Lavernia ladies you Rock for our ROCK! You provided me a soft place to fall by way of sharing what the Lord is doing in my life. You bless my very soul!!!

If you are thinking there are implications to my office and Lavernia BC being the only safe places unfortunately you are right!  I felt the need to protect myself every single other place I was.

So what has changed?

I'm so glad you asked!!!

Jesus!!! Jesus Jesus Jesus! He sets the captive free even when, especially when, the captor is you!

Now I not only seek what is REAL but I also seek to be REAL. I looking forward to this journey and hope you will join me with the next few blog posts and let's Get REAL together!

Abiding Still,