Parakalein

Last weekend I received an award as Alumnus of the Year.  Most of the responses have been positive in multiple ways like:  to be happy for me, to congratulate me, to say way to go, etc.

Two responses were negative and I really understand and receive the truth behind them.  One was to say, "awards are not what life is about, life is what life is about" and another "awards and diplomas" are meaningless caring for people is what matters.  I agree with both statements.  I wonder why they needed to be made.  Maybe each person felt I was flaunting my award.

At the ceremony I spoke about how this is just an award that honors "transforming the pain, suffering, death and loses of life into lessons that breed life and love, passion and compassion".  I focused on thanking Nyack College and my brother (who died three years ago) as the ones who God used to have gifted me a ministry that focuses on "transforming death into life, heartache into hope, and loss into faith.

So indeed pain suffering death and loss on our journey are what God helps us to transform into life lessons that we live before people and family into whom we pour our life lessons.

Slamming is what I have learned I do to myself and others when I have unhealed untransformed hurt and pain.  When hurt runs deep, we cannot just be happy.  When we enter into happiness, we leave the road of bumps and bruises into the way of blessing and peace.

Romans 14:13 tells us "Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or trap before a brother or sister".

I receive the true comments of all even those two negative ones as they are true.  I see that "transformative living" removes all things that are obstacles or traps that muffle or mute the message that it is "God who is at work in all of us" and God works through the least of us the greatest work.