IT IS WHAT A BIRD HAS EATEN THAT IT FLIES WITH

WHAT’S ON MY MIND?
Lazy Mode Activated...Shower running cold water for now....

On Saturday, I was picked up at the station and we drove straight to Huddersfield to join the men who were working on the church interior.

The contractors doing our suspended ceiling and mezzanine ceiling had the whole place upside down and we planned to get the carpet washed and dried against Sunday.

To cut the gist short. There was a foldable ladder that we wanted to open up. It has about 4 to 6 clips that we just couldn’t open.

Somehow along the line, I accidentally got 4 of my fingers trapped and clipped up inside the ladder’s folding angle - 2 fingers from each hand. I SCREAMEDDDDDDDDD!

I repeatedly screamed Jesus....(but honestly more like Jeez or Jeezus). I was in pain. I ran around in circle and zig zag, and then collapsed on the ground in pain.

My wife quickly grabbed the both hands to administer a gentle but firm squeeze on the 4 fingers as I groan in deep agony.

Now let me tell you the truth....

As I was in that pain, my mind was madly raging for heavy ‘cuss’ words to match the pain that my whole body felt. I wanted to swear big time. I was madly in pain. Imagine a deep and very unbearable pain on a body that has gone 26 hours without sleep! Ever fibre in me felt intense flushing heat of the pain.

I wanted to ‘sin’, I wanted to let loose my tongue to utter some unprintable words that would match my pain. Guess what, I found none.

After the pain subsided, I asked Dr Edmond and my wife if I cussed or swore in anyway. I was surprised when they said I didn’t. I thought I did but couldn’t remember but they assured me I was just screaming ‘Jeez’. I couldn’t believe it.

And you know what? An hour earlier, the 2nd contractor that was fitting the ceiling bulbs didn’t know his colleague had positioned some in the trap-mode that would secure them in position. His right fore-finger got caught in the trap and he cried.

I saw the words that were about to stream out of him and I quickly ran to embrace him and hold him back from spewing out those trashy cuss words inside the church building. He quickly ran out to satisfy his tongue as he writhed in pain too. Within seconds, he lit up a cigarette to get his nerves calmed.

When mine happened, he ran inside. My pain was bigger and my screams louder. He came to embrace me too. But I just couldn’t find the right words to level up with my pain.

I am conversant with the scripture that says “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Truth is, it was on Saturday I clearly understood the depth of that verse in a different perspective.

This is why “Keep your heart with all vigilance(diligence), for from it flow the springs (issues) of life.” is a good verse to determine what stays in your heart the most.

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence”...until you activate their emotions!

I think when Paul told the Colossians church that “Let the words of Christ RICHLY dwell in you....” he was actually coaching them in the art of getting their hearts occupied with Godly things so that whatever comes out of their mouths will christocentric.

I guess I will now start to take my Romans 12:2 more seriously - And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I don’t know what the onlookers in my moment of mad pain would be thinking of me now had I had plenty stuffs to eject from my heart.

Am I human? Yes! Am I susceptible to errors or mistakes? Oh yes! Am I an angel? No! What’s the difference? I have only found grace...and I keep walking whilst ensuring I monitor what I allow to stay or pass through me.

And you know what? Jesus promised to help us find a way of escape when we are boxed up and our we are about to let our guards down in 1Cor 10.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

My favourite is Hebrews 4 where we are promised grace to help us in time of need after obtaining mercy. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

So you see...like an adage that says ‘it is what a bird has eaten that it flies with”. Not sure I transliterated that well though. But the fact remains that it is the contents in you that drives, motivates, carries and reveals who you are.

We are all work in progress...let us keep on working and trusting the master to help perfect us.

But the truth is, you can’t spend the whole week listening, dancing and singing to all these crass ungodly songs and expect your to lift up Holy hands and holy tongues on Sunday. He cannot be mocked.

You should always aim to be ‘less of you’ and always ‘more of Him’. John the Baptist understood that truth.

Anyway, I decided not to quote the verses in some of the scriptures I quoted above. The old bible manuscripts were never in chapters or verses. You had to read and study the whole block of book to find the portion that a rabbi talked or quoted from.

Robert Stephanus (Robert Estienne) helped us to create the chapters and verses used today. Though there were others who attempted that before him, but I guess his work was accepted mostly being an accomplished printer!

Chapters and verses make us lazy. We stop reading when we should have continued, and we mostly miss out the context of the narrative in question in most cases.

So if you want to find the verses quoted above...read the whole book they came from. Some chapters were quoted...that’s an advantage.

Gotta go. I dodged Tony the body punisher this afternoon. Don’t ask me the excuse I gave though. My wife woke me up at 3pm to make my appointment with him. What a dangerous combination the duo would have been had I allow TONY to be speaking to my wife to check on me. My wife will be the one calling to ask him if I am showing up for my sessions. Don’t know if I can call that Godly wickedness. My body is still groaning from yesterday.

Just help me pray to God to touch his heart so he could be nicer tomorrow. The pain barrier is thicker than the wall of Jericho. I will need a billion hallelujah to break through that.