I 'm Happy To Meet You...... My Name Is Rainey
Realizing that we are all individually and uniquely packaged, the opportunity to forgive comes everyday. Spending time with my FATHER helps me to recognize those opportunities and refreshes my spirit, as I navigate through an ocean of personalities.
Understanding God's way of doing things has changed my life in many ways. Learning how to forgive God's way, changed all my relationships, personal and professionally.
My Journey.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I occasionally went to church with Ma dear, my grandmother. While she tilled her garden or prepare dinner we would talk about God. Back then, biblical cliche's and one-liners age appropriate for a young girl were put into a capsule. Directions inside the box read
" swallow with water".
Even though I only lived across town, Ma dear and I no longer studied together. Her instructions on living and maturing in Christ were interupted.
At home there was only a Quran and I didn't own a Bible. But my desire to honor God stayed with me, and I knew He would be watching.
As an adult I could hear echoes from the pulpit and home that reinforced what I had learned. "Forgive them, for they know not what they do", "Forgive and forget", Forgive seventy times seven" ,"Always take the high road", "Always respect and obey your elders" , "Be good and Turn the other cheek", "Honor thy parents" , "Do unto others as you would like unto you". However, the little I knew about God was a social and professional deficeit when everyone else was living life by different rules . I just didn't get it! In all my getting I missed the "conditions of use".
For me often, meant being at the end of a very long line at the grocery store in terms of
getting what I needed and wanted from the
relationships most important to me.
Because, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first".
I had to check my moral compass often, to avoid the unhealthy trappings of jealousy, competition, disloyalty and greed. Surrounded by prestige and entitlement, the world of fantasy, beauty, showing more skin and wearing stilletoe heels is the jungle where I worked.
Skilled, knowleagable in business, the third in command of a highly visable corporation, and yet my life and career was a disater because God kept getting in the way of my common sense and shark like instincts.
Finally, I'd had enough! So had my body.
Cleansing and rest was critical. Prompted by few dizzy spells and a blood transfusion determined the season my life would take a different path. By this time I owned several bibles, read often and knew about the rise and fall of kingdoms, dates and all sorts of trivia
But this information did nothing for my relationships.
Unbelievers were under radar and kepted at healthy boundary lines. But the relationships among christians around me I still didn't understand. Why hadn't I learned how to deal with mindful self seekers, and the less scrupulous career tree climbers. Determined to guard the my mind, my heart and to avoid the toxicity that came along with repeat offenders that were bible toteing and hallelujah shouting christians. I took a well earned, "adult time out".
A few years later, I realized my cheerful personality was more cheerful. My desire was to re-emerge socially and be yoked with healthy relationships.
For a season, I stripped away all my childhood fuzzy wuzzy ideas I knew about God. Learning anew what He has to say on this matter or that, in its entirity.
So I started by re-examining those well meaning cliche's and one-liners for content, expiration dates and
conditions of use.
Observing how honorable relationships were cultivated in the bible and the conducting of business with sincerity and shrewdness. While also observing the progression of seemingly unforgivable situations, where ultimately good triumped over evil, to God's glory.
I began to connect the dots. The interesting conclusion was the dots didn't line up or connect at all like they were previously configured in my head.
A new understanding prove to be most interesting because it meant, everyone would receive the same measure of consideration when lining up situations with scriptures and most important, the motives exhibited
by a transformed heart.
Family and friends would be honored and cherished with a new sense of duty and God's Word.
What I Learned
1. How to make decisions – measuring my choices and lining them up with the appropriate scripture.
2. Preventative applications to help avoid poor choices
and
3. Directions on how to improve situations and relationships gone wrong.
This methodology is S >O >A >P
Scripture - Observation - Application - Prayer
It challenged me to observe the present condition of my relationships, apply God's Word
and then observe the results.
Now! I challenge you.
Have you really tried doing things God's way
and it didn't work?
In closing,
I encourage adults to revisit childhood lessons in an age appropriate bible study. God's living word does not change,but your growth and understanding will.
As you mature in Christ.
I thank Ma dear for planting good seeds in my garden
and my teachers at Sunday Bible School for cultivating and pruning the garden in her absense.
I have a new appreciation for the saying," An apple doesn't fall far from the tree." and Psalm 22:6,
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it".
Understanding God's way of doing things has changed my life in many ways. Learning how to forgive God's way, changed all my relationships, personal and professionally.
My Journey.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I occasionally went to church with Ma dear, my grandmother. While she tilled her garden or prepare dinner we would talk about God. Back then, biblical cliche's and one-liners age appropriate for a young girl were put into a capsule. Directions inside the box read
" swallow with water".
Even though I only lived across town, Ma dear and I no longer studied together. Her instructions on living and maturing in Christ were interupted.
At home there was only a Quran and I didn't own a Bible. But my desire to honor God stayed with me, and I knew He would be watching.
As an adult I could hear echoes from the pulpit and home that reinforced what I had learned. "Forgive them, for they know not what they do", "Forgive and forget", Forgive seventy times seven" ,"Always take the high road", "Always respect and obey your elders" , "Be good and Turn the other cheek", "Honor thy parents" , "Do unto others as you would like unto you". However, the little I knew about God was a social and professional deficeit when everyone else was living life by different rules . I just didn't get it! In all my getting I missed the "conditions of use".
For me often, meant being at the end of a very long line at the grocery store in terms of
getting what I needed and wanted from the
relationships most important to me.
Because, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first".
I had to check my moral compass often, to avoid the unhealthy trappings of jealousy, competition, disloyalty and greed. Surrounded by prestige and entitlement, the world of fantasy, beauty, showing more skin and wearing stilletoe heels is the jungle where I worked.
Skilled, knowleagable in business, the third in command of a highly visable corporation, and yet my life and career was a disater because God kept getting in the way of my common sense and shark like instincts.
Finally, I'd had enough! So had my body.
Cleansing and rest was critical. Prompted by few dizzy spells and a blood transfusion determined the season my life would take a different path. By this time I owned several bibles, read often and knew about the rise and fall of kingdoms, dates and all sorts of trivia
But this information did nothing for my relationships.
Unbelievers were under radar and kepted at healthy boundary lines. But the relationships among christians around me I still didn't understand. Why hadn't I learned how to deal with mindful self seekers, and the less scrupulous career tree climbers. Determined to guard the my mind, my heart and to avoid the toxicity that came along with repeat offenders that were bible toteing and hallelujah shouting christians. I took a well earned, "adult time out".
A few years later, I realized my cheerful personality was more cheerful. My desire was to re-emerge socially and be yoked with healthy relationships.
For a season, I stripped away all my childhood fuzzy wuzzy ideas I knew about God. Learning anew what He has to say on this matter or that, in its entirity.
So I started by re-examining those well meaning cliche's and one-liners for content, expiration dates and
conditions of use.
Observing how honorable relationships were cultivated in the bible and the conducting of business with sincerity and shrewdness. While also observing the progression of seemingly unforgivable situations, where ultimately good triumped over evil, to God's glory.
I began to connect the dots. The interesting conclusion was the dots didn't line up or connect at all like they were previously configured in my head.
A new understanding prove to be most interesting because it meant, everyone would receive the same measure of consideration when lining up situations with scriptures and most important, the motives exhibited
by a transformed heart.
Family and friends would be honored and cherished with a new sense of duty and God's Word.
What I Learned
1. How to make decisions – measuring my choices and lining them up with the appropriate scripture.
2. Preventative applications to help avoid poor choices
and
3. Directions on how to improve situations and relationships gone wrong.
This methodology is S >O >A >P
Scripture - Observation - Application - Prayer
It challenged me to observe the present condition of my relationships, apply God's Word
and then observe the results.
Now! I challenge you.
Have you really tried doing things God's way
and it didn't work?
In closing,
I encourage adults to revisit childhood lessons in an age appropriate bible study. God's living word does not change,but your growth and understanding will.
As you mature in Christ.
I thank Ma dear for planting good seeds in my garden
and my teachers at Sunday Bible School for cultivating and pruning the garden in her absense.
I have a new appreciation for the saying," An apple doesn't fall far from the tree." and Psalm 22:6,
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it".
I look forward to meeting you, when the opportunity is presented. In the mean time, please participate in our Worldwide Praise Report on the precedeing pages.