Dear All of Us,
Absolutes.
How absolute are they?
Conservatives insist on them
but fudge some and some more.
Liberals run for the doors
at the mere mention,
yet are darn absolute
about their relativities.
Both are likely
to absolutely challenge
the above.
So, what do we do?
I'm not
Kidding Around
about absolutes,
but Jesus sure is.
Check him out about how to be
absolutely counted in on
The Eternal Real Deal,
the kingdom of God:
The people brought children to Jesus,
hoping he might touch them.
The disciples shooed them off.
But Jesus was irate
and let them know it.
"Don't push these children away.
Don't ever get between them and me.
These children are at the very center
of life in the kingdom.
Mark this: Unless you accept
God's kingdom
in the simplicity of a child,
you'll never get in."
Then gathering the children up
in his arms,
he laid his hands of blessing on them. (1)
Jesus isn't kidding around
about the absolute need of
Kidding Around
Kids get it.
We need to.
There is absolutely
only one flight right
getting us to
God's kingdom.
"God's kingdom"
is Jesus talk for
living together
real, right
and forever,
centered in
God's Love.
It's the whole life plan
Jesus lived, taught, offered
and for which he died.
You know,
we can go like all blazes.
Most of us do.
But if we are buzzing along
in the wrong direction,
we crash into nothingness.
Jesus absolutely insists on
the only right direction in life,
to life in the kingdom of God:
"Unless you accept
God's kingdom
in the simplicity of a child,
you'll never get in."
Keep it simple.
Simply be like a kid:
Go with it.
Go for it.
Get gotten.
This is classic Jesus.
He's forever
flipping the tables
of conventional
short sightedness and
misdirectedness,
those of the money changers
in the Temple,
but way more:
- the first shall be last
and the last shall be first
- the greatest is the servant of all
- love your enemies
- do good to those who persecute you
- he spent a noon time
at the well
alone with a woman
(an absolute religious/social
"No No" in his time),
a woman of ill repute,
and helped her get sorted
out right and real
- he partied with publicans
and "sinners"
(another absolute religious/social
"No No" in his time)
- he didn't distances from lepers
(yet another "No No" that
he flipped
to a "Yes Yes"),
but connected with them
so they could be refreshed,
clean and whole
- he "cure cared" to heal
hurts of mind and body
- he didn't hang out much
with the top brass
or the top bananas,
but lived a preferential option
for the poor and overlooked.
Jesus offers and shares
the kingdom of God.
Accepting it means a flip,
an absolute redirect and reversal
of accepted/preferred
persuasion and practice.
To do that we need
to grow up to be kids!!
So, a moment or more
with Jesus and his
absolute requirement
to get into the kingdom of God:
- his helpers miscalculated,
misdirected - they shooed off
the kids - kids only counted
in that society when
they survived to be useful adults
(when they weren't kids anymore)
- Jesus figures and values
all the way other,
the "no counts" simply count
for more than a lot,
they're at the center of
The Center
- Jesus was ticked big time
and let his helpers know it
- Jesus told them
to never ever put a wedge
between him and the kids
and that kids are
at the very center
of the kingdom of God,
- Jesus completed the flip
insisting on an absolute -
unless you accept
the kingdom of God
in the simplicity of a child
you'll never make grade,
never get in
(that's a HELL of an alternative!!)
- then Jesus hugs and blesses the kids.
Hey, that sure as heaven is
one powerful, for real
Kidding Around
From where we are and as we live,
it may seem a "flip"
but our spiritual life really is
as absolutely simple as
Kidding Around
So, in case we have forgotten,
how do we simply kid around?
What can we learn from
those Jesus loved little experts?
Kids instinctively accept
good things.
They just don't push
the pause button,
calculating possibilities.
Check out
a newborn nursing,
a five year old learning
to ride a bike,
a child's chance to go
to Baskin Robbins,
a hug from Grandma,
They don't create it.
They don't earn it.
They don't refashion it.
They simply and happily
accept it,
right away and completely.
They go with it.
Kids are "all in"
on the here and the now.
They are present to the present
and what is offered.
They get absorbed in it.
They are not partial, tentative,
or split about it
as we older ones can be,
say like being on the phone,
watching TV, cooking supper,
and having a glass of wine
all at the same time.
Everywhere is nowhere.
Split attention
misses the moment.
Not so for those kid experts.
When kids play tag
it's 100% tag.
For kids it's simply and happily
"all in" right here, right now.
Kids are enthusiastic.
Life isn't a problem
to figure out,
a story to rewrite,
a prize to win.
It's an experience
to embrace
and that with gusto.
Check out a kid
on the water slide
at the local pool.
We'll see more than
a splash of enthusiasm.
Our spiritual life
means getting in on
the real deal -
the kingdom of God,
to accept it
in the simplicity of a child:
- to simply and happily
flat out accept it
so completely so that
we live it
- to simply be "all in"
right here, right now -
absorption - nothing "sort of,"
no partial anything about it
- to simply go at it
with gusto and enthusiasm -
completely energized
and engaged
To make grade, to get in on it,
we absolutely need to do some
real time
Kidding Around
So, come on.
Let's head over to
the pool and see how
the experts do it.
In God's Dear Love,
John Frank
******
(1) Mark 10: 13-16
The Message Translation
******
We were blessed this week
to have our first participation
from Sao Tome and Principe.
A warm hearted welcome
to all new to
"frankly speaking"
spirituality for the street
it is posted online early Thursday
east coast USA time
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
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******
Have a great week
for sure
Kidding Around!!
*************
