I haven't posted much on social media in awhile, other than responding with likes and hearts and hopefully encouraging comments to what others post, but I do want to share that I had a major turn around 12 days ago. The knee pain is so horrible and no one willing to do anything about it, and I was the only one researching and asking for this or that procedure which I've read will help even if temporarily, like injections that can soften the hard fibrotic growth that has covered me knee and hardened now, and injections also are known to reduce the pain.
That has been refused; the surgeon has a serious fear of infections. That is why I was not allowed to go to a Medicare-full-paid rehab facility after the knee replacement surgery. I had a PT the surgeon sent who did not recognize or claims he didn't know about arthrofibrosis post-op; the surgeon's PA did not recognize it, either. My pain doctor has tossed it back to the surgeon who he knows does not want to bother with it, but the pain doctor does not want to, either. (And he shouldn't have to, except that in past he has helped me when bad things have happened.).
The only thing the surgeon will do is send me for yet more PT, after the other PT's said nothing to be done; they showed me many stretches I'm to keep doing through out the day for however long my earthly bodily duration. I'm to go for deep tissue knee massage, said the surgeon to the pain doctor. The surgeon has not even seen nor touched my knee since June 20, the day of the knee replacement surgery. There is no way anyone can massage the hard stone that is my knee. I'll go, but the frustration level shot up, the anger and darkness and sadness and ugliness pervaded to a point that the Holy Spirit reached in those 12 days ago. He turned me around, placed me on a far better path.
In addition to Love and Pray (what I've been reminded to do in other situations ongoing that are unjust, persecutorial, sorrowful, and unkind), I was told to FORGIVE! Forgiveness is so crucial in addition to love and pray for others and for situations themselves--and I know this, and you all know this! But I didn't really, really know it, not know it deep down in the fullness of my soul as it needs to be known, felt, an enacted. The shift was within two or three minutes. I have the needed ingredients for traversing the rest of this life and into the next of which Love, Pray, and Forgive are learned if not already, or an automatic "breath and heartbeat" if not.
So I've been existing on Love, Pray, and Forgive ever since. Then, of course, there are the temporal whammies, just little things that present themselves like should I send a card or not, or when I've been told my social media comments aren't acceptable, don't have the proper "social media vibe" so I'm not to comment, not even short and positive ones because they are "different", there is that adaptation to letting go of social media, definitely not to leave comments for those who are bothered by mine. So more Love, Pray, and Forgive.
One must consider all in life--situations and persons--with the lens of pray, love, and forgive. But also, one must consider the temporal-spiritual aspects of "who". Who is it that God desires for us in this life? Who tolerates us, who accepts us as we are and for what we have to offer? This means, even if we are gimped and grumped with severe, non-stop pain, or we cannot be active, or we perceive in ways not seemingly the societal norm but yet accurate, can be thoughtful, insightful....
This means, who is it that God desires for us, who accepts or tolerates us--in a way that we don't have to cease to be or do who and what we are and how God created us, unless it is that which is best for us to cease being or doing. However, when another is bothered enough to make requests of negation or who view us negatively as odd or weird, or think we over think, or find this or that in us that needs to change (or says we are demonically oppressed)--are these persons enjoying us, comfortable with us, or do we frustrate them, cause them to fear we will embarrass them or to what their friends might think of us?
Are these persons like the apostle John, listening to us, standing at the foot of our crosses, or do they seem to wish and prefer we be made in their own image, or an image of what they deem acceptable or per society or social media's tolerated image of acceptability, of social and their view of "normality"?
This brings us to bridges, and burning or not burning them. I recall a vision dream years ago in which I was shown a burning. bridge, and I was told that some bridges are worth being burned. Burning a bridge sometimes is invaluable in that it keeps us from going back over when it is better we never go back again. But burning bridges also brings up the point of who burns the bridge? Is it one of the persons making conditions of relationship, criticizing the other, wishing without maybe consciously realizing that the other is frustrating to be around or know?
Or is the bridge burner the one who doesn't conform to the wishes or image the other wants in his or her relationships? And again, maybe some bridges are better off being burned regardless of who lights the match or who is the wood being lit?
We now come to sifting the ashes. What remains if we do not accept or cannot tolerate others for varying reasons? Does it matter? Persons come and go in relationships as well as in the temporal world; people die, one after another. On the other side, out of the ashes come souls who are shown truth, beauty, and goodness.
The showing then leads to learning. We learn we are to love, learn to prayer, learn we are forgiven; we learn how to love those who didn't fit into our scheme of social norms. we learn to pray to accept what it is we could not change; we learn that it does not matter that everyone perceives or is in our own likeness and image, or that they frustrated us because we could not control how they were. We learn be loved, and we learn to LOVE to learn to love, and then we love others with this love which when we love as God loves, we are loving with God's love.
We learn to forgive--forgive ourselves and to forgive these others because they couldn't make themselves be as we wanted them to be, in our image of normal or successful or calm or at peace or light-hearted or more serious, or whatever it is our image of normal and right they were not. We forgive them because we recognize how God forgives us--without conditions.
As for social media or temporal friendships, those will read or post what is wanted and which fits whatever image based upon the person who posts it. Those who don't like it because it is too long or too deep or does not fit the "social media vibe" can block the unacceptable-to-them poster's posts. Or, the poster can recognize and can share thoughts and insights on any number of other media options.
Or not. As for people as in acquaintances and friendships, there is always God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as manifold holy personages existing on the other side with free-access to us any moment day or night. They exist as we ought--in the Order of the Present Moment. They love to help us find our way through this life and hopefully to exist here also as in eternity, if we are so inclined.
There is no one more perfect a friend than is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Just depends upon strength of faith as to the degree of reality these personages exists as a true friend in need and in deed. We do not have to be concerned, for example, about Jesus being bothered about our comments seemingly "different." His words and insights were deemed that, was called worse, called "crazy." Jesus therefore understands those of us who have been thus called. Jesus will never burn a bridge with us, and if we are finding in Jesus a true love, there is never a need, not even a temptation, to burn bridges with Him.
Bottom line, if someone finds himself a sign of consternation to others on earth, no worries--he or she will be welcomed by the souls on the other side who are always with us, eager for friendship and conversation, of sharing their insights and holy lives with us.
If the folks in this world are frustrated or find us unappealing, cannot tolerate or accept when there is no actual means to altar our minds, hearts, and souls or our temporal, bodily conditions, expand the bounds of relationships when in essence the the temporalites are burning bridges with us by their choosing, and pick up with those who already know how to pray, love, and forgive and are into building bonds with those who can perceive beyond what constrains others here and now.
This blog post (and blog in general) is a totally non-vibe, non-acceptable social media whatever. Guaranteed not many will read it due to length if not other criticisms. I'm not into burning any bridges, but I've learned to let the bridges out there bring those who are interested in such as me, to walk over on the various media modalities available.
And I lovingly welcome those who have a need or desire to burn bridges with me, to do so. This aspect is a newly arrived gift just this morning, from God to me. Those who find me not to their total liking need to be freed from frustrations and worries, exasperations and embarrassments they perceive and maybe rightly so, that such as myself can cause them in the wilds of the temporal world.
God is forming me; God is progressing me and perfecting me in His way and time, considering God recognizes and accepts my imperfections as He's developing me as He wills. He's doing that with anyone who wants and asks, even if they have as many flaws as myself.
Life becomes much easier, the path less ugly, dark, and fiery when we learn to love to love, pray, and forgive. (And there may be more key words added to this initial list, but these are basic and essentials. Plus, there is no time chart nor chains involved once one steps off the bridge, so to speak, so that others don't have a need to burn it out from under us or keep us from walking over to interact with them.
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