I have been contemplating the Avatar series on Nick for the last  few days but there was something said in the Marriage Matters class we were in Tuesday nite. They basically made a duh statement. When you get married you become more like Christ because it's the most humbling experience in life. You are supposed to hold that person at a higher level than yourself & to love that spouse as Christ loved the church. A thought came to my mind that I dimissed as it wasn't something to discuss at such a place but I remembered in one of the scenes the Avatar learning that in order to save the world he must give up his own spiritual needs & enlightenment to fulfill the needs of the world. That was his destiny. 

It is said many times that we make our own destiny. However, Christians tend to believe God has every step paved before you even were created so if this is true, destiny is a very real thing that is unchangeable. Aang (the Avatar) had a specific destiny, to give up everything for the world he was chosen to protect, even life after life he was reincarnated, then found to do the same thing, throughout the entirety of life. While I don't necessarily believe in that specific mantra of life and reincarnation, I value the idea that your destiny is something you were created to do and it effects all of eternity and God spent all of time, up to this point, preparing all of mankind & creation for you and your role in this great big thing we call the human experience. 

So what does that say about life? I remember in another scene Aang is forced to clear his chakras in order to achieve control of the Avatar state (a state of being in which he is able to access all of his past lives to summon their power and wisdom to fight full force with all the power of the universe behind him), a state in which makes him uniquely able to save the world from the greatest evil it has ever known. This is a process, though for a different reason, is followed by monks across the globe as well as many other religions that believe in the bodies composition being of emotions, energy, and flesh. Aang had to let go of what he was afraid of, the things he clung to, the things he was angry or disappointed in himself for, etc. These things were like a dam, blocking the energy from flowing through his body and thus keeping him from being able to achieve full control of the power he had been given. 

This was stopping him from achieving his destiny. He was so focused on his fears, his priorities and dreams, his disappointments, etc that he couldn't let go and just live every day as they came so that he could be ready when his destiny was at the brink of fulfillment. He was distracted and lost. He wasn't getting the job done. He was failing. 

How often do we as believers let our own unforgiveness (towards ourselves) keep us from fulfilling the things that God CREATED us to do?! It seems such shows have greatly influenced so many people because of small hidden gems of truth but Christians forget that sheltering isn't what God called us to. HE was sitting with sinners, drinking wine and having a good time. He was hugging leppers with a life threatening, contageous, socially unacceptable illness and he DIDN'T CARE! He was going into the places that the whores walked, where the adulterous played. He FOUND them where they were and brought them out. If we are constanlty afraid to let ourselves, our loved ones, and those we care for in our lives around the lost and the things of the world (to a point mind you) then how are we planning on letting them fulfill the destiny God created them for?!

This week has been full of disappointments. I have been so sad at people I love because they are making poor decisions as Christians, parents, and leaders. Others are being effected by the lack of conviction, overwhelming fear, and chaos that reigns in life right now. It's coming from multiple places too, not one specific person or anything (so please don't feel I am addressing you, you're probably wrong). Satan is using the same things Aang was up against, to paralyze us. Maybe Western Christianity might not believe in Chakras, (though I honestly do believe in the concept to be completely honest), but we are definitely getting some bad side effects from harboring such fear, disappointment, etc. Maybe it's that when we were kids we made a bad decision when confronted with temptation. Maybe it's that we haven't ever wanted our kids to go through hard subjects and think that if they are exposed to other peoples problems then they somehow will adopt that as a way to cope. Perhaps it's just a fear that the world is going to creep in on our cozy existence and don't have the energy to fight anything else because life is just overwhelming us with the day in and day out functions. 

The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter what it is because God says there's nothing new under the sun. Every sin is the same and has tempted man from the very beginning. Why then, are we so afraid to let go and allow our destiny to be fulfilled. Why are we afraid and do we need to feel a level of control over our lives and the lives of others. Is it so hard for us to just let go and allow our Gods will to flow through our lives like the Chakras when free & clear allow energy to flow and power to thrive!? Such a simple concept and such a complex solution. If only we all could just relax, let go, and realize that there are HUGE issues in our lives, that we will have to deal with because if ignored they will destroy us. They will cut us off from the energy or spirit of God and we will be left powerless and thus useless to God. Complacency is simply the opposite of love, not hate. People confuse that all the time. We need to let go and truly love ourselves, our children, our loved ones and our communities. We need to reach out and let the love flow through us, reaching the lost. BE the hands of Jesus by letting our hands reach to the lost who are hurting. 

This year, we are being called to be a new creation. We are called to start obeying and stop compromising for the sake of the "status quo." We are called to be keepers of peace, yes, but also makers of peace. What use is peace if it comes at the price of NOT FULFILLING GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE AND THE SALVATION OF OTHERS! God knows all of our hearts and my prayer now is that we all learn that life is not about us or our fears and expectations. It's not about our hopes and dreams or our disappointments. It's about love and life and reaching out and fulfilling God's plan for our lives by allowing him to help us help others fulfill His vision for their lives as well.

Also, it's painful to clear ones chakras. It was for Aang very easy to clear them at first, but then those around him were in trouble, he couldn't let go of them and allow fate to take her course. He paid for that decision later. He still was forced to let go but it had to happen at the expense of another person. In our life, will we allow our fears and the need for control stop us from fulfilling our preplanned role in this life? Will we singlehandedly choose to stop God from using us by holding on instead to fear and pride? Heaven forbid. 

Lord, help us to let go of the things we cling to. Give us grace to forgive ourselves for the things we have flubbed and the strength to try again. Help us to not put our fears on others and equip and enable us to encourage others in their spiritual growth and development. Give us the keys to our destiny and teach us to borrow and use them, not control and posses them. Let us be used by you, as open flowing vessels. May these doubts, fears, and cares of this world no longer keep us bound in the chains of death. Let us not chain anyone else down with our pretensions either. God be our guide. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. We love you so much. Let YOUR will be done. 

In Jesus Precious Name, 

Amen!

I have been struggling for some time with this marriage and it's gotten to the point where I really have to write about it. I have kept it inside for a while because I disagree with the way most people instantly respond because quite frankly, they don't understand what a lot of women are going through. My  husband has an anger problem. He gets violent and physically abuses me. He doesn't alway hit, sometimes he pushes, tried to pick me up by random parts of my body, throws things at me, etc. It is random as well. It's not all the time or with every argument. It's like he just snaps. 

Today, I ended up calling the cops and asking them to please tell him he had to let me leave the house. I was going to go clean the church. The argument was stupid. He went out the night before from 9pm-2am for a special guys lazer tag night. He came home and went to sleep. Our son woke us up by 5 and I let him sleep till 7 when I just couldn't take it (I have a sleeping disorder which causes me to be tired all the time, and since I'm pregnant I can't take my meds so i've been very tired lately. I got no more sleep than he did at this point.) anymore. He got up and was fine, so he said. He drank a Red Bull and decided he'd start working (he works from home). I reminded him the night before and at that point that we had the church cleaning to do today and that he couldn't work all day.  He acknoweldged me and went on with his business. Around 10 I began a discussion with the babysitter who had to let me know when she could watch our kid so we could clean. I told him that when she let us know, we may have to go. He didn't apparently get that memo. She finally texted and I told him NOW was the only time she could do it, so I started telling him, he got angry because he couldn't hear from so far away, and so I asked him to come in and help me change a dirty diaper. He came in furious because he was on a roll with work and I was distracting his frame of though. 

When I then told him he'd have to wait to finish his work so we could clean he got very angry. I raised my hand in the air, (you know like a "whatever" gesture) and he grabbed my hand shoved me backward with a forceful squinty look on his face. When I started getting scared I stopped talking...he started getting even more upset because I was "ignoring him". Here I am just trying to avoid conflict because I know anything I say at this point will just make it worse. I get up and try to leave the house to just go do the cleaning myself, and he gets mad, won't give me the car keys and keys to the church after I ask him for them so I can go and then he follows me to the door when I grab the spare keys to the junk car. I go to leave and he slams the door out of my hands, holding it shut telling me I'm not allowed to leave. 

I grab my phone to call the babysitter (a grown woman) to ask her to tell my husband to let me leave, but she won't answer her phone. I call 2x's but no help. SO i call the local police department to have them tell him he has to let me leave. He flips out, grabs the phone from my hand, grabs my face to get me to stop talking, and almost picks me up off the floor with the same look of trying to exhert all his strength. Then he tells me I am trying to "ruin our family over a stupid argument" and I walk out the door. He throws the cat down the stairs because it's in his way and I make it to the car. He comes running out with our son and insists that I "call the cops off" and speeds away in the car with our son because he's scared they are going to take him away. 

I have no doubt he wouldn't hurt our son, unless he were bad in that particular moment of rage, I guess that might just be wishful thinking though. I have grown tired of all this. The cops of course refused to get involved telling me I had to call the sherrifs dept instead, such a great help they were. I am on the edge of my rope. 

• A pay as you go cell phone pre-programmed with emergency medical numbers
• A sheet containing family numbers and names to contact in case of an accident
• A phone card with current minutes 
• A blanket
• A flashlight
• Flairs
• Stocked first aid kit
• Emergency to do list
• Printed pertinent medical information on every passenger normal to the vehicle
• Cards with your insurance information (or paper and pen)
• Digital camera 
• Pack of assorted batteries

When in an accident, remember:

• Do not leave the scene until the police arrive (if they are coming) even if it’s a minor accident.
• Take pictures even if it seems to be a minor accident.
• Don’t try to get out of the car if you are badly injured.
• Don’t try to move your car until pictures have been taken to establish the position of the vehicles involved, if at all. (Some states actually have laws against moving vehicles in accidents)
• Stay calm!
• Don’t try to remove anyone from the other vehicle unless a significant fire danger is posed. If you do and their injuries are furthered because of your actions, you can be held legally responsible for their injuries, even if the accident was their fault.