Direct Connect

It never fails. I’ll either vent about something in an entry or have a conversation with somebody or have some type of encounter with someone about a subject matter, and very soon after I will come across a man/woman of God who will confirm everything I expressed. It happens often from writing these entries. And I’m not talking about light stuff or one-size-fits-all stuff, but I’m talking verbatim.

Anyway, so Friday I was having a deep conversation with my colleague and on Friday night my pastor confirmed everything we discussed. It amazes me every time. I can’t even tell you how she and I got into this deep discussion, but that doesn’t even matter. Cause I know it was ordained by God. She actually sits right next to me and so by it being a really laid back Friday, although we were both extremely busy as I was coming back from the bathroom I peaked in her office to chat.

Again, I don’t know how the conversation originated but it ended up being about a personal situation she’s going through. My colleague is a new convert. She’s always acknowledged God and believed that Jesus exists, but just recently she officially gave her life to Christ and so things are starting to change for her. She’s changed. And its evident. Almost scary. I knew the other her. A run-her-mouth type of chick. A couple of years ago we argued so bad that I was up in her face about to knock her out. Our other colleagues had to come in between us. That day I had to take one for the team cause a couple of us were fed up with her. But that’s another entry. And was years ago. Since then…..well we both found Jesus. Or should I say……He found us!!! Our relationship has always been professional even when our personalities crossed, but now there is a Spiritual connection and we have come in agreement with one another to tackle some of the demons that are floating around in our workplace.

So I stopped in her office and she told me that she had gone to lunch with her childhood girlfriend and came back real hurt. She said she and her girlfriend were having a discussion about one of their other girlfriends who my colleague said that the other girlfriend told her that since she became “saved” she doesn’t have an interest in their friendship anymore. So my colleague was expressing this to her girlfriend over lunch and so she told her girlfriend that you know…..she can’t just cut off talking about Jesus cause she’s had a personal encounter with Him and knows that He is indeed real. She also told her that she doesn’t understand why their other girlfriend doesn’t accept her for who God is making her to be. But then this girlfriend dropped a bombshell on her. She told her…… “well to be quite honest with you I don’t believe that you have to have Jesus in order to have a relationship with God either.”

My colleague, who is a people person by heart, was expressing this to me and was quite hurt. I could hear it in her voice and saw it on her face. And so she was expressing to me that being a new convert she doesn’t know how to respond. Of course her pastor could give her scriptures to give them, but when one has cut off circulation to Christ the Word is not gonna go but so far. Talk about the Word, my colleague said that on a couple of her recent emails to her mass recipients she ended with “Jesus is Lord” or “Praying for you all”, or even quoted a scripture. And she said a couple of folk took offense to it. Some were offended and responded jokingly, but others took it to the extreme. She said that one of her husband’s friends backed out on a group trip and later told them that it was because he wasn’t trying to hear about Jesus. Wow.

So my colleague was hurt and baffled to say the least. And so she was looking to me for understanding, and I was stuck. I mean, I ain’t never come across associates who said they didn’t believe in Jesus. I mean, most of my issues with folk on this Christian journey are those who claim to know Jesus, but ain’t living it. So when she asked my opinion…..I was a little stuck. I did, however, explain to her that she is now going through a sifting process. She and her husband both. They both have given their life to Christ and have decided that they, and their two boys, are gonna live for Christ. I so admire her now. Really I do. There’s such a radiance over her.

So I was a little stuck about how she should go about telling those who inquire why they indeed have to believe in Jesus to get to God. It’s basically that Oprah mental-bondage, spiritually-damaged, self-reliant crap. But then the Holy Spirit gave me an analogy to give her. The analogy worked so well because she absolutely luuuuvs her husband and two boys. She lives for them. And because it brought an answer down to her understanding in which she can pass on to others instead of trying to push scriptures that will not be understood or accepted. Now let me put a disclaimer out there before I get emails rebuking me. I know just the circle of folk who will---lol. THIS IS ONLY FOR ANALOGY PURPOSES. IN NO WAY CAN I RELATE ANYTHING OR ANYBODY TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. HE IS……AND IS ONLY. AGAIN, THIS IS FOR ANALOGY PURPOSES ONLY. TO GET A POINT ACROSS. Lol. Gotta do that cause religious fanatics will start leaving me all kinds of weird messages.

Ok, here goes.

So I told my colleague to imagine that President Obama was God. For the last few years, since she saw this brilliant man on the political scene she has taken a liken to him. Cause he’s powerful. And he’s talking her language. However, she can only go by what she sees and hears on television…..cause she really doesn’t know him, know him. I mean…..he has her same characteristics and is pushing for the same change in which she’s agreeing with, but her relationship with him is a little distant. Cause she’s never personally met him. But she’s cool with the distance cause she has a connection. She feels his pain and power. And he’s showing it back to her. Through the media. But she has another connection that many others do not have. See, they both reside in the nations capitol. And so every now again she’ll get the benefit of seeing his motorcade ride down Pennsylvania Avenue and may get a glimpse at his face. She has a great chance at that. And it intrigues her loved ones who live afar. That she resides and works where Obama lives and works. Secretly, even if she doesn’t ever see him in person, its cool cause she’s gonna benefit in some type of way from the power of his position. Cause he told her she would. When she saw him on television. So there is a connection.

But then, as she’s going about her daily life “embracing change” she meets a man in the grocery store. At first she’s not interested. But when she accidentally looks into his eyes she feels a connection with this man. Cause he’s intriguing. It’s something about him that interests her. So they play peek-a-boo from aisle to aisle until finally the man will walk down her aisle and introduce himself. She’s looking into the man’s eyes and falling for him. Don’t know what it is…..he just go “it”. Over the next few months they get to know each other and during that course of getting to know each other, the guy reveals that his father is President Obama. Ok, you see where I’m going with this.

Ok, now since she has established a relationship with this guy, who by the way has asked her hand in marriage, she now gets to meet her father-in-law. Let’s just imagine that there are no Sasha and Malia---lol. Maybe Michelle, but no other children. Just the son. Cause that’s what dude told her. And she believes it. Cause the proof is there. LOL. So she gets to go to the White House, have good conversation with Obama, even hang out and play a game or two of one-on-one, or maybe a game of Scrabble. Personal time is unlimited. And situations behind closed doors she has access to. Any career hook-up she needs, she’s got it. Cause her in-laws got connections. She’s now flying on Airforce One, going to all the social and political events, having access to Michelle’s stylist, and even traveling to many nations with the Obamas. She’s walking the red carpets and being recognized as “the first daughter-in-law”. She’s getting ALL the benefits. She can actually walk up to the White House and get in. Cause there’s a relationship. They know her. Because of the relationship they’ve built…….through their son.

So they get married. And she’s enjoying the good life with her in-laws and they are loving on her. Cause she’s officially an Obama. Things aren’t PERFECT between her and her husband, but they’re not deal breakers. Every now and again a disagreement will ensue. Like any other relationship where you go running for answers and understanding. But then she starts listening to and taking advice from her girlfriends. And it starts to cause a rift in her marriage. She and her husband start to have real problems because of this. Her ego is big and she’s making a fool and mockery out of the relationship. Giving the Obama’s a bad name.

So she walks away from the marriage. Cause by this time she has come across enough “successful” folk in the circle that she has been in and so now she’s running her own celebrity image. And not really realizing she’s walking away from the marriage…..she walks away. And the husband lets her go. He has a talk with his father and have agreed to let her go. He turns her over to the life in which she’s indulging in. So there is a disconnect. No longer can she walk up to the White House and expect access. The relationship is broken.

For a while she still rides off of her “success” and image. Cause afterall, she’s still an Obama til futher notice. At least that’s the name she’s riding off of. But then it becomes a fallacy and she starts to realize that people ain’t buying her mess no more. And the access she used to have……oh that faded. Doors have indeed closed. The Obama circle is now rejecting her. Cause she messed up. And they understand the other side. She’s realizing that she messed up and so slowly but surely she begins to breakdown. Tearing off that pretentious image.

Then she realizes that she has made a mistake. And so she goes back to her husband and asks for forgiveness and they start to work things out. He accepts her back with open arms. Cause she loves her husband. And he loves her more. He, being led by a good father and good family man, sets some boundaries. He gives her da bid’ness, as my girlfriend “E” would say. He lays it down. In order for the relationship to work. They begin to rebuild. This time focusing on the relationship, not the image.

Just when she “gets it” and is living a life for she and her husband, as he had anticipated from the beginning, she finds out that she is pregnant. I wish I had time to talk about the seed, but that will have to be another entry. I’ve been studying it for the last few weeks. The SEED is deep. Spiritually, the seed is indeed the Holy Spirit. But this is where a lot of Christians miss it. The Holy Spirit can walk with you until you leave this earth, but its not until it is IN YOU that real change and fullness with the father will come. But the seed has to be watered in order for it to grow. For their to be a manifestation on earth, the seed has to be nurtured. Bottomline.

Back to the analogy……the son is born. A little Obama. And no matter how her life changes, if her husband dies and she remarries; she can move to the other side of the world, but there will always be a solid relationship with President Obama cause she’s raising his offspring. She’s carrying his heir. So the relationship can NEVER be cut off. She can have full access to the promises of the father because his son left his Holy Spirit, not just to walk with her, but to live within her. Anybody who knows the connection with a mother and her son can relate. I hear it ALL the time. There’s one thing to adopt a son and build a solid loving relationship to die for, but it takes it to a whole new dimension when a son is birthed through you. Umph.

Of course I went a in a little more detail in this entry with the analogy, but after I gave it to my colleague, she was in tears. She said……you’re right. That’s like my girlfriends telling me that while we are hanging out we can never talk about “my husband” (or my sons). But we can talk about his father. President Obama. She started laughing. We both started laughing and was saying again how everybody wants the benefits, but they ain’t trying to take the entire package. She kept looking at me like….I get it. I get it. The funny thing is that our conversation went so beyond the initial topic of having to go through Jesus to get to the father, but we actually started speaking about the Holy Spirit. A subject that a lot of church folk either don’t understand or don’t want to fully accept. I mean, its nice to have the Holy Spirit with me, but it’s a whole another experience to have the Holy Spirit live IN ME.

My pastor was telling us on Friday night that when folk doubt Christ and say that they can go to God without going through Christ we have to be firm and let them know that…… “I don’t know what god you’re referring to, but the God I serve is the God of the scriptures. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The everlasting God. The Lord of lords.” No need to argue for there have been made many gods on this earth, but on judgment day it will be revealed. Until then, walk in faith.

Before I left her office, my colleague looked at me and said……. “the sifting process, huh.” And I looked back and said…. “brace yourself sistah cause you bout to go through the fire, but trust me…….is just a refining process.”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” --John 14:6