breaking the hush

Mark 3:33-34 – ‘Who are my mother and brothers? [Jesus] asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and brother’s! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’

One thing I hate is when words are used so flippantly that they truly lose their value or meaning. For example…love! How many new teenage, or codependent relationships, are out there with that person ‘loving’ some new prospect on a monthly basis. I’m sorry, but if you’re 21 and you have been in 38 different ‘relationships’ since the age of 14, I have a hard time believing that you ‘loved’ each of them as much as you probably told them. I was 26 before I allowed those words to come out of my mouth and I meant it every time, EVERY TIME I told this ONE girl during the duration of our relationship. It hasn’t left my mouth since (excluding family and friends) and I don’t plan on wasting such precious expression on just anyone. Well, here in prison it’s a different word…brother. Of course, mainly among the so called ‘Christians!’ This is my problem…they are ALL Christians! Really?! Just because you take out your Bible in the morning and read a verse, chapter, book doesn’t make you a Christian; or because you sing in the choir, attend a weekly Bible study, pray before you eat, wear a cross around your neck, or were baptized when you were born, nine, or last week, immersed or sprinkled or even if you were once a licensed minister, bishop, priest by the St. Peter First Baptist Pentecostal Lutheran Methodist Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints! This does not make you a Christian—AND IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU MY BROTHER! SO STOP CALLING ME OR ADDRESSING ME AS SUCH! To be honest, I have a hard enough time cleaning up your hypocrisy. It only adds to fall on your face, lay down your life, will, plans for you and begin to LIVE a life like Christ, selfless, loving, full of the Spirit, sacrificial, striving for holiness, seeking the Father and growing every day, worthy of persecution and willing to die for Him, me, or any other TRUE believer—THEN I will proudly shout it from the mountain tops. So, before you decide to call me ‘brother,’ look at the words of Jesus in Mark, or even Paul…have you truly been crucified with Christ? ‘Clothed’ yourself with Christ? Do you live by the Spirit or gratify the desires of the sinful nature? Do you carry my burdens? Rooted and established in love? Live a life worthy of the calling received or are you immoral, impure or greedy? Ate you wise in the way you live or do you get drunk with wine or are you filled with the Spirit? Are you submissive to me and me, you or do you do things out of selfish ambition or out of humility considering others better than yourself? Is your attitude the same as Christ? Are you content in every situation? Will you fight beside me? Die for me as I fight for Christ? Will I for you? Do you consider our hearts ‘knit’ together? Do you love me as much as you love yourself? This is not a game to me! This is my life, my purpose, my being! So ‘brother,’ are we both heirs of the Throne? Children of the King? Please don’t assume that because you believe the stories long ago about Jesus, from your youth pastor, parents, grandma, neighbor, Sunday school teacher, has some truth in it, being the son of this ‘higher power’, from AA you recognize as God, means that it gives you the right to call me anything more than a friend, acquaintance, neighbor, cellie. Know that I love you because I am called to love you and sometimes it is hard because you can be so fake. But I recognize your deception and I pray that through some ‘road to Damascus’ experience you will find that being a follower of ‘The Way’ is more than you reading, singing, studying, being sprinkled, immersed, or licensed! It’s about us obeying in every aspect—beyond the black and white, our submission, humbleness and communication with the Father! It’s our heart. A change inside that then brings the fruits. A repentance, TRUE repentance. Then and only then, by all means, call me your brother and THEN I will gladly, whole heartedly, without hesitation, open my arms to welcome you, as a member of the family, MY BROTHER!

**To my TRUE brother! Evidence of God turning something bad into such good! Where would my life be without meeting you! Have a wonderful birthday Saulo, and I hope to celebrate with you on the next one! Gracia y Paz