WHAT’S GOING ON?
Indifference, judgment and condemnation.
Judgment is the greatest human failing. There is an immense body of work by Patricia Evans of EICI, Inc. that explains to us the violence of labeling and judging. When others label and judge us consistently, especially our significant others, we begin to judge and label and condemn ourselves. After a lifetime of this, how do we truly set ourselves free?
When our earthly institutions are designed to proliferate the system and not free the person, where do we turn?
We turn within. And when you have been consistently condemned, more often than not, we turn on ourselves, and we turn on each other. We do the opposite of what God and Love command. We judge. We condemn. Compassion may or may not come later, but the condemnation and labels, they always come.
But listen to this: For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. (from 1 John:3)
Even if your heart condemns you, hello, God is greater than your heart. He knows all things. You need to chuck the condemnation and live in the Freedom God bought you. I was listening to a song on the radio recently, and I absolutely loved it, it resonated within me and my experience.
4 Non Blondes
What’s Up Lyrics
Twenty – five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
And I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Ooh, ooh ooh
And I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Twenty – five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
… the world is made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
When you step outside on a fresh new morning and take in God’s beautiful creation, do you ever want to scream, what’s going on, hey, what’s going on? You take a deep breath and you get real high and you just want to love and live without condemnation and there it is always, at your doorstep. Hey, what’s going on???? You do know judgment and labeling is condemnation, right?
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. (from 1:John 3)
God is bigger than the junk that has been heaped on you until you just regurgitate it because you can’t feel anything else anymore. Come on, take a deep breath, and live your life like “what’s going on?” Repeat after me: God is bigger than all the condemnation that has been heaped on me. No matter how many years or how deep it runs, GOD IS BIGGER.
NIV Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Ask yourself, what is going on??? Ask others, what is going on???
The Message Bible: 1 John 3: QUOTE: let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us. END QUOTE
The human race needs for you to love; to free the world from abuse and violence. To stand up and say, Hey, what’s going on??? God is bigger. He didn’t come to condemn, but he did come to separate. And I think you’ll find yourself on the side of God and on the side of good if you take a deep breath, see the beauty and stop condemning yourself and others. And when you see condemnation, step up to the plate and say, Hey, what’s going on. God is bigger than this. Love is the command. Love yourself, love others!
Our institutions are mostly based on guilt, shame and competitiveness. But YOU CAN LIVE FREE. Man is selfish and more often than not indifferent or abusive. But YOU CAN LIVE FREE. It is a great feeling to live without condemnation, to walk in love, and others can ridicule and hate you all day long for it, for darkness hates light, misery loves company, thieves of life want to steal your soul, but YOU CAN LIVE FREE. I have seen and experienced murky darkness, and thievery and misery of the soul. I choose Light and Love.
Transform, My Friend
Love is naught
for the man who disregards his soul
Thought is captured
in the man who does what he is told
A heart is stone
that follows a world that is cold
There are rules to follow
but love comes from within
You just have to know
that the price you pay
will set you free
For love comes from within
Transform, my friend
for love awaits you
Transform, my friend
come out to meet me
Transform, My Friend – Copyright © 1980 by Vicci Springer. All rights reserved. Use must include copyright date, author and this web site: http://www.thebarefootjesus.com/2011/03/17/hey-whats-going-on/
MORE CREDITS:
Lyrics to “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes (Linda Perry)
Have no idea the intent of this song, just heard it and gave it my own interpretation. Patricia Evans http://www.verbalabuse.com says, when you hear verbal abuse, one response, if appropriate, might be to ask, What? She says it gives the abuser a chance to hear themselves in repeating it, and maybe realize abuse, labels and condemnation are not uplifting to anyone. Verbal abuse cuts much deeper than just name calling. A great article to encapsulate it is here: www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/verbalabuse.html If you do no other reading, reading this article should open your eyes wider than before.
Bible quotes from NIV, NKJV and The Message Bible
The Message Bible – Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
New King James Version Bible – Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version – Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.