Hey y’all, how’s it going? Hope you’re all having a great Thursday all things considered. Seems like we’re always rushing around to do things; now that the world has essentially been forced to slow way on down? We’re all losing our minds. All that keeps going through my mind is rapha yada. Be still and know.
I’ve moved a couple few times over the years. When I was younger I wasn’t much help packing boxes I was more…..moral support.
Yup that’s me at probably 5 or 6 ish? I’ve told y’all about putting together a family photo home movie deal. Well this was one of the photos I processed today. As I was going through these old photos and basically recapturing the initial pictures I felt slightly sad. See…I’m over here putting together this project and there’s like one picture of me and my dad. Back when I was at 22 months… I don’t recall much of my dad growing up he was always working.
My mom, don’t know when but she started to HATE having her picture taken. I don’t know all the details but from my assumptions since family won’t talk about painful past and get closure. (Note the irritated tone in my words there) I’m guessing that my dad had said something or another to my mom while they were married that seriously messed with her view of herself.
Looking through these old photos I can remember certain things and it….I don’t know it’s just for me sad that there’s so much lost. People I wish I could ask about my great grandmother and grandfather. All my grandparents have gone to be with The Lord. As a result their knowledge is gone, the only way left I have to gather that is by speaking with other relatives I haven’t spoken with in years….
I guess when I started this project I thought it’d be as easy as snapping some pic pics, doing a lil’ photo editing work, then just shoving it into a slideshow. Wasn’t expecting the emotional weight that came with this….Thing about going through old notebooks and pictures? Sometimes you’re confronted with ghosts from your past.
In my case? Letters and poetry written about my ex. Now some of it was quite good, saucy even. However there’s multiple scriptures about furnaces and being cast into them and being purified by them. Zachariah 13: 9 pops out at me. “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Along with Malachi 3:3 “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.”
Thing is if there’s still physical things linking you to a past relationship? You’d be better off cleansing it with fire. Sooooo that’s exactly what I did. See I’m kinda a pack rat and tend to keep my writing if I think it’s good. This time? Well….see for yourself .
For me there was something incredibly cleansing about just ashing the written reminders of my ex. As you can see there was quite a bit of stuff I wrote. To be honest I don’t think it’s healthy to keep physical reminders of your ex around. I chose to throw it into the bin and purge it, I felt like if I still had this stuff I wouldn’t be able to go into any new potential relationship freely.
There’d always be a part of my heart that was holding onto the past. Thing about exes is I’ve kinda stopped thinking about what they’re up to now. Better to just burn the pages and move on. To take a scene from a great movie….
Now, I did and it was a glorious feeling burning stuff related to my ex. It felt so freeing. There’s a reason that scripture talks about us like silver and gold being put through a furnace. In forging, you have to heat the metal to eliminate imperfections. The fire burns those away, there’s a reason there’s reference to CLEANSING fire. For me? I guess over the years God has had me emotionally growing to the point I’d be ready to let go.
To exhibit rapha yada. Be still and know; rapha is interesting word for a few reasons. It’s meaning mostly….to be made weak, to let go, to release. Rapha yada isn’t simply words it’s a mental and spiritual practice of just shutting up spiritually and letting go. NOT trying to control every minute aspect of our lives.
To quote Carrie Fisher’s character of Princess Leia “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” The meaning behind this is that the more “control” we perceive having? The less we actually have. Trying to control every aspect of your life is just waaaaay too much emotional work.
In these times y’all? When everyone is freaking out about….well everything. I’d like to close and say I recommend reading James 1:2-12. It’s one of my my favorite passages in scripture. I continue being in prayer for the people in my life I care for, for y’all around the world. The Doctors, nurses, and emergency care staff. Along with everyone that’s serving in our armed forces as I have friends there as well.
Ephesians 6:18-19 says “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”
My friends my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours. I hope the days soon come where this craziness is behind us. For now? Rapha yada my friends.
Much Love in Christ,
Richard
Holy Water, Burning Man 