Sidewalk Bends

What you see is not for your gain. What you see is not for self-recognition. It is not about being right or being proven right. It is not about confirmations or denials. It is not about being seen or being known. Have compassion for the lives of those whom you see. Have understanding for the choices made and those denied. Be a comforting voice and a helping hand.

Have gratitude for the life so close, but not always so clear. Clarity does not come through sight of one’s eyes or spirit, but through heart. Whether a waking vision, or a dream, focus and understanding comes from an open heart, and not through the altered lens of one’s detractors.

See past the murky water. See past the swirled colors. See past images of past and future. See past what others would have for you, and look no more.

The idea of prophecy has captured the minds of many over the ages. From religious and ancient texts to self-proclaimed psychics and seers to seemingly miraculous personal experiences, men and women from cultures around the world have contemplated its purpose and power. From seeing, whether in the waking state or sleeping state, to feeling, physically and or emotionally, the experience and idea of prophecy has left many to question their faith, the workings of the universe and sometimes one’s very own sanity.

For many people, the future is thought to be unknowable, but bound by something we call “time.” Just out of view it serves as inspiration, and hope for something better. It serves as motivation for improving one’s current state of existence. For others, the future is thought to be knowable, but only in dribs and drabs. Sometimes dreamlike, it entices the seer. What could be the reason for having a glimpse into the future? Is it really the future that is being seen, or has all of this happened before?

Regardless of whether what is seen serves as a warning or a fanciful “what if” moment, the experience often serves as a reminder of the mysteries that surround us. When one sees what they perceive as the future, are they an observer, or do they remain an active participant in their own lives? The idea of free will comes into question and suddenly one is thrust into contemplating a future and life that has already been predetermined. If life and existence itself were predetermined, is the value of life suddenly cheapened? Is birth, death and all that comes in between simply a formality?

Perhaps the question of predetermination and free-will are more a matter of perception than practicality. For many the idea of a predetermined life is slavery draped in different clothes. For others it is the acceptance of choices made long ago, but also made in this very moment. What if every choice, and every choice resulting from that choice, and so on, for all possible choices of every creation, existed all at once? What if like the threads of a blanket, by pulling and manipulating one thread, each thread of that blanket were affected? And so in being able to understand one choice, one has the ability to understand all other choices affected by that single choice and all other choices before it.

In that breathe, perhaps the past, present and future are all the same, existing simultaneously, although for many, experienced one at a time. Like a series of dominoes in every which direction that fall and reset themselves, the past, present and future are continuously unfolding. From the view of the domino it only knows itself, and what comes immediately before and after it. When seen together, one path is realized, and sometimes more than one path is realized at a given time. Which is the present? Which is the past? Which is the future? Does it matter?

When our choices are realized, maybe it is not the order in which they are seen that matters, but rather what is learned or understood in that moment. Like an intricate dance, all of existence is being expressed, and what we choose to see is up to us. Suddenly the power of prophecy lay not in the future, but in understanding the eternal now.

There is great suffering by man and animals alike. Everyday there is heartache and destruction. But rather than aide those in need, doomsday-sayers, self-proclaimed prophets and messengers, and individuals seeking fame and profit, feed the chaos. They dismiss the weak, and the unfortunate, and bend the truth to make it their own. False claims are made. Proclamations of impending doom or the second coming of Christ are shouted at those who would dare to listen. Feeding on fear, they disseminate their agenda. They pander to egos and speak down on others who would dare to question, as if berating a child.

There is great suffering and yet you smile. Woe is he who would turn God’s word into his own. Woe is he who knowingly misguides. Woe is he who has forgotten his heart. Woe is he who must bring others down to their suffering. Your intent is known. Your thoughts are known. Your actions are known. The things you do not do are known.

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Age does not necessarily bring wisdom.
Age does not necessarily bring stature.
Age does not necessarily bring understanding.

When we pass from this plane, our words will fade.
The memories of the past will become blurred.
What once was will become but a footnote.

We can try to wipe away the pain. We can try to wipe away the memories. We can try to wipe away the words. We can even try to dig our heals into the ground. Youth is understanding under a different light, while age just shifts the context. Dream not for the past, or for the future, but for all that has always been.

There will be those who will try to change the truth. They will make it their own. They will preach it as if it were the gospel. They will claim it as My word. They will gather followers. And though you may wish to fight them on every point, worry not, for no one can lead to a stop all that shall be. Convince them of nothing. Do not speak down upon them. Do not chastise them. Do not mock them.

Drink from the Tree of Life that you will know Life. Find in your heart your true master. Listen ye, for it has been written.

If Jesus were alive today in some place on Earth, would you be ready to hear his message? Would you run in fear for the life you currently lead, or would you stand up and say “This is who I am.” Would you be ready to hear his message, even if it didn’t sound quite like yours? Would you lose respect for him if he was not quite who you thought him to be? What if he were less than perfect and made the same mistakes in this life we all too often are guilty of making? What if in his youth, he was an unruly child who stole and made life for his parents’ difficult? What if during part of his life he was addicted to drugs or alcohol? What if he was an un-kept man, who live behind a building? What if the company he kept included murders and rapists? What if he stole for an occasional meal? Would you still love Jesus? Would you give him the time of day? Would you offer him a place to stay or a place to lie? Would you know him if you saw him? What if a part of Jesus walked in every man and woman? Would you extend your hand to all who came to you and even to those who walked away? What would you do?

On the topic of final judgment by God, and of fear; We fear because we don’t know. We fear because we know the choices we make are sometimes self-serving, selfish and to the detriment of ourselves and others. We fear because we know we could have made a better choice. We just aren’t strong enough to make them sometimes. We allow the wants of this life, whether it is material gain, the accumulation of knowledge or stature or titles to take precedence over the things that should really matter. We allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of this life and of the life we perceive/think we will have next. The problem is none of us knows what’s next. We all think we do because we heard from someone who heard from someone, or because we have seen small glimpses of what we think we know, but no one knows. You don’t know until you are there, but we preoccupy ourselves with trying to find out rather than living this life? We preoccupy ourselves with all the little details and nuances, but while doing so, we forget who we are. Soon we are on a chase to find something, but somewhere along the way, we forget what it is we were looking for.

Honestly, I have no idea about predestination and free will but this is how I see it. We do have free will but God also knows what choices we are going to make even before we think to make them or realize we can make them. So in a sense God already knows what we will do. That is not to say that we or others know what we are going to do, and I think that is where the learning comes in. I don’t think we can even fathom to explain it because we are allowed to only see what we are meant to see. God has his purpose and we have ours? Our purpose should be his purpose or will, but because of our free will, we make choices that make us either go closer to him or farther away. Yes we have free will, but if one followed their heart all the time as they should, would you not be giving up your free will so that your will would be God’s will? Perhaps that is the true test? Regardless of whether or not we make poor decisions, the lessons we each learn are like drops of water in the great ocean that is us. Alone, we are but a small piece. Together we are one. We move as one. We feel as one. We make choices together, and flow as we may, we come to a great understanding that there is one way. There is unconditional love.