Sometimes Maybe Always

Sometimes and maybe indicate uncertainty. Occasionally, but only some of the time. There are more definitive paths. That there may be other options. A mere possibility or probability.

However, always means every time, on every occasion, without exception.

When we read the stories in the Bible, though definitive in their telling, they are often infused with a sense of sometimes maybe in their application.

Trauma Can Be Transformative

Trauma - it catches you by surprise, in bizarre fashion with unexpected costs. Trauma often sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it doesn't have to be. There's nothing you can do to prevent trauma; accidents happen, things go wrong, elbows are slammed into faces, and no plan of yours could have prevented this.

Yes, an elbow was slammed into my husband's face while playing a pickup game of soccer. Sometimes to stay fit, these things happen. I've had sufficient casualties as a runner, so I can empathize.

What Faith Will Do

I have never been to prison, never set foot in one to visit anyone, but I've spent an inordinate among of time thinking of prison. As a Black woman, the threat of imprisonment appears very real for those I love simply because of the color of their skin. 

To bring this closer to home, members of my family have encountered unwarranted police harassment where a necessary stop was a night in jail. One night in prison is enough, especially if you're wrongfully there. Imagine being imprisoned for an even greater cause. Imprisonment represents a loss of freedom; the worse our society has to offer. The threat of imprisonment produces fear, yet Paul was imprisoned for preaching Christ for a significant time during his ministry, demonstrating steadfast faith.

When Paul pens his pray in Ephesians 1:15-23, he is under house arrest, chained to a member of the Praetorian guard, an elite group of soldiers. But he can receive guests (Acts 28:30,31). These guests were living in a time when it wasn't fashionable to be called a Christian.

Ezra Bible Study - Unified: As One Man

I am struck by the unity expressed in Ezra 3:1, in particular how it reads in the KJV.

And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Ezra 3:1 KJV

They lived in separate villages, but now it was time to be unified in their purpose to rebuild the temple. There was a period before they started building, seven months which served as preparation. Once prepared, they were united.

High Stakes Low Stakes

As a parent, I remember when I first heard the phrase "high stakes testing." It was presented in a pressure-filled manner so that parents would approach state tests seriously. However, because I always took education seriously and knew how my children were doing in school, I approached these tests as low stakes tests - just another test that they would master. I felt that the pressure would be a hindrance, so flipped it on his head and treated the tests as normal, because children are primed to take tests as a way to indicate learning.

We are primed to deal with problems, Jesus told us it would be so. He said, "in this world, we will have tribulations but to be of good cheer for I have overcome the world (John 16:33)." He was letting us know that we should expect problems - no matter their shape, hue or size.