Find a voice you are told to ignore. Listen to it. Learn something.

"What luck for the rulers that men do not think." —Adolf Hitler -- Are we better to not understand what happened, in one of the worst times? Are we better to point at it and say "Monster! We are not this." while ... so clearly being similar at all times? Do we think it's okay to be such hypocrites as to point to another, call it "other", reject it as our brother, and then turn to God and say "not my fault"?

Your brother is a dark and lost soul. So many, so many darkened and lost souls are your brethren. And ... and what? Do we seek them out to understand and love them and bring them back Home? No ... no we call out "devil!! devil!" and blame anything but the shared heart of man, and take any excuse to not look in such a direction as the enemy, or enemies.

Mother Teresa was a tyrant ... and, because it is prescribed societally, she is viewed otherwise and quoted and even worshipped directly as a god/saint by the Catholics, who are not Christian. Nearly everyone in history who is celebrated, is ignored for their wickedness. Nearly everyone reviled, entirely ignored for any possible virtues they may have extolled.

Do you understand? Yes; the example set fourth was of Cain harming his brother, and betraying, and failing to be his keeper. And yes, Cain was the bad example. Do you not know that Cain also had God's mark placed upon him to protect him from the world's anger at him for it? Do you know that his mark was the very same as the one placed on you? It is not the mark you think. And God forgives, more than you may think.

Consider Adam. God placed a protection over him at the very same time that he exiled him. He sacrificed for Adam, even while he pushed him out. And in momentary anger, yes ... but more, in parental love and understanding. The box was already opened, the sin already sinned. And yet, still, he did not send us out naked as he did the fallen. Instead, he sent us out in clothing, made from a freshly sacrificed sheep, far before we understood the cost.

Let me put this into an image for you ... because I'm only trying to get across one Single point. The only point I am ever really trying to say, confused as it so often may be.

I understand ... God is powerful. God is scary. God is huge. God is eternal, and knows all, and knows you, and knows through you. God is, more than anything else ... a Parent. And, I have a slightly different view on parents than most people. Because I myself am not one... and have never been prepared to be. I am a child, and I always was.

But as a child ... I can see in God exactly what I was shown in my Mother. And in Jesus, what I was shown in my Brother. And ... in all man kind, what I was shown in myself. We believe so much in God that we actually miss something far more important than all of his power.

And that is ... this ...

Never-complain-about-what-your-parents-couldnt-give-you.-It-was-probably-all-they-had..jpg

See ... Maybe this sounds heretical? Maybe. I don't care, because this is truth. God does have a desire. He does have a wish. And it's one that he actually has always put everything he possibly can into. Everything. That thing he reaches so hard for - and in fact is often rejected in - is your Love. He wants you to Love him.

There was no way to teach that. Without being our Parent. If you want to know the fullness of what love means in the first place ... Yes, you can read Romans. Yes, you can read Corinthians. That's fine and well and you should. But moreover, look to your Parents. Good parents or bad ones or anything else. And understand this.

From the first day of your life - your love was all anyone tried to earn from you. And to that end, all have bowed at your feet. And at that, all have served You. You can sit and wonder how to give back ... you can do good things ... you can care for your parents in their old age. But ... can you really understand?

Can you understand, then; why it is that a rich man cannot enter the gates of heaven? A rich parent ... cannot truly understand sacrifice. Understand this, then. That in the Garden, when your Father saw your shame and let you hide, and let you even run away from home.. took Everything he held dear, and gave it to you. While you were rejecting him, at that same moment. And assuming he will protect you still.

I'll leave this with a repeat of one part, to stress ... Look to your Parents. And see what God means.