Words From Prison…Looking Back & Looking Ahead With Hope

This topic was written by a man who is incarcerated at this time for sexual crimes.  He has transitioned the Sexual Offenses Treatment Program and is planning to live a good and productive life when he leaves prison.  I believe you will be deeply interested and moved by what he has to say:

WHAT IF I HAD?

by Michael

Have you ever let your mind wander?  Do you ever daydream?  I know that for me I do that quite a bit.  Some of my thoughts are of great memories of my grandmother, who has went on to be with the Lord, and sometimes I reflect on the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen in my short time here on this Earth.  However, sometimes I look back at my life and I wonder, “what if I had…?”

I had many opportunities in my life to do the “right thing” but didn’t and the culmination of that has led me down a road of deviancy, and immorality that eventually landed me here in prison for the second time, just six short months after getting out of prison the first time.

Many times I reflect on my teen years and thought, “What if I had applied myself more in school, after all the teachers all said I was capable of good things.”  I look back now and see a lot of missed opportunities that were directly related to my poor behavior in school.  This is where, (age 13) I believe I started rebelling against everyone, doing only the things I wanted to do.  This is called immediate gratification. Do you remember a time in your past when you started doing what you want when you wanted it?  It is my opinion that everyone that is in prison has a problem with immediate gratification. In other words, we came to a point, in any given situation, that we were going to get what we wanted regardless of the potential consequences.

I continued on this path while in the Army.  I was drinking, drugging and many other illegal things.  I could have had a great career and seen the world all the while getting a free education.  I also participated in a part of modern history by serving in combat in Desert Storm and being awarded the Bronze Star not once, but twice!  However, I thew it all away because I thought I was entitled to walk my own path but the Army did not agree.  Therefore, I left behind a huge opportunity to be someone of integrity, respect and trust.  I was quite the liar.

You are probably getting bored with my story, but if you will just hang on, I believe you will find something that applies to you.  That is the reason I am writing this article – to help someone out there that thinks he is all alone.

I have squandered many job opportunities that I could have turned into careers and been able to provide for my family and myself.  Again, I ask myself, “What is I had just toughed it out at work and been thankful for the job I had?”  I was too busy doing whatever my flash desired regardless of consequences or who got hurt.  I have said many times, “I’m a grown man – no one can stop me from doing what I want!”  Maybe I am the only one who has ever thought or said that, but that is what I truly believed at the time.  All by myself, I ruined three marriages and damaged my relationship with my children to the extent that I can only pray that they still love me and want to be part of my life someday.  Every day that my name is highlighted on our prison mail list, I think, “Is it a letter from my daughters?”

My first trip to prison was for sexual assault in Texas.  I spent a lot of my time fighting and sticking my hand into every illegal activity that I could.  How crazy is it, that after arriving at the prison to do my time I continued to commit crimes within the prison!  There is that immediate gratification again.  How could I have been so blind to my behaviors?  I could justify by saying that I was just trying to fit in with the others, but the fact remains that I did the things I did because I wanted to.  Today I see this same kind of behavior from some of the men on our unit; it is not very surprising.  Men are put in prison for rebelling against the law and continue to do so inside prison for two reasons:  1) They are surrounded by people who are doing the same thing.  2) They just do not know how to be different.  I had to make a decision that I was tired of being locked up, tired of hurting my mother’s feelings, tired of beating my head up against the proverbial brick wall, and just plain tired of thinking that I was crazy.  Are you tired yet?

I got the rare opportunity to be a part of the treatment community in this prison and I completed the Program for men who have committed sexual offenses.  I can stay at this prison until I discharge and am trying to give back some of what I have learned to people like me who want to change.  I have to tell you the Program road was hard and hurtful.  I HAD to face the demons of my past and deal with the distorted and twisted way I was thinking.  You can do this as well.  Maybe you are thinking, “I got too much time,  I’ll never get into the right group.  You can start your treatment today.  Remember that true change is focused on the man, not the behavior.  First, make the decision that you are not going to be the same man you were when you walked in here, and that you are going to walk a new path that will lead you to the man that you want to be.  On the inside, I believe there is a place in the hearts of all men that cries out to be a man of honor.

“What if I had known then what I know now?”  We all look back on our past with 20/20 vision and ask ourselves “What if I had….?”  I do not think that it is possible to look back on our past with some regret, but I do believe that from the present time and on into the future we can make a difference in our own lives.  If we really want to take control of our lives, we have to stop the cycle of behaviors that we do that is illegal, against the rules, and harmful to others and ourselves.

I know that this was really a long and wordy way of getting to the point of this paper, but I thought that if I shared a part of my life with you,  maybe I could help someone.  Maybe some of you men will have the courage to step forward to a life of change (it takes loads of courage).  It will be hard, but the payoff if well worth it!  I am willing to communicate with those who need help.

Michael

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May God bless all who read and heed these words of wisdom,

Macky

Much Needed Truth for Our Society…Are You Destructive?

Hello Readers…I think you will really like this…..if you give the truth a chance!!

I have been thinking about a verse, Proverbs 18:9, that can open your eyes to some straight forward truth if you will be open to it.  When I was much younger, I remember thinking occasionally that God was sometimes so frank in the way He spoke His truth…well, I thought this truth might drive people away.  One of the reasons that I believed this way is that when I was growing up, my family did not deal with the truth openly.  My family, like many of your families, had many secrets and when someone simply and plainly told the truth – it seemed like they were being rude or trying to hurt someone’s feelings!  Thank God I have matured somewhat now (still on that journey!) and I see His brilliance and His love in the way God tells us His truth without beating around the bush…without mincing words.  He wants the best for us – so He gives us His truth boldly!  Here it is:

Proverbs 18:9:   “He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.”

Do you agree with me that those are powerful words?  This tells us so much about the character of God and what he expects of us.   Let’s look at the first part that deals about “work.”

First of all, God wants us to know that the work that we do while we are on this Earth is really very important!  Do you know why?  Because (in my study and therefore in my opinion) God has a plan (a very good plan!) for each of our lives and that plan includes the work that we do while we are here.  Maybe you are saying to yourself, “Well, what could God possibly expect of me – my job is only that of being a bookkeeper…or perhaps a waitress…or a construction worker…or a ______ (you fill in the blank).  Or let’s consider one other possibility, “I was just laid off or fired from my job – so what does God expect of me NOW?!”  I believe that God expects you to do your best at whatever you are doing.  Period.  If you are laid off, you can help your husband, wife, family, or friends in whatever they need while you are praying for God’s will and His blessing for your next opportunity to do work that brings glory to His Name!  Any job can bring glory to His Name if you have a righteous attitude and give your best efforts!  If you believe that you are not in His will in your areas of work, you need to get on your knees or your face before Him and ask for guidance.  Be open to His leading because His answers may come to you through family, friends, reading (like this humble blog), television or a Divine Knowing.  Our Lord wants to work through you.  Yes, YOU – I do not care what mistakes you have made in life!!  There is a specific job that only you can do in your own way.  Yes…he will let someone else do the chosen work if you ignore His leading, but you will miss your Divine purpose and a lifetime of joy and blessings.

To summarize the first part of this verse in our language of today, if a person performs his/her job in a “loose” way – it would mean that, that person is not “attached,” meaning that he/she feels no obligation to their employer and is performing their job without taking full responsibility of what is required to do the job well.  He/she is not respecting the rules and is lacking loyalty to the employer.  Looking at the meaning of “slack,” shows us that this worker is characterized by slowness, sluggishness, and without energy.  That sums up a man or woman who is not doing a good job and the Bible describes this person as a brother to him who is a destroyer.  Wow, there are those strong words again.  God tells the truth boldly!  In other words, to do a job poorly is the same as destroying the product of the work.

Is there any clearer way that God can tell us that we must be diligent workers?  I know that after this study, I will give my best to the people at work who depend on me.  Will you do the same?  If God is calling you to a different work field, trust Him and follow His leading.

May each of us give our best wherever we are.  I will do my best to discuss the end of this verse before the week ends.

Walk in peace…work with honor..

Your friend,

Macky

P.S.  Remember…”Every man dies, but not every man truly lives.”

Guardian of Your Soul…

Helpful hint:  I believe it would be most helpful if you read the story of Joseph in Genesis before reading this.  If you are familiar with his story, you will likely understand!

Consider this passage from Psalm 105 as the Psalm writer speaks of Joseph.  God allowed Joseph (of the Old Testament) to be captured…to be imprisoned and placed in chains.  God allowed this to test and teach His servant, Joseph.

^“17He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant.  (NOTE TO READERS:  I just love this verse!  Joseph had no idea that he was being “sent on a mission” by and for God Almighty.  He only knew that his brothers had sold him into slavery!  Remember that old saying:  God works in mysterious ways…it is so true!)

¹⁸His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron,

¹⁹Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.

²⁰The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the peoples, and let him go free.”

Consider what the Bible means when it tells us that Joseph’s soul entered into the iron.   What a mind-boggling statement – what could it mean? I think those are a few words that should be thought about and examined thoroughly with our minds and hearts.  Because it is not only chains of iron that are able to bind us…there are many situations in life that bind us AND our souls enter into those situations as well.

I have been taught and believe as I read the Bible that our soul consists of our mind / our will / and our emotions. So, the state of my mind would include:  those things I think about, the plans I make and the fantasies and visuals  I allow myself to dwell on.  My will is my ability to make decisions – whether they are “good” or “bad” decisions.  Our God has given us free will and our future successes, failures and everything in-between is determined by the will.  My emotions are the feelings that I choose to express.  Therefore when we say “soul” we are speaking of a vital and large part of our existence.

SO WHAT DID THIS MEAN TO JOSEPH – THAT HIS SOUL ENTERED INTO THE IRON?

I believe this means that when Joseph was thrown into prison that his soul (his mind, his will and his emotions) was consumed by the conditions he was living in…the prison; the cruel and painful  iron restricting his actions.  Every dream he had ever had for his life, he was giving up…throwing in the towel.  There seems little doubt that his mind was filled with negativity, anger, fear and hopelessness.  The iron on his body and all around him likely caused him to lose his will to try to make good decisions about his life – a life he was thinking was basically finished.  As for his emotions, how could he not have been severely depressed?  Likely he was at times in tears over his physical and emotional pain.  Other times, he likely took out his highly emotional state in the form of anger and lashed out on his fellow prison mates.  Those things are what I think it meant when the Bible tells us that Joseph’s soul entered into the iron.  He could not or would not look beyond his circumstances when he was first placed in prison.  He did finally “break free” (no, he did not escape from prison…he was released) when TWO things came to pass:

1)  Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true,

2)  and until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.

Joseph had prophesied to his brothers regarding things that would “come to pass” in the future.  All prophesies are from God; therefore #1 above indicates that God’s Holy Will…HIS PLAN for our lives must come to pass.  #2 was in Joseph’s own hands and he had to mend his reactions and responses to his circumstances in prison.  He had to heal and change the condition of his soul: his mind; his will and his emotions.  And THEN the combination was correct and complete resulting in Joseph’s release from prison:

“The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the peoples, and let him go free.”

This could be you.  Whether you are in or out of prison.  If you want to be free from an actual prison – you must first understand the Will of God for your life and then YOUR #2 is to change and heal your soul (until the Word of the Lord tries and tests you – and you PASS THE TESTS!!)

Please prayerfully read the entire story of Joseph in Genesis and you are sure to be blessed.

May you allow Him to guide and direct your life and may you be set free.

Walk in peace,

Macky

Pornography: The Journey of Death…

This writing is intentionally biased against pornography and makes no attempts to cover what some people may consider “both sides of an issue.” A specific viewpoint is dominant and that viewpoint is Christianity.

Pornography – the carnal desire to depict the sexual act has been present on the Earth since mankind lost their innocence.

INNOCENCE: In the beginning, the human form was considered a beautiful and wonderfully useful creation and the difference between the animals of the fields and male and female persons was not that people wore clothing. Clothing was not necessary until Innocence was lost and with this loss came all kinds of suffering. One purpose of clothing was to protect the body from the destructive elements of weather and others dangers of nature. While people were still in their Innocent state of being, pain and danger did not exist. The desire to procreate was as natural and joyful as the enjoyment of a beautiful sunrise. Mankind had no need or desire to elevate the gift of sexual intimacy beyond any other gifts and blessings from the Creator.

With Innocence lost, people had to learn to survive on the Earth and they also started to focus on the pleasures of their five senses: sight; hearing; touch; taste and smell. When thinking of those five senses, it becomes clear how people lost their way and needed the Leaders that were “sent” to guide mankind back to a righteous path and back towards Innocence. With the Leaders and the commandments they delivered, the Creator allowed each of us to choose. He allowed people then and allows people now to choose their Earthly path…the path that will determine the path of your Spirit after it returns to dust, thus returning to his/her Maker.

GOAL OF DARKNESS: Without Innocence, the darkness grew in the Earth and mankind lost their Balance and their ability to walk with Wisdom. Therefore, not walking daily with the Creator, people made for themselves other “gods,” choosing all that darkness offered: carnal and immediate gratification; choosing exaggerated ways in which they could indulge their five senses. The darkness expanded and tried to destroy the Light. The darkness continues its attempt to turn off the true Light, but it cannot be done. Yet the darkness is satiated when it can swallow one man or woman at a time and increase its spread of blackness and filth.

If you study the word “pornography,” it tells this story (I will shorten it considerably): Pornography has a foundation in the dark and carnal world of prostitution and in the distribution of portrayals of mankind with their Innocence lost…in other words, in various forms of the destruction of one of the first gifts from the Creator – the beautiful physical act that was given to the children of the Earth in order to continue our generations of life….LIFE! The final defining feature of pornography that I will explain is that in its definition – pornography is a journey! One can only imagine and dread the ending point of this obscene path.

If you think or believe that pornography is not harmful; you are believing a lie of the darkness and the darkness is in the process of swallowing you as you walk on this dark, deviant and dead path. May the Creator show Himself to you…may He have mercy on your soul.

May God bless each of you,

Macky

The Wisdom We Struggle to Understand

This letter of comfort was written to an incarcerated man who had just found out that his father had died.  He struggles to share his burdens…  Sharing can bring comfort to our souls if we will share our hearts.

For Kristian:

The shadow within your eyes calls for comfort

And your pain beckons, though not deliberate.

Too often we choose to grieve alone

Even while knowing that Wisdom teaches that to share the hurt is to drain its ability

to create a deeper darkness to battle.

Without doubt, you would mourn with another who is besieged with great loss…you would be that comforting friend.

Yet you avoid much solace that awaits your gentle invitation.

Do not disguise the depth of your disappointment and confusion – these unwelcome emotions that have been ushered into the core of your life…wretched news from home that tears and threatens at the door of your soul.

Do not strengthen that part of yourself that seeks isolation and darkness – that part of you that feels helpless and hopeless at the suddenness of your loss.

May you embrace the pain and hold it tightly….as it will eventually release to you a profound knowledge that you will eventually pass on to others who need the wisdom that you are struggling to understand.

Blessings and tender regards,

Macky

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May God bless us all as we go through the good and challenging times in our lives.  May we love ourselves and others as God loves us.  Let us share together dear friends.

My Oreo Has No Filling

I have a friend who is very bright and a lot of fun to be around.  You would not know she lives with a Problem that she keeps secret.  She lives her life “wearing an invisible mask” that will disguise her true emotions.  I think that she has a belief that: if people know the “real her – the imperfect her” that no one will like her.  She has (to this point) doomed her life to being the “actress” in the movie of her own life.  And she is acting out a story of lies…  I am hoping / praying that she will discover the freedom of living a transparent life…being herself.  This is true Freedom.

How do I know about it?  I am a Licensed Therapist and I have known her many years.  I approached her one day a couple of years ago and explained to her that I could see that she was not the “happy” person that she wanted everyone to think she was.  I had chosen the situation, timing and the place carefully and she broke down and started telling me about her life.  We will call her Jojo.

Her family and friends see her living her life in a responsible way/going to and from a job she seems to really enjoy and proclaiming her Christianity and living her life according to the Good Book.  She attends family functions where she laughs and talks with everyone.  One area; however, that appeared to be somewhat problematic is that she has never been very social – yet when being social was unavoidable – she carried it off well.

Jojo lives with a personal dilemma that is emotionally, psychologically and sometimes physically painful.  It is a dilemma that I have encountered many times before and because she is a friend, I have asked her if she will allow me to tell a small part of her story…with her help.  She is not a “writer;” therefore, she will trust me to do the writing and she will do a great deal of telling me where to make changes!  As I sit with her and we write about these mindsets that appear to be controlling her life…which includes her belief system to which she clings but secretly lacks Faith (She did not like that “lack of Faith” remark – but she says she must agree – and a tear rolls down her sweet face) and the lack of trust in people that has (in her opinion and in her words) – stolen her happiness.

Jojo lives with continuous anxiety and depression. One doctor also put two possible additional diagnoses in her file: anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure in situations where most persons experience pleasure) and related PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from unresolved childhood abuse and trauma.  No, it is not a fancy diagnosis and due to the frequency of hearing the words “anxiety” and “depression” daily in all forms of media…those who are blessed to live without these “quality- of- life suckers,” do not understand the misery of those who struggle from day to day.  Jojo has described her life as:  “I’m just an Oreo cookie without the soft and sweet filling inside… My life started in the darkness of the womb – the first ‘Oreo half” and will end in the darkness of  death – the second ‘Oreo half.’”  She believes that she has been “cheated” by not experiencing any “lightness of life” in between her beginning and her end.

She and I are both hopeful that this “opening up” will help her in some or many ways.

A wonderful American writer, Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)  wrote:

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Jojo tells me that she understands this statement and that if she died today, the majority of her “song” is still within her.   Jojo and I agree that one interpretation of the “song” within us is that gift that each of us has – has been given to us by Almighty God.  We believe that each person’s “song” (gift) is uniquely his/hers and it is each person’s responsibility to use the gift for the benefit of others as well as for our own benefit.

Thinking of Thoreau’s statement regarding “quiet desperation,” what does it mean to be / to feel desperate?  Jojo and I have decided to explain her feelings of desperation like this:  “I think I remember these incidents occurring from the time I was approximately 5 yrs. old.  I grew up in an abusive family.  There were daily arguments and physical fighting.  My brother, sister and I usually had food to eat but  it was rare to get through a meal without screaming, profanity and meanness.  I developed a problem eating – both psychological and physical too.  Because of the constant abuse and threats of beatings and threats of “giving us away” – I started thinking that my parents might try to poison me and so I would not eat until everyone else had taken a bite of everything.  I think the anxiety became physical at this point because when I did put food in my mouth and tried to swallow – I would get choked and could not breath.  Meal time became a time of torture for me and this is when my “food problem” became desperate.  My fears started to pile up on one another.  First, I did not know if there would be food to eat…second, I thought my parents might try to poison me…third, even after I saw that no one was dying after eating the food – my nerves prevented me from being able to swallow normally and I choked frequently.  If that was not enough…I got in trouble for choking.  We were rarely taken to doctors but because I was not eating, I became a really skinny little child.  I remember being taken to see a doctor, but it NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO TELL THE TRUTH.  To be honest, I do not even remember having a conversation with the doctor.  I think my mother talked for me.  Looking back, maybe she was afraid of what I would say.  The doctor must have told her to feed me what I would eat…so I could drink without choking and therefore, I drank a lot of milk, most things liquid, and soft foods.  Perhaps you see this awful pattern developing in me – in that 5 yr. old girl.  Because then, I became afraid of doctors and any mention of doctors sent my little heart racing.  My brother, sister and I got in trouble when we got sick.  I know that sounds weird to most people, but we were told that it was “all in our heads,” and we had to go to school (or wherever) no matter how we felt.  I have felt trapped and in the control of others all my life.”  In order to maintain confidentiality, I will say that Jojo is between 50 – 60 years old and continues to struggle with anxiety and depression.

Some persons feelings of desperation lead them to despair – a nearly total lack of hope and at these times, people with this personality style hurt themselves with alcohol/drugs or  some persons become suicidal.  Other persons (who have a different personality style) – their feelings of desperation leads them to impulsiveness – acting out without thinking about consequences…these types of people will commit crimes and hurt others.

Jojo wants to thank those of you who read this part of her life story and wishes for readers to know that she has tried to use anti-depressants, but for physical reasons, she cannot take them.  She is able to take a medication for the anxiety and it is helpful to her.  She has been in and out of Therapy and has made a committment to find the a good Therapist and she wants to and prays to have the determination to “find the filling” for her Oreo.

If you are a regular reader, please let me know if these types of posts are interesting and helpful for you.

May God bless you and fill all your Oreos,

Macky

In The Presence of Change

Working with people who have been not only self-destructive, but have also destroyed the lives of others…working with these persons who are “testing the waters” of a new and peaceful lifestyle – this is a joyous experience!  Because I have never experimented with drugs, I cannot accurately describe a “high” as others might; however, I can state that – WITHOUT DOUBT – being in the presence of change is one of the most noble…one of the most honorable and blessed experiences of my entire life.

I am so humbly and sincerely thankful that I was called into this work and though I have heard stories that have stolen my rest and created a river of tears – it has all worked to the good; to so much good.

For this is true:  to the same extreme that sadness, disbelief and grief are expressed and experienced when an incarcerated man surrenders his immoral and vicious behaviors…to that same extreme in the other direction (in the direction of pureness and Light) the sadness, disbelief and grief give way (move aside and create a pathway)  to purpose in life, happiness, and an ability to tolerate the flow (the days of good as well as the days of challenge) of life.

The joy is nearly breathtaking when men who were once perpetrators of the weak become Protectors of the Vulnerable.  And not only protectors…but many (I have been honored to witness) have become (and are becoming) the teachers and leaders of those who have heretofore only lived to do harm.

I thank God for His gift to me…His gift to allow me to be the conduit of some of His Words and Teachings.  I thank Him for allowing me to witness some of His fruit as His children (these men locked in prison) break the chains and embrace the Change.

CHAINS OR CHANGE…It’s your choice.

Consider this passage from Psalm 105:  God allowed Joseph (of the Old Testament) to be captured…to be imprisoned and placed in chains.  God allowed this to test and teach His servant, Joseph.

^“17He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant.

¹⁸His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron,

¹⁹Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.

²⁰The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the peoples, and let him go free.”

Consider what the Bible means when it tells us that Joseph’s soul entered into the iron!!  I think those are a few words that should be thought about and examined thoroughly with our minds and hearts.  Because it is not only chains of iron that bind us…there are many situations in life that bind us and our souls enter into those situations as well.

I will make that the next topic I write on…how our souls (remember your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions) enter into the things/situations that bind us and how this affects our lives.

CHAINS OR CHANGE??

May your souls find peace,

Macky

The Scarecrow Knew!

The Scarecrow knew Dorothy could go home anytime she wanted to, but he DID NOT TELL HER!

Let’s look at this story and see what is really going on!  Everyone that Dorothy became friends with had very serious problems!  Did you ever wonder why she didn’t make friends with at least one “normal” companion on this journey of hers?

Do you ever wonder why YOU seem to attract friends who have a great deal of chaos and trouble in their lives??  Well…I have one of the answers for you!  I am not saying this is the only answer, but it is definitely one of the reasons.

Didn’t you grow up in chaos and trouble?  I know you are out there…  You became accustomed to being around problems and used to having messed up relationships.  Did you enjoy this??  NO, of course not…BUT when you are used to something – you will continue to attract those situations…you will continue to attract those kinds of people into your life.  It feels “normal” to you. For most of us who grew up in dysfunctional families…we have had great difficulty building trust…difficulty keeping good people in our lives…troubled relationships.  I want to point out some wisdom at this point:  Anything you label as “normal” or “alright” in your life – whatever that “thing” is, you will not be able to change it.  You must recognize it as NOT normal in order to become determined to make the needed changes in your life in that area!  It takes so much courage to take a realistic look at your own life and it also takes a lot of time to think things through.

Back to the Scarecrow – just to help make the point!  He seemed lovable and appeared very loyal to Dorothy.  Probably he did care a lot for her…but he knew if she went home – he would be left behind!  He had been isolated all his life…an unattractive and weak “man” whose only job had been to scare other living creatures…not much of a life.  Then this lovely young girl comes into his life and she is so kind.  She was very open about the problems in her life and then those two characters (with their problems) set off on a journey to “find the solutions they needed.”  The Scarecrow had never felt such closeness in a companion and he did not want to lose it.

I believe he knew that Dorothy could go home anytime because he was the character in the movie that was supposed to be the smartest.  I believe he could have figured it out because as it turned out, he was much smarter than the “fake” Wizard of Oz.  The Wizard who turned out to be harmless but a fraud!

As it turned out, the Scarecrow gave in to his selfish desire to keep his friend Dorothy in his life and did not tell her that she could go home at any time.  He was afraid of being alone again…although at the end of the movie, we see that he had made other friends (Tin Man and Lion) and we are left with the hope that they had learned some valuable lessons together on the Yellow Brick Road (the Journey towards Wisdom) that all of us travel in our lives.  Some of us learn – we absorb the Wisdom…sadly…others do not and get off the Good Path.

I can sympathize with the Scarecrow but I cannot agree with his selfish decision.  Throughout the years of my life, I have learned that our Almighty God gives good things to his children who are generous and helpful to one another:

Matthew 7:12
So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.

Generosity is one of my favorite characteristics to find in people I meet.  It is a true gift of spirit.

God Bless you,

Macky

P.S.  This interpretation of The Wizard of Oz is my own creation and I make no claim that the author intended it to be interpreted in this way.

The Scarecrow’s Secret

What was the Scarecrow hiding from Dorothy?

What do a lot of people who are intelligent hide from the important people in their lives?  Join me this weekend to learn some interesting things about the Scarecrow and about people and their secrets.

Are you a pretty smart man/woman?  very smart?  Do you keep secrets from people you love?  Let’s talk about why it is so tempting (and so dangerous) to keep secrets!!

See you this weekend…

Macky

Love for the Tin Man…Love for You..

The Tin Man started in life as a human man and was “in love” with a munchkin woman in the story of the Wizard of Oz.  According to the story, his job was cutting wood and he cut off his own legs with an “magic” axe that was given to him by an enemy.  A merchant, called a tinner made him replacement legs using tin.  Shortly after, Tin Man cut off his own arms and again the tinner replaced his arms with tin.  Next Tin Man cut off his own head; again the tinner replaced his real head with a tin head.  Finally, he cut himself in half which “drained” him completely…after the tinner replaced his body, he was then a totally artificial / superficial empty “man.”

Consider that his enemy was his “Lack of knowledge,” and he created his own pain; he sabotaged himself and through his ignorance, he became an empty “man” and finally a rusted bit of tin trash that could not even move.   I submit to you that the Tin Man was not on a quest for true Love but that he was on a quest for POSSESSIONS. The story states that he was anxious to have a “house and a wife.”  Those words do not indicate that he was searching for Love. He was looking and making preparation for a dwelling and a woman to meet his needs.

Let’s talk about the true nature of Love and then return to the Tin Man.

Having Love is one of life’s greatest gifts.  However, I would never tell anyone that it is easy to find or easy to acquire.  Actually, it is one of the rarest treasures to receive and (in the world we live in…) one of the most difficult treasures to hold on to.  There is so much emptiness in our world…and yet, people are not seeking to find out where they are going wrong.  They keep trying the same old routines of meeting people and creating “relationships” and they are NOT finding Love.  Most are only finding lust and a temporary companion – someone to keep around so that they do not feel lonely.  THIS IS NOT LOVE.

There is a paradox / a kind of contradiction regarding the gift of Love and if this “twist” is not understood and not “followed,” receiving true and lasting Love is not in your future.

If you want true LOVE in your life:  read on…

Receiving Love is a RESULT of living your life and seeking Godly goals. To state the paradox…the contradiction very simply, it is this:

YOU MUST GIVE LOVE BEFORE YOU CAN RECEIVE LOVE

There is a Bible verse that sets us on the right path to having Love in our lives:

1 John 4:8

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

If you understand this verse you will understand one of the sacred truths about Love = Love is God and God is Love. This means that “Love” has the nature of BEING ALIVE…it is more than an emotion of enormous feelings of dedication and loyalty to another person. True Love is actually ALIVE. Yes, I know this is hard to understand, but if you will think about it…think a lot about it – then you will know why true Love is so rare. Having true Love in your life also means having the living and Almighty God in your life. It comes down to this very important point:

Having God in your Life means you will never be empty again.

Yes, you will still have challenges, but the heart-breaking emptiness and thoughts that you “just can’t make it,” those will leave. They will leave as you accept the presence of God and begin to live a life of Love – as described in this chapter:

I Corinthians 13 of the Bible is often called the Love Chapter. It explains the nature of Love beautifully:

The Way of Love

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

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We can not make any assumptions about the Tin Man’s relationship with God, but we can see that as he began to forget about his own problems and start to help his new found friends…he experienced the fullness of joy; of Love and friendship.

When you begin to live your life knowing that “it’s not about me,” when you look outside yourself and become a giver of (whatever you have) to give…you won’t have to go looking for love…

Love will come to you.

Try it dear friends and may God bless each of you,

Macky