Bar-Mitzvah

I want to share an impactful tweet with my readers, sent from Rabbi Joseph Chaim Levine (@Rabbi224). "Full spiritual maturity is a life-long mission. The Bar-Mitzvah marks the end of training and the beginning of battle."

While I saw wisdom in these words when I first read it yesterday, something also blossomed in my mind while I responded to the tweets this morning.

Yeshua/Jesus is Jewish, and likewise had His Bar-Mitzvah after years-long study. The only point of Christ's early years that we have in the Gospels today is a time shortly after His Bar-Mitzvah, or so one may surmise as He was 12 years of age.

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:41-49)

The first Gospel account where Yeshua/Jesus starts to reveal Who He is and His purpose is following His Bar-Mitzvah. The battle for our souls had begun.

And our part in it continues all through our life.

~ ESA

Chaff and Grain (Poem)

Chaff and Grain

A little seed is planted, deep in the ground
A little promise within, greater to be found

The seedling sprouts, digging through moist earth
Searching in darkness, for warmth and it's birth

The sprout breaks soil, gladly tasting the sun
Now it can begin to grow, its life certainly begun

The stalk grows tall, stretching for the sky
It bobs gently on the winds, never knowing why

The roots grow deeper, seeking water there
Sprout soaks in sun's love, growing without a care

Taller still it does grow, but now the days grow short
A crown weighs down its head, but its life it will not abort

Harvest time has come, it sees its neighbors fall
It is severed from its roots, but this is not all

A thrashing soon follows, such blows to its head
Seeds scatter from the crown, and these gathered instead

The chaff is placed aside, and then taken away
I wish my readers follow, and know what I say

The seeds drawn from the chaff, are really you and I
The chaff is just worldly things, that we have to lay aside

In each of us
Golden seeds are found
Where this world is going
Our true selves are not forever bound

Reminders

A question a friend posed pricked me when I re-read it this morning. "How long do you think you will be able to hold onto the message? The enemy will back down whilst you have understanding, but after a bit of time will lure you back to old ideas."

Like many my age, I need to give myself reminders - post-it notes, memos on calendars, voice-mails, emails, repetition and bookmarks. That is just the daily routine stuff.

When there is something that strikes me as important, I copy it into a Word document or write it in a my small journal in my laptop bag. This way, after some time passes and I start to forget the lesson, I can go back and re-read it.

For the question above, it's a good indicator that I've already fallen back to my old habits; I got a similar response to the words as I did when I initially read them. Even though a message struck home at first, the lesson faded with time. I still live in a corrupt and corruptible world. This is still the playground of the enemy, and I am still susceptible.

If I want to continue to grow, I really need to keep valuable lessons at hand and do what I can not to forget them.

They are my stepping stones.
I can still trip.
And start again!

-ESA

Lifting my Voice (Poem)

I needed some time to myself, but now... I want to sing, I want to shout! I want to tell the world what I'm about.

Why am I so shy and hesitant in what I say - more each day...

I giggle, stay silent - I just want to hide... rather than plainly state what I feel inside.

Yesterday and then again today, someone said he saw wisdom in what I had to say...

And yet I hesitate and hold back. Is it simply courage that I lack?

I need to change, to grow... to become something more than what I know!

I was told change is NOT something to fear...

But something that instead should be treasured dear.

The enemy uses fear to stop us as we progress, each hesitation is a measure of his success.

I should start to again blog this, and share with any who may witness...

Fear NOT the change.

Through it we grow.

Let that show.

- ESA