Mike Paschall . com

Yesterday, while in the  3rd airport of another 29 hour day, Patti and I stopped at one of our (Patti’s) favorite Mes-i-kin food eating spots in the DFW airport.   Nothing like tasting grilled onions, guacamole and greasy tortilla chips again at 32,000 feet.  *brrrp*  I digress…

The place was packed and our waitress was awesome.  Very sharp, astute and quick in proactive thinking about things that needed to be done on the table without the customer really realizing what she was up too.  She was awesome.  But, to look at her, you just knew:  THIS GIRL HAS BEEN HURT…SOMEBODY TOOK SOMETHING THEY DIDN’T HAVE PERMISSION TO TAKE…THIS IS HER BEST-LINE DEFENSE.  IT IS TRIBAL, BUT SHE’S IN DEEP FOR PROTECTION. I guess it all really could be about the art.  That’s fine.  I’m cool with that.  But, in this case I suspect there is another grueling tale.  Another really bad story and this is where she finds her acceptance and her safety.  Honestly, I kinda dig the whole Gothic look, probably much more than I do the Polo dandies scene.   But with our gentle waitress, it seems obvious that something is askew when the dress has completely and absolutely neutered any evidence of her God given gender and/or sexuality.   Kinda  like SNL’s “Pat” gone punk.  Somewhere, somehow, she got the ideal that covert was more more convenient.  So she’s stuck.  Maybe stuck on purpose.  But, stuck none-the-less.  Maybe I’m just wrong and she’s the lead singer for a Metallica cover band, but I doubt it.

There is a great scene in the second of three MATRIX movies, where Neo is talking to the Oracle.  She is explaining how things work with rogue programs running games in the system (matrix):  “Every time you hear stories about vampires, werewolves or aliens, it is the system assimilating something it’s not supposed to be doing.” In other words, it’s a diversionary tactic to keep from exposing some hidden truth.  For me, that explains too much.  We deal with our “rejection” (poorly) in thousands of ways and in the ministry culture where God has me now, it is all too obvious that the perpetual problems of natural and spiritual abuse has been a nasty plot to “steal, kill and destroy” an entire generation of world changers.

Everyone one of us has a wake behind us.  Not just fathers.  Not just mothers.  You too.  All of us.  And what happens at the top, violently affects the norms at the bottom.  Every abuse (and that can even be attitudes and rotten demeanor), every loveless and self-centered reprobate indulgence has the potential for linear destruction well beyond the moment.  Think about this!  Of course we know these principles work with abused individuals, but it also applies to ministries, churches, organizations, etc.  Because you are free to do something doesn’t mean that it is the best expression of your freedom.  What are you responsible for?  What is going on underneath you?  Who pays the cost when you indulge?  What kind of fruit do you expect?  Then pay attention to the seed.

-MDP-