Are Your Repetitive Patterns Building Or Demolishing

This morning at about seven, I hear a woman screaming at the top of her lungs outside.

I'm laying in bed, perusing the news on my tablet.

I jump to my feet and look out the window to see a woman walking with two little children (walking them to school I guess).

She's on a cell phone.

From the tone of her voice and her vitriol, I thought she was being physically attacked.

It was her verbally assaulting someone through the cell phone's radio waves.

A man drives slowly by in his work truck looking at her, likely with the same concern I had, and she yells at him to keep on driving and mind his own business.

I can't help but feel for those two little girls, seemingly ages four five, walking with this woman.

Her words are echoing throughout the neighborhood, which is still quiet being so early.

I pray...for those little girls, for peace to transcend upon that woman and for whatever madness, malevolent spirit, and childhood trauma that was inflicted upon her to be broken away.

I want to go outside and speak to her, but it may have been like crossing paths with a bear and her cubs.

I had many more thoughts that would deviate from the article.

I struggle witnessing such recklessness, knowing very well how injurious this madness is to children and society by extension.

My mind begins to think of how patterns, both good and not good, are set from an early age.

We all have been raised with particular patterns.

Some patterns were purposed, while others are the mistakes of our forefathers.

One good purpose is teaching children about doing what is right at all costs.

Yet, when a parent is not making the effort to do what is right, but is simply forwarding the bad patterns they themselves learned growing up, we see this make perfect sense:

‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 

- Numbers 14: 18

Is it that God is unjust, allowing ill-mannered patterns to persist for generations?

If the individual had no choice in their conduct and attitude, perhaps.

But since each of us has dominion over our thoughts, words and actions (we are not cloned robots), then only the individual is to blame for their individual choices.

I think this woman, while growing up, most likely heard and witnessed adults, possibly a mother or aunt or grandmother, conducting themselves in a similar fashion.

My heart breaks for these two young girls who, I hope, will be able to identify and break away from the pattern.

Some weeks ago I am riding public transit and a family of four sits near me.

A father, mother, and two children aged maybe eight or nine.

The parents are very young, mid- to late-twenties they look.

The children are doing what children can sometimes do; touch everything, ask silly questions, test their parent's patience.

The little boy asks a question to his parents, one I don't recall, yet what I do recall was his father's response.

His dad said in a very loud and condescending voice “you're so f-----g stupid”.

The little boy simply sat still in a seemingly blank state of mind internalizing those resounding words.

I wanted to break that man's mouth.

I was burning inside with anger.

I desired so much to correct that ignorant man's disgusting attitude towards his child, but I wondered if my anger would spill through my desire to speak lovingly to these young parents.

I prayed for these children and for the heart's condition of the parents.

I had many more thoughts that would, again, deviate from the article.

Patterns came to mind.

I had several patterns of less than desirable character traits I had to break, patterns I inherited from my parents and the other adults who influenced my upbringing.

Some of these are works in progress, while others may never be fully weeded out.

There are some traits I most likely will never get around to resolving, since it is very difficult for the individual to see clearly all of their attributes (both the good and not so good).

We don't choose our parents, neither do we choose where we are born or in what situation.

Our task is to develop beyond the mold and patterns.

If we break the mold and let the poor traits fall away, we are bearing better fruit.

When building with a proper foundation, building with what is good and of the light, we are better prepared if we are granted the blessing (and responsibility) of raising a generation made in our likeness.

It is written that we (mankind) have been made in God's likeness (Genesis 1).

This is absolutely amazing and quite revealing when we consider how, although we share nature's physical attributes with all of creation (same material building blocks), we have gifts that are not found elsewhere in nature.

The human can rationalize and make choices beyond the emotional triggers.

The human can choose to share their food, even if hungry, with another human being.

The human has attributes that allows us to ponder things beyond ourselves and the perceptible.

When God and His attributes of holiness are ignored, humans by default imitate and follow the likeness of depraved human beings; people who either forgot or have not been taught that they are made in His likeness.

When people are not raised or taught to love God, love one another, and even love their enemies, but are instead taught to rage and strive against others, it is no surprise depravity is justified as 'normal' and ethics, virtue, integrity and morality is pushed against.

The government's manners, the media's constant programming of 'bad' news, and social media's mob-like manners speak to these sad realities.

Wretchedness is popularized whilst goodness is ignored, or frowned upon as impractical.

When God is ignored, it should be no surprise so much confusion is widely found on earth.

Although storms may rise in your heart and mind, it is your choice to speak such things into existence.

Be not the vessel that repeats wickedness.

Be not having the tongue which condemns others (and yourself) by a lack of self control.

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 

- James 3: 2-12