Pure Bliss

"Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise."
Thomas Gray

The truth is, I'd really rather not know.

If I had a dollar for every time I'd thought that very phrase, I'd retire right now. Because knowing better means you should do better, right? Once I know something, I can never again claim ignorance as my excuse to remain the same. I must change.

This morning when I woke up, I had a YouTube viewing opportunity. It was a thirty minute journey prefaced by the comment, "I couldn't stop crying." I knew, if I watched it I would open my heart to someone's pain and inevitably I would feel compelled to do something. To know, or not to know?

Obviously, the easier path is always to not know. Somewhere in the last few years, perhaps it was when I told God He had me for all and whatever, He has shown me my very own Pandora's box.

Remember The Matrix? I took the red pill. Fortunately, my family did, too because if I was alone in this, I don't know if I could have survived.

Yesterday, my family and I visited a farm and finished our learning about the benefits of drinking raw milk. That is, unpasteurized, non-homogenized milk. The same stuff that our government has deemed unfit and dangerous is full of extreme health benefits for our family. The government is so scared of folks drinking it that they consider it illegal. Really. Drinking (buying) milk right from the cow is illegal in most states. Ma and Pa Ingalls would be so confused! Now, I'm not here to tout the benefits of our choice. I'm just using an example. I balked at learning about this one. I had read (and read and read) about the benefits and knew that eventually, I wouldn't be able to deny it, but I also knew that once I made the leap it was going to cost me; cost me money, convenience, time, and once again, we are traveling farther down the road called "Weird" as a family. Now that we made the jump, I'll never look back. I know it was the right choice for us, and I will fight to protect this decision we have made.

A million times I have been through this process. It's not gotten easier. I have learned about everything from air fresheners to immunizations. None of these things have made me popular. All of these things have made me better. I guess that's what it comes down to. What's important? Going with the flow or being obedient? Just like my kids, once upon a time, I drag and maybe stomp my feet occasionally when I need to obey. But, always, when I was asking them to obey, it was with their best interest in mind. Good parents don't usually say, "No," just to hear our own voice, do we? Usually we have some inside knowledge and are just trying to protect our babies from pain.

I'm going to go deep here, but I have to say that I believe the biggest disservice Christianity has done to itself is the attitude it has copped, behaving as if it knows best and everyone who doesn't is just plain wrong. Like my husband says, it creates an "us and them" mentality in which no one wins. We want folks to know that we have some inside knowledge that would change the very fiber of their being. That once they know, they will find the peace they long for deep, deep in their very soul. We want them to know the love we know and the forgiveness we have found, but we do it much like the folks did a couple thousand years ago that frustrated Jesus, Himself (see Matthew 23). As a whole, we've made it about the rules and the details and the "shoulds" instead of just living the love and letting Him do His work. It's so simple and we've complicated it all up.

Yes, there is One answer to man's humanity. I do not believe there is any other way to spend an eternity with our Creator than to have surrendered to His Son. But, the problem is when we try to share that info by sharing truth in a way that makes anyone feel smaller, we have failed. Jesus never made anyone feel small. He simply loved. And this prevented folks from feeling the need to quickly feel like they had to change a million things to be loved by Him. They were loved where they were--as they were. Then, their hearts cried out for what He had to offer and they knew His Truth and it set them free. They knew better and did better from a heart responding to love.

We are afraid to hear truth because it may cost us. But is ignorance truly bliss?

If I refuse to look does it make the truth any less real?

All and whatever may not be the simplest route, but the benefit package is out of this world. And, that, my friends is pure bliss.

 

"All these victims stand in line for the crumbs that fall from the table. Just enough to get by. All the while your invitation, wake on up from your slumber. Open up your eyes. Sing like we used to. Dance when you want to. Taste of the breakthrough and open wide." Need to Breathe

Video you probably need to see...