#nofilter- just pure, un-messed with, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, this is how it is, straight-up truth, the real deal, un-cut, un-opinionated, un-biased and untouched in any way.

and yet… its so much harder than it sounds.

Our perceptions of things are all ‘filtered’ through our own experiences. Our lives have made us who we are and we have been shaped by so many things. Things we have been told, things we have done, things we have believed and things we have seen all swirl around at millions of miles an hour in our brains constantly and we use all those resources to make ‘sense’ of where we are and what we are thinking and feeling.

So our perceptions filter things all the time as we receive inputs, and our brains can ‘see’ a lot of things that may or may not be real- they way someone says something- the way someone looks at you-

(and that’s just our side of the story)

As people do and say things- they might be ‘filtering’ things a certain way- ‘painting a different picture’ or ‘putting a different slant, spin or face on things- couching things and adding subtle subliminal messages to nuance the situation, etc’

Then consider, the different and changing meanings of words and expressions….- and then there are different languages , and then try to imagine translating things (!) …. (you get the picture) (see Malcolm Gladwell, Blink (great book)

Communication could seem impossible… but its not.

It’s just mostly impossilbe. (like ‘mostly dead’ from Princess Bride)

Gods Love. Its is poured out everywhere throughout creation- we have the ability to see beauty in lots of different ways- God put all that there for us to experience- and then He visited mankind in Jesus to make it even clearer.

It’s too simple for us-

Our filters do too much and we cannot ‘see’ what should be obvious.

But children understand – remember when you were little – you had no problem believing in God or believing that He loves you…

Jesus said  “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Luke 18:17)

What is up with all our complications? Are we smarter now that we have ‘filtered’ and ‘complicated’ things?

Gods Love has not changed. -if you are reading this- you can still get closer to God. God is so pure that He is the definition of #nofilter. His love for you is almost terrifying. It is so complete – that’s why we try to ‘busy ourselves’ and do things because we are hiding from Him. (even Christians do this) (even I do this)

So- I am gonna try to surrender more and yield more and put away more of whatever silly things have been ‘busying’ my time and life and stop making excuses for the way I am and get real with my creator who does not filter His love for me, but pours it out freely.

take the #nofilter challenge-

Pray: Jesus, thank you for your love for me and I am sorry for all I have done to clutter up my life- help me to make you Lord in my life and change my inner man to be more like you, so that I can be a clear representation of You. (my dear friend, Bobbi Lawhon said ‘I might be the only ‘Bible’ people ‘read’ and I want to represent Christianity as something that is desirable, attainable and achievable’)

thank you.