Brave Enough To Be Bliss

up on my phone, pressed play, opened the lyrics, listened once, and knew it was the real transition into the second half of the chapter that I needed.

For just a few minutes after I marked the chapter as final this morning, I had been concerned a few of the words in the second half might offend some people, but these lyrics confirmed for me that I need not worry about that. While I hope something in this book connects with each reader, from a spiritual standpoint, if I want to relate to anyone, it isn’t the people who would judge me over a few words. If I have learned anything from my spiritual journey it is that God doesn’t expect, want, or need me to be perfect. He wants my heart. He wants me to talk to Him as I am today. He would rather have me come to Him having erred than not to come to Him at all. If rules and religion are keeping me away from him, He would rather have me come without either and just get to know Him, and then together we could figure out how I can live a life that is pleasing to Him. When I come to Him hurt and abused, when I offer Him my heart that’s torn in pieces, He knows I’m doing the best I can with where I am at this very moment, and he lets me know that’s enough for Him. Following are the lyrics that sealed the deal for me that this was the perfect transition into the last part of the chapter. (Just to clarify, I added the section right above the turkey sandies after writing this section, so really it wasn’t at all close to final yet this morning. That’s how this book has gone, though, I write it when it comes to me.)

Take Me To The King (The Voice Performance) (youtube.com)

I'm all churched out Hurt and abused I can't fake

What's left to do? Truth is it's time To stop playing these games We need a word For the people's pain So, speak right now Let it pour like rain We’re desperate We're chasing after you No rules, no religion I've made my decision To run to You The healer that I need Lord we're in the way We keep making mistakes The glory’s not for us It's all for You

On August 20, 2023, I woke to these words and typed them in my phone… We search for answers to why when the answer is clear we don’t have control bad things happen and they can happen again. We’ve been given this whole big world and all kinds of beautiful people within it and the first time or the second or the third time something goes wrong, we blame God. Out of all the good and beautiful, we turn on him, blame him and question it all. And we do it because we so badly want control and answers, so we don’t have to fear. But the answer is we don’t have to fear if we accept it as it is. Life comes with good parts and bad. Joy and pain. Birth and death. Gifts and losses. Happiness and sadness. We don’t get to have it all and only one way and we don’t get to know when the other shoe drops, we only get to know that it will. And if we know this and truly accept it as simply a part of life and of people, we can actually live in the present and enjoy it counting our blessings and being grateful for every single second of goodness and joy instead of pissing it away worrying about the future. So yes, I think God, Jesus whoever you want to call him or her or it, is grieved at our selfishness and greed. Whoever

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