It sits in the carton on the top shelf of the refrigerator waiting for breakfast or for afternoon cookies. Oh, those yummy just baked gooy chocky chip cookies just ready to be savored with a cool glass of milk. Yes, don't forget how good that milk is for your bones. Mmmmm, nothing wrong with milk!
One night you crawl out of bed and sneak downstairs by the light of the moon streaming through the windows. Your destination takes you straight to the frig. The light burns your eyes as you reach for the carton. You are too sleepy to get a glass. You open and tilt your head back and take in a huge gulp only to have the sour milk hit your stomach and back up and splattering all over the kitchen and down your pjs. Free radicals have taken your milk hostage.
Sour milk = sour stomach. What you received into your body, came racing out.
How about that? What can you do if I refuse your sour disregard for me? I will not be left a hostage. No, I won't yell to get you to notice me. I will not devalue others. I will not waste away.
Why not refuse your carelessness and your distraction? When I refuse your negligence, I guard my wellspring. What I give cannot be spoiled by your inattention.
wine tasting 101: bowl of honey
Yes Keeper, i think you're right on there... what you receive and what you refuse to receive does teach others how to treat you. I think it also comes down to a point that if i do not know my value and worth then how can i expect others to value and respect me, how can i teach others how to treat me?
ReplyDeleteMy identity and therefore my behaviour must come from the security of knowing who i am because i know whose i am. This journey of discovering who and whose i am has, and continues to be a life transforming experience from the inside out.
What i receive, i give...
This is pretty challenging because it's easy to give blessing when i've been blessed, much harder to give blessing when i encounter abuse. I guess that's where it becomes a choice not to receive that abusive behaviour... if i don't receive it, i won't give it? And to receive instead from the overflowing heart of a Compassionate and Gracious God. What He pours in is enough and more to give back out in any situation...
i updated this just now.... i had a visual i had to share...
ReplyDeleteThank You, Lovely, for your thoughts here. It is challenging when you encounter abuse. Saying "I refuse to internalize this abuse." is pretty huge and powerful step into freedom.
You said it right ' to receive instead from the Overflowing Heart of a Compassionate and Gracious God' ... mmmmm yessssss
Healing Milk from the Master....
Thanks for the great visual Keeper! I can see it!! If only it were that much of a reflex to refuse sour behaviour. Too often it can sit there churning and the wellspring is contaminated...
ReplyDeleteCan i ask a question?
How do you refuse sour behaviour?
tough question .... harder to practise....
ReplyDeletegoing to give some suggestions and know i will think more on this ... see what i get.....
1. observe
even though the milk is in a carton, you got to observe what kind of free radicals are lying in wait before you injest.
2. say aloud: " i absolutely refuse sour milk"
saying this aloud wakes you up enough to get yourself outta there. we get in this sleepy slumber of 'nice' that take away some awareness then we wonder why we just got attack by them free radicals.
3. MORE not less ...... BETTER not bitter
it is painful and there are tears .. run right to God's arms... talk to Him tell Him you want to be MORE ... right there as your sobs die down, you begin to know what will make you more ... i find it is some positive action ... any positive action that makes beauty.... any positive action that is about delighting.... this fills up your pitcher with that good warm milk you were looking for so you can go back to sleep.
Lovely, this is an attempt ... i hope that it is helpful. i do know it is hard work. I think by doing this we refuse the sour milk and take up the ownership of our beautiful life.
I am coming back with some more thoughts whirling around in my head...
ReplyDeleteThe question I was thinking on was 'what happens if you have already injested the sour'?
As a woman our thoughts multi-task! Meaning that we can many thoughts going on at one time in many different layers. When that is going on, it is sure to cause great distress. The reason I suggest you speak aloud or write down is to keep your find focused on one thing.
Here is a quote that finally got me to stop in my tracks. 'What you focus on expands.'
When you have injested the sour milk into your system, you must flush this out. Pour out your burden to God and then start packing your brain in cool compresses like verses and songs. Put your hands to work on creating beauty.
ie:
When I have injested sour milk, I flush out my emotions through writing a poem, a conversation, a metaphor, or a prayer to God. This cleans out the space. Then I find verses and songs as cool compresses to give my brain, heart, and soul a rest from overheating. Then I move to creating. I love to paint and have learned to loom knit. These have a yoga effect on my physical being.
You can be 'selfish'. A better word is 'self-ful'. Clean up your pitcher and you keep it full of beautiful things by loving yourself. Write out a love list for yourself.
It is a journey and indeed a mystery. Again an attempt..... a learning in progress......
Thanks Keeper for your thoughts on how we can refuse sour behaviour....
ReplyDeleteI think you're right... we can set our boundaries over what we will not accept, and yes i think that may require us at times to be assertive enough to speak out loud to refuse something or to physically refuse it by moving away from the situation...
Having our wounds cleansed, our pitchers refilled with clear sparkling water, our inner beauty restored by the true Life Giver will enable us to move on... MORE not less, Better not bitter.
I have been thinking a lot about this .... and I have been saying aloud
ReplyDelete"I refuse ......"
"I believe ......."
"I commit ..........."
in a lot of different situations. I have even turned it around on my own sour moods.....
Truly this is an amazing adventure.....