Your Reality vs. Reality.

If in my mind I think its ok (while at work) to walk up to another co-workers desk and take something like a pen or pencil and think its not stealing I mean thats ok, but thats my reality because Im thinking that its just a pen. But really in reality that person doesent like that I took something off of their desk without asking first, and weather you like it or not I STOLE IT!! What we do sometimes is we make up this imaginary world we live in so that we stay comfortable and never have to move out of it and honestly excluding the imaginary parts it is nothing wrong with creating a comfort zone or even viewing things a ceartain way in order to be comfortable. Where the problem lies is when you try to assume that everyone must live by that code. Part of existing in a world that God created so different is understanding that my way is not your way, and your way is not my way. We have different ways of doing things but we NEED (keyword: need) to learn how to find common ground in order to achieve peace and harmony. No one can tell you to stop being the way you are because God made you that way Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." The way you are is definitely on purpose, but the key in that is that you get to be who you are and I get to be who I am. Alot of times the idea is that I can act like I want to act with whoever and people who cant handle it can move on. And I agree there should never be a compromise in who you are, but frankly if your a person with no respect or for lack of a better word a jerk than your mistaken. I believe we all sometimes get this notion that we can use God as an excuse to be that way. In my personal experience I know I can be very intolerant and jump to conclusions and assume things and blow up over nothing, I could easily use the excuse well thats just how I am, but honestly thats fine but  you can stay that way be friendless.  As Christians it happens all that time that people claim to be REAL and tell it like it is. But I heard it like this "sometimes being REAL can be REAL stupid". Jesus told it like it was in John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." I mean it  dont get no real than that right? Did he need to throw a pun in there, or even be cunning  about it NO!! There is no reason for all that because that is superfluous. The reality is Jesus was telling Thomas a simple truth. That statement he made alone can knock you off your feet. The truth is the truth by itself. Its not like food, it does not need all this seasoning and extra spice to make it more truthful, but we use God sometimes as an excuse to be blatently rude about something we personally have a problem with. This is why Christians fight so much, its our refusal to yield to God and not our pride. My pastor broke it down like this he said "When we allow our desires to take control there are consequences: pain, death, and SELF-DECEPTION." The most beasty thing I have heard right there. You want to be this mean person, or this selfish person, or this intolerant person, or this concieted person, or whatever sooooo bad that you decieve self and then cover it up with "Well I just keep it real" I keep it real too but I keep it real from a reality perspective. If the world revolved around me than it would be called Terence's world, and it would stop when I was sleep, but the REALITY is that it doesent. Our job is to not make everyone happy honestly its to be loving. You will find that loving someone will not always make them happy because in loving them you choose to not act like they act sometimes to the point where you distance yourself, or be quiet. In reality if you want someone to understand your point of view than you must be willing to understand theirs. Everybody is from different upbringings, different childhoods, different walks of life, but if your going to intergrate or be apart of society you cannot use that as a crutch. (speaking more to me) If hate and cruelty is your only way of living than you have a problem. Bad habits do die hard but they die. Dont get me wrong sterness is needed to keep discipline, as Christians we sometimes lack that which is why we so easily forget God and his statutes. So having yourself be apart of a Church where the pastor is stern but fair  like I am (shameless plug for Ebenezer) is good in learning how to be a disciplined Christian who can reason well and not be ashmed of the gospel. (Romans 1:16). We run from discipline, and flee to our learned ways and refuse to change for fear of not being true to self. But if you pay attention closely changing for the better is being true to yourself. Remember if we are saved like we say we are and we Love Christ than we show his love by obeying his commandments right? John 14:15 says " If ye Love me, keep my commandments". Jesus goes on to say in Mark 12:31 "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" If he says there is no commandment greater than this than LOVE is conquering all things. If your going to choose (yes its a choice its not something you have control over, again speaking to Hobdy) to not change than so be it but if your going to act in LOVE remember this 1 Corinthians 13:5 (speaking about love) " does not act unbecomingly;"(NASB) the King James Version says it like this "Doth not behave itself unseemly" and the New International Version says this " It is not rude". Now that was for all you bible scholars. I mean we all make mistakes because were human but its not a license to keep doing it. The point is to get God's reality see how he thinks about a situation then evaluate based on that. Your mindset may not be the same as someone elses and because you refuse to stop and get out of your own way you lose valuable time and information. Sometimes being too sensitive, being too hard, lacking the ablility (by choice) to understand. All of these things we have to be conscious of, Jesus never compromised his character for anyone but he never forced himself on anyone. We all have the ability to be dominant but Minister KD at Ebenezer told us you gotta have A BE-Attitude...one of the beattitudes is Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The New American Standard Bible would say blessed are the gentle. The goal here is Im moving around myself and learning that someonelse else's needs matter. The reality of a kid in the projects is different from the reality of a kid in the suburbs. But neither of that is the other one's fault, it simply means if they cross paths they have to gain an understanding of each . If they choose not to understand the other then they move on. At some point though, Ive got to learn to listen to someone else's view point to gain a real perspective on what is really going on....