Git off my Joy Jar Janet! and Reframing the word OBEY EP 122

Is there a word, phrase, or topic that really gets under your skin? That when you hear it, your brain comes to a screeching halt and you stop listening? In other words, as soon as someone gets on the topic, you can’t be open to anything else they are saying because you’re stuck on “that word”. For me, one of those words is OBEY. The word obey hits me right in the “don’t tell me what to do” button. It triggers my fear of authority, my rebel without a cause, and you’re not the boss of me attitude... does this sound like a teenage boy talking? Well, I often feel like one!!!  A double button for me is the topic of obeying in the context of religion. I’ve worked really hard at shifting my perspective in this area. There was a time I couldn't stand the sound of anything that even hinted at religion much less be able to step foot in a church. Based on a principle that has served me well over the years, "take what you want and leave the rest", I'm now able to hear messages I don't fully agree with and but am able to still glean some value out of them.  On this episode, I’m going to talk about a recent experience I had at church. This is coming from a person who wouldn’t consider himself religious or even a Christian for that matter. Recently I’ve been hanging out with a group of people that talk about The Book and The Guy in such a way that even I can fit it in. I love conversations around life principles, new and deep understandings of spirituality, and the human condition. Yet, I often feel like you have to prescribe to a certain way of thinking in order to participate in many groups and communities.  This weekend I had a profound shift in my perspective. Patrick, the pastor at NUVO Church, which I’ve been hanging out with recently, helped me disconnect the word OBEY, from some authority figure trying to control me.  I often think of OBEY in a way that says, you can live on the fringes, you can't live in the grey, you can't do anything immoral, you can't cuss, you know, you can't have fun anymore! I have a hard enough time with my own insecurities and life challenges that I need someone else telling me I'm bad, not good enough, and don't fit in.  When it comes to Patrick's perspective, I appreciate that he looks for ways to include instead of exclude, to share his own struggles as they are vs how he wants you to perceive them, he seems to embrace a broader perspective instead of looking for lines to draw in the sand.  One of my favorite quotes (a rough quote, lol) is from Richard Rohr who says, we are all just fingers pointing at the moon, instead of debating about who has the better finger, how about we focus on what we are all pointing to.  A power greater than ourselves, that which we cannot fully understand, the great unknown, that which we experience not study, that God known by many, many, many, names!   I love you.  It would mean the world to me if you gave us a written review on Apple Podcasts, Followed us on Spotify and anywhere else you listen to your podcasts.  Here is Heather Parady's info and please check out her new Podcast - Happy Brain - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gratitude-jars/id1555659782?i=1000513709646 You can find all Heather's social and links here: https://direct.me/heatherparady K Preston Moore Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/k.preston.moore Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/highcostofanonymitypodcast/?ref=share